Chicago fishing: New Chicago bait shop, trout opener, shoreline salmon/trout
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The opening of a Bridgeport Bait and Tackle, the opening days of fall trout in Illinois and ongoing salmon and steelhead action on southern Lake Michigan lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
A woman who asked to remain anonymous, emailed the photo at the top and this:
Hi, just thought I’d share my unusual limit out of Bird Park Quarry in Kankakee. All albino, aka golden, aka lightening trout. Lightening really does strike twice – 5 times in this case!
That’s the first I’ve heard that color variation of rainbow trout called “lightening trout.” I kind of like that turn of phrase. They are not albinos or golden trout, which are a California fish, but a variation of rainbow trout.
That’s a 13-inch perch eating a 3-inch perch.
Speaking of oddies, Mike Norris, who gives the Big Green Lake area report for Wisconsin, texted the photo above.
NEW BAIT SHOP
Dan Edwards, shown setting up his Bridgeport Bait and Tackle in August, is holding a soft opening to sell bait at his shop and soon should be fully operational.
Bridgeport Bait and Tackle at 3549 St. Halstead, the new baitt shop on the South Side, is holding a soft opening with bait being sold.
“I want to give these guys the baits they need,” owner Dan Edwards said.
The regular opener, with complete tackle options, is coming, likely within days.
The phone number is the same as for Henry’s Sports & Bait: (312) 225-8538.
ILLINOIS’ FALL TROUT
Jason “Special One” Le texted the YouTube video above. Next year I need to ask him to send that before the start of the season. He always gets on trout.
Echoing the photo at the top, Capt. Dan Leslie at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan said lots of the gold-color variant of rainbow trout were caught in the opening days.
Fall trout season for rainbow trout opened on Saturday under wonderful conditions.
As usual, anglers 16 and older need an inland trout stamp and a fishing license. Daily bag is five.
Nearby sites include (Cook County): Axehead, Belleau, Busse Woods North, Green, Horsetail, Sag Quarry East, Wolf Lake at William Powers SRA; (DuPage): Silver, Pickerel, Grove; (Kankakee): Bird Park Quarry, Rock Creek at Kankakee River SP; (Kendall): Big Lake at Silver Springs SFWA; (Lake): Sand Lake at Illinois Beach SP; (McHenry): Spring Grove Hatchery Pond; (Will): Lake Strini, Van Horn Woods.
Click herefor the statewide announcement.
SHORELINE SALMON/TROUT
Quinn Wunar with one of his salmon catches in recent days on the Chicago lakefront.
CHiCAGO: Quinn Wunar messaged the photo above and this on X, formerly Twitter:
Hey Dale,
Late season king bite has still been consistent at first light. Skein on a slip deep in the water column producing more hits but hairjigs tipped up in the water column will produce coho and steelhead.
^Quinn
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
Hi Dale
A few salmon, Kings and Coho still being caught here and there. A goid amount if Steelhead/Rainbow being caught. Some still being caught on lures and crankbaits, most of the trout on baits such as, Med/Lg roaches and spawn on a slip bobber. Wax/butter worms on hair or tinsel jigs.
WAUKEGAN: Lori Ralph at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan texted:
Good morning,
. . .
The harbor has blocked off parking to government pier sunset to sunrise so not nearly as many people are fishing it, so not many reports. Guys are getting tired of the harbor crap and have pretty much given up on waukegan.Zombie kings are being snagged, and a few browns caught on the bottom.If the waukegan port district is not wanting fishermen at the harbor, their plan is working, shore guys and boaters are moving on.
NORTHWEST INDIANA: Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Groups still after salmon mostly in the upper stretches of nwi tributaries
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
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:
. . . .Try Ned rigs for bass if it’s not too windy. Use a chatter bait on the windy days. Crappie and bluegill are in shallower water a 1 inch gulp minnow will work great under a float about 15 inches.
Ken “Husker” O’Malley holds a fall largemouth bass.
Ken “Husker” O’Malley of Husker Outdoors emailed the photos above and below, and this:
Hey Dale,
Here is a recap from this weeks fishing.
