Chicago fishing: Ice fishing solidifies

Chicagoland forest preserve are producing. Ice running five inches in most lakes. Should only get better

This week like last weekend will be a great weekend to be on the ice. 5-9 inches of ice were the reports I’m getting from ice fishermen. My guess is 3 plus inches more by the weekend. Pike and bass were caught on large and medium golden roach minnows on tip ups. Panfish seamed to be in 4-8 feet of water where there were good weeds. Wax worms, red spikes or white spikes worked for bluegills. Crappie wanted small or large fathead minnows. Check out my Dave’s Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy facebook page for almost daily updates.

Hey Dale,

The second ice season has begun. I decided to play the afternoon to dusk bite as the Husker Outdoors booth needed to be setup today for Tinley Park Fishing, Travel, and Outdoor Expo this weekend. The focus was shallow weeds that I scouted prior to lockup. Ice conditions were 4 inches of clear ice but very slick without any snow cover. That changed with the snow we received over the weekend. The bait of choice was an IJO Plastics spider monkey in unicorn with a glow pink 3mm jig. The gills were all over this setup. The water was cloudy with all the rain prior to the lid forming so this was a very productive combo. FINS Braids 4lb ice tamer paired with a Neptune ice rod set the hook to finish them off.

TTYL

Ken “Husker” O’Malley

Husker Outdoors
Waterwerks fishing team

. . . powderhorn ,getting northern thru the ice on golden roaches . . . crappie in paposse and horsetail 3″of ice .that all I have buddy ,have a great day

Nice ice before the snow

Hi Dale

The cold weather has island lake fully iced over. With the lake clear of snow last week I did some ice skating and checked on some ice anglers. They reported catching some nice perch and a striper which was most likely a yellow bass. By the weekend the lake was covered in a couple inches of snow. On Sunday I fished for bluegill while I had tip ups set. I had my best day in years for bluegill through the ice with ratso tippedwithwaxworms. All the Gills came from one hole. My Ukrainian neighbor had a group of his country men out and I directed them to an area close by. They also found bluegill going on jigs tipped with waxworms. One of the group landed a big bass that i unhooked for him. I was amazed how such a tiny hook caught that big bass. Definitely prime time ice action. Large or medium golden roach minnows working for the largemouth on tip ups. Checking on minnows to make sure they are clean of witches hair algae was important.

On the music front the conscious rockers are booked for February 22nd at Jackie’s hideout in McHenry. Also a possible beach opening gig in Mundelein in early June. And but also Gozortenplat at the sand dollar lounge at the plaza casino in Las vegas in June date still pending!

Tight lines and good health! Rob

Fishing Report – 1/14/2025

By Mike Norris

Big Green Lake: Dartmouth Bay has thick ice out to the public beach area, and anglers are setting out shacks and catching perch and northern pike. There is a stretch of ice along the east and west ends, but the ice does not extend far enough to reach the deeper water where ciscos and lake trout reside. Beyer’s Cove has 10 inches of ice, but the bluegill and perch bite is slow.

Beaver Dam Lake: The walleye bite is decent in the early evening. Try a medium shiner on a tip-up from dusk to 8 p.m. The ice thickness is 9 – 10 inches, but there are some thinner areas, so check with local bait shops for the latest ice conditions.

Fox Lake: There is a good crappie bit going on during the daytime hours. Crappies are everywhere but move around until you find an area where there are bigger crappies of 10 inches or larger. Other anglers are catching northern pike on tip-ups baited with shiner minnows. Ice is 10 inches thick in most areas, and anglers are driving out in UTVs now.

Little Green Lake: Anglers are reporting catches of walleye and pike along the deeper weed edges. The middle of the lake is just firming up, and fishing for crappies in the deep basin is now doable. The bite is best early in the morning and right before dark.

There is very little snow over the ice and the ice is slippery on all the aforementioned lakes. Ice cleats are recommended.

