As befits the unofficial start to summer on the Memorial Day weekend, the start of summer fishing leads this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
I would make special note of several reports including notes of what seems to be heading toward drought conditions.
Kings are among the summertime fishing, as indicated by multiple reports including the one emailed with the photo at the top by Andrew Fedor, who noted:
Hey Dale,
I wanted to submit this great picture from fishing out on Lake Michigan yesterday.
Dr. Lindsay McCullough, a sleep physician at Rush, caught this 17 lb King Salmon Sunday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend. There’s been quite a few King Salmon hanging around the Chicagoland waters starting near the harbors in early May and now being caught out in 60 to 80 feet of water. This one came on a black and blue spoon, but others have been catching them on bright orange spoons and the occasional flasher/fly.
. . .
-Andrew
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-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:
Full blown spawning going on for the bluegill. Bass are hanging just outside of the bluegill beds and feeding on them good. Fish just outside of them with a senko or top water. Great time to use a buzz bait!
Ken “Husker” O’Malley of Husker Outdoors emailed the photo above and this:
Hey Dale,
Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing.
Area lakes-
Weather couldn’t be more perfect but could do without the constant east winds. The bite windows would come in short spurts.
I found some bass still on their beds, just finishing up, or well past the spawn.
Bluegill are still on their beds. Find them and you will find the active post spawn bass.
The best technique was finesse presentations like a weedless ned rig or a wacky rigged BPS wacky stic-o.
With the lack of rain and gin clear water, a stealthy approach with long casts is a must.
It’s unheard of that in the end of May we are in semi-draught conditions.
. . .
TTYL
—
Ken Husker O’Malley
Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team
BRAIDWOOD LAKE
Fishing for a Cure is Saturday, June 3. Click here for details.
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.
CHAIN O’LAKES AREA
Capt. Dan Leslie at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan said lots of good drum were caught near Blarney’s over the weekend.
Kyle Tepper at Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch said walleye are pretty good, bladebaits, mnnows or jigs on the river; white bass in the river on bladebaits or spinners; lot of big walleye shallow on Channel, Catherine and Marie; muskie are active, including multi-fish days, jerkbaits, bucktails and topwaters; bass are good, in various stages of the spawn, frogs or Senkos best; crappie and white bass sin 12-15 on Fox or Pistakee, trolling or fishing a school; bluegill are good on red worm or waxie near docks; big channels are up shallow in 3-5 feet; flatheads are starting.
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
DELAVAN LAKE, WISCONSIN
Arden Katz said bluegills ready to spawn, near shorelines and around docks, keep moving to find the hot docks, spikes and small white or chartreuse JIGABIITE jigs; for largemouth (up to 21 inches), in spawn or post-spawn, Neko rigs and wacky-worming Senkos.
Capt. Dave Duwe emailed:
Delavan Lake Fishing Report 5/29/23 through 6/5/23
Bluegill fishing is improving daily. The heavy spawn should happen within the next few days. I’ve been starting to pick up some bigger fish in 2-3 ft of water. The best bait is a small Thill bobber with a red worm. Don’t be afraid of the green slimy weeds, the fish are underneath them. You just need to cast around them. Most of the fish come when you find the hard sand bottom in places like Viewcrest and Browns Channel.
Largemouth bass are spawning in 3-4 ft of water. They are located in Highlands Bay and in front of Lake Lawn Lodge and in Viewcrest Bay. Like the bluegills, they prefer sand bottom for spawning. The best approach is fishing weightless Senkos in green pumpkin or root beer colors. The water remains very clear so long casts are necessary.
Northern Pike action remains constant in the 9-10 ft depth range. I’ve been catching all my fishing on medium suckers fished beneath a Thill big fish slip bobber. I’ve been anchoring and casting with the wind to keep the baits away from the boat. The best location has been by Browns Channel.
