Nearshore salmon and trout around Chicago fishing continue to lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report; and there’s also some observations on what the heat wave has done to what should truly be the beginning of fall fishing.
BoRabb Williams texted the photo at the top on Monday and this:
Dale Bowman .... Braidwood Today 23 lbs
Good time to remind that we are in the final weeks of the cooling lakes being open.
SHORELINE SALMON/TROUT
From the North Side of Chicago, Laurance Reed emailed the photo and this:
Different fish, king this time!
Hope you had a teriffic weekend Dale,
-Laurance
Reed is the guy who sent the photo of the pink salmon in the hump mode, which he caught last month. Just a minute ago, he emailed that he just caught a coho the same way.
Tim “Spike” Davis texted the photo above and this tale from Montrose:
The other night when I caught that salmon, I turned and handed it to a guy who had not caught any fish. Tonight he saw me with his wife and they told me thanks for the good meal. Then about 10 minutes later he hooked in to this monster. I helped land it with my net. God puts us in places for a reason.
Michael Markese emailed the photo above and this earlier this month:
Hey Dale hope you are well. It’s been awhile for me. My Dad, Mike Markese landed this beauty out of Montrose harbor during the week on his Gray Ghost Rat L Trap, she took off on him about 100yards to the mouth of harbor he was able to get her back to the wall and his buddy Chris from work net it for him. He swears he catches at least 1 every season on his Ghost. I remember waking up in the fall to go to school and him and his buddies in front of house with there fall salmon. Now im 40 and get to enjoy the fall salmon with him and my kids. We have been going together the last 10years every season and had some good ones over the years. Hope to get me some this season. Have a good one!
On Monday, he added:
She weighed in at 18lb and was shared with other Fisherman and Woman at Montrose.
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
I think the warmer weather may have slowed things down just a bit but from what I can tell and the reports I’m getting there are still plenty of Salmon around, Kings & Coho. As far as I know they are still predominantly hitting on lures and crankbaits, mostly glo in the dark but shiny colors as well during the day. Bait that is starting to be used are spawn sacs, medium or large shiner minnows and night crawlers. . . . Have a great week!
Brian Caunter at Henry’s Sports and Bait said salmon action slowed, though plenty of fish are being sighted around the South Side harbors and slips.
Capt. Scott Wolfe of School of Fish Charters emailed:
Hi Dale
. . .
In the harbor the fishing was slow. Warm water shut down the salmon and trout and the pike, bass and drum were more active. The limited success by harbor anglers was mostly from boats and kayaks jigging the deeper holes and shore guys about an hour before sunrise in the dark. The best is still to come for shore anglers as the majority of the huge coho are at least two weeks away from entering the harbor.
Capt. Scott Wolfe schooloffishcharters.com 312-933-0552
That last note on the arrival of the big coho is a good reminder.
Rob Abouchar emailed the report below on Salmon Unlimited’s 12th annual Kids’ Shore Fishing Derby at Waukegan on Saturday:
Hi Dale
I had the Leyden bass fishing club outing to Waukegan harbor with salmon unlimited Saturday morning. It was a great day and fun was had by all. Big thanks to my Cousin Leslie and Gerry Taylor for hosting . It was great running into Chauncy on the docks listening to his stories of his high school education and of perch glory days on lake Michigan . The winds had blown in warm water and the bite was slow but a king was taken during the derby. Lots of stocker fish swimming in the harbor.
The music front is getting going with now two frank zappa tribute shows and a wild hare date pending. The stuff of dreams. Next up a trip to Merrill for fall action this Saturday.
Tight lines and good health
Rob
I still relish the chance to sneak the late Frank Zappa into the Midwest Fishing Report.
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Salmon in all nwi tributaries use skein, spawn saks and spinners.
From Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Isaac Biggerstaff messaged on Instagram the photo above and this:
2 20’s out of mke last weekend
Same program
Reef runners
From Racine, Wisconsin, Adam Homa messaged the photo above and this:
Fishing report from racine,
Muddy water and warmer than last week. Fished for 6 hours. One fish casting a crank. Saw maybe 7 jump. A little early still. Water temp 68
Phil Schuman at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor, Michigan said a few salmon are into the St. Joseph River.
ILLINOIS FALL TROUT
Fall trout season for catchable rainbow trout opens Oct. 15. As usual, anglers 16 and older need an inland trout stamp and a fishing license. Daily bag is five trout.
