A lot of fishing reports from Labor Day fishing and some expectations for post-holiday action lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
Photo at the top came from Arden Katz, who took his sister Abby Chemers out for her time fishing and she caught bluegill, including the double in the photo, in 18 feet on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin. For details, see the GENEVA LAKE report below.
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
ILLINOIS FROG SEASON
Illinois’ bullfrog (only) season runs through Oct. 15. A fishing license is required. “Bullfrogs may be taken only by hook and line, gig, pitchfork, spear, bow and arrow, hand, or landing net.” Daily bag limit is eight, possession limit is 16.
AREA LAKES
Dan Bernstein, a midday host on The Score, messaged on the former Twitter on Sunday:
Did 4 Lake County preserves today, five bass total. Very few people fishing. This was the biggest of the 5.
Dave Kranz of Dave’s Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy in Crystal Lake and of the WeFishASA.com podcast and his You-Tube channel, Dave Kranz Living the wild outdoors, texted:
It seems the last of the hot summer weather is going to turn into fall like temperatures. This will cool the water quickly but not the bite. Many fish put on a fall feed bag. , , , As weeds dye off, look for the ones that are still green when looking for Bass.
Ken “Husker” O’Malley of Husker Outdoors emailed the photos above and below, and this:
Hey Dale,
Here is a recap of this past week’s fishing.
Spent the weekend scouting new waters with the yak for the hard water season.
Bass were decent on spinner baits, crank baits, and senkos worked along the outside weedlines.
Bluegill were very good working an IJO plastics pannie dragon in 11 fow along the outside weedlines adjacent to deeper water. Key was keeping the bait at 6 fow as they would not chase the bait up the water column.
Water temps are in the mid 70’s with this current heat wave.
Here is the nature pic of the week. Blue moon setting as the sun rises.
TTYL
—
Ken Husker O’Malley
Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team
Pete Lamar emailed:
Hi Dale,
A real mixed bag this week. I spent the weekend inside in the air conditioning, tying flies for all the upcoming fishing: hybrids, walleyes, end-of-season Wisconsin trout and lake run salmon and trout. But there was a window late last week with nights in the 50s when conditions were good. I got the usual bluegills and bass, as well as some green sunfish and even the first crappie I’ve seen in a long time on some local ponds.
Rob Abouchar emailed the photo above and below, and this:
Hi Dale
The heat slowed the bite a little but some panfish are still being caught on island lake. Red worms were working best for me on gapen ice jigs taking bluegill yellow bass and an occasional yellow bullhead. My neighbor was catching the same species on a plain snell hook with nightcrawler pieces. A boater caught a nice bass from my neighbors dock. He said it was a tube bait that got the hob done. A friend is getting nice bass on wonder lake on a bobe color whopper plopper.
Headed to Merrill this weekend to fish a little Saturday morning before the gig in Merrill Wisconsin with midnite mile. Bringing the home town boys to the northwoods promises to be a dynamite show. Wednesday its back to Milwaukee to resume rehearsals for Gozortenplat in preparation for Zappafest in December. Prepping for these rehearsals is like packing the tackle box with new lures and heading to a new body of water...ever onward!
The music update, as always, makes my Tuesday morning.
BLACK LAKE, MICHIGAN
Lawrence Narro messaged the photo above and this:
Big rock bass, black lake northern Michigan
Some nice smallies, poor boy fishing charter
Man, does Black Lake bring back memories for me.
BRAIDWOOD LAKE
Open daily 6 a.m.-sunset.
District fisheries biologist Seth Love would like to hear from anglers on catches at Braidwood. You can email him at seth.love@illinois.gov.
Last day of fishing is Oct. 17.
CHAIN O’LAKES AREA
Kyle Tepper at Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch said channel catfish (roaches, cutbait or stinkbait) and flatheads are really good; white bass are good, but deeper 10-15 feet, bladebaits, drop-shots or Wolf River rigs; walleye starting on shallow crankbait bite; crappie bite picking up, soon should be coming to shores and docks; muskies are going, mostly buctails and topwaters, Catherine and Marie; bluegill starting to come back in on little jig and waxies; lots of smallmouth being caught recently for some reason, try deeper weed lines with jigs or Carolina rigs.
Dave Kranz of Dave’s Bait, Tackle and Taxidermyin Crystal Lake and of the WeFishASA.com podcast and his You-Tube channel, Dave Kranz Living the wild outdoors, texted:
It seems the last of the hot summer weather is going to turn into fall like temperatures. This will cool the water quickly but not the bite. Many fish put on a fall feed bag. I am starting to hear that both white and some yellow bass are getting active on the Fox Chain and River. Most are buying large or extra large Fathead minnows.
