SPOT, RATE, QUICK HIT
Lake Michigan (Chicago Lakefront)
***
Salmon have started to appear all along the lakefront, including off McCormick Place and near mouths of Jackson Park, Montrose, Belmont and Burnham harbors. They’re biting on spoons and plugs with best activity in early and late hours.
Lake Michigan (Northwest Indiana)
** 1/2
Mixed collection of coho, kings, steelhead and brown trout out of East Chicago Marina in depths of 55 to 75 feet on spoons, dodger and fly combinations and bodybaits. Near Michigan City, salmon and brown trout active in 60 feet out from the Trail Creek mouth.
Lake Michigan (Lake County)
** 1/2
Fishing off piers and shorelines in transition as salmon start to move in while perch become more scarce. Open water salmon catches best in late afternoon or evenings.
Southeast Wisconsin
***
Productive shore fishing reported before sunrise near Kenosha, with chinooks taken near mouth of Pike River and brown trout on white tube jibs in harbor. Kenosha and Racine tollers finding good number of chinooks in deeper waters. Shore fishing slow near Milwaukee while trollers finding chinooks in 70 to 80 feet of water and brown trout in 50-foot range.
Chain O’Lakes
*** 1/2
River areas remain closed, but no-wake limitations lifted in lake areas and action is very good. Stripers hitting close to shore on small fatheads and waxworms while walleyes biting near bridges in currents on leeches and large fatheads. Catfish found in deeper waters on nightcrawlers and stinkbait.
Kankakee River
***
Receding and clearing river in Indiana offers good catches of smallmouth bass at shorelines in Point area (north of English Lake) on crawlers, spinners. Catfish good on crawlers, minnows and cheesebait. In Illinois, shoreline anglers catching largemouth on crawlers near Momence. Some smallmouth near Aroma Park and from Kankakee Dam through state park.
Fox River (Batavia)
***
Very good fishing in receding waters. Best bets include catfish, smallmouth and a few walleye. Fish remain stacked near shorelines out of current. Water levels down nearly 3 feet from peak following recent storms.
DuPage County Forest Preserves
** 1/2
Bluegills and bass consistent at Blackwell and Herrick Lakes in recent weeks. Recent Herrick catches include a 17.5-inch largemouth and a 17-inch catfish.
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Compiled by Jack McCarthy from pro and bait shops and state natural resource reports.
