Legend: * – poor; ** – fair; *** – good; **** – very good; ***** – excellent
SPOT RATE QUICK HIT
Lake Michigan
(Chicago
lakefront) * 1/2 Shoreline perch action remains slow and most fish are small. Harbors starting to freeze. Open-water fishing at Burnham Harbor includes reports of steelhead at the pipe.
Lake Michigan
(Northwest
Indiana) 1/2 Steelhead action limited around Michigan City in past week. Anglers should use shrimp or night crawlers between 4 and 8 feet below a float.
Lake Michigan
(Lake County) * Shoreline action limited with South Rocks closure. At Johnson Pier, some reports of steelhead and browns on spawn sacs and frozen alewives.
Southeast
Wisconsin * 1/2 Milwaukee River remained open near harbor. Shore anglers behind Summerfest grounds finding a few browns on spawn sacs or minnows. Lower levels of Root River in Racine have 2 to 4 inches of ice. Racine Harbor similarly iced over, reports of some steelhead and brown trout. Southwest
Michigan * Some walleye reported on St. Joseph River below the Berrien Springs dam on jigs and minnows. Ice remains unsafe.
Chain
O’ Lakes ** 1/2 Channels and most lakes now frozen over, including Loon, Cedar, Deep and Long lakes. Channel, Marie, Petit and Pistakee are partially frozen, with safe ice near shores but dangerous conditions in the middle. Top catches include crappies in early mornings and evenings and perch and bluegills during daylight hours. Top baits: waxworms, spikes and minnows.
Kankakee
River ** 1/2 River levels high and fast-moving, but some walleyes being caught along shorelines on both sides of state line on jig and minnows, jig and crawlers and Rattlin’ Rouge. Some smallmouth reported around Kankakee River State Park on minnows and spinners. Crappie available throughout system.
McHenry County
conservation
district * 1/2 Two of the district’s six ice fishing sites are open with the rest to open as conditions warrant. Open sites include the Fel-Pro main pond and Lyons Prairie and Marsh, both in Cary. Fel-Pro’s west pond remains closed.
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Compiled by Jack McCarthy from pro and bait shops and state natural resource reports.