NOTE: Check updates on water conditions at foxwaterway.com or (847) 587-8540.
NOTE 2: Stratton Lock and Dam is open 8 a.m. to midnight through Sept. 30
CHICAGO RIVER
Dan Bernstein, a midday host on The Score, messaged the photo above and this on Friday:
Just north of the Irving Park bridge.
In my world, I think he is learning how to do being an empty nester the right way.
DELAVAN LAKE, WISCONSIN
Capt. Dave Duwe emailed:
Delavan Lake 9/5/23 through 9/12/23
Well Labor Day weekend has come and gone. The pleasure boaters have been drastically reduced but there are still a lot of fishing boats. That’s not a big surprise since Delavan is a great lake in the fall!
Northern Pike can either be caught trolling crank baits in the weeds or by fishing suckers just off the weed line. I’ve been using large bass crank baits such as the Fat Free Shad or the Wally Diver in the fire tiger pattern. I use 12 lb. Test so my lure can reach optimum depth. The best depth I’ve been fishing is 20-25 ft of water. My larger fish have come suspended 5-6 ft off bottom. The best location has been by the Village Supper Club or by Browns Channel.
Walleye fishing still remains on the slow side. I have been catching one here or there, but the pattern is still hard to determine. The water is too warm for the walleyes to be in their typical fall pattern. Hopefully if we get some cool weather soon the fish will turn on. The fish I’ve been catching have all been on nightcrawlers fished on a split shot right on the weed line.
Largemouth bass remains the best bite on the lake. They can either be caught around the boat docks or off the main lake weed points. Senkos or nightcrawlers have been producing all of my fish. You can catch an occasional bass on the northern suckers as well. The best location has been by Willow Point and by the Village Supper Club.
I am still catching some nice bluegills in the 18-20 ft range. I’m catching a lot in the 9-10 inch range. Small red worms or nightcrawler pieces are producing most of the action. I’ve been straight lining right beneath my anchored boat. The best location has been by the gray condos, Yacht Club point or in front of the launch by Lake Lawn Lodge.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063
DOWNSTATE
HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Closed for the year.
POWERTON: Summer hours—6 a.m.-8 p.m.—run through Sept. 30.
EMIQUON PRESERVE: Fishing is sunrise to sunset. Access permits and liability waivers are available Tuesday to Saturday at Dickson Mounts Museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SHELBYVILLE: Check with Ken Wilson of Lithia Guide Service.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: Check with Jason Johns of Boneyard Fishing.
DUPAGE RIVER
Capt. A.J. Cwiok of Storm Warning Charters messaged the photo above and this:
Quick hour outing at the dupage before work. Silver and purple HJ-9 rapala did the trick
I think his girlfriend’s golden retriever Rory is enjoying the catch as much as Cwiok.
FOX RIVER
Vince Oppedisano emailed the photo above and this:
Hey Dale,
The Fox River has remained very low over the past couple of weeks, leaving much of the river wadable.
Been trying to find more deep pools lately. Where there is flowing, deeper water (i.e., more than two feet or so) I’ve usually been finding smallmouth in those pockets.
Low levels & summer heat makes it challenging, but if you keep moving you will find fish.
Last Friday I explored some new spots on the river further south in Kane County. Wanted to cover a lot of water so I started below the Elgin dam and worked my way down through South Elgin, St. Charles, Geneva & Batavia. That was a full day of driving & hiking along the river.
It was easier to keep fishing the whole day because I had some success in all 5 towns. Caught about 40 fish total that day, all on a white ned rig, white square bill & a black whopper plopper. Water clarity was generally somewhere between stained and murky. Found some really nice smallies throughout that stretch, and the bass seem to be getting a little bit fatter the last week… best fish that day was this surprise flathead that hit a squarebill mid-afternoon in Batavia.
Looks like cooler temps are on the way later this week. Some rain would be nice too.
Pete Lamar emailed the photo above and this:
Hi Dale,
A real mixed bag this week. I spent the weekend inside in the air conditioning, tying flies for all the upcoming fishing: hybrids, walleyes, end-of-season Wisconsin trout and lake run salmon and trout. . . . I went to the Fox primarily to practice casting with the Spey rod, but got into a few fish. The variety continued. No surprise in catching smallmouths, but they were outnumbered by channel cats. Both species came out of fast water just downstream of a dam. Water was very low and clear but surprisingly cool.
