Local lakes and rivers are almost all thawed out, spring fishing is starting.
Coho: Reports are starting to trickle in as more anglers make their way to Chicago and Portage for the Coho bite. Boaters are finding lake trout and early Coho around Gary. Shore anglers in Chicago have mostly been powerliners, with most of the fish still out a little. The Portage area has seen shoreline success on inline spinners, spoons, swimbaits and drifting. Expect much better fishing in the next two weeks as water temps begin to climb and bait moves into obvious areas.
Bass: Braidwood has been the main location for good Largemouth fishing, and just about any technique can be used with the water temps fluctuating from the lower 60's to upper 70's depending on the side of the lake. If you are looking to target fish in a very early spring pattern, try your local river systems like the Dupage, Des Plaines, and Kankakee. Smallmouth and Largemouth are becoming active, and throwing flatsided cranks, blade baits, swimbaits, small jigs and ned rigs are all effective ways to catch them. If you prefer live bait, a Live Medium Roach Minnow is an excellent choice.
Perch: Steady reports coming in every day with shore anglers focusing on 87th street slip. Boaters are still reporting fish around Gary, but that will soon be flooded with Coho anglers in the coming weeks. We recommend Perch Fly Rigs like a Perch Pounder with Extra-Large or Large Fathead Minnows. Using a Drop Shot with a Keitech 2-3" Easy Shiner is also very effective, and has been used hand in hand with the live bait rigs since November.
Cooling Lake Dates:
Braidwood - Open
Powerton - Open
LaSalle - 3/15
Heidecke - 4/1