Shoreline salmon and trout on southern Lake Michigan and hints of the fall feedbag inland lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
Pat Pendergast emailed the photo at the top and this in early September:
My grandson, Colin, holds the fish my son, Rob Pendergast, caught, using bread, at Salt Creek in Oak Brook.
SHORELINE SALMON/TROUT
CHICAGO: I was at Jackson Park for the Slamming Salmon Nightmares Tournament on Saturday. There were some kings caught very early morning before the event and a couple late afternoon; primarily spoons and crankbaits.
Jason “Special One” Le texted the YouTube Video above.
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
SALMON & TROUT ARE BEING CAUGHT UP AND DOWN THE LAKEFRONT, OF COURSE DIFFERENT AREAS ARE BETTER ON DIFFERENT DAYS AND TIMES. MOST STILL BEING CAUGHT ON SPOONS AND CRANKBAITS, SOME STARTING TO USE SPAWN SACS, LARGER MINNOWS (GOLDEN ROACHES/SHINERS) AND NIGHT CRAWLERS BUT HAVEN’T HAD ANY SOLID REPORTS ON BAITS YET.
WAUKEGAN: Robert France messaged:
I went last Sunday to Waukegan at midnight. Parked in Metra lot. Cash box wouldn’t accept our payment. Took a chance (fortunately didn’t get a ticket!)
Lots of people were still there fishing within the first 75 yards. Fish were jumping. Blood stains all over They said people caught earlier. One person had one on a stringer. We stayed till 4am with no luck except for some nice rock bass. Kept four larger rock bass (not as big as Matt Bachs big one) cooked them in the morning. They were good! No one else caught anything while we were there.
Capt. Dan Leslie at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan said the salmon are here, but it is not fast and furious, crankbaits and spoons are best, not really the Rat-L-Traps yet.
NORTHWEST INDIANA: Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Few more salmon made there way up local tributaries still not a load yet but some more in
Casting at night off of Michigan city pier has gave up a few kings since last report must put the time in
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN: Arden Katz said that salmon are all over Milwaukee Harbor; they went 2-for-6 on kings Saturday night on Rat-L-Traps.
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN: Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said lots of fish are in the St. Joseph, but they are not biting well, a few are being jigged in the turning basin and some are being caught at Berrien Springs. A lot of fish went up the Paw Paw, where the water is cooler.
LAKEFRONT PARKING
Chicago Park District’s parking passes ($20 for two months) for the anglers’ parking lots at DuSable and Burnham harbors are on sale at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor (cash only) and the Northerly Island Visitor Center (credit card only, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday), but call (312) 745-2910 first to make sure someone is there.
My column from Nov. 30, 2022, on parking the length of the Chicago lakefront is posted at https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/11/30/23485385/chicago-lakefront-parking-fishing
ILLINOIS FROG SEASON
Illinois’ bullfrog (only) season runs through Oct. 15. A fishing license is required. “Bullfrogs may be taken only by hook and line, gig, pitchfork, spear, bow and arrow, hand, or landing net.” Daily bag limit is eight, possession limit is 16.
AREA LAKES
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:
Cooler temperatures will certainly help the fall bite. A 10 degree water temperature drop normally turns the fish on. More summer like weather will delay what could be the best fishing of the year. Fish shallower than you might think for panfish and bass as we continue into fall.
Ken “Husker” O’Malley of Husker Outdoors emailed the photos above and below, and this:
Hey Dale,
Here’s a recap from this weeks fishing.
Water temps were in the lower 70’s and dropped into the upper 60’s as of last night.
Yesterdays rains raised water levels back up just after they were receding from last weeks rains.
Shoreline vegetation is no longer exposed allowing a baby 1- to be worked tight to shoreline cover. Buzzbaits and poppers at first and last light also have been taking good number of bass.
It won’t be long before the fall jig bite really takes off.
Here’s the nature pic of the week [below]. Counting down the days.
TTYL
—
Ken Husker O’Malley
Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team
It is that time, barely more than a month from the rut and crazy times with whitetails.