Area lakes-
Water temps are consistently around 59 on most lakes. That early afternoon to midday bite is still going strong. Working a lipless crank over the top of weeds was the ticket today. Ticking that bait and getting it hung up caused a reactionary strike from active bass. This bite should hold strong with the upcoming forecast. The colors are changing fast, so get out and enjoy!
. . .
TTYL
Ken Husker O’Malley
Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team
Rob Abouchar holds a bluegill caught from Island Lake.
Rob Abouchar messaged the photo above and this:
Hi Dale
On island lake the water has cleared and is starting to cool. The bite was good for bluegill late in the evening right before dark. My neighbor was getting some bull gills on nightcrawler so i have it a tey with red worms and got some nice ones. Bass bite seems non existant but some boaters out trying. . . .
On the music front it’s 6 weeks till Zappa fest with Gozortenplat and the 2 keyboard players are getting on the same page. This week on Saturday its the Halloween show at the Irish mill where it all started years ago. Then on November 4th at hempfest in Waucanda. There we will have a band photo opportunity with the local buffalo and other livestock. Not quite zz top but its here close to home. And really looking forward to the All souls jazz fest on November 6th with the conscious rockers. It might be our last show with reggae keyboardist extraordinaire Freddie Harris.
Tight lines and good health!
Rob
Capt. Dan Leslie at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan said crappie are picking up on inland lakes.
CHAIN O’LAKES AREA
Arden Katz had Ken Schneider caught lots of bluegill and 30 nice perch by working the shlorlines in 2.5-3 feet along south end of Channel with white or chartruese 1/64th-ounce Jigabite jigs with spikes. Katz said the bit for white and yellow bass got tougher.
NOTE: Check updates on water conditions at foxwaterway.com or (847) 587-8540.
NOTE 2: Stratton Lock and Dam is closed, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 1. Until then, it is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
COOLING LAKES
Heidecke, LaSalle and Braidwood are closed.
DOWNSTATE
POWERTON:Boat fishing is closed, bank fishing ends Friday, Oct. 27.
EMIQUON PRESERVE: Running through the end of duck season, fishing is only allowed after noon. Access permits and liability waivers are available Tuesday to Saturday at Dickson Mounts Museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Closed.
SPRING LAKE:Boat fishing is closed. Bank fishing runs through Friday, Oct. 27, then, from Saturday, Oct. 28, to the end of duck season, bank fishing is allowed after 1 p.m.
SHELBYVILLE: Check with Ken Wilson of Lithia Guide Service.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: Check with Jason Johns of Boneyard Fishing.
FOX RIVER
Vince Oppedisano holds an October smallmouth bass from the Fox River.
Vince Oppedisano emailed the photo above and this:
Hey Dale,
Some good days, some difficult days the past week on the Fox River…
Some of the weed growth and debris from the heavy rainfall the prior week has been washed out. Levels in Kane County have started dropping a little over the past several days but overall levels are still fairly high. Water generally pretty clear.
Good sized smallmouth are still hitting crankbaits, jerkbaits, hair jigs & occasionally topwater. Pretty good numbers for this time of year, and caught a handful 18 inches & over. Biggest 19.5 inches (attached), hit a jerkbait in heavy current.
Reports from others show good sized walleye being caught at night lately…
Pete Lamar emailed:
Hi Dale,
Only fishing this week was on the Fox watershed. I usually fish the tributaries a lot in any year, but have fished the Fox itself more often, in large part because of the drought. But I fished a trib yesterday, making several stops from source to sea, from up near 88 all the way down to the Fox. The water was still low, which was why I haven’t been out there as much. It was a mixed bag of species, but not a lot of fish: bluegill, rock bass and smallmouth. I’m pretty certain that I had a hit from a sheepshead too. It followed the fly on the retrieve and hit at my feet, so I got a good look at it and was able to see the typical shape of the head. But I didn’t get a hookset on it, so I can’t be completely sure.