Dave Kranz of Dave’s Bait, Tackle and Taxidermyin Crystal Lake and of the WeFishASA.com podcast and his You-Tube channel, Dave Kranz Living the wild outdoors, texted:
It seems the last of the hot summer weather is going to turn into fall like temperatures. This will cool the water quickly but not the bite. Many fish put on a fall feed bag. I am starting to hear that both white and some yellow bass are getting active on the Fox Chain and River. Most are buying large or extra large Fathead minnows.Catfish continue to be good and drum below the McHenry Dam.
GENEVA LAKE, WISCONSIN
Arden Katz said that he and Kyle Tepper caught walleye and bass night fishing on the flats in 18-22 feet on Berkley Flat Worms over the weekend.
He took his sister Abby Chemers fishing foor the first time Tuesday morning and they caught bluegill in 18 feet, drop-shotting with leaf or red worms on a double-jig rig of 1/64th-ounce jigs.
Capt. Dave Duwe emailed:
Lake Geneva 9/5/23 through 9/12/23
Some of the best fishing of the year is fast approaching. Now that the Labor Day holiday has come and gone, the boat traffic is getting lighter by the minute and the best fishing is yet to come.
Perch fishing has been the most consistent bite. The perch are on hard sand bottoms with scattered weeds in 10-12 ft of water. The best bait is either small fat head minnows or nightcrawler pieces. I prefer using slip bobbers with a small hook. The best location has been by Rainbow Point and Belvidere Park. Some of the perch are in excess of 11 inches. This bite should continue as the water cools. I prefer anchoring just so the slip bobber can be positioned better.
Smallmouth bass have finally gone to the deep weed points and are again moving shallow. With the cooling water, by the end of September, they will again be in the 10-12 ft depth range. Right now, on the deep weed points, I’m finding them between 21 and 25 ft of water. I’m either drop shotting small plastic worms or using small yellow perch fished on a lindy rig.
Walleye are still being caught at night. The best depth is 12-15 ft. Use large crank baits just above the weed line. The fish are suspended 6-7 ft down. The best location is by Abbey Springs or by Fontana Beach.
Bluegills are still being caught in the 12-18 ft depth range. They can be readily caught by drifting nightcrawlers on a split shot rig. The best location is by the Military Academy or by the Elgin Club.
Good Luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063
GREEN LAKE AREA, WISCONSIN
Guide Mike Norris texted the photo above and emailed this:
Fishing Report – September 4, 2023
Mike Norris
Big Green Lake: Bluegills have started to stack up around the sunken fish cribs. Try drop-shotting with half a redworm around cribs in 22 – 35 feet of water for the big gills. Smallmouth bass fishing is slow. Most locals believe it is due to the amount of baitfish swimming around Big Green. I am sure the holiday boat traffic didn’t help. The bass bite could change with the onset of colder weather later this week. Northern pike fishing remains good along steep breaklines in 25 – 35 feet of water along steep. Try lindy-rigging a sucker for them.
Fox Lake: A mid-week cold front dropped the water temperature by six degrees, and the fishing improved. Panfishing is excellent off docks as well as along the deep weed lines. Largemouth bass target the bluegills, and the bass bite is really good. Don’t overlook Fox Lake’s muskie population. September is always an excellent month to fish for them.
Little Green Lake: Muskie fishing has been good all week and should continue to be good, with another cool front coming in later this week. This small 462-acre lake produced muskies of 47 and 48 inches last week. Largemouth bass fishing is good. Try flipping a stick bait under piers and in shallow, weedy areas.
GREEN/STURGEON BAYS, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR weekly report.
HEIDECKE LAKE
Be aware water levels are very low. See my column tomorrow.
Open 6 a.m. (6:30 bank fishing) to sunset.
Last day of fishing is Oct. 10.
KANKAKEE RIVER
Bob Johnson emailed the photo above and this:
Hi Dale - Labor Day morning in river. River is low clear and water temp at 78. Smallmouth fishing decent catching a 1/2 dozen on crainkbaits and a few more on surface early on.
LAKE ERIE
Click here for the Ohio DNR Report.
