An irregular trifecta comes Saturday around Chicago fishing.
Fishing reopens at Heidecke Lake and smelt netting opens in Chicago. This year, Illinois’ spring inland-trout season, which opens on the first Saturday in April, opens the same day. The last Saturday, April 1, came in 2017, before that it was 2006.
• Smelt netting looks to continue as a shadow of a Chicago tradition.
Ralph Tinley, a research fisheries biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, emailed: ‘‘Our surveys indicate that numbers of large smelt are still very low relative to historic densities. Biomass density estimates were 0.29 from the acoustic survey and 0.12 from the fall bottom-trawl survey, well below the average value from 1973-1993, as indexed by the bottom trawl (3.7 kilograms/hectare). Nothing from our surveys would indicate a different trend in southern Lake Michigan.’’
Only three smelt were caught in the spring gill-net surveys, emailed Vic Santucci, the Lake Michigan program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
• Asked what fish would star at Heidecke, district fisheries biologist Seth Love emailed: ‘‘It’s hard to choose just one! I think anglers should be satisfied with most of the sport fish at Heidecke. If I had to nail down three species, I’d probably say smallmouth bass, walleye and hybrid striped bass.’’
Ninety-six percent of adult walleye in the fall survey were legal-sized, and 7% were longer than 25 inches. Size distribution of surveyed hybrid stripers shifted down (maybe related to rough conditions), but catch rate was six times higher. Smallmouth had a record-high catch rate in the survey, with 56% of adult fish longer than 14 inches.
Muskie — another legal of 48.1 inches and 34 pounds was caught in the 2022 spring survey — white bass and crappie also look good.
• The usual sites around the area for spring trout are listed in the Midwest Fishing Report. Those 16 and older need a fishing license and a trout stamp. The daily limit is five.
• Remember, 2023 fishing licenses are required beginning Saturday around the four Lake Michigan states.
Variable season
Morel reports in Illinois stalled with recent weather. But the Friday progression map on the Illinois Morel Mushrooms Facebook page had a find as far north as Marion County. . . . My first spinach sprouts popped Friday. ... On Friday, Curt Pazdro messaged a photo of a found shed antler in Channahon. On Sunday, Jeff Norris texted a trail-camera photo of a buck in the western suburbs still sporting big antlers.
Stray cast
Gambling talk takes over as the change-the-station topic on sports radio. It’s similar to what high, dirty water and a cold front do to fishing.