Rob Abouchar messaged the photo above and this:
On island lake the bite for yellow bass was good on night crawlers. It is the time of year where baitfish are plentiful and the fish are starting to feed up. Friday i saw a large swirl and threw a wacky rigged senko at the swirl and was immediately hit by a good largemouth. I think the fall feedbag time has begun.
On the music front we have started rehearsals for the Zappafest on December 2nd with Ike Willis of appa fame in Milwaukee. This batch of songs will be a great challenge to learn. I have found myself needing to learn how to read notes bass and treble cleft. FACE EGBDF... never too late to learn.
So my day is once again made with the music update from Abouchar.
BRAIDWOOD LAKE
Open daily 6 a.m.-sunset.
District fisheries biologist Seth Love would like to hear from anglers on catches at Braidwood. You can email him at seth.love@illinois.gov.
Final fishing day is Oct. 17.
CHAIN O’LAKES AREA
Brennan Critzer at Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch said white bass are being caught all over, should become even better with cool nights and the rain; more bass being caught with the cooler weather; walleye are fair.
NOTE: Check updates on water conditions at foxwaterway.com or (847) 587-8540.
NOTE 2: Stratton Lock and Dam is open 8 a.m. to midnight through Sept. 30
COOLING LAKES
Final fishing days: Heidecke, Oct. 10; LaSalle, Oct. 15, Braidwood, Oct. 17, and Mazonia, Oct. 17 (except Monster Lake is open all year).
DELAVAN LAKE, WISCONSIN
Capt. Dave Duwe emailed:
Delavan Lake 9/18/23 through 9/25/23
Even though it’s been rather warm the past week, with the shorter days and the cool nights the water temperatures are cooling. The start of the fall feeding frenzy should be here soon.
Northern Pike have really started to bite on suckers. The best depth is 20-25 ft of water. Some of the biggest fish of the year were caught last week. Some of the best spots were by Willow Point and Belvidere Park. Don’t hesitate to look for pike in deeper water because the small panfish are starting to move out over the main lake basin. I’m still using the single hook lindy rig. As fall progresses, I will be switching over to bigger bait and a quick strike rig.
Bluegills have moved off the deep weedline and are located in the medium weeds. The best depth is 12-15 ft of water. Look for them by the gray condos or by Browns Channel. Most of the success is coming off of leaf worms fished on a slip bobber. Another good approach is a gold or fire tiger Hali jig.
With the cooling water, Walleyes are starting to become active again. A lot of success is coming off of nightcrawlers or trolling crank baits. The best color has been fire tiger. Look for the fish by Willow Point or the Oriental boat house. The walleyes I’ve been catching are off the weedline in 25-35 ft of water. The best approach to catching them for me has been the lindy rig with an orange or pink hook.
Largemouth bass are still available on the deep weedlines. Most of my action has come off my sucker poles. I think the bass are a little ahead of the other fish for the fall feed bag. Crank baits would also be a great idea. I prefer Bandit 300 series in sour grape or fire tiger.
Crappies are suspended over the main lake basin. The best depth has been in about 35 ft of water, 25 ft down. The best approach has been straight lining cubby jigs or small fat head minnows beneath the boat.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063.
DOWNSTATE
POWERTON: Summer hours—6 a.m.-8 p.m.—run through Sept. 30.
EMIQUON PRESERVE: Fishing is sunrise to sunset. Access permits and liability waivers are available Tuesday to Saturday at Dickson Mounts Museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SHELBYVILLE: Check with Ken Wilson of Lithia Guide Service.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: Check with Jason Johns of Boneyard Fishing.
HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Closed for the season.
FOX RIVER
Vince Oppedisano emailed the photo above and this:
Hey Dale,
Fished a whole day at the Fox River across Kane County last Thursday and found more than 30 smallmouth in that stretch, mostly on shallow cranks and ned rigs. A few on topwater. Levels were low. One bonus redhorse (pictured). Took about 5 minutes to reel it in after a few runs.
Saturday morning I tried a couple of the same spots but didn’t catch a single bass. Only two fish were caught, another big redhorse that had some mirror type spots on the sides that look similar to what you see on common mirror carp....and what I think was a hognose sucker. Both fish hit crankbaits.