LAKEFRONT
Jeffrey Williams messaged on Monday the photo above and this:
We finally got out on the big water with success, smallie bites were very good along the walls and decent by navy pier, switching between baits to c wat they wanted, tight rope jigs, ned pods and drop shots were the go lures today, weather was hot but water felt great
Me, my brother, big T and our other crew member Ben
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT HOLIDAY WEEKEND! OUR OPENING HOURS HAVE CHANGED! WE ARE OPEN 6am to 8pm 7 DAYS A WEEK. FISHING REPORT PRETTY MUCH THE SAME. SALMON ARE BEING CAUGHT ON A PRETTY REGULAR BASIS I HEAR OF A FEW HERE AND THERE ALMOST EVERYDAY. A FEW STEELHEAD ALSO. ALL CAUGHT BY CASTING LURES AND CRANK BAITS. MOST IN THE DARK BUT A FEW IN THE DAYTIME. SMALLMOUTH ARE STILL ACTIVE IN THE HARBORS. NO PERCH TO REPORT BUT IM NOT SURE ANYONE HAS REALLY TRIED. LOTS OF ROCK BASS IN THE HARBOR. A FEW NORTHERNS IN THE MIX. SHEEPHEAD WILL BE BITING GOOD AGAIN WHEN THE WIND CHANGES TO THE NORTH. EVEN A FEW WALLEYE A LITTLE SOUTH. JUST GET OUT AND FISH THIS IS ONE OF THOSE YEARS YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU MAY CATCH.
I’m curious to see what happens when this water drops a few degrees
Capt. Bob Poteshman of Confusion Charters said as of Sunday lakers continue good for lakers, early bite better, from 140-190 feet out of Chicago; an occasional steelhead, coho or Chinook. Out of North Point, mornings are good in 200 feet for mainly lakers with a few steelhead, Chinook and coho; a few king bites very early briefly on the hill.
Capt. Dan Leslie at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan said the fish are in and they catching them off the pier on a mx of spoons or Flying C Mepps; boaters are running deep and focusing on lake trout, some silver in 180-220. Water needs to cool down, which is should with west winds.
Capt. Scott Wolfe of School of Fish Charters emailed:
Fishing was surprising good considering poor weather this week. A few fish are entering the harbor. We still need cold water to get them active. They are coming in but are very inactive. The few reports I have heard catching have been orange glow spoons like Moonshine Agent Orange and Nightcrawler on a very slow retrieve before sunrise or just after sunset.
Good mixed species catches with more trout than salmon in water 140 to 200 feet with spoons and plugs for salmon and Mo Rig Laker takers for trout. White spoons with spots like Two Face, Three Face and Spoiler patterns were good on downriggers 50 to 90 down. Lake trout are mostly coming on Jimmy Fly Mo rigs in Green and Yellow in the bottom 15 feet.
Capt. Scott Wolfe
312-933-0552
LaSALLE LAKE
Site is open daily 6 a.m.-sunset. As a perched lake, boating is closed when winds top or will top 14 mph. Check daily updates on boating at (815) 640-8099.
Final day is Oct. 15.
MADISON LAKES, WISCONSIN
Click here for the update from D&S Bait, Tackle & Fly Shop .
MAZONIA
Hours are 6 a.m. to sunset.
MENOMINEE RIVER, WISCONSIN
Guide Mike Mladenik of bigsmallmouthbass.com emailed:
Big Smallmouth Action The First Few Days Of September
On September 2 & 3 we put smallmouth pushing 21 in the boat. One of the big smallmouth hit a swimbait in the weeds. The other Behemoth was in the rocks and hammered a Case Wacky Jack rigged on a 1/0 Spearpoint GP Finesse Hook. Presently smallmouth are feeding on both crayfish and minnows.
Looks like this fall will be great on the Menominee River. I still have prime September and October dates open for smallmouth and walleye. So book ASAP if you are interested!!
Text Me : 715-757-1987
email: smguide@centurylink.net
NORTHERN WISCONSIN
Kurt Justice at Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua emailed:
As summer winds down, temps felt more mid-summer like with highs by Monday (9/4) hitting upper 90’s. Surface water temps surged up, cracking 80 degrees+ on many lakes. That’s quite a jump up from the upper 60’s of mid-week last. We actually had air temp lows in upper 30’s then! With a new front coming in 9/6 and forecasted highs not to crack 60 degrees until Friday after that, angler expectations are all over the board. We’ve seen some species biting better while others seem to have moved out.
Smallmouth Bass: Very Good – September is a time where it seems to be two separate locations to find Smallies. Numbers wise and some big fish are relating to gravel/rock humps. Look for these areas in 16-28’, drop-shotting 3 Wacky Worms, minnow imitations and craw imitations. Football jigs with smaller Sweet Beavers and other creature baits also effective. There also seems to be a small population of big Smallies that prefer to work the inside weed lines, mixed in with September Muskies, that love to attack top-water baits such as Whopper Ploppers, Buzzbaits and Topper Stoppers. These fish always are 18+ fish, big tough guys who don’t mind hanging with the Skis.
Bluegill: Very Good – Actively working over weeds and around docks (perfect timing for Labor Day family fishing.) Nothing special, just worms. waxies or Mini-mites. Some larger Gills being caught around deeper weeds of 10-14’. Some even taking small minnows meant for Crappies.
