LEGEND: ***** – excellent; **** – very good; *** – good;
** – fair; * – poor
Lake Michigan (Chicago lakefront)
*** Perch biting on roaches, soft shell crabs or large fathead minnows. Best spots reported around Montrose Harbor, Northerly Island, near McCormick Place and at 39th Street. Some smallmouth and rock bass also reported on same baits.
Lake Michigan (Lake County)
*** Excellent perch prospects for boaters east/southeast of Waukegan in 30-foot depths on large fathead minnows and soft shell crabs. Shoreline anglers also catching perch off Government Pier on same baits along with a few browns. Salmon continue to be good in 50- to 70-foot depths, best in very early-morning hours.
Lake Michigan (Northwest Indiana)
*** Good perch action on minnows in Mt. Baldy/Black’s Ditch area, in front of Ogden Dunes east to Indiana Dunes State Park and out of East Chicago near Gary’s Light and along the Inland Steel Wall. Smallmouth bass reported good out of East Chicago and Hammond.
Southeast Wisconsin
** 1/2 Kenosha harbor fishing inconsistent, while trollers catching chinooks, browns and rainbows in shallows and as deep as 60 feet off the Pike River mouth. Racine shore anglers hitting chinooks and steelhead on spoons and spawn. Trollers finding coho, rainbows and chinooks in shallows to 30 feet off the harbor. Milwaukee boaters continue to catch perch in minnows near Oak Creek Power Plant, while McKinley Pier productive for shoreline anglers for late-night chinooks and coho.
Southwest Michigan
** 1/2 Perch fishing near New Buffalo has slowed and salmon and steelhead inconsistent. Near Benton Harbor, perch good from the pier and in depths of up to 30 feet. Salmon biting in 80- to 120-foot depths, while lake trout reported a bit deeper. Perch at St. Joseph good in 20 to 30 feet, while trollers finding chinooks in 80 feet.
Chain O’Lakes
* 1/2 Fishing slowed in recent days with lack of rain and lower levels. Algae blooming in southern parts of system. Bass activity on docks, shorelines and in deeper weeds. Some walleye in deeper points, but overall quiet with no currents. Panfish still biting in shallows.
Kankakee River
*** River levels low but catfish action very good throughout on plastic grubs, worms smeared with cheesebaits, chicken liver, minnows or night crawlers. Smallmouth bass also good, especially in Indiana around the Point and at LaSalle F&W Area. Smallmouth good near Momence, Aroma Park from Ryan’s Pier through mouth of Iroquois River. Pike picking up.
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Compiled by Jack McCarthy from pro and bait shops and state natural resource reports.