Sunday morning I went out for a few hours in the rain. It was still pretty tough but found a few pretty nice smallies and a small walleye. First walleye I’ve seen in almost two months. Levels are up a little after the rain, and water temps probably cooled a little bit over the weekend. Looks like one more pretty warm week coming up...
Pete Lamar emailed the photo above and this:
Hi Dale,
A downstream view of the Fox River in Aurora. Sometimes it’s just possible, using the parks and islands to block busy roads and noise, to forget that we’re in a major metropolitan area. Conditions were prime over the weekend: rain had raised the levels a little; slight stain to the water; temps had dropped into the mid-70s. None of the smallmouths I caught were worth photographing, so instead the scenic view. I did see something swim across the channel between and island and the bank. Too small to be a beaver, so I thought maybe a juvenile raccoon or muskrat. It turned out to be a mink. I was fishing quietly and not moving too much, so he wasn’t afraid to walk the bank towards where I was. He was hunting in some broken rocks on the water’s edge. When he got parallel to me, he dove into the water and surfaced with his catch. Hard to tell exactly what it was even that close, but I’d guess it was a mouse who jumped into the water to try to escape. The mink dispatched the mouse and walked off into the bankside vegetation to enjoy his meal in peace.
I’m a fan of scenic views.
He added this Tuesday morning:
I fished a Fox trib north of Aurora in the late afternoon. Whatever effects the recent rains may have had on the stream had passed: water was low, very clear and COLD. Right around sunset, I stumbled into the crash. Smallmouths-and a few sunfish too-were herding minnows towards any nearby barrier they could find: shore, instream rocks, bridge pilings. Then they’d attack the school and finish off the wounded minnows that survived the initial strike. Unfortunately, while they were willing biters, I didn’t find a smallmouth that went 10 inches. All were from recent year classes and small.
GENEVA LAKE, WISCONSIN
Capt. Dave Duwe emailed:
Lake Geneva Fishing Report 9/18/23 through 9/25/23
Smallmouth bass are still related to hard bottoms in deep water. The best depth has been 21-25 ft of water. The best locations are by Fontana Beach, Conference Point or by Black Point. I’ve been using nightcrawlers and fat head minnows with equal success. The bigger fish are coming out of slightly deeper water in the 25-28 ft depth range, but the majority are a few feet shallower.
Largemouth bass fishing has been improving. The bass are starting to move into shallower water from their deep summer haunts. Look for the fish in Williams Bay or by Trinkes. The best depth currently is about 14 ft. Use drop shot rigs or Carolina rigged green pumpkin lizards.
Northern Pike action has been almost non-existent this summer and that continues. There are a few fish being caught in the 25-30 ft depth range. Lindy rigs with medium suckers have been producing the most but it’s still not that great of a bite. The northern pike will continue to move shallower as the water cools and the fishing should improve significantly.
Bluegills remain in the deep-water locations. Some of the nicest fish I’ve caught in recent years are coming right now. The best depth is 22-25 ft of water. Look for the fish by Fontana Beach or by the Chicago Club. Straight lining leaf worms beneath the boat has been producing most of the fish.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063.
GREEN LAKE AREA, WISCONSIN
Guide Mike Norris texted the photo above and emailed this:
Fishing Report – 9/18/2023
Mike Norris
Big Green Lake: A major cold front pushed through last week and has dropped the water temperature from 72 to 66 degrees. That may sound like bad news, but it is quite the opposite. The eight-degree drop in water temperature has pushed the smallmouth bass into a feeding frenzy. Many smallmouth bass have moved from deep water onto the shallow flats and are feeding ferociously. The best areas to locate smallmouth bass are within flats containing sand grass. My lure choices are a drop-shot rig, a tube, or a crankbait. Bluegills up to ten inches are still stacked around cribs in 25 – 35 feet of water. Lake trout are showing up on deeper ridges in the northwest corner of the Big Green. Try catching them with three-quarter ounce Northland Rattle Spoons. Lake trout fishing closes September 30th and doesn’t reopen until January 1st.
Little Green Lake: Muskie fishing is a top choice for Little Green Lake in September. Try casting bucktails around the weed edges or troll crankbaits outside the weed edge. Crappies up to nine and a half inches are suspended over the deep-water basin. Drift with a hook and minnow weighted with a split shot.
