A multitude of options with summer settled in make this a really sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
Rhonda Jurinak emailed a couple photos, including the one at the top, and this:
Hi Dale,
Attached are 2 decent fish pictures from fishing on July 4th and 5th, 2022; details are below.
Both days - Pleasure fishing out of Racine, WI with my brother, Andrew Jurinak of Hook ‘Em and Skin ‘Em Guide Service
July 4th around 10:50am I reeled in a 21.2 pound Laker
July 5th around 1:20pm I reeled in a 18.9 pound King
Cheers,
Rhonda
Cheers to fish like that.
LAKEFRONT PERCH
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
Good morning Well let’s see, Winds have been shifting quite a bit, that has slowed perch a bit but they are still around if you are willing to work a little to catch them. Water is warming which means Soft Shells will be the more enticing bait, but minnows and artificial baits are working too.
. . .
Have a great week.
Lori Ralph at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan said some perch from the piers.
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station, Indiana, texted:
Lots of different winds back and forth has slowed the perch bite. Look for end of the week and steady weather for the bite to get going again.
Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor, Michigan, said there’s some perch off “The Pumping Station” and “The Chalets” to the south of St. Joe pier.
LAKEFRONT PARKING
Chicago Park District’s parking passes for the fisherman’s parking lots at DuSable and Burnham harbors are on sale at Henry’s Sports and Bait in Bridgeport, Park Bait at Montrose Harbor, and the Northerly Island Visitor Center.
Readers suggest SpotHero app downtown. Otherwise, here are some basics: Foster (free street parking or pay lot); Montrose (now a mix of metered and free street parking); Belmont (pay lots on north and south sides); Diversey (pay lot or street parking); DuSable Harbor (pay lot or fisherman’s lot); Northerly Island/Burnham Harbor (meters, pay lot or fisherman’s lot); 31st/Burnham (meter parking between McCormick Place and 31st Street Harbor); Oakwood/39th (meters); 63rd Street/Casino Pier (pay lot); Steelworkers Park (free street parking at east end of 87th); Cal Park (free parking).
ILLINOIS FROG SEASON
Illinois’ bullfrog (only) season is June 15 to Oct. 15. A fishing license is required. “Bullfrogs may be taken by hook and line, gig, pitchfork, spear, bow and arrow, hand, or landing net.” Daily bag limits eight, possession limit 16.
AREA LAKES
Still active largemouth on frogs and other topwaters at low light.
Ken “Husker” O’Malley of Husker Outdoors emailed the photos above and below, and this:
Hey Dale,
Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing.
Area lakes-bluegill and crappie are very good during the evening hours. Work the outside weedlines and main basin for the active biters. Best bait has been an IJO Plastics pannie crawler worked under a slip float.
. . .
Here is the nature pic of the week [below]. A family gathering.
TTYL
—
Ken Husker O’Malley
Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team
Rob Abouchar emailed the photo below and this:
Hi Dale
The hot summer fishing for largemouth bass on island lake continues with senkos and chatter baits. Grass and duckweed areas have been best . Still getting them under docks. Last night as the sun set the blue gills went crazy. I caught several of the biggest hardest fighting bluegill I’ve ever hooked into. I was using small bits of gulp night crawler. My brother in law Tom McKluskey got a nice gill the other day. I’m thinking of a fish fry in the future.
On the music front the conscious rockers are half way through the summer tour. next is August 7th at Montrose beach dock again. And this Friday I’m playing the bees nest in Merrill Wisconsin with George Pena possibility bill Nichols on wooden and metal spoons.
Tight lines and good health!
Rob
BRAIDWOOD LAKE
District fisheries biologist Seth Love would like to hear from anglers on hybrid catches at Braidwood. You can email him at seth.love@illinois.gov.
Open daily 6 a.m.-sunset.
CHAIN O’LAKES AREA
Art Frisell at Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch said bluegill are very god in 4-8 feet, especially around gravel and weeds on Marie with waxies, ice jigs and slip floats; catfis very good on stinkbait or crawlers; for white bass, try in 4-8 feet with spikes, small minnows or red worms; Marie best; try for walleye on Marie with leeches the top bait.
NOTE: Check updates on water conditions at foxwaterway.com or (847) 587-8540.
NOTE 2: The Stratton Lock and Dam has normal daily operating hours of 8 a.m. to midnight through Sept. 30.
