Salmon anglers from boats and shore are picking up fish. During the night more action is noted from boats working close to shore than out to 125 feet of water when the sun is up. Off the pier anglers are popping kings with a good number of them turning brown already. Almost no reports of perch. Some rock bass were hitting around in the harbor weeds.
Lake Michigan (Chicago) **+
Chicago salmon anglers are smiling as their catch of king salmon increased again from last week. Behind McCormick Place and south is where fish are willing to hit glow-in-the-dark spoons and glow rattle baits. Shore fishing at night reported numerous hits and strong fights. Early in the morning boats working outside of the harbor mouths at Montrose, Belmont, Diversey and Jackson Harbor and took fish with a glow-in-the-dark spoon. All city harbors have yielded rock bass and gobies on minnows and soft shells.
Illianna (Illinois & Indiana Lake Michigan) **
Salmon anglers reported doing very well . Boaters running along the inland wall said the fish were lined up on the locator and all you had to do is work the line until you got a strike. Perch reports are still very slow in the harbors, but most people are casting glow spoons early in the morning till about 9 a.m. outside the harbor mouths. Recent rain should pull a lot of fish up into the streams.
Cook County Forest Preserves **+
Anglers have reported fair to good fishing with small hooks and live bait at most lakes. Joes Pond: Bluegill and bullhead are still making up most of the catch from the south and north shoreline on red worms and nightcrawlers. Tampier Lake: Bluegill are close to shore off the point along the west shoreline. Bullhead were taken from the dam and the peninsula late in the afternoon and early morning. Catfish are also hitting a few chicken livers offered on the bottom. Horsetail: Bass on plastic worms and surface baits worked near the weeds. A weedless bait has been very productive. Skokie Lagoons: Catfish on liver, largemouth bass on plastic worms and minnows and bluegill on Mini Mites are making up most of the fish taken. Busse Lake: Largemouth bass on plastic worms and a noisy top-water bait worked near the weeds early in the morning. Bluegill were very active on light action gear and small jigs. Catfish seem to be around the mouth of the creek on the north end of the lake.
Chain O’ Lakes ***+
A good number of white bass showing up in buckets. Spikes and spinners are taking most of the fish. Muskie on Marie and Petite are hitting medium-size baits and sucker minnows. Some favorable reports about walleye came with all the rain. With a cool weekend expected, fishing could be four to five stars.
Illinois River **+
White bass action is on the rise from Starved Rock downstream. Catfish are still being taken by anglers in a boat or sitting along the shoreline. Stink bait, ground meat, shad and liver have all produced fish. Drum will also take most baits offered close to the bottom. River levels are expected to rise some with all the rain. As the river temps drop, expect fish to start feeding hard.
Kankakee River **+
The river looks very good and the rain we received should not hurt. Catfish on nightcrawlers, liver, dip baits and most anything that smells bad continues to work. Smallmouth bass are expected to improve by the weekend. Rock bass are doing well on minnows near the riffles. The Mill Race dam area was yielding fish for a few anglers with more expected to come by the weekend.
Fox River **+
River came up some and should come up a little more. Wading anglers willing to move around close to the shoreline took fair numbers of smallmouth bass. With the river up a little expect walleye to kick in and become active. Reports of white bass on in-line spinners with light action gear are becoming more common. Flathead anglers are working below the dams and have used bluegill and shad for bait. Drum are good on nightcrawlers.
Mazonia Lakes **+
On the south side of Braidwood the lakes known as Monster and Ponderosa were giving up bluegills on Mini Mites while perch, bass and bluegills were active on wax worms for boaters and shore anglers. Catfish were not interested but were seen swimming in 15 feet of water. Lakes are old strip-mine lakes and extremely clear, so you can see fish and fish can see you. Many areas are there for anglers to explore that are not allowed on Braidwood or other lakes in the area right now. Other lakes in the area yielded larger bluegill that are much closer into shore and willing to take red worms, wax worms or a Mini Mite worked along the edges. But catfish seem to be a little slow this week.
Lake Shelbyville **+
The area around the dam is closed to all fishing and access. Crappie fishing is fair in 6 to 8 feet of water. Walleye fishing is so-so on jig and minnows and twister tails or nightcrawlers on gravel points. White bass are good off the flats, and look for seagulls hitting minnows forced to the surface by white bass. Bluegills are near weed edges and willing to hit wax worms and crickets fished shallow. Catfish are popping live bait or cut up shad in 2 to 22 feet of water. All ramps are open.
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