本周芝加哥官方渔汛：
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1，From Chicago Suntime
Midwest fishing report
Dale Bowman
April 7, 2010
FISH OF THE WEEK: Brad Wooten of Broadview sent this FOTW for his 9-year-old son Elijah Wooten, who caught this 2.1-pound, 15-inch-plus crappie at a small public lake in unincorporated DuPage County in late March. E-mail FOTW nominations to
outdoordb@sbcglobal.net.
CHICAGO SMELT: Action has been spotty, to be polite, though Park Bait reported an apocryphal tale about a guy challenging the storms Sunday night and catching a mess at Montrose. The Thursday opener may have been the best weather for opening night ever. Season is open during April. Nets may be set at 7 p.m.; netters must be out of the parks by 1 a.m.
SPRING TROUT: Spring trout season opened Saturday. One faithful reader sent photos of some beauts from Silver Lake in DuPage County. Those 16 and older need a fishing license and an inland trout stamp. Daily bag is five. Nearby sites include Axehead, Belleau and Sag Quarry East (Cook County), Grove, Pickerel and Silver (DuPage), Gebhard Woods State Park Pond (Grundy), Bird Park Quarry and Rock Creek (Kankakee), Big Lake at Silver Springs SP (Kendall), Sand Lake at Illinois Beach SP and Banana (Lake), Lake Atwood and Piscasaw Creek (McHenry) and Lake Milliken at Des Plaines Conservation Area.
AREA LAKES: Trout was the main story; otherwise, crappie (such as FOTW shows) are the top story.
AREA RIVERS: This is a tough one. Rivers are coming up rapidly and the forecast would indicate more. If more rains don't materialize, river fishing could hold as good. FOX: Ken Gortowski reported a kick-up in flow Tuesday morning and said, ''Looks like high water techniques later in the week, or creeks.'' ILLINOIS: The river is projected to reach flood stage at LaSalle by Friday, but should be fishable. Over the weekend, guide Jay Angel reported, ''Saugers are being caught in great numbers up at Starved Rock State Park by Lovers Leap in 7-10 feet of water by anglers jigging with jig and minnow combinations. White bass are beginning to show up in the Vermilion River. Use Big Dude blade baits for best results.'' KANKAKEE: Fishing had been good on the Kankakee, but Ed Mullady added, in anticipation of the rains, that catfishing is good even on flooded shorelines with live minnows, night crawlers or cheesebaits. ''If rain causes river to overflow banks, try fluorescent colored lures, bright spoons, live bait for all types of fish,'' he said.
CHAIN O'LAKES AREA: Hand-wringing over the extreme low-water levels will end with the flood warnings posted Tuesday upstream on the Fox in Wisconsin. The low water had crappie fishermen like Arden Katz reporting ''places I fished the last 20 years, there was no fish there.'' So he found the deeper channels loaded with crappie, and extremely tight to cover. Triangle suggested that with the incoming water, walleye should go at the mouth of the river, around current areas and bridges.
COOLING LAKES/STRIP PITS: LaSALLE: Still top pick for all-around action for catfish, bass and hybrids, both from shore and boat. Winds have made for interesting boating. The lake is open daily now, 6 a.m. to dusk. MAZONIA/BRAIDWOOD: Braidwood remains a good choice for action on catfish. Weather likely will keep Mazonia lakes from warming to peak form for another couple weeks. HEIDECKE: The opener on Thursday was really slow, and it hasn't picked up much since. Brutal winds haven't helped. Water was in the low 50s on Thursday. The lake is open daily: 6 a.m. for boats, 6:30 a.m. for bank anglers; and closes at sunset. Graybeard's at the launch, open daily, offers bait and other sundries.
DOWNSTATE NOTES: SHELBYVILLE: Guide Ken Wilson -- (217) 454-2672 -- reported crappie are biting and starting to move shallow. Water warmed to 55 and is at normal winter pool. Bass fishing is fair, walleye are slow below the spillway. SPRING: Reports continue of decent muskie and bass action, though not as wild as earlier in the season for muskie.
KENOSHA/RACINE, WIS.: The rivers were spiking, so fishing should improve spike, too, unless too much water comes.