If the fishing was slow, the birding was better than average. I spooked a small flock of hen turkeys from the edge of a cow pasture. I’d have never known they were there if they hadn’t taken to the air. I also had a kingfisher fly right over my head and perch on a utility line. Anyone with experience with kingfishers will know exactly what I mean when I say that I heard him long before I saw him.
Pete
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:
The best bite in the Fox River is definitely the smallmouth bass bite. From the Algonquin dam all the way to the Illinois River great numbers of smallmouth are being caught. Many are 1-2lbs but 3 plus pounder’s are there also. Small spinners like Mepps are working well size 1-3 and I like gold blades in the river.Catfishing also is good I would use cut bait, they are hitting that the best!
GREEN LAKE AREA, WISCONSIN
Steve Malecki and son Cole, of Glenview, hold part of their catch of smallmouth bass from Big Green Lake in Wisconsin.
Guide Mike Norris texted the photo above and emailed this:
Fishing Report – 10/23/2023
Mike Norris
Big Green Lake: Smallmouth bass fishing was excellent this past week. My clients and I were catching smallmouths weighing 3 – 5 pounds in areas where weeds transitioned to sand and rock. Our preferred presentation was trolling at .5 – 1 mph with split shot rigs tipped with sucker minnows. This bite should continue for the next few weeks. Perch are biting in 10 – 12 feet of water on sand flats. We are catching them with drop-shot rigs tipped with red worms. Last Tuesday, I was reeling in a 3-inch perch when my rod doubled over. It turned out a 13-inch perch hit my smaller perch.
Little Green Lake: Anglers are catching muskies in shallow water with bucktails. Perch are also in the shallows. That is just one reason the muskies are there. Crappies are suspended in the lake basin and falling for split shot and minnow rigs. A few walleye are being caught along the rock pile on the north side of the lake.
Beaver Dam Lake: Anglers are catching crappies along shoreline areas where baitfish are present. Try floating a live minnow 12 – 18 inches under a float and fish shoreline areas where the water is stained, and the fish will not be spooked.
KANKAKEE RIVER
George Peters with a smallmouth bass from the Kankakee River.
George Peters emailed the photo above and this:
Hi Dale, got out Friday just before the war on waterfowl began. Got this good fish on a jig and twister near I 55 conservation area. Then I hooked the Loc Ness monster! See next photo. G. Peters
George Peters with a “Loch Ness monster” of a carp from the Kankakee River.
LAKE ERIE
Click here for the Ohio DNR Report.
LAKEFRONT
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
Hi Dale
A few salmon, Kings and Coho still being caught here and there. A goid amount if Steelhead/Rainbow being caught. Some still being caught on lures and crankbaits, most of the trout on baits such as, Med/Lg roaches and spawn on a slip bobber. Wax/butter worms on hair or tinsel jigs.
A few Northerns. No Smallmouth or Perch to report.Hours right now are still 6am to 6pmHave a great week.
Capt. Bob Poteshman of Confusion Charters said in recent days, the bite is way out, 180-220 out of both Chicago and North Point, mostly medium-sized lakers. This time of year, pick your battles on when to go out. Some browns beng caught in 30-40 off Kensosha.
Lori Ralph at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan texted:
Good morning,
shop is on fall hours,,Closed mon and Tuesday, Wed thru Friday 8 to 5Sat 7 to 2Sun 7 to noon.Those will be changing some times next month.
The harbor has blocked off parking to government pier sunset to sunrise so not nearly as many people are fishing it, so not many reports. Guys are getting tired of the harbor crap and have pretty much given up on waukegan.Zombie kings are being snagged, and a few browns caught on the bottom.If the waukegan port district is not wanting fishermen at the harbor, their plan is working, shore guys and boaters are moving on.
SALMON SNAGGING: Here are the details from the IDNR:
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).
MADISON LAKES, WISCONSIN
Click here for the update from D&S Bait, Tackle & Fly Shop .
MAZONIA
Closed, except Monster Lake is open all year.
NORTHERN WISCONSIN
Kurt Justice at Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua emailed:
Working through the last quarter of October. Still a lot of leaves from the birch and poplar on trees giving a golden hue to the landscape. Lake temps have leveled off in the 48–52 degree range. Fishing pressure has been light again as the forecast seems to have kept anglers off the lakes, though conditions once again were not as bad as predicted.