Lingering salmon in the harbor

Good ice at dusablle,some limits [of perch . . . few trout at diversey,on Waxie’s . . . that all I have buddy ,have a great day

Roger Jackson, & Brody Oerkfitz (grandson) on lake Monona Bay fishing Bluegills! Ice solid 10”, using wax worms

Another good week of ice fishing conditions coming to a halt this Monday/Tuesday as cold (subzero) and wind will keep most anglers off the ice for a couple days. Three to four inches of snow will give the ice a little traction, hopefully not insulating enough to keep from building more ice.

Crappie: Good – Most reports from anglers finding Crappies roaming basins of 15-24’. Small jigs with rattles or blades best for drawing in fish (Kastmasters, Tikka Flash). Tip-downs with rosies also picking up fish. Some weed related Crappies coming on bright jigs tipped with plastics (pink, white, silver and blue best).

Yellow Perch: Good – Mud flats of 15-28’. Fast dropping spoons (Bull spoons, Halis, Flash Champs, Pinheads) tipped with wigglers, red spikes or Berkley Power Nymphs working. Nice eaters in the 9-11” range for the most part. Lots of smaller fish to sort through.

Walleye: Good – Early morning and the last of light. Medium shiners along weed edges of 8-14’, suckers over sandgrass flats and gravel humps in 14-22’. Jigging Raps and Rattlin Raps still producing some nice fish, but action towards the artificials seems to have slowed as ice thickens. Still good to use to locate fish, even if reluctant, then go back to live bait on a dead stick or tip-up.

Northern Pike: Good – Typical tip-up bite along deep weed edges or in amongst heavy cabbage. Use big baits (shiners, suckers) to garner attention. Rigs with blades also help to add “flash” as the big baits struggle on these rigs.

Bluegill: Good – Weed Gills in 7-10’ using #3 tungsten jigs in dark colors tipped with red, purple, motor oil plastics or a colored spike. Suspended basin Gills taking larger #4:#5 tungsten jigs in glow patterns tipped with spikes or waxies.

Largemouth Bass: Fair-Good – Will slow with cold but should pick up by week’s end. Some notable Largemouth caught over weekend in the 16-18” range. Tops, a 22” behemoth on a jig and waxie meant for Gills.

Whitefish: Fair – Anglers report fish skittish, not liking too bright or too active a lure. 40-50’ depths.

The slight pause with the cold and wind (chills to -30) should give us a chance to prepare for some even better ice for travel. Most lakes reporting 12-14”+, with more to come. Even with the arrival of the 4” of new snow, travel and access should be excellent. Snowmobile use will be better and snow isn’t deep enough to hinder ATV, UTV or even foot traffic.

Ice Fishing Tournaments

January 18^th – Kurt’s Minocqua Madness – WIFA Highschool – Minocqua Chain

January 18^th – 10^th Annual Iceholes of the North – Sponsored by Team Retreat Musky Club – Various lakes

February 8^th – Willow Haven Ice Fishing Derby – Hazlehurst

February 15^th – 24^th Annual Plum Lake – Plum Lake

March 1^st – KISS – WIFA Highschool – Minocqua Chain

Kurt Justice

Kurt’s Island Sports Shop
– Like us on FaceBook

It’s all about ice fishing now.

Over the weekend lots of groups fishing local nwi lakes and ponds.

Bluegill and few crappie from the valpo chain of lakes.

Few pike and bass from wolf lake on tip – ups using golden roaches.

Overall lots of groups out ice fishing. Some really solid catches over the weekend.

Dale I went to Racine harbor on Thursday and Friday went 2 four 5 on 2 inch white tub jigs and wax worms and spawn sacks Arden katz

. . . wolf lake and powderhorn ,getting northern thru the ice on golden roaches . . . that all I have buddy ,have a great day

Few pike and bass from wolf lake on tip – ups using golden roaches.

Ice conditions are improving, with vehicle traffic on most of the lakes. They put the bridges out on Winnebago last week. White bass and walleye have been doing well on Poygan. Northern and gills are picking up on Partridge.