Chicago fishing: Shoreline salmon/trout and a shift toward fall weather

Shoreline salmon and trout and the shift toward fall weather drive this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.

Mike Norris, who guides in the Big Green Lake area of Wisconsin, texted his weekly report, which is in the Green Lake report below, and the photo at the top of Mike Johnston with his PB smallmouth bass.

SHORELINE SALMON/TROUT

CHICAGO: BoRabb Williams messaged the photo above last week from 63, and indicated fishing was slow (only one caught that morning) he suspected because of the warm water; but a guy named Herman made ceviche, a special treat I wish I had been there before.

Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:

WAUKEGAN: See Fish of the Week .

NORTHWEST INDIANA:Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez's Bait in Lake Station texted:

SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN: Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said it's slow off the St. Joseph pier and in the St. Joseph River.

SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN:Arden Katz said that it has been slow, probably because of warm water. He has been alternating between boat at Milwaukee and shore at Kenosha and they are only 2-for-6. He lost a big one Sunday night. They've been using K.O. Wobblers and Rat-L-Traps.

CHICAGO PASSES

Park Bait and Bridgeport Bait and Tackle are now selling parking passes. Email with questions. Chicago Park District parking passes ($20 for two months) are for the anglers' parking lots at DuSable and Burnham harbors.

NAVY PIER ANGLING

North side of Navy Pier is open for anglers. Discounted parking for anglers is $9 daily, beginning at 5 a.m.; must be out by 10 a.m. for the discount.to prepay for the discounted tickets.

LAKEFRONT PARKING

My column from Nov. 30, 2022, on parking the length of the Chicago lakefront is posted at

Illinois: From the Illinois Department of Natural Resources:

"Bullfrogs may be taken only by hook and line, gig, pitchfork, spear, bow and line, or bow and arrow and arrow, hand, or landing net.June 15 through October 15, both dates inclusiveDaily Harvest Limit is 8; possession limit is 16A sport fishing license is required to harvest reptiles and amphibians"

Indiana: From the Indiana DNR:

"Frog hunting season runs from June 15, 2024 – April 30, 2025, and hunters can harvest the American bullfrog and green frog. The bag limit is 25 frogs per day with a possession limit of 50 frogs, and any combination of bullfrogs or green frogs maybe be used to reach these bag and harvest limits."

PIER PASSES

Pier passes go on sale and become effective Nov. 15. The $10 pier passes, which allow legal access to select piers at Jackson Park, Burnham, DuSable, Diversey, Belmont and Montrose harbors, may be bought at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor (cash only) and 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.

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:

Ken "Husker" O'Malley of Husker Outdoors emailed the photos above and this:

Pete Lamar emailed the photo above and this on Monday:

Rob Abouchar messaged the photo above and this:

BRAIDWOOD LAKE

Open daily 6 a.m. to sunset.

Final day of fishing is Oct. 15.

CHAIN O'LAKES AREA

Art Frisell at Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch said for walleye are best on Fox Lake (some white bass, too, in 8 feet there); catfish are fair, crawlers, roaches, stink bait; bluegill are fair, try in 8 feet firth with ice jigs and waxies; crappie are fair in main lake areas.

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

Vince Oppedisano emailed the photo above and this report from Len Cajic:

COOLING LAKES

Braidwood, Heidecke and LaSalle are open daily 6 a.m.-sunset.

Final day of fishing at Heidecke is Oct. 8; at Braidwood and LaSalle, Oct. 15.

Capt. Dave Duwe emailed:

HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Closed.

POWERTON: Both bank and boat fishing are open. Hours are 6 a.m.-8 p.m. through Sept. 30. Boating ends Oct. 20; Bank fishing ends Oct. 25. Dec. 23 lake reopens for bank fishing.

EMIQUON PRESERVE: Open daily, sunrise to sunset. Access permits and liability waivers are available Tuesday to Saturday at Dickson Mounts Museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Details at .

