Chicago fishing: Fall bite is on

Just got this Chicago bruiser buck on the float. Hoping it’s a good omen for tonight

Our Indian summer is coming to an end. Low water and lots of leaves floating on top will make some places hard to fish. Try a Spro Frog in those leaves! . . . By then I will be ready to drill some holes and do some ice fishing. Now would be a great time to check your batteries for your cameras and flashers. Set up your tent and make sure mice or other rodents didn’t chew holes in it. If they did duct tape works great. Patch holes on both sides.

Hey Dale,

Here is a recap of the past weeks fishing.

. . .

Area lakes- This morning was all about a run and gun approach. A buzz bait got the call with the goal of covering water and findng where the active bass were at. Not one blowup so that game plan was scrapped. Went to a lipless crank paired with Vector tornado trebles along the weed edges and pickup up a few. Stitched to a bladed jig and worked the inside weed lines with similar results. As the moon set I switched to a texas rigged senko and worked transition points from soft to hard bottom. That presentation took a few of the better fish. The key was cutting the end of the worm into four sections to make it flair on the pause. FINS Braids spin 5 braid made all the difference this morning. Water temps were 59-60, but will slowly continue to drop with the extended forecast.

. . .

TTYL

Ken “Husker” O’Malley

Husker Outdoors
Waterwerks fishing team

Hi Dale,

I only fished the local lakes and ponds this week. I took a look at a Fox trib and the water was so low that there was no current in many places. I’m not sure where a decent-sized fish could go in such low water; much of the creek didn’t have enough water to cover their backs. As far as the ponds/lakes, even though it’s late October, it’s still something of a Summer pattern. Bluegills and sunfish still hitting a foam popper on the surface. I also had a good day for bass, at least for quantity if not for size. Even in the bright mid-afternoon sun, they were in close to shore. In fact, I spooked a few with careless approaches. But if I was able to get within casting distance, they were willing to eat.

Pete

Hi Dale

The beautiful warm weather kept the good bite going on island lake. The water is very clear for northern Illinois and sunny days are keeping the water Temps in the mid to upper 50s. Bass are good on under spin jig. I got some good bass on black and blue wacky rigged senkos. A really good one about took the rod out of my hand near an aeration fountain as the sun was setting. The best time is late evening. Bluegill and other panfish are good on red trout worms under a float.

We had the Leyden fishing team out to lake opeka for an outing and found Bluegill hitting butter worms and mealworms. The bass were very lethargic as the hunters Moon came on. This weekend we have the team headed to shabbona lake.

On the music front it was a fantastic performance with midnite mile on Saturday at the mainstreet outfitters. With our vocalist out with whooping laryngitis we all picked up on the vocals and the crowd responded with enthusiasm and much love. Singing warren zevon werewolves of London brings me back to days of the fantastic brain massage days with the Columbo brothers and tommy Bogosian. Gozortenplat will be resuming rehearsal this Wednesday and digging deep into the frank zappa catalog, and the Conscious rockers ready to resume shows on November 30th at Main Street outfitters in Wauconda. Tight Lines and good health! Rob

Hi Dale,

Back up north on the island for a few days chasing grouse and trying for a few late season bass. The winds keep blowing me of the water but got a few, really healthy and thick. Grouse are elusive so far

Fishing is still open, but does not start until 12 noon during waterfowl season. Waterfowl hunting stops at noon.

The catfishing has been excellent!

Hi Dale,

I only fished the local lakes and ponds this week. I took a look at a Fox trib and the water was so low that there was no current in many places. I’m not sure where a decent-sized fish could go in such low water; much of the creek didn’t have enough water to cover their backs. . . .

Pete

Our Indian summer is coming to an end. . . . The Fox River below Algonquin dam will produce smallmouth until it’s too cold to fish. By then I will be ready to drill some holes and do some ice fishing. Now would be a great time to check your batteries for your cameras and flashers. Set up your tent and make sure mice or other rodents didn’t chew holes in it. If they did duct tape works great. Patch holes on both sides.

Fishing Report – 10/20/2024

By Mike Norris

Big Green Lake: As expected, nighttime lows in the lower 20s for two days early last week turned Big Green Lake over, but a record-breaking warm front followed the cool down and warmed the lake back up into the lower 60s. The bait (baby perch, bluegills, crayfish, and minnows) and the bass moved shallow with them. What followed was the most torrid bite I had seen for smallmouth bass in years. My guiding clients averaged 25 smallmouth bass per half-day outing, with several bass reaching the 4 and 5 lb. ranges. This bite is not over, though. This record-setting warm front is expected to continue through Tuesday with only a minor downturn in weather on Wednesday, followed by a forecasted warm front that will bring air temps back into the mid-sixties. Bluegills are good drop-shotting red worms around the cribs.

