As the lake settles down from high waves, more anglers will be able to venture out for salmon. Spoons and flies have been the best from 40 to 120 feet of water. Perch are slow but will pick up again. Only fair numbers of rock bass and bluegills have been taken in the harbors. Salmon anglers in Indiana are going out to 50 to 120 feet of water and finding the salmon around a large school of bait fish. Most fish have been taken 10 to 30 feet off the bottom. Kings have been hitting spoons and flies, but J-plugs also have started taking fish early and late in the day. Streams in northwest Indiana should see an increase in fish with the recent rains.
Lake Michigan (Winthrop Harbor/Waukegan) (star)(star)(star)
Larger boats able to handle the 6- to 8-foot rollers took good size kings on flys and dodgers and spoons in 60 to 120 and 160 to 190 feet of water around the “Hill.” Some fish are a dark color already but strong fighters. Waukegan boaters on good weather days have found perch from Waukegan south to Wilmette. Softshells, crankbaits and roaches all have taken fish.
Cook preserves (star)(star)(star)(star)
Morning bass fishing could be rated excellent at times. Plastic worms or surface baits have taken bass from most lakes. Midday anglers should fish weed pockets and along the edges of the weedbeds. Skokie Lagoons: A little muddier from the rain but still in good condition. Bluegill are very good to excellent on red worms and small plastic baits. Bass are active close to shore and near weeds. Catfish are best on chicken livers and night crawlers. Busse Lake: Moving water locations are bringing in food to the lake, and many fish are positioned just off of or right in the current spots hitting baits or food as they pass in the current. Bass continue to be taken in and around the weed pockets. Maple Lake: Bluegill and green sunfish are both very active on small baits, along with bass and pike on minnows. Tampier Lake: Bass were hitting live bait and bluegill were crazy about red worms. Catfish are better 30 to 50 feet from shore.
Chain O’ Lakes (star)(star)
Muskie anglers are finding fish more active on topwater, bucktails and jerk baits. Catfish continue to hit night crawlers, stink bait, leeches or chicken livers on the bottom. Walleye could be better around the narrows and channels where current can be seen on leeches and night crawlers. Bluegill are improving close in to shore and shoreline structures on wax worms and small jigs. Bass anglers should go to a thin wire leader because of the numerous muskie hits to bass baits. Crappie are scattered.
Braidwood Lake (star)(star)
It’s still very warm and the deeper holes accessible to boaters are the best places for bass and catfish.
Mazonia Lakes (star)(star) 1/2
Bluegill and bass have improved with the overcast days and cooler temperatures. Catfish also are hitting night crawlers and shrimp.
LaSalle Lake (star)(star)
Bass are hitting plastic worms and live minnows. Bluegill are more active and best on wax worms close to shoreline areas with a very steep dropoff. Catfish are slow on sunny days, but on overcast days night crawlers, cut shad or minnows should work well.
Fox River (star)(star) 1/2
Catfish and drum are the most active for shore anglers, while waders continue to pick up smallmouth bass on spinners, plastic grubs or a minnow/split shot rig dragged along the bottom.
Shabbona Lake (star)(star) 1/2
Look for large catfish to move into the no-motor area with the rain. Large catfish move into this area because the creek brings in current and food with the additional water flow. Bass along the weeds are taking topwater baits followed by plastic baits and crankbaits, early and late in the day. Walleye are a little slow but should be improving very soon. Crappie are small and hard to locate.
Kankakee River (star)(star)(star)
With rainfall in the area, look for catfish and smallmouth bass to become very active. Smallmouth bass seem to want their bait presented in a more aggressive manor in the main river. Largemouth bass are holding in the backwaters out of the current and hitting plastic worms and surface baits not fished as aggressively.
Illinois River (star)(star) 1/2
White bass are active over gravel beds from dawn till 10 a.m. on sunny days, longer on cloudy days. With the rain, look for more of them to move up to the dams. Shore anglers are having difficulties during the day but do well at night for catfish on stinkbait, shrimp and cheap fatty hamburger meat balled up on a treble hook. Smallmouth bass should improve with more current and cooler nights.
Rend Lake (star)(star) 1/2
Largemouth bass are hitting a surface buzzbait and dark colored jigs. Crappie action is slow to spotty on minnows. Channel catfish are fair on night crawlers and cut up bluegills. White bass are spotty at best right now.
Winnebago (Wisconsin) (star)(star) 1/2
Cool windy days have slowed anglers from getting out on the water. Perch fishing has just started to pick up in the shallows. Walleye fishing has slowed with more bait fish in the area, but some anglers are reporting success trolling a firetiger color crankbait over the reefs. Catfish still were being caught in good numbers on the Fox and Wolf rivers. There have been good reports of nice catches of catfish being caught at Winneconne and the Butte des Morts bridges.
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Chaunceyn@aol.com