Yellow Perch: Very Good-Good – Drowned wood and cabbage patches! Perch feeding on small crayfish and insects utilizing these areas taking beavertails, 1/2 crawlers and medium fatheads on light jigs or slip-floats in 6-10’.
Walleye: Good-Fair – Action improving! Despite heat bites building on gravel humps of 15-28’ (depending on lake) jigging/dragging 1/8 oz jigs tipped with crawlers, large fats or medium redtails. Jigging Shiver Minnows and Raps also producing.
Largemouth Bass: Fair-Good – Some of the action has slowed (could be with Musky controlling shallow weeds). Probing deeper weeds with Ned rigs, Ned craws, tubes and Wacky Worms producing. Still some good top-water evening action on frogs, buzzbaits on shallower lakes.
Musky: Fair-Good – With heat, most anglers laid off targeting due to the stress it would put these fish through. Early mornings using fast moving bucktails, top-water lures best. Those that did report fishing noticed action died off when temps started to rise mid-morning. Should improve with cooler weather by weekend.
Northern Pike: Fair – Not loving the heat this weekend. Should see a uptick in action as water cools by week’s end. Some reaction hits on chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, but best on live bait during heat.
Crappie: Fair? – Lots of anglers searching, but not much for lake action. Deep weeds best, but hard to locate. Some Flowage fish found near wood. Medium fatheads under slip-floats best.
The drastic change in temps from Monday (9/4) through Wednesday should make for a bit of a slow down on Thursday. Though the lower water temps shouldn’t be a big issue for anglers targeting Musky, Walleye, Smallies, Crappies, and Pike.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop - Like us on Facebook
NORTHWEST INDIANA
Bob Johnson emailed the photos above and below, and this:
Hi Dale - fished southern Lake Michigan out of Hammond marina Sunday.My Son Jake boated a beautiful Steelhead and his wife and I also caught a dozen smallmouth, Jake added to that count as well. Overall a good quantity day but quality of bass could have been better. Fish were caught using Ned rigs along jig and trailers resembling crawfish and gobies. Water temps by discharge were at 80 and 73 degrees in other areas.
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Again, cool weather coming look for the fishing to pick up as the water cools.
The blazing hot weather made fishing in nwi be on the slow side water temps super high making the bite tough.
Cool weather coming in this week so that will bring a push of salmon in.
ROOT RIVER, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR’s report, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday.
SHABBONA LAKE
John Honiotes at Boondocks reported that during the holiday the walleyes, mostly undersized, and hybrid striped bass were good; Berkley Money Badger has been working on bass; as of Tuesday morning, water temperature was 77.
Site summer hours—6 a.m.-10 p.m.—run through Oct. 31.
Boondocks’ bait shop is open daily, 6 a.m.-7 p.m.; restaurant hours are now 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday to Sunday.
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN LAKEFRONT
Jason “Special One” Le texted the YouTube video above, apt for this time of the year on the lakefront.
Click here for the southern Lake Michigan reports from the Wisconsin DNR.
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
Paddle and Pole hosts the Berrien Springs Fish Ladder Camera.
WISCONSIN DELLS
Hook-and-line sturgeon season in Wisconsin runs through Sept. 30 “on certain waters.” Click here for the details. Click here for the harvest areas.
Check with River’s Edge (https://www.riversedgeresort.com/), which reported Tuesday morning that small catches are being made, but no legals (60 inches) have been reported yet. Staff also reported more people trying this year than in recent years.
The Wisconsin DNR noted:
Please note that a hook and line sturgeon tag is not required if an angler plans to release the sturgeon they catch. Anglers should continue to practice responsible catch-and-release when releasing any fish they do not wish to keep. Review best practices on the DNR’s responsible release webpage.
And the DNR also advised:
Anglers should be aware that some sturgeon may have a tag near their dorsal fin. These tags contain information that is used to monitor the movement and growth of lake sturgeon and will aid the DNR in future management practices. If anglers catch a tagged sturgeon, they should submit the following information to the county’s fisheries biologist:
Where the fish was caught
The date of the catch
Tag number, color and material composition of the tag (i.e., metal or plastic)
Overall fish length
Joe at Lakeview 608 493-2706 for Lake Wisconsin
Botch Leonhardt River’s Edge 608 254-6494
Jumbo Jim (608) 253-6739
WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN
Guide Bill Stoeger in Fremont texted:
Fishing on the river slowed over the weekend. Water temp on the rise and boat traffic not helping. There’s still a good walleye bite up river, and bluegill are dominating in the Fremont area
