Chicago fishing: Spring spawns its usual variety and options

Opening Days at Hiedecke never disappoints

My bud David Mecha With a Big Rainbow At Green Lake!!!

Spring has arrived and the water level is starting to come down on the Fox River and chain. The crappies are hitting and bass are cruising the shallows in preparation for the spawn. Three oaks recreation area in Crystal lake is open for bank fishing. This lake is a no minnows area. Drop shot works well with robo worms. Rapala Husky Jerks will work for pike and bass. They also have smallmouth there.

Hey Dale,Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing.The past few summer like days have water temps on the rise. Surface temps have reached 60 degrees as of tonight. Bass have been very active up shallow chasing small bluegill and baitfish along windblown shorelines. The larger females are moving up on the spawning flats adjacent to deeper water. The best baits have been bladed jigs, spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, and swim baits. It won’t be long before bass are making beds on some of the shallower lakes.Here is the nature pic of the week. Spring is in full bloom.TTYLKen “Husker” O’MalleyHusker OutdoorsWaterwerks fishing team

Hi Dale,Things really picked up this week with a couple of warm days. I fished the same pond on consecutive days. First afternoon I was targeting largemouths and they were hitting well. The faster the retrieve, the more willing they were to eat. There were signs of life everywhere: bullfrogs sunning themselves, dragonflies, ducks. I spooked a good-sized bass out from under a mat of algae, then noticed a huge bullfrog only inches from where the bass had been. It’s possible that the bass was stalking the frog, but even the biggest bass in the lake couldn’t have handled this frog. The next day I went after bluegills and stuck with poppers only-I had to see if there could be any surface action. I got a few, all from the extreme north end of the lake where the water was warmest; nothing from other locations.

Hi Dale,

In island lake the tulips have finally caught up to the daffodils and hyacinths. Perennials are popping and butterflies and bees are back doing their thing. I spotted a white egret in the water by the bridge at lake cook rd. Other wading birds were in nests in the treetops. It seems we are int the warmth for good but the last frost date is weeks away.

The fishing was a bit slow last week until late Saturday evening and into Sunday. Not sure if it was the stained water unstable conditions or the lake treatment that took place in early April. On Saturday the water temp was 60 degrees and had to be rising on Sunday but i never turned the electronics and just went fishing. After throwing hard moving baits with no strikes I fished a 5 inch black and blue senko and found success. I caught several nice pre-spawn largemouth bass around wood rock and metal seawalls. It seems they are moving into spawning areas despite the stained water. My neighbor jim Ulm fished medium golden roach minnows and was catching multiple species including catfish bullhead yellow bass crappie and a nice pike. While on the water I saw one angler getting nice gills in back water areas near aerators filling a bucket. Jim was getting gills on night crawlers. It seems the lid has been loosened.

On the music front its a rehearsal with midnite mile and the shows begin on Saturday at the Irish mill. Thursday i might go check out The Dan Peters Band at Hey Nonny in Arlington heights. He was a classmate in College at Eastern Illinois. Danno, as friends call him, was once described as “rocking a 50 mile radius.” It’s a Thursday but I have been wanting to check out the Hey Nonny venue for potential gig with the conscious rockers.

Toght lines and good health!
Rob

Spring has arrived and the water level is starting to come down on the Fox River and chain. The crappies are hitting and bass are cruising the shallows in preparation for the spawn. … Catfishing on the Fox River is awesome right now, use cut bait!

Didn’t fish the Fox watershed at all but looked at it yesterday. Still high and fast. I don’t know if there is a no-boating or no-wake restriction in effect, but either would be reasonable. It’s taking awhile to recede.

Fishing Report – 4/15/2024

Fox River (Princeton): The annual sturgeon spawning run started last weekend and will continue next week. Each spring, when the water temperature reaches 53 degrees, thousands of sturgeon measuring up to six feet long swim out of Lake Winnebago and swim upstream in the Fox River in search of rocky shorelines to drop eggs. One such place is the rocky shoreline of the Fox River behind businesses along Water Street in downtown Princeton, Wisconsin. From there, the river is easily accessible for viewing hundreds of sturgeon during their spawning ritual.

Fishing Report – 4/15/2024

Big Green Lake: Early-season crappies are biting on a jig and minnow combination suspended from a float. You can find them in the warmer waters of the T-Channel and various backwater sloughs near Sunrise Park. The water temperature of the main lake is still in the mid-40s. Smallmouth bass are staging in deeper water and can be caught vertically jigging with Damiki rigs. However, all bass must be released until the general fishing season opener occurs on the first Saturday in May. Hair jigs work well for lake trout in 40–60 feet.

Fox Lake: Catch-and-release bass fishing continues until the first Saturday of May. The water temperature is 62 degrees, and the bass is pre-spawn, staging on rocky points and along the bullrushes. Both locations absorb sunlight and heat up faster than the main portions of the lake.

Heidecke this week. 25” 5.42 released to fight another day.

Howdy Dale.

Today was non-stop action from Diversey south to Burnham. We ended 21-41. My customers got their 4 man limit fairly quickly. Had multiple doubles, triples, and at one point we had 7 on at once.

Good morning.

Coho bite is still dependent on the right winds. When wind is northeast bite is good when it switches southwest bite slows down. Minnows and crawlers still the baits of choice but also spawn sacs, shad as a cut bait, shrimp, etc. … with water temps moving up fish are starting to hit lures. A few charter boat captains I know have mentioned balls of bait fish on the move not far from shore. Still nice big Brown Trout on the same baits as the Coho. Smallmouth activity picking up day by day. No perch reports this week. A few smelt have been caught.

Our hours now are 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. 7 days a week.

Have a great week!

Waukegan 4/15

Hi Dale. We now have both boats in the water and the year is off to an outstanding start. Coho are still down in Indiana, allowing us to concentrate on brown trout fishing. We had big catches with most browns 2 to 5 pounds but had a 20 pounder on Sunday morning. From Great Lakes Navy base all the way down to Wilmette was good in about 20 feet of water. All fish were stuffed with gobies so no surprise that gold spoons trolled near the bottom was the presentation that worked. Gold blanks with Green and Orange patterns of Warrior, Jimmy Spoons and Sea Quest spoons worked. Browns are boat shy so downriggers with 2 colors of lead, 4 color lead cores and Slide Divers 60 back and 25 out were the presentations that worked. Anyone looking for the normally elusive brown should get out now.

Capt. Scott Wolfe
312-933-0552

Seventeen fish rods are still binding down. I am exhausted. One 26 pounder three 15’s, two10’s, one 9, five 5’s and five 3 pounders. All catch and release.

Coho action has been very good for most trollers fishing from East Chicago to Michigan City in 25 to 45ft of water. Thinfish and dodger and flys best baits.Crappie at Lake George in Hobart on crappie minnows.Grand Blvd Lake in Lake Station giving up a mix of gills, crappie and perch.

Fishing Report – 4/15/2024

Wisconsin River (Nekoosa): The water clarity is good and walleyes are biting on both jig and minnow and jig and plastic combinations. You can try casting along current breaks downstream from the Nekoosa Dam. Under new regulations issued by the WDNR which became effective on April 1, the bag limit for walleye has been reduced to three fish per day. Size and bag limits for walleye remain at three walleyes between 15- to just under 20 inches. No walleyes between 20” to just under 28” can be harvested, and one over 28” may be harvested.

Walleye really turning on in Winneconne. Few spawned out females showing up. Caught 1 Bass.

Water temp yesterday was 58.2. We’re still catching a good number of female walleye and the males should start their way down river soon. More white bass are showing up with the warmer weather, mainly deeper water for now.