Chicago fishing: Fall trout season and general fall patterns

Hi Dale,

I managed a little time out pond hopping yesterday and got a few on soft plastics.

All the best,
Mike Lyons

Hey Dale,

Here’s a recap from this weeks fishing.

. . .

Area Lakes- Here’s a recap from this mornings adventure. With my son in this weekend from college, I had only a few hours so the start time was at first light. A buzzbait was the first up. I had one blowup but that was it. Switched to a bladed jig and that caught fish. Working the windblown outside weed lines held the active bass. Winds switched to the NE overnight, so it took several casts to get those reaction strikes to occur. Water temps are still in the upper 60’s to low 70’s. Looking at the extended forecast it will take some time to get those water temps down to where they need to be for this time of the year.

. . .

TTYL

Ken “Husker” O’Malley

Husker Outdoors
Waterwerks fishing team

Hi Dale,

I waited all day on Sunday in the hope that the wind would subside before sunset. It didn’t happen-it was howling all day-but the wind bothered me a lot more than it did the fish. They-bass and sunfish-were feeding aggressively. I found a place a little bit out of the wind so that it didn’t interfere with casting as much. I do my share of fishing on the surface and after dark for largemouths, but it is typically done in late Spring and Summer; I don’t do much of it in October. But after the sun had set, I was retrieving a streamer just under the surface as fast as I could and creating a wake. Bass were chasing and hitting; I could not retrieve faster than they could close on what they thought was a baitfish. Water is cooling slowly, so this may continue a while longer.

Pete

Hi Dale

The season is progressing with the weather on island lake

Wind and cooling temperatures have fewer anglers out. Some shore anglers catching bluegill by the park and bridge. Yesterday the lake had no boats out . Some starting to get smaller bass on small shiners under a float.

. . .

On the music front it’s 8 weeks to go till zappafest with Ray white. Time to tighten up the set. This Friday midnite mile is back in Wauconda at main Street Outfitters. The conscious rockers will be there next month on November 30 for a holiday kickoff show. Looking forward to Irie ites!

Tight lines and good health!

Rob

Riverwalk bite is getting hot as temps get colder, catching a combo of Largemouth, crappie and a mix bag of perch, some would have been keepers, using nothing but small shiners on a drop shot rig. Biggest Fish was a 16.5 in 2.2 lb largie

Fishing Report – 10/14/2024

By Mike Norris

Big Green Lake: Smallmouth bass fishing on Big Green was good last week, but by Sunday, rain, wind, and colder temperatures arrived on a strong cold front from the north. Surface water temperature has dropped into the upper 50s, and the lake is turning over. For me, it’s time to switch from power fishing with artificial lures to a slower and much more subtle presentation. My choice will be live bait fishing with perch, chubs, or sucker minnows. Lindy rigging live bait along the outside edge of weed lines and rock-strewn points is my favorite way to fish around this time of the year. Bluegill fishing is also good in and around the many deep cribs that exist in Big Green Lake. A warm front arriving later this week should give anglers the perfect time to land a trophy bass.

Fox Lake: Crappies are still active and biting jig and minnow combination in shallow water adjacent piers. Walleyes can be caught by trolling crankbaits around Maple Point and the drop-off adjacent to Kuno Trail. Fox Lake can produce big muskies. This is the time of the year to cast bucktails over and around wherever you can find healthy weed beds.

Beaver Dam Lake: Water clarity is improving, and walleye fishing has picked up. Try slow trolling a minnow with a Lindy No-Snag sinker over the deep rock pikes early and late in the day. Crappie fishing is excellent and accessible to shore anglers where there are neck-down areas like culverts under a road.

Hi Dale -

Had to search for a couple decent fish on the river Saturday morning. Fish are still scattered with mild weather and water temps still in mid 60s. Forecast for colder temps hopefully will begin the fall feed! Caught undersized bass on a prop bait surface lure. Most productive lure used was a shad swim bait. 18” walleye and 15” smallmouth in pic. Catch and release

Hey Dale,

Here’s a recap from this weeks fishing.

Kankakee River- The boat stayed in the garage with another day of blustery winds. The choice was to wade the Kankakee River for some fall smallmouth. Start time temps were 45 and never felt like it warmed up much more than that with those winds. Water temps are warmer than what they should be at 64-65. Water levels are low but not extreme and gin clear. Started off with top water and connected on a few. That bite didn’t last long. The bass didn’t want to hit moving baits today. I got a few on a TRD and a 2.75 tube. At times the winds made fishing finnesse presentations difficult. At noon time I made a total out of the box move. I went back to an old school top water bait. A chug bug with Vector Hooks tornado trebles fired up those smallies. That bite lasted for 2 straight hours. When the overcast rolled in, that bite immediately shut down. Not a bad day on the river. Colors are slowly starting to change and should pick up with the cooler nights coming up.

. . .

Here’s the nature pic of the week from Rock Creek.

TTYL

Ken “Husker” O’Malley

Husker Outdoors

Waterwerks fishing team

Not much to report. A few Kings and Rainbows caught last week. Kings around the harbors, Rainbows out on the Horseshoe. Not much over the weekend. Lots of fish swimming around but not much activity the past few days. I’m sure the unstable weather has a lot to do with that. Most still being caught on lures but spawn sacs on slip bobber’s starting to get some action. Also starting to jig with hair jigs and wax worms for Steelhead in the harbors.