Nearby sites include (Cook County): Axehead, Belleau, Busse Woods North, Green, Horsetail, Sag Quarry East, Wolf Lake at William Powers SRA; (DuPage): Silver, Pickerel, Grove; (Kankakee): Bird Park Quarry, Rock Creek at Kankakee River SP; (Kendall): Big Lake at Silver Springs SFWA; (Lake): Sand Lake at Illinois Beach SP; (McHenry): Spring Grove Hatchery Pond; (Will): Lake Strini, Van Horn Woods.
Early catch and release season opens Oct. 1. Nearby early catch-and-release sites are (Kankakee County): Rock Creek at Kankakee River SP; (Ogle): Pine Creek, White Pines Forest SP; (Jo Daviess): Apple River, Apple River Canyon SP.
Click here for the statewide announcement.
LAKEFRONT PARKING
Chicago Park District’s parking passes for the fisherman’s parking lots at DuSable and Burnham harbors are on sale at Henry’s Sports and Bait in Bridgeport, Park Bait at Montrose Harbor, and the Northerly Island Visitor Center.
Readers suggest SpotHero app downtown. Otherwise, here are some basics: Foster (free street parking or pay lot); Montrose (now a mix of metered and free street parking); Belmont (pay lots on north and south sides); Diversey (pay lot or street parking); DuSable Harbor (pay lot or fisherman’s lot); Northerly Island/Burnham Harbor (meters, pay lot or fisherman’s lot); 31st/Burnham (meter parking between McCormick Place and 31st Street Harbor); Oakwood/39th (meters); 63rd Street/Casino Pier (pay lot); Steelworkers Park (free street parking at east end of 87th); Cal Park (free parking).
AREA LAKES
Mike Ochonicki emailed the photo above and a story I just enjoy about Chris Hamilton and his father Rob:
Hi dale! I’ve been submitting some photos to you and some reports for the last three or four years now I’ve even been lucky enough to Grace the suntimes with my photos thanks to you and I appreciate that. My friends 13-year-old son caught this fish out of a public Lake in Lake County on a live bluegill the youngster just started fishing he’s a freshman and he’s got many years of great angling ahead to come. His name is Chris and his dad rob took him out today Saturday Sept 17th. Easily a 5lb largie
Ken “Husker” O’Malley of Husker Outdoors emailed the photos above and below, and this:
Hey Dale,
Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing.
Area lakes-the summer patterns continue but that will change with more normal early fall temps later in the week. Bass have been up shallow during evening hours chasing bluegill. Best bait has been a jerk minnow worked along the wind blown shorelines. A few top water bass can be taken at last light on a pop r.
The bluegill action is excellent on money bugs by IJO Plastics. Work the bait under a slip float along the outside weed lines.
. . .
. . .
TTYL
—
Ken Husker O’Malley
Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team
Pete Lamar emailed:
Hi Dale,
. . .
I didn’t do well on the local ponds and lakes this week. All Summer there has been a lot of aquatic vegetation around the edges. There is now a ring of algae around the outside edges of the vegetation, leading to much less accessible water from the shore. All I could do was pick pockets: cast to openings in the vegetation. It was a lot of work for a few bluegills.
. . .
Pete
BRAIDWOOD LAKE
BoRabb Williams texted the photo above while he and Frank “Catdaddy” Smith were catching blues at Braidwood.
He added:
Crappie Time and salmon.... we’re done with the cats
The seasons are changing.
Final fishing day is Oct. 18.
District fisheries biologist Seth Love would like to hear from anglers on hybrid catches at Braidwood. You can email him at seth.love@illinois.gov.
Open daily 6 a.m.-sunset.
CALUMET SYSTEM
Brian Caunter at Henry’s Sports and Bait said an angler called and reported a walleye of 13 pounds caught and apparently released from the Cal-Sag. If anyone has more information, please contact me. I love stories like that. He also said there were whispers of perch already around the Ford Plant up the Calumet.
CHAIN O’LAKES AREA
Mimi Boysen emailed the photo above and this earlier this month:
My 5 year old grandson Jack caught these two fish last Sunday within 15 minutes on Lake Marie. The smile says it all!!!
. . .
Mimi Boysen
Yeah, that kinda captures the important things.
Kyle Tepper and Art Frisell at Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch said walleye are being caught shallow and in 8-10 feet; smaller crappie are moving into channels while bigger ones remain deeper on slip-bobber rigs; largemouth moving into fall patterns and on topwaters; white bass moving deeper (still lots being caught); bluegill are good, start looking in 8 feet on harder bottom areas with slip-bobber rigs with red worms or was worms; catfish are fair, roaches or crawlers best.