Fox Lake: Both largemouth bass and northern pike fishing are rated good. The water temperature cooled 8 to 10 degrees and fish started to feed regularly. Try working swim baits over and along shoreline rock piles. Senko’s remain an excellent choice for working around and under piers.
GREEN/STURGEON BAYS, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR weekly report.
HEIDECKE LAKE
Bob Johnson emailed the photo above and this;
Hi Dale - had to try for more of the grown up Smallies that are coming in to feed during the early stages of pre fall. Water temps dropped to 69 and lake is a bit overpopulated with weeds but clear. Caught most average sized fish on Ned rigs pounding the riprap but bigger fish showing up on bladed jigs and jigs with craw trailers. A good bass day!
Rob Abouchar messaged the photo above and this:
on Saturday I had the Leyden Bass Fishing Club out to Heidecke lake for some fun fishing. The boys got into some nice fish from shore and in the boat. Joey Kowal got his first smallmouth bass on a black and blue Slobberknocker and his brother Jonvito caught a personal best muskie on a black and blue swim jig. The water was 70 degrees and the bites were coming near the shorline rocks in 2-4 feet of water. One of the anglers caught some strange sculpin or goby looking fish that we could not identify.
Open 6 a.m. (6:30 bank fishing) to sunset.
Final fishing day is Oct. 10.
KANKAKEE RIVER
Bob Johnson emailed the photo above and this:
Hi Dale - Caught this Smallmouth off a surface lure. The surface bite can and will get better soon. Getting some quality bass on finesse baits and jigs tipped with craw trailers early and late. Catch and Release
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN
Jeffrey Williams messaged the photo above and this:
So we are in Wisconsin in Kenosha on Big Ts Lakehouse with success, bass and pike Galore, pictures don’t do numbers but the Bass was 4.06 lbs on a Whopper plopper and the pike was caught on a white swim bait called The Saucy Swimmer by Googan Baits 1st cast, length 25.5 inches, his bday on Wednesday but celebrating it early
LAKE ERIE
Click here for the Ohio DNR Report.
LAKEFRONT
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
SALMON & TROUT ARE BEING CAUGHT UP AND DOWN THE LAKEFRONT, OF COURSE DIFFERENT AREAS ARE BETTER ON DIFFERENT DAYS AND TIMES. MOST STILL BEING CAUGHT ON SPOONS AND CRANKBAITS, SOME STARTING TO USE SPAWN SACS, LARGER MINNOWS (GOLDEN ROACHES/SHINERS) AND NIGHT CRAWLERS BUT HAVEN’T HAD ANY SOLID REPORTS ON BAITS YET.
NO SMALLMOUTH OR PERCH REPORTS. SHEEPHEAD SHOULD BE AROUND THIS WEEK WITH THE NORTH / EAST WINDS. GET UP, GET OUT AND GET CASTING THATS THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN CATCH ONE!
OUR HOURS FOR SEPTEMBER ARE 6am to 8pm 7days a week.
Capt. Bob Poteshman of Confusion Charters said lake trout remain the word, primarily on the bottom, some other fish also being caught; out of North Point, South Reef or Julian’s Reef are best; out of Chicago, it’s lakers in 160-200 feet off Evanston.
Capt. Dan Leslie at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan said the salmon are here, not fast and furious, crankbaits and spoons (not really the Rat-L-Traps yet). Boaters continue to go deep to hunt for 3-year-old kings or laker fishing.
LaSALLE LAKE
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.
Final fishing day is Oct. 15.
MADISON LAKES, WISCONSIN
Click here for the update from D&S Bait, Tackle & Fly Shop .
MAZONIA
Final fishing day is Oct. 17, except Monster Lake is open all year.
Hours are 6 a.m. to sunset.
NORTHERN WISCONSIN
Kurt Justice at Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua emailed:
Mid-September, early fall and so far, very typical of early fall. Lows in the 40’s highs upper 60’s to low 70’s. Surface water temps had dropped quickly last week from low 70’s to low 60’s, but have settled now into averages of 61-65 degrees.