With the cooler water temperatures, the walleye is throughout the water column. I’ve caught fish as shallow as 3 ft and as deep as 23 ft. Some of the fish I’ve caught have been on nightcrawlers and some have come off of fathead minnows. With stable weather, the fish will become easier to pattern. My biggest walleye to date was 19 inches caught in 3 ft of water caught in front of Lake Lawn Lodge. I’ve caught several others on the deep break by the Yacht Club with fathead minnows.
Crappie fishing has been improving. They are on the weedline in 10-12 ft of water. The best bait is purple or pink plastics, cast out with a slow retrieve. They tend to bite when you pause the bait for a second or two, they are like the free fall of the lure. I put the plastics on a 1/32 oz jig head with a small split shot positioned 12 inches above it. This aids with longer casts.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063
DES PLAINES RIVER
Readers sent a number of sauger notes from the Des Plaines in the last couple weeks.
David Gullo emailed the photo above and this on May 20:
Andrew Gullo shows off 14 Des Plaines River sauger caught on a spinner just north of 22nd St.
The crew at McAdam Landscaping says the fishing on the Des Plaines has been very active this week.
David added:
Andrew is an 8th grader at Percy Julian Middle School in Oak Park.
Cool photo and the kind of note that keeps me going.
Peter Starshak emailed the photos above and below, and this:
2 nice bass last week,largemouth & smallmouth about a mile apart on the lower DesPlaines near Romeoville. Both on a topwater. Really need a good rain to flush out the scum weeds. River very low, clear, easily wadeable. Your favorite, cottonwoods,are a pain. Like with kids, patience is a virtue.
Now you are talking my language, topwaters for river bass. As to cottonwood fluff, on Sunday, just downstream of where Starshak fishes, I was walking around Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve and, even far from any trees, cottonwood fluff was everywhere.
DOWNSTATE
LAKE GEORGE: Gene Jarka emailed the photo above and this:
Hello Dale,
I boated this Largemouth over the Memorial Day weekend at Lake George , just outside of the Quad Cites.I caught six in about three hours on the water. This particular fish hit a weighted wacky rig with a Missile Baits 48 stick worm that I dropped next to some lay downs. When I wasn’t throwing the wacky rig, I was using a Texas rigged trick worm, which also produced.
Tight lines,
Gene Jarka
Princeton, Il
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.
HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Site is open through Sept. 4, sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Check regulations at http://www.wetlands-initiative.org/dixon-paddling-fishing.
SHELBYVILLE: Check with Ken Wilson of Lithia Guide Service.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: Check with Jason Johns of Boneyard Fishing.
FOX RIVER
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:
. . . Catfishing still on fire on the fox. Catching a lot of drum mixed in. Crappie slowed down look for them deeper as the heat turns on.
Ken Gortowski emailed:
Was out fishing Friday night from shore and the Fox River is really low. Current flow is 553 CFS, which means you can go wading where ever you want. No rain in the forecast for the next 10 days. We’re already in drought conditions out Montgomery way and it’s starting to remind me of 2005, one of the driest years and lowest Fox levels in its history. With the El Nino taking affect, hot and dry is predicted for the summer. Lowest level I recall from 2005 was 170 CFS, which at that point is mainly treatment plant outflows. Will be interesting to see how the summer pans out.
Ken G
I’m starting to worry about the drynes with all our area waters.
GENEVA LAKE, WISCONSIN
NOTE: Lake Geneva Fishing Club holds its Kids Day, Saturday, June 3, at Bigfoot Beach State Park, Click here for details. Note that it is on a Saturday this year.
Capt. Dave Duwe emailed:
Lake Geneva 5/29/23 through 6/5/23
Fishing remains fantastic on Lake Geneva. Most of the fish are located between 10 and 15 ft of water. With the warming water temperature the bait of choice has switched from fat head minnows to nightcrawlers.
Smallmouth bass remain on the spawning flats in 12-15 ft of water. Look for the fish by Elgin Club, Knollwood and the Military Academy. The best approach has been nightcrawlers fished on a split shot rig or drop shotting 4 inch Houdini worms. The best color is green pumpkin or watermelon seed.
