Ice fishing finally getting underway in the Northwoods (maybe closer to home) and the continuation of perch fishing on southern Lake Michigan lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
Jeffrey Williams messaged the photo at the top. His explains the snowy Sunday outing in the Chicago River report.
LAKEFRONT PERCH
Anthony Johnson messaged the middle of last week:
Dale Bowman just a little report, Navy Pier perch were slow today. A few GOOD perch but a couple small ones. Saw 5 lake trout hooked today though. The guys that got out early didn’t do much at all, bite started about 11 and died by 1. Mostly minnows, but 2 on a jig and plastic minnow
Seems early for lots of lakers to be in for the perch anglers.
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
PERCH FISHING HAS BEEN GOOD FOR THE MOST PART. OF COURSE WE’VE HAD SOME DAYS WITH UNDESIRABLE WINDS SO THEY STOP FOR AWHILE BUT COME BACK AFTER A DAY OR SO. THERE HAVE BEEN PERCH UP AND DOWN THE LAKEFRONT. THE HARBORS HAVE HAD SOME KEEPER PERCH BUT ALOT OF SMALLER ONES (DINKS). NAVY PIER AND SOUTH AT 85th , 95th ETC… HAVE BEEN OFF AND ON. SOME DAYS THE BITE HAS BEEN EARLY OTHER DAYS LATER. THEY BEEN HITTING MINNOWS MOSTLY SHINERS AND LARGE FATHEADS BUT THEY ARE ALSO HITTING WORMS, SHRIMP, WAX WORMS, SPIKES, JIGGING SPOONS AND PLASTICS. YOU JUST HAVE TO GET OUT AND FISH AND HOPEFULLY FIND THEM. PERCH ARE FUNNY LIKE THAT THEY TURN OFF AND ON.
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Perch action good over the weekend for boats fishing west of burns ditch in 50 to 60ft of water using xl- fatheads on perch fly rigs.
Perch action was good for most fishing the river on boats from 101st and beyond.
Action for shore perch around the slips was on the slow side over the weekend. Look for a fresh batch of perch coming in the river with the cold weather. Shore fishing will pick up.
NAVY PIER ANGLING
North side of Navy Pier is open for anglers. Discounted parking for anglers is $9 daily, beginning at 5 a.m.; must be out by 10 a.m. for the discount. Click here to prepay for the discounted tickets.
CHICAGO PASSES NOTE
For now, the Northerly Island Visitor Center is closed, so the only place to buy parking parking passes or pier passes is at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor (cash only). For more information, email fishing@chicagoparkdistrict.com.
Chicago Park District’s parking passes ($20 for two months) are for the anglers’ parking lots at DuSable and Burnham harbors.
The park district pier passes ($10 for the season) allow legal access to select piers at Jackson Park, Burnham, DuSable, Diversey, Belmont and Montrose harbors.
AREA LAKES
We are definitely in the in-between time between open water and ice. Might a chance of spotty ice fishing north before the warmup and rain.
Rob Abouchar messaged the photo above and this:
Hi Dale
Last weekend i was still floating golden roach minnows with no takers. The ice was forming Saturday and Sunday. Not sure how long it will last with weather in 40s predicted. Im thinking El Nino may be a factor this ice fishing season. The scene Saturday morning was looking more like the season of the Beaver Moon.
On the music front it’s show week for Gozortenplat at Reggie’s in Chicago this Friday and Zappafest 25 in Milwaukee Saturday night. With one more rehearsal tomorrow the band is in agreement that we are ready to rock. Midnite mile on a break and kicking around new material or new songs for the set list. One member suggested a new rolling stones song call bite off my head...give me some sympathy for the devil please. I am also ready to start work on another album of original songs on the rock blues and country tip. Ive had a plan for a 4 piece band in mind for quite a while. some real great players who i know can bring the songs to life. Just need to pick up the phone and see who can do it. Load in for Fridays show is 5pm at Reggie’s in the south loop. Music is the best.
Tight lines and good health!
Rob
Dave Kranz of Dave’s Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy in Crystal Lake and with his You-Tube channel, Dave Kranz Living the wild outdoors, texted:
Ice is forming in Northern Illinois on channels and ponds. Some muskrat trappers are saying 2plus inches on sloughs. I always recommend safety first for all fishing. That doesn’t mean you can’t get everything ready! Ice is coming!
Ken “Husker” O’Malley of Husker Outdoors emailed the photo above and this:
Hey Dale,
Here’s a recap from the past few days at southern strip pits. Water temps were 46 on Thursday morning and have dropped to 42 as of today. We’re going in the right direction, but have a ways to go before first ice. Bass have been few and far between. A BPF Lures 110 jerkbait and a jig with a max scent chigger craw worked along the drop off to deeper water have been the best baits. I’m in total scout mode for panfish. The plastics are now off the menu until first ice. A bees moth on a Vector Hooks #8 aberdeen are taking a few bluegill and crappie. I found active biters right on the edge of the main basin. Water temps will continue to drop this week but the forecast for the first week of December is calling for a warmup.