NOTE: Check updates on water conditions at foxwaterway.com or (847) 587-8540.
NOTE 2: The Stratton Lock and Dam has normal daily operating hours of 8 a.m. to midnight through Sept. 30.
COOLING LAKES/STRIP PITS
Final fishing days are Heidecke (Oct. 11), LaSalle (Oct. 15) and Braidwood (Oct. 18).
Braidwood, Heidecke and LaSalle are open daily 6 a.m.-sunset.
DOWNSTATE
Larry Jennings messaged the photo above and this:
Bloomington Lake Crappie
SHELBYVILLE: Check with Ken Wilson of Lithia Guide Service.
Or do what Greg Katello, owner of the Fishing Connections in Tinley Park, did on his way back on a trip to Lake Sara and stopped by for a time below the spillway at Lake Shelbyville and hooked into muskies, such as the one below.
HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Closed for the season.
POWERTON: Summer hours are 6 a.m.-8 p.m. through Sept. 30.
EMIQUON PRESERVE: Hours are sunrise to sunset. Access permits and liability waivers are required. They are available Tuesday to Saturday at Dickson Mounts Museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: Check with Jason Johns of Boneyard Fishing.
FOX RIVER
Vince Oppedisano emailed the photo above and this:
Hey Dale,
Overall, the Fox River has been outstanding the past week.
Bank fishing mornings & evenings with small artificials in Kane County……bigger bass were much more active along the shorelines than they had been in several weeks.
Caught six over the past week 18 inches plus, including this 21 incher that tied my personal best. Lost a few jumping hook shakers too. God they are fun to catch at that size.
Water temps starting to drop some I think….started hooking into the occasional walleye this week too. Should be a fun next few weeks.
Pete Lamar emailed:
Hi Dale,
I did take a look at the Fox and briefly fished a tributary yesterday. The recent rains finally made a difference: levels were up and there was some color to the water. The trib I fished usually runs very clear and is low this time of year. Not yesterday. It had a nice stain and the fish were less skittish than usual. There were a lot of minnows around and the smallmouth were feeding recklessly. By random chance, I had gone with an exact match of the minnows-a small white deer hair streamer-and the smallmouth seemed to like it. Most were small, but there were a few respectable fish mixed in.
. . .
Pete
GREEN LAKE AREA, WISCONSIN
Guide Mike Norris texted the photo above and emailed this:
Fishing Report – 9/18/2022
Mike Norris
Big Green Lake – Weather has improved in the last week and the surface water temperature on Big Green is back into the mid 70’s. I have switched to live bait rigging for smallmouth bass and am finding them holding tight to outside weed lines, especially where weed lines make inside turns. The best areas are where weeds transition to gravel. Artificial lures are still working, but you need to work lures that will attract their attention. Try casting an umbrella rig parallel to and along weed edges in fourteen feet of water. Anglers need to limit umbrella rigs to three hooks though. Tubes and drop shots are also still in play. Bluegill fishing also remains good.
Fox Lake – The dam at the lower end of the lake is open again following the five inches of more of rain we had a week ago. Opening the dam allows the water to filter through the lake faster and as the visibility within the lake improves, so does the largemouth bass fishing. Try swim baits, bladed jigs, and stick worms along the north shore and in and around the islands. Crappie fishing remains good in the basin of the lake with jig and minnow, or off Kuno Point.
GREEN/STURGEON BAYS, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR weekly report.
HEIDECKE LAKE
Final fishing day is Oct. 11.
Bob Johnson emailed the photo above and this;
Hi Dale - fished H a couple times since last week and lake has slowed a bit from the warmer weather. Before heat I was getting solid Smallmouth (19 3.6 lb) and a couple walleye in jigs with a crayfish trailer along with dark finesse baits and Rapala crainkbaits after heat I found some action using soft jerk baits and weightless on a 4/0 ewg hook. The colder weather forecasted later this week will get this lake in fall mode again. Talked to another angler before heat front and he slammed the Crappie using jigs in monkey milk colors
Open 6 a.m. (6:30 bank fishing) to sunset.
LAKE ERIE
Click here for the Ohio DNR Report.
LAKEFRONT
As we see with the photo of a northern pike below, salmon are not the only thing going on lakefront.