Fox Lake: Many lake homeowners have yet to take their docks out due to the extended warm weather we are experiencing. That is good news for anglers enjoying excellent crappie fishing near shore and around the docks. Small minnows suspended beneath a float is the easiest method for catching crappies. Trolling crankbaits for walleyes is fair out in the lake basin. Big largemouth are roaming around in the Government area of the lake. One angler sent me a photo of a six-and-a-half-pound largemouth bass he caught during last Thursday’s warmup.

Beaver Dam Lake: Walleye fishing is decent for anglers casting and pausing twitch baits from shore around sunrise and sunset.

Hey Dale,

Here is a recap of the past weeks fishing.

Kankakee River- River is low and gin clear with water temps dropping to the low 60’s. This is the perfect time to scout new areas as structure is visible to the naked eye. Started off with top water and the best fish of the day was hooked with those Vector Hooks tornado trebles. A few more were caught but that top water bite never developed today. Switched to a wake bait and caught a few smaller bass,. The same results were with a swim bait, jerkbait, and finesse tube. I just couldn’t find the bigger bass today. It was still a perfect day to be out wading the river. The boat is starting to get a tad bit jealous though.

. . .

TTYL

Ken “Husker” O’Malley

Husker Outdoors
Waterwerks fishing team

Hi Dale –

Fished the river Saturday morning and once again had to work to get bites. Fish are still scattered but the bass caught had fat bellies, signs of fall feed. The quantity of bass is alarming for this time of year due to conditions of low water and clarity of water. Surface temps are improving at mid 50’s from cool nights. Best baits now are shad swimbaits catching both smallmouth using them. Walleye hit early in day on a Rapala OG slim on an erratic retrieve cadence. Bass were 17” chunks fun to catch and Walleye was also 17.5”. Catch and release

Getting a Couple of Decent Smallmouth on Chicago Lakefront!

Hail yesterday, short sleeves today. Crazy

Had to weed through the jacks/arlees to get to the chrome hen today

Anyways

Fishing report;

Water temps dropped quite a bit and the weekend was really active. Kings in and around the lakefront. Still on lures but a few hitting some spawn sacs and large roach minnows. Some areas better than others but I saw and also heard of quite a few. Even Phil finally got one.

A few nice Steelhead and Northerns. Smallmouth really active also for those trying for them. No perch to report. River Walk still hot. No perch to report yet. Have a great week.

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).

Mild to warm weather (almost 80 degrees on 10/21), not common for this time in October. Water surface temps averaging 52-55 degrees (low of 48 degrees-high of 57 degrees). Nice weather to be out and about.

Musky: Good-Very Good – Maybe not surprising, but a larger percentage of Musky than usual being caught on artificials this past week. Fish from shallow weeds to out over 20’+. Jerk baits, divers, gliders, twitch baits and even word of a top-water catch! Suckers working also, but not at the ratio expected. Kudos to guide Jake Smith leading his client to a 49 ½” fish a week after boating a 48 ½”er.

Northern Pike: Good – Not many people targeting, but good action on black chubs fished on weedless jigs. Eaters in the 22-27” range with a few low 30” fish for fun. Also being caught incidentally by Musky anglers on twitch and glide baits.

Smallmouth Bass: Good – Good Smallies on drop-shot rigs over gravel/rock humps of 16-26’. Ned rigging also scoring.

Walleye: Fair-Good – Best along transition areas of gravel to mud on large fatheads and smaller redtails on 3/8-1/2 oz jigs in 22-34’. Jigging Shiver Minnows and Jiggin Raps picking up some aggressive strikes. On lakes without the deep water (25’+) look for remaining green cabbage to drag chubs on lighter jigs.

That’s all the reports I gathered as fishing pressure for other fish has dropped. With one more “nice” day as of this report (10/22), a week plus of low 30 to highs of mid 50’s will put surface temps into upper 40’s/low 50’s. Should improve sucker bite while slow artificial action. Moving away from full moon period should help action. Still plenty of time left

Kurt Justice

Kurt’s Island Sports Shop – Like us on FaceBook

Some salmon still around in the upper stretches of nwi creeks. Water is low

Grand blvd lake in lake station just down the street from the bait shop giving up crappie for boat fisherman. Wack’em and stack’em jigs and cubby mites tipped with waxworms best.

Northern pike action has been good in New Buffalo Michigan fishing golden roaches around the docks.

Musky Suckers in stock now.

Water temp dropped into the mid 40’s last week and really slowed the bite for crappie and white bass. Some walleye are moving into the lower part of the river near the Rat River. Good panfish action in the bayous.