Rock bass remain literally everywhere in the 5-16 ft depth range. They can be caught on basically anything you want to throw. I’ve been catching most of my fish on nightcrawlers on a split shot rig or white hair jigs.
Largemouth bass are starting to get aggressive in the shallows. They are located in the 4-8 ft depth range. The best approach has been Senkos in green pumpkin or the small mimic shiner crank baits. Look for the fish in Trinkes Bay or by Knollwood. Some of the bass I caught last week were in excess of 18 inches.
Bluegill fishing has become very good. The fish are starting to move into spawn. The best location has been Colemans Point or in Williams Bay on the break line. The best depth is 12-14 ft of water. You want to either anchor or slowly drift so you can find the active schools of spawning fish.
Yellow perch are also in the shallows. They can be caught by Belvidere Park in 8-10 ft of water. The best approach is small fat head minnows fished on a Thill slip bobber. The only problem has been that the average size is about 5 inches. You will need to do a lot of sorting to find the bigger fish.
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 emailed:
Big Green Lake: Both largemouth and smallmouth bass moved into the warmer waters of Dartmouth Bay last week, and the bite was excellent. Memorial Day weekend traffic slowed the bite down, but it should improve again with hot weather predicted this week. Bluegills are moving shallow and making beds around and just outside main lake piers. Walleyes are post-spawn and biting leeches suspended from floats in areas with emerging weed growth. Surface temperature reaching into the upper 60’s.
Fox Lake: The walleye bite is good on crankbaits trolled in 10 -15 feet of water off Maple Point. Jigs tipped with minnows are accounting for both crappie and walleye along the west side of Dead Island. largemouth bass bedding in areas containing a mix of coontail and curly cabbage weeds. Work the edges and pockets with a Bitsy Bug with a Zoom trailer. Bluegills are staging under piers. Surface temperature reaching into the lower 70’s.
Pettenwell Lake: Try trolling crankbaits in 10 – 15 feet of water along river channel breaks for walleye. Early and late in the day, work a jig and minnow for walleye in 4 - 6 feet of water
GREEN/STURGEON BAYS, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR weekly report.
HEIDECKE LAKE
Larry Jennings messaged the photo above and this:
How about another Heidecke Hat Trick!! Another multi species catch!! 20 inch walleye plus couple nice slab Gills smallmouth and striper
Heidecke has kind of been the hot spot for the area the last few weeks.
Open 6 a.m. (6:30 bank fishing) to sunset.
KANKAKEE RIVER
Ken “Husker” O’Malley of Husker Outdoors emailed the photo above and this:
Hey Dale,
Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing.
. . .
Kankakee River-Wading conditions are perfect right now on the river. Smallmouth are very good on a variety of plastics worked along current seams. A few walleye can also be taken on crankbaits
. . .
TTYL
—
Ken Husker O’Malley
Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team
George Peters emailed the photo above and this:
Got lucky Friday on the [river]. This 20 1/2 didn’t get the memo that it is post spawn time now. Fishing is slow but it should pick up again in about ten days or so. G. Peters
LAKE ERIE
Click here for the Ohio DNR Report.
LAKEFRONT
JP Ferrer emailed a report Sunday evening of some catches out of Crowley’s, then updated it after fishing on Memorial Day with a catch that included his personal best:
75 feet water. Dodge and fly. Yellow with orange dots. Silver fly.
37.5 [inches] 24lbs. She went from port to starboard and almost past up the trolling boat at 2.8 mph. Beast!
Tom Riordan emailed last week the photo at the top, hopefully a sgn of what is to come with big Chinook this summer on southern Lake Michigan this summer, and this:
The coho bite has been hit or miss this season near Chicago, but some of us have gotten lucky with the occasional king when we put the time in. Here’s my boat Lil Skater’s biggest of the year so far at 23 1/4 LBs, caught around noon [the third weekend of May] with help from my fishing partner Mike Hledin up north near Wilmette on a mag size orange glow spoon off the downrigger in about 35’ of water.
