Lake Michigan
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Lake Michigan Fishing Reports
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Reports from all past years within a 60-day time frame
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Docks
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
60°
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Rock Pile
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
51°
Definitely a slower in Chicago for a minute as these fish seem to be getting ready to stage for spawn, and the water has been CRYSTAL clear lately. Went as natural and finesse as I could over the rocks and break walls and caught this guy here. Noticed swimbaits have been my best bet the past couple weeks. Hopefully they get a bit more aggressive post spawn!
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Drop Shot
Structure
Rock Pile
Forage
Minnows
Calm sunny day with clear water fishing along some rockpiles. I rigged a drop shot with a roboworm and was popping it in and out of the rocks and got a bite.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Soft Swimbaits (Sm/Md)
Structure
Boulders
Water Temperature
60°
Took a kayak out with a buddy on the far south side of Chicago. It was pretty tough. Lots of boaters everywhere made for stiff competition. But we both caught a few and had a great time
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Drop Shot
Structure
Open Water/Basin
Water Temperature
51°
Throwing the pintail from spro and cutting it half on drop shot or using the full size on a free rig. Again throwing it into deeper water and not putting too much action into it with rod. Just working it slowly from deep to shallow and that seems to be working when it's slow.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Hard Jerkbaits
Structure
Points
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
51°
110+1 jerkbaits have been putting in work in staging areas. Mostly deeper water so you really have to make long casts from the bank. Short soft jerks have worked much better than hard fast jerks.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Ned Rigs
Structure
Docks
The smallies are really biting in Chicago's harbors right now. Ole man Ned is really putting a beat down on em. I've seen some starting to go on bed and small schools coming in and out of the harbors. Jut working around underwater vegetation in and near docks. Swapping between perch and Cali craw. Then dropshotting a flat worm in between. The bangsticks are really great too!
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Drop Shot
Structure
Boulders
Forage
Minnows
The water was a little choppy with high sun and a little wind about 78 degrees. It was a pretty slow day not a lot of bites fishing along the break wall at a marina. I was trying to get a reaction bite with some crankbaits but that was not working so I switched to a more finesse approach. I tied on a drop shot and rigged my favorite zoom finesse worm in junebug and started fishing it around the rocks. After about the fifth cast this little small mouth hit that worm hard and gave a good little fight before I landed him.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Ned Rigs
Structure
Rock Pile
Forage
Crawfish
Well, the rivers and lakes have thawed out but it certainly hasn’t felt like spring. Cold temperatures have kept smallmouth in the lower sections of a few Lake Michigan tributaries. Once you find where the fish are piled up they’re usually fired up and ready to eat. Throwing a tube is my number one way to catch these fish, then following through the same areas with a Ned rig later on to show them something a little different. Get out to your local river and get after these fish!