Chuck Kennell emailed the photo above Saturday and this:
I was Salmon fishing but hooked this Northern at about 7 PM. In a perch Flicker Shad.
Caught just south of Belmont Harbor on a flicker shad
Brian Caunter at Henry’s Sports and Bait said salmon action slowed some, though fish were being sighted at South Side Harbors and slips.
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
I think the warmer weather may have slowed things down just a bit but from what I can tell and the reports I’m getting there are still plenty of Salmon around, Kings & Coho. As far as I know they are still predominantly hitting on lures and crankbaits, mostly glo in the dark but shiny colors as well during the day. Bait that is starting to be used are spawn sacs, medium or large shiner minnows and night crawlers.
There are still some nice sheephead being caught out on the horseshoe on crayfish. Still a few bass for a couple of the guys that are fishing them over at Diversey. Still an unusual amount of Northerns caught by anglers casting for salmon, had one in the shop well over 40 inches.
Have a great week!
Capt. Bob Poteshman of Confusion Charters said out of Chicago there’s decent fishing, but it is very deep, 12-15 miles out, because most of the lake’s warm waters are on our end of the lake, it’s important to start out before dawn; out of North Point, it is 160-180 feet for some action or going south to around the deep side of the reefs. He said some monster cohos are around; but that is not something you can specifically target, you more need to luck into them. Not all fish are on the bottom, but they are in deep water.
Lori Ralph at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan said boat action mornings best for salmon and lakers; still a few perch off the pier and a few fairly clean kings are being caught off the pier.
Capt. Scott Wolfe of School of Fish Charters emailed:
Hi Dale
Unfortunately the strong NE winds early last week took their toll on our fishing and it was a slow week. Water was warm down to over 120 feet deep. It turned the fish off. The good news was that each day was improving and Sunday catches were good again.
For boaters, deeper water just off the Waukegan reefs produced the best catches of coho and lake trout with occasional two and three year old kings. Green and white and Aqua spoons like Warrior Froggy and Hey Babe run over 90 feet down and Jimmy fly Mo rigs in white and yellow/orange on the bottom in 150 to 170 feet down produced. Deep holes near shallower hills and reefs need to be targeted.
In the harbor the fishing was slow. Warm water shut down the salmon and trout and the pike, bass and drum were more active. The limited success by harbor anglers was mostly from boats and kayaks jigging the deeper holes and shore guys about an hour before sunrise in the dark. The best is still to come for shore anglers as the majority of the huge coho are at least two weeks away from entering the harbor.
Capt. Scott Wolfe schooloffishcharters.com 312-933-0552
That last note on the arrival of the big coho is a good reminder.
LaSALLE LAKE
Final fishing day is Oct. 15.
Site is open daily 6 a.m.-sunset. As a perched lake, boating is closed when winds top or will top 14 mph. Check daily updates on boating at (815) 640-8099.
MADISON LAKES, WISCONSIN
Click here for the update from D&S Bait, Tackle & Fly Shop .
MAZONIA
Final fishing day is Oct. 18, except Monster Lake is open all year.
Hours are 6 a.m. to sunset.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
Kayak angler Isaac Biggerstaff messaged the photo above (as well as the one included in the Shoreline Salmon and Trout Report) and this on Instagram, then added:
Chrome one was 20.75 and only 36
NORTHERN WISCONSIN
Kurt Justice at Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua emailed:
A little taste of things to come earlier in this past week as surface temps on some bodies of water fell as low as 64 degrees. But as of early this week, temps back up to 70 degrees on most lakes.
Smallmouth Bass: Very Good-Good – Rock/Gravel humps using drop shot rigs for #’s of Bass. Big Bass up shallow hitting top-water baits (Whopper Ploppers, Choppo’s, Torpedos) up in 2-5’ of water. Swimbaits also effective on these big, shallow brutes!
Northern Pike: Very Good-Good – Action also slowed with warmth, spinnerbaits, swimbaits and Husky Jerks for artificial. Chubs, suckers on jigs for live bait.
Musky: Very Good-Fair – Fall off as water warmed, but as cooling, top-water bite got hot on Dr. Evils, Whopper Ploppers and Pacemakers. Top top-water fish of the week, Guide Russ Smith led a client to a 48 top-water Ski on a Smity Flap Tail! Look for this bite to improve this weekend as water temps drop!