. . .
TTYL
Ken Husker O’Malley
Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team
CHAIN O’LAKES AREA
Proprietor Greg Dickson at Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch said when I asked if anyone would be out trying ice fishing soon, “I would imagine you will see some brave sooul, somewhere along the line [try ice fishing], not sure if it is smartest thing. Someone will have such a burning desire that they have to try.
When I asked if there was a chance of ice fishing later in the week, he said, “I don’t know. Maybe a 40 percent chance. I am not much more confident than that number.”
NOTE: Check updates on water conditions at foxwaterway.com or (847) 587-8540.
NOTE 2: Stratton Lock and Dam is closed through April 30, 2024.
CHICAGO RIVER
Jeffrey Williams messaged the photo at the very top, the photo below, and this:
Sunday one of most memorable Chicago River fishing days of the year, all caught between the south branch and the main branch, call us crazy, but we got the job done. A few on drop shots with shiners, but most were caught on Jigs and tight ropes, also my brother hooked into a couple of Bonus Carp
He also sent the photo below and this:
The snow in the background, makes it look stunning
He’s right.
COOLING LAKES
Braidwood, Heidecke and LaSalle are closed.
DOWNSTATE
POWERTON: Closed. Bank fishing reopens Christmas.
EMIQUON PRESERVE: Running through the end of duck season, fishing is only allowed after noon. Access permits and liability waivers are available Tuesday to Saturday at Dickson Mounts Museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SPRING LAKE: Boat fishing is closed. Through the end of duck season, bank fishing is allowed after 1 p.m. Site superintendent Thad Cook noted, “Boaters cannot use the ramp on the causeway but can use the ramp at Sky Ranch Road during waterfowl season. They are allowed to boat north of Sky Ranch Rd bridge and south down to the buoy markers and sign at Maple Island.”
HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Closed.
SHELBYVILLE: Check with Ken Wilson of Lithia Guide Service.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: Check with Jason Johns of Boneyard Fishing.
FOX RIVER
Pete Lamar emailed:
Hi Dale,
Only one outing to report on this week. We got dismissed a few hours early on the day before Thanksgiving, so I hit a few spots on a Fox trib. I didn’t check water temperatures, but it had to be cold, so I concentrated on deep water with little to no current. Smallmouths will certainly feed in these conditions but they aren’t likely to chase a fast moving bait very far, so I went low and slow, a balanced leech fly under a buoyant strike indicator. I hooked a couple in the first spot I tried. The one in the attached image is the smaller of the two. I got a good look in the very clear water at the larger one before he threw the hook. It’s late November and I’m catching smallmouths on the fly, so it would be bad form to complain about losing a fish, even a good one. One more fish landed later in the day at a downstream location. What was strange was that he came up and hit the strike indicator on the surface before eating the leech pattern. I didn’t think surface activity would even be a possibility this time of year, but a popper or diver might not have been the worst choice. If you’re hunting second season this week, good luck.
Pete
I didn’t draw a permit for second season, but I might do some standby.
GREEN LAKE AREA, WISCONSIN
Guide Mike Norris texted the photo above and emailed this:
Fishing Report – 11/27/2023
Mike Norris
Big Green Lake: I guided on Big Green just before the Thanksgiving holiday, and while the bite had slowed, my clients and I still caught 3lb—plus smallmouth bass. I located active groups of smallmouths in 20 – 25 feet of water and drifted through their holding areas with sucker minnows pinned to the bottom using a Carolina Rig. We also had incidental catches of lake trout, who have moved shallow to spawn. We immediately released any lake trout caught since their season is closed on Big Green until January 1, 2024. The surface water temperature in the main lake was 47 degrees, but with much colder air moving in, it should soon drop into the low 40s. With the arrival of our first single-digit nighttime temperature this past Sunday evening, a thin layer of ice formed in Beyer’s Cove, which traditionally is the first place on Big Green to catch bluegills through hard water.
Beaver Dam Lake: Shore anglers were still catching crappies and perch with small jigs tipped with minnows suspended beneath floats where current exists in neck-down areas and shore access is available. This bite should temporarily cease with the arrival of freezing temperatures this week.
Lake Puckaway: With the air temperature dropping into single digits last Sunday night, Lake Puckaway froze over. The back channels at the west end of Lake Puckaway produce the thickest early-season ice and should provide good bluegill fishing this week.
LAKE ERIE
Click here for the Ohio DNR Report.
