Where are all the Illinois Guys ?

[BigAngus752]

40 minutes ago, slonezp said:

First skunk of the year today. Fox Chain, 84* water. Had some blow ups on top water but that was about it.

That sucks.  We were on a good run down here but it has suddenly slowed in the last week.  I went out this morning on a small forest preserve lake from 0630-0930 and the water was 84 when I launched and 85 when I left.  I was fishing painfully slow letting a jig sit on the bottom just where the rip rap ends in about 10 feet of water.  I think I was the only guy on that small lake this morning that caught a bass.  The doldrums are here.  It's going to suck until September.  

[slonezp]

On 7/11/2020 at 6:32 PM, BigAngus752 said:

That sucks.  We were on a good run down here but it has suddenly slowed in the last week.  I went out this morning on a small forest preserve lake from 0630-0930 and the water was 84 when I launched and 85 when I left.  I was fishing painfully slow letting a jig sit on the bottom just where the rip rap ends in about 10 feet of water.  I think I was the only guy on that small lake this morning that caught a bass.  The doldrums are here.  It's going to suck until September.  

So we really overlooked something. My kid texted me the results from the tourney the following day. 15 limits with 15lbs winning. Weather conditions were different on Sunday. We fished in the midst of a cold front pushing thru. It was 90+ on Saturday when we were on the water and mostly sunny skies. Wind blowing 7mph when we launched and 20 plus when we loaded. We fished all main lake spots, with both slow and fast baits. We pulled off the water right when the rain started. Sundays high was 75-80*, and overcast with wind blowing around 10. I have no idea where we missed the boat.

[BigAngus752]

On 7/13/2020 at 6:29 PM, slonezp said:

So we really overlooked something. My kid texted me the results from the tourney the following day. 15 limits with 15lbs winning. Weather conditions were different on Sunday. We fished in the midst of a cold front pushing thru. It was 90+ on Saturday when we were on the water and mostly sunny skies. Wind blowing 7mph when we launched and 20 plus when we loaded. We fished all main lake spots, with both slow and fast baits. We pulled off the water right when the rain started. Sundays high was 75-80*, and overcast with wind blowing around 10. I have no idea where we missed the boat.

Bass and women...I have no idea....sigh...

[Tracker22]

I’m suffering from the summer doldrums also. I catch fish until 8am then nothing. I’ve got a tourney Saturday. What would y’all throw after 8:00?

[Skunked again]

C4 ! 

Squarebill. If it's overcast, top water. Sunny, deep diver or bottom bait.

[slonezp]

I hate to give you advice after my last go around. I think if I said anything, it would be to slow down. Fish warm water like you would cold water. 

[Mat_ski]

Fished the goons on sunday. Pretty dead. Got 1 bite yoyoing black chatterbait in deepnwater, but no hook up and connected with 1 fishing dragging jig and craw over timber. 

[slonezp]

On 7/20/2020 at 8:27 PM, Mat_ski said:

Fished the goons on sunday. Pretty dead. Got 1 bite yoyoing black chatterbait in deepnwater, but no hook up and connected with 1 fishing dragging jig and craw over timber. 

Are you fishing from shore or a yak? Haven't fished the goons in many years

[Mat_ski]

17 minutes ago, slonezp said:

Are you fishing from shore or a yak? Haven't fished the goons in many years

Most often the yak, but sometimes I detour after work for a shore quicky. Tough fishery but they all are around here. 

[slonezp]

Another brutal day on the Fox Chain. Water in the 80's and the wakeboarders were out early today. Caught a short bass on a frog at the first stop of the day which would be the only fish of the day. Got bit off by a pike and lost a good smallie at the boat. 3 bites in 5 hours.

[Allen Der]

bass are biting good up in northern Wisconsin.  haven't bothered to fish around here lately.

[Bassman37]

Even the retention ponds near me have slowed down lately. Now that the temps are in the seventies instead of the eighties hopefully things will pick up!

[Marc Hufnagel]

RIght outside of Carbondale.   Anyone up for meeting up somewhere around here?  I also need some help learning how to use a baitcaster - iI have a spinning setup I can use decently.   Kind of new to it after a 40 year break lol.

[Tracker22]

Scenario: small lake, water temps low eighties, coontail and pads. Shallow end one to two degrees cooler than main lake. I’m only catching dinks on shallow end and very few to none on the main lake. Where should I fish for big ones? Shallow or deep?

 

[J Francho]

13 minutes ago, Tracker22 said:

Shallow or deep?

Anything that looks like it funnels one to the other

[slonezp]

Fished the kids lake this morning 5:30-9:00. Water temp 78*. Horrible algae bloom. Fluorescent blue and green film almost across the entire lake. Went 12 for 24 nice healthy fish. All but 2 were in the 2 to 3-1/2 pound range.

[Junk Fisherman]

Braidwood water temps were 91 at the cold launch and 99 at the hot launch on Saturday morning.  Are they really starting tournaments there next weekend?  Wish the DNR would implement mandatory kayak-style tournament rules.  

 

Caught a bunch of small bass on plastics and swimbaits.  Had a 5ish lb catfish get me excited till I saw it at the boat.  Beautiful morning to be out on the water.  

[Byang98120]

Visiting my family for the long weekend. I'm a bank fisherman and looking for recommendations for lakes/rivers to fish for LMB or SMB. My folks live in Glenview, IL. Anything around 30-40 min radius would be nice.

[slonezp]

Beck, Busse, Sterling, Independence Grove, Skokie Lagoons

[Bass Rutten]

Sterling is nothing but dinks. I heard that there was a big kill off due to the village idiots over poisoning the lake a few years ago.

[Junk Fisherman]

Fished Newton this past weekend.

 

Water temps were 80-81 on the cold water side and 83 midway up the warm water side.  Great clarity.  

 

Fishing was slow overall.  Kept trying to get a deep water bite going but it didn't work for us.  Best fishing was the first 30-45 minutes after sunrise which is when we caught our biggest fish and had the most action.  Best fish was a 20"er caught on a main lake point.  Lost a hog throwing a finesse rig on a woody shoreline.  She broke me off in some wood.  It felt well over 5 lbs.  

[Jig Rookie]

One from a clear lake out on the burbs. Glide bait is on fire right now.

[Skunked again]

Very nice!

[Jig Rookie]

This bait is getting CHEWED out here.

3 hours ago, Skunked again said:

Very nice!

Thanks! Savage Gear Shine Glide has been so productive at this spot the last three weeks or so--gonna have to post the pics separately it seems, I can't shrink them enough to get more than one in a single post.

[slonezp]

The Lund is for sale