Still some Northerns and smallmouth activity in and around.

The Chicago Fishing Advisory Committee meeting is Tuesday October 22d at 7pm at the Corinthian Yacht Club here at Montrose Harbor. It’s the building right behind the bait shop.

Have a great week.

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).

The recent cold fronts and frosty mornings has triggered the big fish bite on the Menominee River. Low water has restricted smallmouth movement so many of the regular spots are less productive. Fishing the next 2 weeks will be great.

Mid-October and a fast change in water temps as lakes react to the 30-degree lows and highs in the upper 40’s. Surface temps reports from low of 50 degrees to high of 58 degrees (never got much of a shot at the wonderful mid-60’s), have anglers on alert for turn-over (usually 55-57 degrees) on their favorite lakes. Look for murky water, debris from bottom of lake (not fresh dead tree leaves or algae) floating or suspended. Pick-up and go somewhere else, lots of lakes to choose from in the Lakeland area and lakes don’t all turn at the same time. Only going to do reports on species still being fished at this time. Windy weekend and rain kept anglers off water. If missing reports come into shop, I’ll add later.

Musky: Good-Fair – Not the great weekend we normally expect for mid-October. Maybe the water temps, but fish scattered. Anglers finding fish still weed related, either in or just off. Other reports have anglers picking up fish off rock humps on deep diving cranks. Surprisingly sucker bite not as strong as expected, but twitchbaits, jerks and gliders accounting for boated fish. Top fish reported at shop, 48 ½” guided by Jake Smith on Thursday (10/10).

Crappie: Good-Fair – Action cranking up (before wind made tough to fish). Good action and size (10-13”+) on medium fatheads or light hair jigs fished under slip-floats over submerged wood or along coontail edges of 12-14’.

Northern Pike: Good-Fair – Not as much targeted as being caught by anglers fishing for Musky. Nice fat Pike of 28-34” on suckers, twitchbaits and gliders.

Walleye: Fair – With water temps, best action on shallow lakes (that don’t stratify-no turn over), flowages (current-no turnover) or deeper lakes that haven’t cooled as fast. Redtails, large fatheads, ½ crawlers best. Not many reports of jigging lures (Shiver Minnows, Rapalas) but always have a rod ready. Bites have been light, so live bait has produced best.

Smallmouth Bass: Fair – Some Bass fishing still going on but not much. Best relating to offshore humps using drop-shot methods. Some close-up shore fishing producing a few big fish, but as temps have cooled and baitfish move out of these areas, less of those fish being caught.

I’ll add reports on Largemouth, Perch and Bluegill if we get any, but as season progresses, the ones reported on are the most targeted species.

We have an uptick in temps for the coming weekend, with highs forecasted into mid to upper 60’s with lows in 40’s. Not a fan of daytime full-moon fishing, but some noteworthy guides I know are, so fingers crossed. Colors have peaked, things are beautiful in the Northwoods. Take advantage if you can before things cool the following week.

Kurt Justice

Kurt’s Island Sports Shop
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Salmon below lake George dam in Hobart. Spinners, chunks of skein on a float baits to use.

Panfish action on long lake and Loomis lake for boaters using jumbo red wigglers and lil ice jigs tipped with waxworms fishing the weed edges.

More and more northern pike being caught lately around Hammond marina casting for salmon but catching pike.

Fishing Report – 10/14/2024

By Mike Norris

. . .

Rainy Lake: I fished this 227,000-acre lake on the U.S. Canadian border early last week for smallmouth bass and walleye, and the bite was excellent. Long casts and slow retrieves with a Z-Man JerkShad minnow imitating lure on a round bass head jig were the tickets for numerous smallmouth bass between two and five pounds and incidental walleyes up to 25 inches. All fish were released.

slsc added 10 large trees to deep water on 9/28 and 10/13 also added 6 rootwads rich

Dale water temp today is 57 degrees.

I have heard of a few Muskies under 40inchs.

A couple of nice Strippers from boat and shoreline.

Still hearing of lots of catfish from both shore line and boat. Catfish on shrimp and chicken livers.

Hi Dale

. . .

On the Wisconsin river in Merrill to the good bite continued for bass pike and muskie. Saturday I fished half a day in the afternoon in rainy cool but calm conditions. There were several bass boats out fishing in a tournament. I stopped by the dock at rock island where the tournament was held. They reported that it was 18 pounds for 5 fish that won the tournament. I showed them the big smallmouth I had caught and they informed me it would have been the biggest bass. It measured 20 and a half inches. It was one of the biggest of the season. I got another muskie on the Rapala og Rocco 5. All the bass and pike were hitting the same bait. The water is still relatively warm at 55 degrees Saturday and 54 on Sunday. I was having alot of big bites and break-offs so I resorted to using a wire leader when I got down to two crankbaits. Shad color and chartreuse black were the colors. Sunday was even more windy and rainy as the front moved through but the action remained good despite the miserable conditions. I stopped by Rock Island bar to have a beverage and check the NFL action. Walking into that bar with everyone around the bar watching the packers was something surreal...like an old western picture where everyone turns to look at the stranger. A local said the fish have not really put on the feedback yet. This angler thinks it is underway and should get better.

. . .

Tight lines and good health!

Rob

It’s a beautiful sunny day, air temp in the mid 30’s, and water is 50 degrees. Fishing white bass, with a bite or fish every cast, and not another boat around. Crappie also doing well, and a few walleye showing up.