LAKEFRONT
Andy Hansen messaged the photo above and this last week:
Hey Dale, went looking for perch at a harbor today, lo and behold, slab gils. Fun day, and a first for me. Tight lines, Andy
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
PERCH FISHING HAS BEEN GOOD FOR THE MOST PART. OF COURSE WE’VE HAD SOME DAYS WITH UNDESIRABLE WINDS SO THEY STOP FOR AWHILE BUT COME BACK AFTER A DAY OR SO. THERE HAVE BEEN PERCH UP AND DOWN THE LAKEFRONT. THE HARBORS HAVE HAD SOME KEEPER PERCH BUT ALOT OF SMALLER ONES (DINKS). NAVY PIER AND SOUTH AT 85th , 95th ETC… HAVE BEEN OFF AND ON. SOME DAYS THE BITE HAS BEEN EARLY OTHER DAYS LATER. THEY BEEN HITTING MINNOWS MOSTLY SHINERS AND LARGE FATHEADS BUT THEY ARE ALSO HITTING WORMS, SHRIMP, WAX WORMS, SPIKES, JIGGING SPOONS AND PLASTICS. YOU JUST HAVE TO GET OUT AND FISH AND HOPEFULLY FIND THEM. PERCH ARE FUNNY LIKE THAT THEY TURN OFF AND ON.
THERE ARE STILL STEELHEAD IN THE HARBORS ON LARGER MINNOWS, NIGHT CRAWLERS, SPAWN SACS, HAIR JIGS WITH WAX WORMS AND LURES. THERE ARE LAKERS AROUND NOW TOO. A FEW NICE SMALLMOUTH IN AND AROUND THE HARBORS AND A FEW NORTHERNS. DROP A HOOK AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU WILL CATCH.
WE HAVE PIER AND PARKING PASSES, STOP IN AND GRAB YOURS BEFORE WE CLOSE FOR THE SEASON. OUR HOURS ARE GETTING SHORTER. THEY ARE NOW 6AM TO 4PM 7 DAYS A WEEK. WE WILL BE OPEN FOR ANOTHER WEEK POSSIBLY A LITTLE LONGER WEATHER DEPENDING.
Have a great week
Lori Ralph at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan texted:
We had a few guys in over the weekend, some trout off the pier, spoons and bait, other guys were crappie fishing.
SALMON SNAGGING: Here are the details from the IDNR:
4) Snagging for Chinook and coho salmon only is permitted from the following Lake Michigan shoreline areas from October 1 through December 31; however, no snagging is allowed at any time within 200 feet of a moored watercraft or as posted: A) Lincoln Park Lagoon from the Fullerton Avenue Bridge to the southern end of the Lagoon. B) Waukegan Harbor (in North Harbor basin only). C) Winnetka Power Plant discharge area. D) Jackson Harbor (Inner and Outer Harbors).
MADISON LAKES, WISCONSIN
Click here for the update from D&S Bait, Tackle & Fly Shop .
MAZONIA
Closed, except Monster Lake is open all year.
NORTHERN WISCONSIN
Kurt Justice at Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua emailed:
First morning of single digit temps, but unfortunately double digit wind!
Might be Thursday morning before winds lay down enough for ice to form on lakes it already hasn’t. This cold and wind will definitely cool lakes to the point they are ready to freeze once it calms down. Those bays and ponds that already have ice (reports of 1- 2 inches as of Sunday 11/26) will be building more even with this light snow cover.
While against my better judgment, there have been a few anglers venturing out on the ice. No reports back from local anglers, but to the west there are reports of 3 inches of ice, anglers have been catching shallow walleyes.
Been quiet on the Musky Front at the shop. Plenty of lakes open, but wind keeping most anglers off the water. In the past the Musky season would have closed at the end of November. Now you can continue to fish Musky through December, but only by boat or land, no Ice Fishing for Musky.
This weekend, December 1st-2nd-3rd, we will be hosting our 14th annual Ice Fishing Extravaganza! Please join us for our best deals ever on shacks, augers, electronics, and more. Raffle prizes and goods with selected purchases
https://www.facebook.com/KurtsIslandSportShop
NORTHWEST INDIANA
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Perch action good over the weekend for boats fishing west of burns ditch in 50 to 60ft of water using xl- fatheads on perch fly rigs.
Perch action was good for most fishing the river on boats from 101st and beyond.
Action for shore perch around the slips was on the slow side over the weekend. Look for a fresh batch of perch coming in the river with the cold weather. Shore fishing will pick up.
Some whitefish off the Michigan city pier using skein on the bottom or single eggs. Lakers on blade baits or spoons same area.
Lil trickle of fresh steelhead showed up in the lower stretches of salt creek and lil cal. Voodoo jigs tipped with waxworms and spawn saks are the baits to use.
SHABBONA LAKE
Through January 31, winter site hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Boondocks is closed.
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said last week a few whitefish and a few steelhead off St. Joe pier; some steelhead in the river.
Paddle and Pole hosts the Berrien Springs Fish Ladder Camera.
WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN
Guide Bill Stoeger in Fremont texted:
We’re at 9 degrees this morning. The river is still open, but the landings are freezing up. The walleye bite has been very good from Orahula to Poygan. I’m going to try to get out tomorrow, with a high of 38 degrees.