CHICAGO RIVER
Jeffrey Williams messaged the photo above and this:
I have to give credit to another carp angler, Ryan tought us about hair rigs and been using em in success, here hes holding a beautiful colores carp, notice the color pattern from the head toward the back, once again another CPR fish
COOLING LAKES
Braidwood, LaSalle and Heidecke are open daily 6 a.m.-sunset.
DELAVAN LAKE, WISCONSIN
Capt. Dave Duwe emailed:
Delavan Lake 7/11/22 through 7/18/22
Fishing has been very constant. By far the most success has been panfishing, limits are available and lots of them. What do you want to catch? Perch, Bluegills, or Crappies, they are all biting and are rather easy to catch.
The bluegills are in the deep summer pattern. I have been catching the fish in 15-18 feet of water. The fish are very close to the bottom, within 12 inches of bottom. Leaf worms seem to work the best. I either straight line the bait underneath the anchored boat or I slip bobber fish them with a small hook and split shot. I have been working the outside of the weed edge. The best locations have been west of Willow Point, Delmar subdivision beach area or the Township Park. The perch fishing continues to be excellent. The only bait to use is the long green hellgrammites. You can get them at Delavan Bait and Tackle or Geneva Bait and Tackle in Williams Bay. The fish are located in 13-15 feet of water. I have almost exclusively been using slip bobber and single hooks and split shots. The best spots I have fished are in front of the Township Park, the Island area on the west end or by the area west of Willow Point, known as the Boy Scout camp.
Crappie fishing has been too easy, almost to the point of being boring. I have literally caught hundreds of them last week. I have been working small plastics. The best color is yellow, red or pink. I like the small twister tails or tube jigs. They are still right off the weed line. I position the boat just out side the weed line and cast shallow. Remember the key is a slow reel-pause-retrieve. I have caught most of my fish by Browns Channel, the Island or by Willow Point.
The Northern Pike fishing has been good. The fish are still located on the deep weed lines and can be readily caught. I have only been using lindy rigged suckers. The average size this year has been awesome. I have caught legal fish almost every trip I go out and almost all have been released. They are very easy to locate. Find the weed line and electric motor troll, they will hammer the suckers.
Walleyes have been slow. With stable weather this week, fishing should improve. With the other fish biting so well, I wouldn’t waste my time. Large mouth fishing has been all right. They have been in the shallows cruising around the piers. Flipping the docks or split shot rigs with live night crawlers has been the best. The depth I prefer is 3-5 feet of water. Look for piers with more of the scattered weeds, they have not been in the really matted weeds.
Good Luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050
DES PLAINES RIVER
Dr. Atul Mallik emailed the photo above and this:
Hello Dale,
. . .
Added bonus and a shout out to Sean Whippo’s excellent reports: Yesterday, I had 15 minutes and got this nice breeding male horned dace (aka creek chub), head tubercles, red spot and all, on the DPR in River Forest.
PS. The tubercles seal the ID, but I wanted to get this fish back in the water ASAP and didn’t remember to check the dorsal and anal fins.
Ken “Husker” O’Malley of Husker Outdoors emailed:
Hey Dale,
Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing.
. . .
DesPlaines River-water temps are in the upper 70’s and water in dirty. System definitely needs rain to get a good flow going. Pitching plastics to shoreline cover will take a few bass.
. . .
TTYL
—
Ken Husker O’Malley
Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team
DOWNSTATE
HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Open through Sept. 5. Closed Mondays, except for Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day. Check regulations at http://www.wetlands-initiative.org/dixon-paddling-fishing.
POWERTON: Summer hours are 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
EMIQUON PRESERVE: Hours are sunrise to sunset. Access permits and liability waivers are required. They 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.
FOX RIVER
Vince Oppedisano emailed the photo above and this:
Hey Dale,
Hope you had a good weekend.
Spent a lot of time fishing the Fox River the past week— Elgin, South Elgin, St. Charles, Batavia stretch.
The river was up significantly last week after the rain. Smallmouth action was hot for a couple of days, found a lot of fish running lures over weedy areas— small spinners, cranks, a few on topwater late in the day too. Levels seemed to drop back down pretty quickly over the weekend and the bite wasn’t as good but still managed to find fish here and there.
Attached— good one from Elgin on Saturday.