Smallmouth Bass: Good-Very Good – While most anglers reporting Smallies over rock/gravel bars in 20-30’ on drop-shot rigs, tubes, coontail edges with sandgrass lawns in 16-20’ also holding cruising Smallies. Some reports of very shallow, 3-8’, Smallies hitting X-Raps and Husky Jerks on overcast days.
Largemouth Bass: Good – Nice fish in heavy cabbage taking chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and shallow cranks.
Bluegill: Good – Large Gills this week (to 10 measured) taking 1/2 crawlers, small minnows and Mini-Mites in 7-10’ cabbage and drowned wood. Not summer numbers, but fewer and larger average.
Musky: Good – While mostly action on bucktails and top-water, some reports of gliders and jerks like Suicks and Smity Jerks with tails. Shallow water, 3-8’, for most action. Not a lot on suckers yet, water temps averaging 65 degrees, so that bite best once water cools a bit more.
Yellow Perch: Good – Nice Perch on medium fats or 1/2 crawlers on 1/16 oz weedless jigs around cribs and drowned wood.
Northern Pike: Good – Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and 4-5 swimbaits over 6-10’ weed beds producing nice Pike as they start to fatten up. Jig and chub/sucker combos also effective.
Walleye: Good-Fair – Frustratingly spotty at times. Fishing gravel/rock humps or 18-30’ using Shiver Minnows (2.5-3) and Jigging Raps (#7-#9) great way to pick up active fish. Work areas back with 1/8-1/4 oz jigs tipped with large fats, medium chubs or crawlers to pick up light biters.
Crappie: Fair – Surprisingly missing from most reports. Anglers targeting suspended Crappies finding fish drifting slip-bobbers with medium fats and trolling small cranks. Others targeting fish relating to drowned wood in 8-15’ reporting small jigs with 1-2 twister tails on soft minnow baits picking up fish.
This coming week’s forecast shows lows in low to mid-40’s but temps into mid-70’s for highs. Water temps probably won’t move much this week so I don’t expect a lot of change in fishing activity.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop - Like us on Facebook
NORTHWEST INDIANA
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Few more salmon made there way up local tributaries still not a load yet but some more in
Casting at night off of Michigan city pier has gave up a few kings since last report must put the time in
Crappie off of Wisconsin street bridge in Hobart lake George using minnows
ROOT RIVER, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR’s report, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday.
SHABBONA LAKE
John Honiotes at Boondocks reported the muskies are starting to roll; hybrid striped bass are going on liver on the bottom; crawlers on the bottom are catching some walleye; crappie are slow.
Site summer hours—6 a.m.-10 p.m.—run through Oct. 31.
Boondocks’ bait shop is open daily, 6 a.m.-7 p.m.; restaurant hours are 11-8, Friday through Sunday.
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN LAKEFRONT
Click here for the southern Lake Michigan reports from the Wisconsin DNR.
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said lots of fish are in the St. Joseph, but they are not biting well, a few are being jigged in the turning basin and some are being caught at Berrien Springs. A lot of fish went up the Paw Paw, where the water is cooler.
Paddle and Pole hosts the Berrien Springs Fish Ladder Camera.
WISCONSIN DELLS
Hook-and-line sturgeon season in Wisconsin runs through Sept. 30 “on certain waters.” Click here for the details. Click here for the harvest areas.
River’s Edge (https://www.riversedgeresort.com/) reported river is low, but sturgeon are being caught; no legals (60 inches) registered yet. Biggest report is of a 55-incher.
The Wisconsin DNR noted:
Please note that a hook and line sturgeon tag is not required if an angler plans to release the sturgeon they catch. Anglers should continue to practice responsible catch-and-release when releasing any fish they do not wish to keep. Review best practices on the DNR’s responsible release webpage.
And the DNR also advised:
Anglers should be aware that some sturgeon may have a tag near their dorsal fin. These tags contain information that is used to monitor the movement and growth of lake sturgeon and will aid the DNR in future management practices. If anglers catch a tagged sturgeon, they should submit the following information to the county’s fisheries biologist:
Where the fish was caught
The date of the catch
Tag number, color and material composition of the tag (i.e., metal or plastic)
Overall fish length
