Chicago fishing: The variability of ice and weather

Who: Northern Illinois Conservation Club
What: 65th Annual Ice Fishing Derby (longest winter event in IL)
When: Feb 8th from 8am-4pm (prizes and raffles following Derby close)
Where: Headquarters at the Turtle Beach Marina, 42273 N Woodbine Ave, Antioch, IL
Why: Promote outdoor activities in the Northern Illinois area and draw attention to the diverse opportunities in our community.

The Bangs and Island Lake tournaments both were good last weekend! I heard a 38 inch pike and a 39 inch pike were caught out of Island Lake and bangs lake. Those are nice fish anywhere. Cold weather the next 50 hours will maintain the ice fishing on most northern Illinois lakes. Check my Dave’s Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy facebook page for almost daily updates. I’m waiting for confirmation of derby’s on Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills this weekend. Large Roach will catch bass and pike. Use wax worms or spikes for panfish.

Hi Dale

The ice on island lake is holding at 7 inches a little bit was melting along the shore. A bit of a cool down should keep the surface firm but safety is essential; hand spikes cleats and be aware of current areas or springs. The tip up bite has remained consistent for largemouth bass in 3 to 5 feet. At the fishing derby Saturday some nice largemouth were caught. The northern pike bite is improving as the season moves into February. We had a big break off and got a good one through the hole. At the derby a 38 and 27 inch pike were caught. I had a few Gills on the waxworms early in the mornings. Also reports of good perch on fathead minnows. Braidwood opening early March!

On the music front I joined Jah Guide reggae band for the opening number of the second set on Saturday night at the Bob Marley birthday show at two brothers roundhouse in Aurora. Gozortenplat is confirmed for June 6 at the Space in Las vegas. Looks like a new spot there. Still waiting on sand dollar lounge or another venue. The conscious rockers reggae band is rehearsing this Saturday for show on February 22nd. And trying to get into the Sundance saloon with whichever band the would have. Rocking into February !

Greetings from southwest Florida. After a cold spell. Had 5 days in the low 60’s, back to normal. Sea trout biting on shrimp and various artificial lures. Should stay like this, 68 degree water and up. G. Peters

Hi Dale,

I took advantage of the 50 degree weather yesterday (hope to do more of the same on Sunday, so I’ll follow up if I do) and fished the outflow of one of the water treatment plants on the Fox. The small smallmouth in the image was the only fish I caught. There were good numbers of suckers around, but I wasn’t equipped to target them. On the way to the water, I saw something on the grounds of the treatment plant that didn’t look right. I took a few steps closer and it turned out to be a red-tailed hawk standing in a grassy area. He didn’t like me staring at him and flew off, dropping a recently deceased rabbit in the process. I got out of there immediately and it looks as if he came back to deal with the rabbit as soon as I was out of sight because it was nowhere to be found when I walked back to the parking area.

Pete

Fishing Report – 2/2/2025

By Mike Norris

Last week’s weather was the total opposite of the prior week. We went from sub-zero temperatures to above-normal temperatures reaching into the mid-fifties. While the ice is still 14 to 16 inches thick in the shallower portions of Big Green Lake, strong westerly winds shifted the thin mid-lake ice, resulting in areas with little to no ice, and unsuspecting drivers lost their vehicles. Vehicles also sank on several of the smaller lakes.

Big Green Lake: Dartmouth Bay has 14 – 16 inches of ice, and fishing is good for northern pike and bluegills. For pike, anglers are reporting better results baiting their tip-ups with sucker minnows rather than shiners. Try small tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms for bluegills. For lake trout, park at Hoerner’s Landing and walk out to the lake trout areas. Work 3/8 oz. jigs tipped with strips of cut cisco meat in depths over 100 feet of water.

Fox Lake: Crappies are still active in the basin and remain the focus of most anglers. Try jigs tipped with minnows. Walleyes are active at night in the Government Area on tip-ups rigged with medium-sized shiner minnows.

Little Green Lake: Walleyes at night on a jig and fathead minnow. Northern pike during the day on tip-ups baited with shiner minnows. Ice thickness is 14 inches, except for an open hole south of the rock pile.

87th still giving up lots of perch. Some days there is ice blown in the slip other days almost wide open.

Hey Dale,

Here is a recap from this week’s fishing.