Best,
Vince Oppedisano
Pete Lamar emailed the photo below and this:
Hi Dale,
I did make it out to a Fox tributary yesterday afternoon/evening. I fished farther downstream than last week, closer to the Fox. I was also, based on water temperatures, downstream of some significant groundwater flows-the water had to be 5-10 degrees cooler than I found on my last outing. It was shaping up to be a numbers day: a lot of smallmouths caught, but all of them fit in my hand. I was beginning to think about going after them with a two weight next time, just to make things more sporting. Then on the last cast of the day, I got the fish in the attached image, a solid 15-16 inch fish, which went airborne a couple of times. I called it quits and broke down the rod and walked back to the car after the fish was safely released. On my way out, I spooked some big tadpoles off a shallow mudflat into deep water next to the streambank. They immediately turned around and fled back onto the mudflat: they were being pursued by another good-sized smallmouth, whose back was not covered by water, that’s how shallow the mudflat was. Probably best if I forget about using the two weight on smallmouths for a while.
Pete
GENEVA LAKE, WISCONSIN
Capt. Dave Duwe emailed:
Lake Geneva 7/11/22 through 7/18/22
For this time of year, the fishing remains very consistent. There are large numbers of fish to be caught. The bass have not moved deep yet so they are still accessible on the mid range weedlines.
Northern Pike have moved out of the shallows and are now on the thermocline in 30-32 ft of water. They can be readily caught on lindy rigged medium suckers. The best location has been in Fontana or in the Narrows on the north shore. With the lindy rigs I’ve been leaving about a 2 ft leader and using a ¾ oz walking sinker.
Largemouth bass fishing has been excellent on the Trinkes weedline or the weedline by Linn Pier. The best approach is either drop shotting small green pumpkin finesse worms or lindy rigging nightcrawlers. The best depth is about 14-16 ft of water.
Lake Trout fishing has been excellent. They are aggressively hitting in the main lake basin. They are biting on green flies fished behind a dodger or chrome/blue spoons. The best depth is 108 ft of water. You want to fish the lures about 20 ft off bottom. The best time to get them is in the early morning. Presently the best bite is around 5 a.m.
Perch fishing has been very good. The constant problem with Lake Geneva is the over population of 3-4 inch perch. If you stick with it and sort, you will catch enough fish for a good meal. The best depth I’ve found is 12-14 ft of water. They are being caught on small fat head minnows fished beneath a slip bobber or on nightcrawlers. The best locations have been west of Linn Pier or Belvidere Park.
Smallmouth bass have been very evasive. They are in their summer pattern and are nomadically cruising the lake with the pods of bait fish. The best way to catch them is in the early morning around the bait fish pods using top water lures. You want to use chrome and blue chug bugs for the best success.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050
GREEN LAKE AREA, WISCONSIN
Guide Mike Norris texted the photo above and emailed this:
Fishing Report – 7/10/2022
Mike Norris
Big Green Lake - Water temperature is holding around 73 degrees and smallmouth bass are moving deeper. Having said that, smallmouth bass can be found in the 8 to 12-foot zone shallow early and late during the day. Smallmouth bass will also stay shallower on windy days when light penetration is reduced due to wave action. Now is a good time to cast swim baits and tube jigs along outer weed edges. Look for areas where small points project from the weed line. Also, offshore cribs will come into play if you can find them. Walleyes are still catchable trolling with spinners and nightcrawler harnesses early and late in the day. Lake trout are active in deep water. Try trolling Sutton Spoons in 150 to 200 feet of water.
GREEN/STURGEON BAYS, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR weekly report.
HEIDECKE LAKE
Bob Johnson emailed the photo above and this;
Hi Dale - Monday night fishing on Heidecke lake and it was a bit choppy with west winds. Algae is growing a bit but that’s par for summer fishing right. Bass are going good on typical summer patters of flipping jigs and surface fishing. I honestly believe a Bass busting a frog in July is the best!! Catching the bass busting the frog can be hit and miss 50/50. That’s fishing!!
My average is probably less than that, I just get too excited and try to set the hook early.
Open 6 a.m. (6:30 bank fishing) to sunset.
KANKAKEE RIVER
Jim Anderson’s 34-pound-10-oounce flathead catfish was the glamor fish of the Kankakee River Fishing Derby, which ended Sunday. Click here for the Big Board results.
George Peters emailed the photo above and this:
Got a surprise while fishing a deep run on the Kankakee. 28 Channel Catfish on a tiny 1/16 oz. Jig. What a fight!
