SPOT, RATE, QUICK HIT
Lake Michigan (Waukegan)
*** 1/2
Steelheads, kings in 75 to 120 feet of water by Great Lakes harbor. Try purple, orange crush or green/gold spoons at 60 to 90 feet. Also try tinsel flies (blue, green seaweed or pearl) and dodgers (smoke or red). Morning better than afternoon. Perch fishing closed for adults.
Cook County preserves
* 1/2
Some channel catfish (leeches) and small bluegills (ice jig tipped with wax worm) at Busse Woods, but no decent bass.
DuPage preserves
***
Big bluegills (9 to 10 inches) at Deep Quarry on ice jigs tipped with wax worms fished 20 feet down on slip bobbers. Try Mallard, Pratt’s Wayne or Silver Lake for largemouth, using leeches on slip bobbers or medium/large roaches.
Chain O’ Lakes
***
Bass in weed lines on worms or in shallows with plastic frogs. Walleyes on spinner rigs with jigs or leeches; jigging possible with same baits. Troll for muskie (crank baits best in deep breaks of Marie or perimeter of Pistakee). Bluegills in shallows/flats with wax worms or night crawlers. Find crappies by windfalls/lay downs with minnows or hair jig/spikes. Stripers in Marie/Pistakee on spikes or blade baits.
Mazonia, Braidwood, Heidecke Lakes
** 1/2
Mazonia: Try for largemouth by throwing chatter bait; crappie on wax worms, crappie minnows or crawlers. Braidwood: Walleye (jumbo leeches/golden roach minnows), smallmouth (jumbo water leeches/crayfish) and catfish (chicken liver/mud leeches). Heidecke: Stripers and walleyes on golden roach minnows or leeches with pink jig.
Fox River
***
Channel catfish on stink bait or chicken livers; flatheads on sucker minnows. Smallmouth hitting on top-water artificials.
Kankakee River
** 1/2
Smallmouth best on jig/twister tail or minnows at Lake Alexander, Ryan’s Pier, Aroma Park, Cobb Park and Christine Island. Northern pike good in Indiana on big minnows or spinners. Catfish (chicken livers), walleye (jig/crawler) and largemouth (plastic worms) doing well.
Shabbona Lake
***
Catfish in points/bays on chicken livers or stink bait. Crappie in SE trees on crappie minnows or jigs, 6 to 10 feet down in wooded areas. Walleye also in trees on jumbo leeches or crawlers. Bass in weed lines/lily pads using plastic mouse/frog. Bluegills also in weeds on wax/leaf worms.
Lake Winnebago (Wisconsin)
***
Perch (crawlers), walleye (leeches) plentiful in Lake Winnebago, Butte des Mortes, Poygan. Fish in deeper water for perch; reefs for walleye. Smallmouth on spoons, leeches or artificial bait along river. Largemouth (artificial bait) on Lake Winnebago.
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akaschube@tribune.com