Largemouth Bass: Good – Weed bite on Wacky Worms hard to top. Some top-water reports in the late hours on frogs, spiders and chug bugs.
Crappie: Good – Best over deep wood especially along channels in Flowages. Medium fats under floats. On lakes, 10-14’ weed edges using small jig or minnows.
Walleye: Good-Fair – Better when water cools. Deep bite best in 22-28’. 1/8 – 1/4 oz jigs tipped with large fats or 1/2 crawler. When this isn’t working and fish are being seen, drop jigging lures such as Shiver Minnows and Jigging Raps to entice gits. For shallow lakes/Flowages, redtails on a 1/16 oz weedless jig on cloudy/windy days.
Yellow Perch: Good-Fair – Medium fatheads, beavertail, crawlers in 6-10’ weeds.
Bluegill: Good-Fair – Not a lot of angler attention. Still suspending outside weed edges. Small 1/32 oz jigs tipped with worms or beavertails.
Early part of this week has warm weather, spiking water temps up over the 70 degree mark. Forecast for Thursday AM (9/22) calls for lows of 31-33 degrees. This cold snap should actually help anglers as Walleye and Musky should react positive to the falling water temps for the weekend.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop - Like us on Facebook
NORTHWEST INDIANA
DERBY: Friends of Fishing’s Fall Classic Fishing Derby, Rogers Lakewood Park (Loomis Lake), Valparaiso, 7 a.m.-noon Saturday, Sept. 24.
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Salmon in all nwi tributaries use skein, spawn saks and spinners.
Lake George in Hobart starting to give up crappie at a better pace fishing crappie minnows around the bridges
Loomis lake in valpo still giving up decent catches of panfish using crickets and jumbo red wigglers
ROOT RIVER, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR’s report, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday.
SHABBONA LAKE
Pete Lamar emailed:
Hi Dale,
. . .
I hit Shabbona before sunset over the weekend again. There were schools of shad within a short cast of the shoreline. I started casting a white streamer to the edges of a school hoping there would be gamefish tracking the shad. One cast produced a hard strike and I was surprised to land a good-sized shad, in the 2-3 pound range. Anyone who has thrown spoons or spinners around warm water discharges on Lake Michigan for salmon and trout during the Winter has probably caught more shad than they can count. The vast majority will have been foul-hooked; it’s impossible to avoid due to the numbers of fish in a confined area. I’ve landed a handful that actually ate a fly. This was the first time it’s happened somewhere other than a power plant outflow. After the sun had set, things got interesting. I switched to a glow in the dark fly and landed a few bluegills, including a wide-backed slab (maybe he’s survived so long in a heavily fished lake by going completely nocturnal-it works for deer). I also lost something with some weight to it before I could get a look at it. Based on the fight, or lack thereof to be more accurate, it was probably a walleye or big crappie. It would have been nice to get confirmation because the only glow in the dark flies I’ve used up until now have been for salmonids; I’d like to know what else will eat them. The last cast of the night produced a long but skinny walleye. There were a lot of other things going on after sunset: coyotes calling back and forth to each other from the woods on the east shore to another group in the ag fields to the south; a low flying heron surprising both of us when it flew a few feet over my head; a beaver swimming along the face of the dam and continuing on his way after taking a look at me. He must have had something important to do because the more typical response is to swim back and forth in front of me, beating their tails on the water until I leave.
Pete
John Honiotes at Boondocks reported good action on catfish up to 6 pounds; hybrid stripers continue to be good.
Site summer hours—6 a.m.-10 p.m.—run through Oct. 31.
Bait shop is open 6 a.m.-7 p.m. daily; restaurant, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. weekends.
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN LAKEFRONT
Click here for the southern Lake Michigan reports from the Wisconsin DNR.
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
Phil Schuman at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said perch are in about 70 feet, even some reports to 89 feet; some smaller salmon in 160-180; a few salmon in the river.
Paddle and Pole hosts the Berrien Springs Fish Ladder Camera.
WISCONSIN DELLS
Hook-and-line sturgeon season in Wisconsin runs through Sept. 30. Click here for the details. Click here for the harvest areas. River’s Edge reported smaller sturgeon being caught, but no legals registered yet.
WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN
Guide Bill Stoeger in Fremont texted:
Water temp is in the mid 60’s. With cooler weather coming in the next few days, the fall fishing should pick up. White bass and crappie are showing up in the lower part of the river near Poygan. Minnows are working best,some on plastics. Crawlers on jigs still taking a few walleye