Here is his main report;
Hi Dale, kkk low and clear. All lures working. Many fisherman. Try below Wilmington dam or toward I 55. G. Peters.
LAKE ERIE
Larry Jennings messaged the photo above and this from Lake Erie:
Great weekend on Lake Erie Dale!! The Walleye were on fire!! Lots of short fish, but we managed to bring some Keepers home! Gold Crawler Harnesses were the key
Click here for the Ohio DNR Report.
LAKEFRONT
Dr. Atul Mallik emailed the photos above and below and this:
Hello Dale,
Had the morning off on Friday the 8th and it being my birthday, my son Indra and I headed out to fish just after dawn. Stopped at Henry’s first, paid our respects to Steve, and picked up some pond crayfish for fun to add to the usual medium roaches and wax worms, but I somehow forgot the nightcrawlers at the shop (!). He said he’ll have bait until the end. (November?)
We were rigged for perch, bass and carp, and saw lots of the latter two at Burnham Harbor. Lots of cruising smallies and largemouth too (by the look). But the gobies and rock bass were a nuisance, going after everything: crawdads, minnows, waxies, flicker shads and all.
After I upsized some hooks, this was less of an issue as Indy was having some fun sight fishing and going after the bigger bass. In the end I think he landed about 15.
As we walked south on the inner wall, I didn’t actually fish for perch as Indy caught just enough rock bass trailing a flicker shad.
We finally got to the southern tip of Northerly Island to make a few casts for perch in the rougher water, trying to be mindful of the big rocks. Indy hooked up right away, but it was one of the bigger rock bass. We saw one of the kids camp sailboats capsize (looked safe in the end though!) It was about time…
But in typical last cast fashion, I ended up grabbing this nice freshwater drum, not one of the trophies people have been sending in recently, but at 18 and 4.6lbs, it was a surprise, a good fight and good fun (remembering your April ’21 article). Hooked it on a medium roach on 1/4oz black jighead. Dr. Jones grabbed my rod as I went out on the rocks to net it.
Good times.
It’s been fun reading about your train jaunt out to Colorado (glad you made it Arches too!), and your Mazonia meditation.
Wishing you and your family the best always,
Atul
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
Good morning Well let’s see, Winds have been shifting quite a bit, that has slowed perch a bit but they are still around if you are willing to work a little to catch them. Water is warming which means Soft Shells will be the more enticing bait, but minnows and artificial baits are working too. Sheephead very good when winds are north. Weighed a beautiful 14 lb Steelhead this morning. No reports on Smallmouth.
Have a great week.
Lori Ralph at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan said some perch on piers, lots of carp and a few kings and steelhead; boaters vary and range from 60 to deeper than 200 feet.
Capt. Scott Wolfe of School of Fish Charters emailed:
High quality mixed species fishing abounded this week. The typical summer fishing pattern has set up. Fish are scattered in waters straight off Waukegan in 110 feet and deeper. Most of the fish seemed to be 120 to 140 Sunday. West winds will bring them in a little shallower and East will push them deeper. Earlier in the week before the strong NE winds Saturday, they were in 80-110. Kings and steelhead are showing up in good numbers. Every trip last week we ran had kings, coho, steelhead and lake trout in about equal numbers.
Spoons and flasher/fly worked. Dodger/fly were less effective. Leadcores, coppers, downriggers 50 to 70 and divers 110 to 175 out with Warrior spoons in Blueberry Muffin glow, Steelhead Candy, Hey Babe and Blue Dolphin and NBK flashers and green or Aqua 4 inch Jimmy Flies were productive.
The coming weather pattern looks pretty stable so I think this good fishing should hold steady this week.
Capt. Scott Wolfe
schooloffishcharters.com
630-341-0550
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.
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:
July Fishing Report - Hot Topwater Bite
Read Report
Smallmouth on the Menominee River are full swing into their summer pattern.
I still have some open July & August Dates
Get Ready For Topwater Smallmouth
Book A Trip Now !
NORTHERN WISCONSIN
Howard Bass emailed this (among other notes):
Northwoods fishing has been decent. I’ve had better and worse years. I started to send an email last month but got distracted and forget to hit send. I picked up some nice crappie and walleye this week after I finally decided to switch lakes. I can be stubborn. Crappie on minnows and walleye on leaches, 1/8 jigs with #6 hooks for both.