LAKEFRONT: CHICAGO: Park Bait reported perch all over on Monday at Montrose (they take sorting); there's been spotty browns and coho on the lakefront. Henry's reported a smattering of trout and coho at the Shedd and Adler, the pipe at Burnham, 31st and 63rd, too. Perch slowed around 92nd and 95th and slowed at Navy Pier. Smallmouth are starting in Indiana; it shouldn't be long in Illinois. WAUKEGAN: Salmon Stop reported some boaters taking perch in 45-55 feet with variable success, and it takes hunting, mainly fatheads on the bottom with crappie rigs. A few perch from shore off the end of government pier. Some browns off South Rocks and government pier on frozen shad or spawn sacs.
MADISON LAKES, WIS.: D&S Bait reported fishing is spotty. Chain is low, so some traditional early spots aren't holding fish. Catfish are starting on north end of Mendota.
NORTHERN WISCONSIN: Minocqua guide Kurt Justice reported lakes are open, perch are up shallow in vegetation, and crappie are hanging in 8-10 feet. Even with cooler weather this weekend, the lakes are warmer than usual this time of year.
NORTHWEST INDIANA: The perch have been found. Capt. Chuck Weis reported good action around Gary Light since Saturday, including jumbos in 42-55 feet. Ed McCain at Mik-Lurch reported, ''This weekend looks phenomenal. The bigger the minnow, the bigger the perch.'' He suggested medium golden roaches or large fatheads, and said perch flies make a difference and an orange or chartreuse bead produces more bites. McCain figured the hot bite should go another three weeks. There's some coho and browns at Gary Light, best on Dodgers and flies, or Rattlin ThinFins or jointed Shad Raps. Smallmouth are starting.
ST. JOSEPH AREA, MICH.: BJ Sports reported off and on action, depending on the weather. Coho at times are going off the piers. St. Joe is full of steelhead; catching is variable. The Paw Paw might be worth checking for coho.
SHABBONA LAKE: Lakeside reported a smattering of crappie. Weekend weather looks promising. Water is still in the upper 40s, so limited bass and walleye.
WOLF RIVER, WIS.: FREMONT: Guide Bill Stoeger reported slow action for walleye, and only a few white.
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2. From Chicgao Tribune
7:41 p.m. EDT, April 7, 2010
Tampier Lake
Boaters will only have lake access from about 9 to 9:30 AM to sundown daily while the Cook County Forest Preserve Fisheries continue in their walleye spawning project at Tampier. The project should end after next weekend.
Cooling Lakes
✭✭ Anglers are catching a few bass, bluegills and catfish at Braidwood and LaSalle. High winds over the past several days made fishing difficult.
Heidecke Lake
✭✭ Since the opener, boaters had to fight high winds. Lee Kuusisto (Berwyn Marine) reports that with two days of fishing it was slow. The bridge was easy to get under.
Lake Michigan
✭✭✭✭ Steve Palmisano (Henry's) reports that powerliners are getting coho on crawlers or big fathead minnows at the south wall of Montrose, the Planetarium, 31st Street and 63rd Street. Casting anglers are using Little Cleos and crankbaits. Some browns are being caught in the harbors. Perching is slow.
Calumet River
✭ Last Thursday this reporter fished the Calumet River for perch. It was very slow. Other boaters and shore anglers had little or no success. The perch seemed to have moved out.
Fox Chain O' Lakes
✭✭ Greg Dickson (Triangle Sports) says the water levels are down on the Chain. Best bets for walleyes are Marie, Channel and Catherine. Look for crappies in backwater areas and channel openings. Use hair jigs and minnows.
Kankakee River
✭✭✭✭ Walleyes are good in the Momence and Wilmington areas on jointed crankbaits and jig and minnow, according to Ed Mullady (Sportsman's Letter). Smallmouths are good on a jig and twister tail, live minnows, and Mepps #2 spinners from the K-3 dam through the state park. Catfish are good on cheese baits at the point north of English Lake in Indiana.
Illinois River
✭✭✭✭ Sauger fishing for this reporter was good last Friday with several keeper sauger and a big white bass being caught on jig and minnow or Gulp Alive Minnow Grub. Spots fished were Castle Rock, above I-39 and below the railroad bridge. On the same day Jay Angle (Jay Angle Guide Service) did very well by Lover's Leap at midday on sauger. Jay also did well on whites in the Vermillion on Saturday.
Compiled by Don Dziedzina from bait shops, avid anglers, and local and state resource reports.
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune
