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Chicago Lakefront Fishing Forecast for May 26, 2025
Published 11 months ago
Description
Good morning, anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Chicago Lake Michigan fishing report for this fine Monday, May 26, 2025.
We're looking at a beautiful late May morning on the lakefront today. Water temperatures have been steadily climbing into the low to mid-50s, creating prime conditions for a variety of species.
The smallmouth bass action continues to be excellent all along the breakwalls and rocky areas of Chicago harbors. These bronzebacks have been growing and thriving according to recent reports. Anglers are having success with swimbaits, tubes, crankbaits, and jerk baits in various colors.
The perch bite has been improving steadily as we've pushed deeper into May, especially in the deeper water near the cribs and around the North and South Gaps by Navy Pier. If you're after these tasty yellow bellies, now's definitely the time to get out there. Try minnows or small jigs tipped with soft plastics.
For those looking to troll the big lake, several limits of lake trout and brown trout have been recorded recently. Brown trout have been particularly active in about 15 feet of water, especially around the canal areas. The Coho salmon bite remains strong, with boat anglers finding them in 40-60 feet of water, typically 15 to 30 feet down. King salmon are also showing up in decent numbers in the same areas.
Walleye anglers are picking up fish in a variety of ways. Trollers are finding success in around 20 feet of water, with darker colored stick baits producing well.
For tackle, powerlines have been consistently producing limits. Try casting spoons, various crankbaits, slip bobber setups, or Michigan City rigs for best results. Large minnows, crawlers, shrimp, and spawn sacs have all been effective baits.
Hot spots this week include the Horseshoe area, which has been particularly productive, likely because of the alewives congregating there. Also worth checking out is the area around Montrose Harbor, which has been yielding good numbers of smallmouth.
An early run of skamania steelhead has also been reported in the tributaries, though you might need to put in some time to find them.
Sunrise today is at 5:21 AM, with sunset coming at 8:15 PM, giving us nearly 15 hours of fishing time. Winds are moderate from the southwest at 5-10 mph, making for manageable conditions on the big lake.
Remember to check your licenses and limits before heading out. Tight lines, everyone! This is Artificial Lure, signing off until tomorrow's report.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
We're looking at a beautiful late May morning on the lakefront today. