Jig Rookie Posted October 9, 2021 Posted October 9, 2021 9 hours ago, slonezp said: I just saw your signature. Bass Lake IL. Off North Ave? Caught my first 5 pounder there a long long time ago. Brought it to a Dominick's or Jewel, I don't remember. Weighed it in the produce scales(those disappeared years ago.) Bought some breading and oil and had her for dinner. Yeah that was my spot, moved away from there last year so I haven't fished it much this season. I, too, caught my first two five-pounders there and my PB. It's not as good as it was even a few years ago when I started fishing it though, Covid pressure really did a number on that place. Quote
Super User slonezp Posted October 9, 2021 Super User Posted October 9, 2021 1 hour ago, Jig Rookie said: Yeah that was my spot, moved away from there last year so I haven't fished it much this season. I, too, caught my first two five-pounders there and my PB. It's not as good as it was even a few years ago when I started fishing it though, Covid pressure really did a number on that place. I haven't fished it in maybe 20 years. Quote
Jig Rookie Posted October 9, 2021 Posted October 9, 2021 53 minutes ago, slonezp said: I haven't fished it in maybe 20 years. Oh wow, geez I can't even imagine how good it was back then. So many pressured spots I fish nowadays, I always wonder how they were decades of pressure ago. Quote
Jig Rookie Posted October 13, 2021 Posted October 13, 2021 Stopped by one of the local ponds on my way home from work Saturday night; got in the water at about midnight, it was overcast, steady winds of 10mph with gusts up to 30 and in between rain Saturday/Sunday. Got on a pretty good topwater/subsurface bite on the Boogie Back--they were eating it on the wake and on the crankdown too, about a foot below the surface. Sadly, the last fish somehow choked it head first, had the head and bill all the way down its gullet, both trebles stuck. I had to use the forceps and he probably didn't make it. 3 Quote
Jig Rookie Posted October 18, 2021 Posted October 18, 2021 My buddy gifted me a rashed up DRT Tiny Klash as he had a few newer ones; I rattlecanned it to a color I call "Pink Lemonade", a chartreuse upper body with a soft pinkish back. I took it out to a local pond for twenty minutes before work just to swim test it and check out the color in the water and I got bit! 3:45 in the afternoon, bright, bluebird skies but there was a good chop on the water from a 15mph breeze so that helped. 3 Quote
Jig Rookie Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 Hit up a lake in the burbs about 2p, "crappy" weather of about 50 degrees with 15mph winds and off-and-on rain. In other words, perfect fall fishing weather. I fished for about an hour and got one to eat the Tiny Klash. 3 Quote
Jig Rookie Posted October 29, 2021 Posted October 29, 2021 Went back to the same lake yesterday; fall bite is ON. Caught a couple pike and these two bass on the TK again and saw a few other bass cruising. This weather's got em riled up and eating, get out there while they've still got the feed bag on! 2 Quote
Kongming Posted November 1, 2021 Posted November 1, 2021 Chicago guys - Where do yall go for smallies? I've only been able to catch LMB this year at Wolf Lake. Quote
Super User Scott F Posted November 1, 2021 Super User Posted November 1, 2021 9 minutes ago, Kongming said: Chicago guys - Where do yall go for smallies? I've only been able to catch LMB this year at Wolf Lake. Hit the rivers. the Fox, Kankakee, DuPage, or the Des Plaines all have good populations of smallmouth and lots of places with shoreline access. The lakefront in Chicago also has good smallies. The state record was caught there not long ago. 1 Quote
JWall14 Posted November 5, 2021 Posted November 5, 2021 On 11/1/2021 at 4:23 PM, Kongming said: Chicago guys - Where do yall go for smallies? I've only been able to catch LMB this year at Wolf Lake. North ? But Scott is not wrong those rivers got em. Quote
Jig Rookie Posted November 7, 2021 Posted November 7, 2021 Fall bite's still on, but for the first time the water was COLD at one of the retention ponds. Hopefully we've got a couple more good weeks left. 5 Quote
Junk Fisherman Posted November 9, 2021 Posted November 9, 2021 On 11/1/2021 at 3:23 PM, Kongming said: Chicago guys - Where do yall go for smallies? I've only been able to catch LMB this year at Wolf Lake. Try the harbors. I've never done it but I see lots of pictures of good smallies being caught from the shore in the harbors. I do well in a boat in Cal Harbor and NW Indiana. Quote
Eric 26 Posted November 15, 2021 Posted November 15, 2021 Went out today to try a couple light jigs, cold as all get up but worth the hour I was out there ?. BTW the little guy put up one hell of a fuss and I’m hoping he continues to grow and I bump into him in a few years? 2 Quote
Jig Rookie Posted November 18, 2021 Posted November 18, 2021 Trying to do more cold-water fishing this winter; decided to get into hair jigs as I've heard they're a good deal for winter fishing. First time throwing one and got a small pike to eat, gives me confidence in the bait and cold-water fishing. Hopefully more to come. 3 Quote
Super User slonezp Posted December 5, 2021 Super User Posted December 5, 2021 List of 2022 outdoor and fishing shows https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/12/3/22812640/outdoors-shows-chicago-2021-22-expansive-list-shows-swap-meets-classes 1 Quote
cottny27 Posted December 7, 2021 Posted December 7, 2021 I’m late to this IL thread. Anyone on here fish the Southern IL lakes & strip pits? Quote
Tracker22 Posted December 7, 2021 Posted December 7, 2021 3 hours ago, cottny27 said: I’m late to this IL thread. Anyone on here fish the Southern IL lakes & strip pits? Yep, Marion area. Quote
MidwestBassAttack Posted December 9, 2021 Posted December 9, 2021 Heads up all you Chicagoans and suburbanites……warm string of weather heading our way. Highs in the 50’s and 60’s coming in the next 10 days. Can’t beat that for mid-December in the Chicago area!! 3 Quote
JWall14 Posted December 10, 2021 Posted December 10, 2021 On 12/8/2021 at 10:22 PM, MidwestBassAttack said: Heads up all you Chicagoans and suburbanites……warm string of weather heading our way. Highs in the 50’s and 60’s coming in the next 10 days. Can’t beat that for mid-December in the Chicago area!! I became very excited when I saw that. Unfortunately I can only fish past the 17th. Quote
Bass Rutten Posted January 10, 2022 Posted January 10, 2022 The Chicagoland fishing expo which was to be held in schaumburg has been officially "postponed" until next year, bummer, was looking forward to it. Quote
Super User slonezp Posted January 11, 2022 Super User Posted January 11, 2022 8 hours ago, Bassjam2000 said: The Chicagoland fishing expo which was to be held in schaumburg has been officially "postponed" until next year, bummer, was looking forward to it. That's a bummer. Quote
Eric 26 Posted January 12, 2022 Posted January 12, 2022 As of now the Tinley Park Fishing & Outdoor show is still on I believe ?. I’ll try to find more information when it becomes available and if I get a chance I’ll stop in at my local tackle shop, they should be able to tell me something. Quote
Junk Fisherman Posted January 12, 2022 Posted January 12, 2022 13 hours ago, Eric 26 said: As of now the Tinley Park Fishing & Outdoor show is still on I believe ?. I’ll try to find more information when it becomes available and if I get a chance I’ll stop in at my local tackle shop, they should be able to tell me something. The Tinley show has been cancelled as well. 1 Quote
Super User slonezp Posted January 13, 2022 Super User Posted January 13, 2022 No boat show at McCormick either 1 Quote
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