Musky: Good – Not as good as expected for this time of year. Still some fish being caught very shallow (3-5’) using jerkbaits (Suicks) and jointed cranks! While others being found out past existing weeds in 18-30’ of water taking live suckers, heavy gliders (Smitty Dogs) and rubber (Madussa). Not a lot of follows seen or reported. While others were surely caught, largest reported was by Kurt Blaiser of St. Germain with a 48 on a Smity rigged sucker.
Smallmouth Bass: Good-Very Good – While most reports coming from anglers targeting Walleyes, it’s been hard to ignore the reports of Smallies feeding on gravel humps in 18-30’ of water. Most caught on chubs and jigs, but drop-shotting 3 Gulp Alive Minnows, ¼ oz tubes also effective. Though tops was a 6# fish caught on a Suick while Musky fishing.
Walleye: Good – Deep gravel humps and some transition mud best using chubs or large fatheads. Depths of 18 to as deep as 40’. Caution pulling fish over 27+ feet advised. Short hook set and slow retrieve.
Crappie: Fair – Bite slowed as did # of anglers targeting. On afternoons when sun came out, bite improved using medium fatheads.
Largemouth Bass: Fair – Not many, though the few that were caught ran large (17-20) and heavy. Green cabbage in 8-12’ when found.
Forecast has highs in upper 50’s with rain through Friday (10/27) then falling through the weekend. Lows in the low 20’s with highs from Sunday (10/29) through Tuesday (10/31) to go 38 to 31 degrees. Six cold mornings from 10/28 to 11/2 will bring temps well down into the 40’s by the weekend of November 4th. Time for the (Fool?) Hardy!
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop – Like us on Facebook
NORTHWEST INDIANA
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Groups still after salmon mostly in the upper stretches of nwi tributaries
Crappie at lake George in Hobart shore and boat fisherman doing decent around the bridges using minnows
Valpo chain of lakes giving up a decent amount of panfish using red wigglers and beemoth.
Slez’s Bait Shop has musky suckers in stock.
ROOT RIVER, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR’s report, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday.
SHABBONA LAKE
Senior Miroslav Jovanevski caught his first muskie on a Leyden fishing club outing at Shabbona Lake.
Rob Abouchar messaged the photo above and this:
Hi Dale
. . . On Saturday the fishing club outing to shabbonna lake went on with just one angler attending. It was a spectacular but windy day on the water . Miroslav jovanevski a senior got his first muskie on a Berkeley stunna jerkbair in firetiger. He borrowed the reel and lure from our stalwart bus driver Robert sarangay after his reel malfunctioned. I got a nice largie on a 1/2 oz bill Lewis rattle trap in silver with blue back. I had forgotten or never noticed what a nice spot shabbonna lake is.
. . .
Rob
John Honiotes at Boondocks reported some perch being caught; bass are going; muskie picking up, but no big ones yet (suckers are being used).
Site summer hours—6 a.m.-10 p.m.—run through Oct. 31; winter hours—8 a.m.-5 p.m.—begin Wednesday, Nov. 1.
Boondocks’ bait shop is open daily, 6 a.m.-7 p.m., until Sunday, Oct. 29, which is the last day.
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN LAKEFRONT
Capt. Bob Poteshman of Confusion Charters said some browns are beng caught in 30-40 off Kensosha.
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said they are catchng crappie and bluegill on small inland lakes.
Paddle and Pole hosts the Berrien Springs Fish Ladder Camera.
WINNEBAGO SYSTEM, WISCONSIN
Sturgeon-spearing permits (residents and non-residents) must be applied for by Tuesday, Oct. 31.
WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN
Bounty of bluegill from the Wolf River in Wisconsin.
Guide Bill Stoeger in Fremont texted the photo above and this:
We got into some huge white bass over the weekend down river near Lk Poygan. There are scattered schools up river by the Rat river, and below Boom Island. Bluegill action has been very good in the bayous and channels along the river.
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