Kurt Justice at Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua emailed:
Fifty-two fishing reports a year (give or take) gets repetitive. Well, this week’s report starts out with, as the boys from Monty Python’s Flying Circus would say… Now for something completely different.
Dogfish, Bowfin (up here in the North), Mudfish or Swamp Trout (down South), a hard fighting, never say quit fish that are native to our waters and despite being listed as rough fish are really just a natural part of the aquatic diversity of our lakes. Despite accusations from anglers that they eat fish, well actually sometimes, but mostly 70-75% of the time, they eat crayfish. Loons, on the other hand, (except when feeding insects to their young) always eat fish. Pont being? Bowfin are fun to catch, are good for the lake’s ecosystem, so just let ‘em go (unless you’re going to eat one.)!
Dogfish: Very Good – Nobody is targeting, but Dogfish are biting. Most on jig and bait (crawler, leech or minnow combos). Relating to thick weeds and drowned wood. Use pliers to dehook – sharp teeth!
Smallmouth Bass: Good-Very Good – Outside coontail edges of 12-16’. Ned rigs hard to beat. Second choice drop-shotting in similar areas. Some good evening top-water action on Whopper Ploppers, Pop-R’s
Largemouth Bass: Good-Very Good – Work shallow running cranks that run at weed top level (3-5’ below surface). Square Bills, Shallow Shad Raps and Lipless Cranks all good choices. Once action slows, Wacky Worming and Ned Rigs top bets.
Bluegill: Good – Action on live bait (leeches, worms, small minnows) and tiny plastic-bodied jigs. Evenings providing good popper action for fly fishing anglers.
Yellow Perch: Good – Probing pockets in cabbage using medium leeches or small crawlers (beavertails).
Northern Pike: Good – Pike action best over cabbage flats in 7-12’ using spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. Cloud and wind help improve action.
Crappie: Fair-Good – Weed tops in 8-14’ using Gapen Freshwater Shrimp and 1/16 oz Beetle spins. Tiny jigs and Mini-Mites suspended below small floats when windy working well. On Flowages seek suspended Crappies over drowned wood along river channel edges using medium fatheads below slip floats.
Walleye: Fair (but improving) – Rocks and gravel getting more attention as weeds thicken and, surprisingly, algea blooms on some smaller lakes showing up already. Leeches and crawlers first and second choices, though redtails working along deeper (18-24’) gravel humps.
Musky: Fair-Poor – Not a lot of reports, though some smaller (28-36) fish being caught by fly anglers and those using smaller bucktails
Overall fishing conditions improving, or should I say settling into their summer patterns. Most surface temps in the mid-70’s
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop - Like us on Facebook
An unsolicited bowfin (dogfish) report? I am so happy.
NORTHWEST INDIANA
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station, Indiana, texted:
Lots of different winds back and forth has slowed the perch bite. Look for end of the week and steady weather for the bite to get going again.
Some steelhead still being caught mainly off of Michigan city pier and behind fish camp restaurant. Shrimp and night crawlers under floats and few casting spoons.
Trollers are now in 80ft and deeper catching a mix bag. Target 35ft to the bottom spoons and flasher flys are what to use.
Catfish at night in burns ditch and deep river using triple s stinkbait and cut skipjack.
Area lakes and ponds giving up panfish using red wigglers, crickets and waxworms.
ROOT RIVER, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR’s report, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday.
SHABBONA LAKE
Staff at Boondocks reported crappie going deeper, deep as 15 feet; bass are hitting frogs and other topwaters; catfish are good on chicken livers and crawlers (some hybrid stripers caught same way).
Summer hours—6 a.m.-10 p.m.—run through Oct. 31.
Bait Shop is open 6 a.m.-7 p.m. daily; restaurant, 11-8 daily.
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN LAKEFRONT
Click here for the southern Lake Michigan reports from the Wisconsin DNR.
Salmon-A-Rama runs through July 17. It’s headquartered at Reefpoint Brewing House parking lot, Racine, Wisconsin. A bunch of big Chinook have been reported so far.
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said there’s been some steelhead around the pierheads; there’s lakers and a few kings in 80-120; some perch off “The Pumping Station” and “The Chalets” to the south of St. Joe pier.
WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN
Gary Bloom messaged the photo below and this on Sunday from Winnecone:
Mixed bag of Walleye ,wh bass, gills n crappie. Living the dream.