A trip to the pits was in order today. A perfect day with the overcast and light winds to stay mobile. Always fun when you don’t have to bring much gear out on the ice. The bite was hot all morning with some quality bass being caught on tip ups and jigging a Clam Outdoors tikka flash. The setup was just inside the outer edge to the drop off that still contained good green weeds. Caught a few smaller crappie as well. Just couldn’t get the bigger ones to commit.

The bluegill were lighting up the flasher. Seemed the best color on the plastics was glow pink, but they were hitting everything. The IJO Plastics lil’ chubby was the best overall bait.

Updated Ice conditions. The main pad is holding on at 5-6 inches with a lot of water on top. Shorelines are deteriorating as finding good locations to get on are few and far between. Those shorelines should become solid again with the upcoming colder nights.

Here is the nature pic of the week. They found open water.

TTYL

Ken “Husker” O’Malley

Husker Outdoors
Waterwerks fishing team

The “Dog Days of Winter” (thanks reporter, Jeff Walz), may be upon us. Though that assessment could easily be the day more than the week itself. There’s typically a drop off in midwinter as ice, thickens, and snow deepens. This cuts off light to plants and they lose the ability for photosynthesis, lowering oxygen levels and fish activity. But with very little snow this year, weeds seem to be staying green. More than likely, I’d blame the “dog days” this year on the east winds. Yet whatever the reasons, conditions still are very good for anglers and fish are still being caught.

Crappies: Good-Very good
Bite having windows, as some anglers fishing basin fish doing extremely well at times catching limits. At other times, fish being persnickety (my grandmother’s word), coming in to investigate, then dropping away. Flashy or loud lures such as Tika flashes, jointed Pinhead, and rattling Kast masters and the like tipped with waxies still tops as are tip downs with rosies stationed nearby your jigging hole ( if you’re not the run and gun type). Weed fish requiring finesse. Slow dropping jigs tipped with plastics (silver,white and yellow being best. Start high in the water column, but be ready to fish low (1 foot off the bottom) if fish are not responding.

Northern Pike: Good- Very Good
Typical shiner or suckers on tip-ups. Lots of complaints of pike snipping off jigs meant for gills or crappie, so you know they are on the prowl.

Yellow Perch: Good-Very Good
Mud flats the best overall location in 15-20′ of water. Hali Jigs and Kastmaster spoons with chain hooks to deliver wigglers or red spikes. Schools on the move! If you find some, more than likely they or another school will return.

Bluegill: Good
Heavy cabbage in 8-12’, but also some cruising flats where crappies and perch found. Plastics in red, motor oil, purple and black. Waxies or spikes always a good choice.

Walleye: Good-Fair
Bite more concentrated towards evenings than earlier. Some pre dawn action but window smaller.
The jigging bite (Raps, Hyper Glides, Hyper Rattles) has caught enough fish of late to make the effort count. Depths of 14-25’ using suckers or medium shiners did the trick this past weekend.

Largemouth Bass: Fair
Bass bite slows when temps drop. Most caught targeting other fish on tip-ups with medium shiners.

Overall conditions remain unchanged if not slightly improving as ice slowly thickens. (Most lake at 20-28”) and not enough new snow (sorry snowmobiles) to affect travels. Do watch access on some North Landings as drifts could impede travel, but for the majority of access things are excellent.

Weather forecast of highs in the upper teens to mid 20’s and low’s in the single digits to negative temps. Should do well for ice anglers trips this week.

Still a good inventory of boxed and built flip shacks, hubs and electronics in stock and on sale at shop. Stop in or give us a call, 1-715-356-4797

87th still giving up lots of perch. Some days there is ice blown in the slip other days almost wide open.

A couple days last week the wind aloud boats to get out of portage and fish what we call the clay flats 50 to 58ft of water straight north of Gary light. All big perch and good numbers of them.

Ice fishing still going on around nwi on lakes and ponds but please use the buddy system some edges have got soft. Still lots of groups out.

Below lake George dam in Hobart action for steelhead and some crappie has been decent since late last week. Jigs tipped with beemoth doing best.

It’s amazing how fast ice can change with a couple of warm days. A truck went through the ice Saturday on Partridge, one on Winnebago, and a 4 wheeler on Poygan. I’m not saying ice fishing is over,but if you’re not familiar with the lake, stay near the traveled roads. As far as the fishing, the bite has slowed a bit. Panfish and northerns in shallow waters, walleye and white bass in 7-10 feet on Poygan.