SPRING LAKE: Open. Boating ends Oct. 18. Bank fishing allowed after 1 p.m., Oct. 26-Dec. 24.

FOX RIVER

Vince Oppedisano emailed the photo above and this report from Len Cajic:

Pete Lamar emailed on the photo above and this on Monday:

Capt. Dave Duwe emailed:

Mike Norris texted at the very top and emailed this:

GREEN/

for the Wisconsin DNR weekly report.

HEIDECKE LAKE

Rob Abouchar messaged the photo above and this:

Open daily 6 a.m. to sunset.

Final day of fishing is Oct. 8.

KANKAKEE RIVER

Bob Johnson emailed the photo above and this:

LAKE ERIE

for the Ohio DNR Report.

Andy Hansen messaged the photo above and this:

I lean toward northern pike. I also enjoyed the gratuitous shot at a certain football team.

Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:

Capt. Bob Poteshman of Confusion Charters said out of Chicago, lake trout are very good, seem to be moving more toward the north (probably toward the reefs), best in 130-150; a few salmon. Out of North Point, good lakers in 180-200 and around the reefs; a few salmon, primarily before early light. Bite is on the bottom.

LaSALLE LAKE

Open daily 6 a.m. to 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 of fishing is Oct. 15.

for the update from D&S Bait , Tackle & Fly Shop .

Hours are 6 a.m. to sunset.

Final day of fishing (Monster remains open all year) is Oct. 15.

NOTE: Area around Eagle and Ponderosa lakes at Mazonia South is closed for construction and probably will be into winter.

NORTHERN WISCONSIN

Kurt Justice at Kurt's Island Sport Shop in Minocqua emailed:

NORTHWEST INDIANA

Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez's Bait in Lake Station texted:

for the Wisconsin DNR's report, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday.

SHABBONA LAKE

Staff at Boondocks reported catfish good on chicken liver or shrimp on the bottom; walleye on leeches in the stumps, hybrid stripers on chicken liver by the dam; largemouth and smallmouth bass by the campground near the no-motor zone; lots of bluegill off the points; water was 73 degrees Tuesday morning.

Site hours are 6 a.m.-10 p.m. through Oct. 31.

New restaurant hours: Monday-Thursday 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Boondocks bait shop remains 6 a.m.- 7 p.m.

for the southern Lake Michigan reports from the Wisconsin DNR.

SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN

Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said silver fish are in 170-180; not much off the St. Joseph pier; one report of perch off The Chalets south of St. Joseph.

WISCONSIN DELLS

Staff at River's Edge ( ) had no legals registered through Tuesday morning, though one was caught and released last week, plenty of smaller ones being caught.

Season ends Monday, Sept. 30.

The Wisconsin DNR had this info:

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds anglers that the 2024 hook and line season for lake sturgeon will take place on certain waters from Sept. 7 through Sept. 30.

All anglers looking to harvest a lake sturgeon must have their general 2024 fishing license and a valid hook and line lake sturgeon tag. Licenses and tags may be purchased online through Go Wild or from one of our license vendors . All license requirements and regulations apply .

Anglers are reminded that only one sturgeon with a minimum length measurement of 60 inches may be harvested during the season. Anglers who have harvested a lake sturgeon must validate their tag immediately upon harvesting and before moving it.

All harvested sturgeon must be registered at a designated registration station . Please note that most registration stations are not open 24/7, so if anglers plan on harvesting a 60-plus inch lake sturgeon outside registration station hours, they must be prepared to keep their fish on ice.

A hook and line sturgeon tag is not required if an angler plans to release the sturgeon they catch in the open season. The DNR urges anglers to practice responsible catch-and-release when releasing any fish they do not wish to keep. Please note that it is illegal to fish by snagging, foul hooking and attempting to hook fish other than in the mouth.

Some sturgeon may have a tag near their dorsal fin with information about the movement and growth of lake sturgeon. If a tagged sturgeon is caught, please submit the following information to the county's fisheries biologist to help the DNR in future management practices:

Please leave the tag attached to the fish if you release it.