MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
NOTE: Bizarre stretch with multiple species in some stage of spawn.
AREA LAKES: Ken “Husker” O’Malley: Largemouth staging or on beds, try flipping craw imitators near shoreline cover; crappie also spawning; bluegill starting to bed. Pete Lamar: Fly-fishing poppers produced mainly smaller largemouth; good bluegill, including big ones. Matt Gill: Largemouth active in northwest suburbs on ‘‘bug”-type soft plastic. Rob Abouchar: On Island Lake, “not sure if it is still prespawn or postspawn,” mostly male largemouth on 5-inch Senkos.
AREA RIVERS: CALUMET: BoRabb Williams: Good crappie, including big ones by Frank “Catdaddy” Smith and Dwayne Armstrong. CHICAGO: Jeffrey Williams: Multiple species (rock bass, largemouth) picking up downtown.
DES PLAINES: O’Malley: Slightly up, water into 70s; largemouth staging for spawning. DuPAGE: Larry Narro: Some big smallmouth. FOX: O’Malley: Good shape, smallmouth on beds; try pitching twistertails to current breaks. KANKAKEE: Anthony Schaal: Very good smallmouth in tributary. VERMILION: George Peters: Good smallmouth and big rock bass on spinners, minnow baits or craw jigs.
CHAIN: Triangle: With warmup, lots of catfish; crappie, bluegill and bass all on beds; walleye moving toward main lakes.
DELAVAN/GENEVA, WIS.: Capt. Dave Duwe: DELAVAN: Bluegill in 3-4 ft. best bite; largemouth mostly prespawn. GENEVA: Most action in 3-4; try largemouth around docks; pike in shallow, weedy flats; bluegill in warmest water.
GREEN LAKE, WIS.: Mike Norris: BIG GREEN: Lake trout top choice, locate on electronics in 60-100, then vertical jig.
GREEN/STURGEON BAYS, WIS.: Howie’s: Prespawn smallmouth very good around Door County peninsula.
HEIDECKE: Bob Johnson: “Prime time.” Caught dozens of walleye, 12-20 inches, twistertails or finesse jigs in 3-10 ft.; active largemouth and smallmouth on Texas rigs. Jason “Special One” Le: Bluegill spawning all over.
LAKEFRONT: Laurance Reed: Good smallmouth in harbors on 5-inch Senko. Capt. Bob Poteshman: Peanut flies, Yellow Birds and Dipsy Divers best. Coho “spectacular” out of North Point on hill; plenty in 200-250 some days, too. Out of Chicago, some coho in 50-100 with good lake trout to 20 pounds. Salmon Stop: Out of Waukegan, boaters taking coho limits on Double 00 flashers with flies inside of 40; pier anglers getting coho on fatheads or spoons. Capt. Scott Wolfe: Changing and variable fishing, as shallow as 8 ft. to deeper than 220 in the last week around Waukegan/North Point; mostly coho with some browns. PERCH: Season closed through June 15, on Illinois’ Lake Michigan.
N. WIS.: Kurt Justice: Many lakes warmed into 60s, will cool to 50s; crappie (north shores or staging in 8-12 ft. in green cabbage) good to very good; pike (warming cabbage in 4-8) and largemouth (dark-bottom areas in 3-7) good; hot walleye bite slowed, best late morning to midday.
NW IND.: Slez’s: Decent perch in 50-55 north of Gary Light. Coho with a few kings and steelhead, Gary Light to Michigan City in 45-55, Dodgers and flies or spoons. James Baranski: Smallmouth tough, probably setting up for spawn. SHABBONA: Boondocks: Crappie in no-motor zone or deep trees; largemouth good on shoreline or no-motor.
ST. JOSEPH, MICH.: Tackle Haven: Trollers working 100-200 mostly for coho; walleye picking up in river.
WOLF RIVER, WIS.: Bill Stoeger: Some male white bass in Fremont and around Rat River; good walleye on jigs and half crawlers in deeper water. Gary Bloom: Smallmouth “thick” around Winneconne.