Tom Riordan
Jason “Special One” Le texted the YouTube video above and this:
Hi Dale
We smoke em freshwater drums on Memorial Day!!
Capt. A.J. Cwiok of Storm Warning Charters messaged:
Took the weekend off from charters, but squeezed in a last minute trip in yesterday afternoon. A new wave of bait and silver fish have shown up in the city. Seems like there isn’t a certain N line that is doing best, but best depth to focus on is 50-80 fow off the city.
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
Fishing Report is Sheephead on the Horseshoe on CrayfishI’m sure Jason sent you pictures he usually does.
Smallmouth here and there.ugh this perch closure has to changehave a great week.
Yes, Le did.
Capt. Bob Poteshman of Confusion Charters said on Sunday out of Chicago, it was 45-85 from McCormick to Wilmette, mixed bag of coho (various depths), a few kings (varied spoons deeper) and some lakers (slower than usual); out of North Point, 120-170 for coho, bigger lakers on bottom and a few kings and steelhead; if you find active fish, stay there, quite a bit of bait on The Hill but tougher to get a bite.
Capt. Dan Leslie at the Salmon Stop in Waukegan said fish—mixed bag of coho, steelhead, kings and lakers— are scattered throughout from 50-300 feet, Bloody Nose was the big lure over the weekend, work to find them. At least one steelhead was caught over the weekend of the pier.
PERCH: Season is closed through June 15, on Illinois’ Lake Michigan.
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.
MILLE LACS, MINNESOTA
Rob Abouchar messaged the photo above and this:
Hi Dale I made it to Big Millelacs lake for my yearly getaway sitting in mcquoids lobby with the moose. After some great action over the weekend for pike and big smallies on the Wisconsin river on senkos and Slobberknockers im here after state record smallmouth. The male bass are moving onto beds big females are still moving in pre spawn areas like poinns and wid bliwn shoreline. In cove bay I caught some of the famous Millelacs smallies on a bubble gum colored ned rig and gold n white Slobberknocker bladed jig with a kalins swiming senko trailer. Today its isle bay and chasing largemouth and pike or smallies if weather allows. What a place.
On the music front its a possible guest appearance with the fantastic Indikka reggae band june 16 at the summer reggae bast at two brothers roundhouse, and also quinnstock june 6th with midnite mile and more rehearsals with Gazortenplatt on our road to zappafest. June 24th in Milwaukee at club garibaldi is sure to be a dynamite show!!
NORTHERN WISCONSIN
Kurt Justice at Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua emailed:
Such a wonderful Memorial Weekend! Mother Nature showed great compassion by giving us a Memorial Weekend with not so much as even a threat of rain. Warm weather, lots of sun, good fishing. Not a thing to complain about…almost! The mosquitos are horrendous! We need Dragonflies! Any place with no wind, shade, vegetation made me feel like King Kong on the Empire State Building (only I didn’t have my beautiful wife in one hand, needed both to swat the skeeters!). Enough whining…It’s tough to rank which species of fish bit the best over the weekend, we had so many great reports.
Crappie: Excellent (OFF THE CHART!) – While water temps shot through the 50’s into 60’s (and some bays low 70’s with sun and not wind) not as much bedding fish being observed as staging fish in 3-7’ of water. Casting small (1/32 oz and smaller) jigs of plastic or hair and good ol’ float and minnows had lots of anglers reporting limits of Crappies. Probably the best holiday Crappie fishing weekend we’ve had.
Smallmouth Bass: Excellent –Smallies bedding on most lakes with anglers reporting days of over 100 fish per boat from both staging and bedding fish. Technique? Our choice! Tubes, Ned rigs, top-water, suspending twitchbaits. Rising water temps had fish on fire, lots of action and of course lots of fun! Remember, Catch and Release only!
