MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
AREA LAKES: Forecast good for Memorial Day weekend, largemouth and bluegill should be near shore. Ken “Husker” O’Malley: South, largemouth mostly done spawning; a few on ChatterBaits, work first break to the drop-off; crappie mostly done, too, plastics under floats on outside weed line. Rob Abouchar: Points north, Senkos taking largemouth around docks, wood and weed; bluegill on beds shallow. Pete Lamar: In wind, found active bluegill and small largemouth on lee side; expects local waters to be primer this weekend.
AREA RIVERS: CALUMET: BoRabb Williams: Found quality crappie Thursday, to 15 1/2 inches. FOX: Lamar: Smallmouth in tributaries; surprisingly late suckers, too. KANKAKEE: Active smallmouth, see column. ROCK: Victor Blackful: Multiple species Monday, Dixon to Oregon: walleye (jig and minnow), catfish (crawlers, cutbait), smallmouth/largemouth (twistertails); drum (crawlers).
CHAIN: Triangle: Nearly everything moving shallow, some stage of spawn; walleye moved deeper; lots of catfish on cutbait. DELAVAN/GENEVA, WIS.: Capt. Dave Duwe: DELAVAN: Crappie “fantastic” in 12-15; largemouth in some form of spawn. GENEVA: Smallmouth starting to move shallow; largemouth in shallow weeds in 4-5; bluegill picking up; walleye good in 10-15 on hard-rock bottoms. GREEN LAKE, WIS.: Mike Norris: FOX LAKE: Largemouth “excellent” shallow; crappie staging to spawn. BIG GREEN: Largemouth shallow, so are muskies.
HEIDECKE: Bob Johnson: With water cooling, walleye slowed, however hybrids (swimbaits or twistertails on riprap corners) picked up; some bass.
HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Will be open Memorial Day.
LAKEFRONT: Shore slow. Capt. Bob Poteshman: Chicago suddenly has lots of coho, good around Navy Pier with occasional brown; lots in 30 with a couple of steelhead; lakers and coho also in 60 to 110. Out of North Point, coho “rocking,” 25 to 200, up and down shoreline; a couple of big kings, to 18 pounds. Salmon Stop: Out of Waukegan, coho “going crazy in 30-120” on any color; past 100, some good kings. Capt. Scott Wolfe: Good in 40-70 from Waukegan to north of state line; coho with a few kings; a few big browns shallow. PERCH: Closed through June 15, on Illinois’ Lake Michigan.
N. WIS.: Kurt Justice: Up-and-down weather has crappie spawn off-kilter, should be good by weekend; smallmouth (some bedding), walleye (postspawn shallow), pike and largemouth fair to good.
NW IND.: Slez’s: Coho solid, Gary Light to Dunes SP pavilion in 40-50; Dodgers and flies best; some steelhead off piers in Portage and Michigan City.
SHABBONA: Boondocks: Crappie in trees, no-motor zone and near campground; walleye deeper off trees; bass near banks; water in low 60s. ST. JOSEPH, MICH.: Tackle Haven: Walleye steady in river; bass opens Saturday; boaters working 120-130 for coho, lakers and a few kings. WOLF RIVER, WIS. Fremont: Norris: For white bass, troll spinners on three-ways or flies on a Wolf River rig. Bill Stoeger: White bass improved with cooler water; drag jig and crawler for walleye; catfish on variety. Curt Pazdro: Bladebaits top bait Sunday when 300 white bass caught.