Walleye: Very Good – Despite the fact weed growth is still behind on most lakes (but catching up), keep in mind most lakes still had ice on them the first couple days of May. Most stomach contents of filleted Walleye still containing mostly larvae of midge and mayflies. The full on weed bite is just beginning. That being said, leeches have been the ticket for a lot of the best catches. Of note, guide Greg Bohn had a three day stretch of three 30+ and over Walleyes on three different lakes-he’s not telling, but from his purchase history here, he’s probably using chubs, both black and redtails (when available), just guessing.
Northern Pike: Very Good – Find standing weeds and you’ll probably find Pike. Swimbaits, spinnerbaits and jig and suckers have been hot. Lots of action and good fish into the low 30’s.
Largemouth Bass: Very Good – Staging in the warm shallows. Shallow running square billed crankbaits, 3 1/2 swimbaits and flukes have been getting hammered. Don’t be surprised that if water temps crest and hold into the 70’s on some lakes that Largemouth won’t start bedding soon.
Bluegill: Very Good – Not bedding, but staging in the shallows. Fly anglers using small poppers and dry flies as well as normal anglers using tiny tubes, worms, leeches or thunderbugs scoring very well in 2-4’ shallows. Look for cover such as wood or flooded saplings.
Yellow Perch: Very Good-Good – Not as much attention from the panfish crowd as most are targeting Crappies and Gills. But Perch cruising the newly greening weeds in 4-8’ taking medium leeches, medium fatheads and thunderbugs on small jigs or under slip-floats.
Musky: Good-Very Good – With only three days of the season in, some good reports from anglers boating Musky using smaller bucktails (think smity’s Wizards, Bucher 500’s) and smaller twitchbaits. Lots of fish being seen, but not hitting in shallows as fish paired up to spawn. Top reported fish here was Charlie Scott’s 45.
With highs in the low to mid-80’s forecasted for the remainder of the week, expect more of the same on fishing with certain species (Walleye, Bass and Musky) only expecting to get better. Great time to be out on the water, just don’t forget the bug spray!
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop - Like us on Facebook
NORTHWEST INDIANA
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Trollers doing well in 60 to 80 ft of water out of burns ditch. Lakers, coho and a few kings and steelhead being caught top to bottom fish are all over the water column.
Some steelhead from portage Riverwalk and Michigan city piers. Crawlers, shrimp under a float doing best but a few caught have been caught casting spoons and arctic spinners.
Bluegill going good on most area lakes and ponds. Crickets and red wigglers have been best baits.
Slez’s Bait Shop is on summer hours now 5am to 6pm daily.
ROCK RIVER
Juan Macias messaged the photo above and this:
Hi Dale, for memorial day was a great time on the river withe bass baiting all day also I had a pleasure to catch a beautiful bowfin with great colors hot day and hot bait hope this fish grows better and catch again in the future a great fighter.
I love when bowfin stories come.
ROOT RIVER, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR’s report, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday.
SHABBONA LAKE
John Honiotes at Boondocks reported bass are outstanding on weed lines on spinner baits; some bluegill in the evening near shore; crappie are off and on; water is 71.
Boondocks’ bait shop is open daily, 6 a.m.-7 p.m.; restaurant hours are 11-8.
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN LAKEFRONT
Click here for the southern Lake Michigan reports from the Wisconsin DNR.
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said kings and lakers aere in 90-120; smallmouth are going in river too and a few walleye by Berrien Springs dam.
Paddle and Pole hosts the Berrien Springs Fish Ladder Camera.
WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN
Guide Bill Stoeger in Fremont texted:
Water temp is near 70 degrees. I believe the white bass spawn is over. There is still good action in the deeper channels for the males. Catches of 50-70 are common. All on rigs and minnows, keep it moving.
Gary Bloom messaged the photo above and this from Winnecone on Saturday:
Everything is going.
Walleye still biting. Wh bass are slow. Gills starting. Small jig n tail. Maggots added.
Water temperature hit 70 today.
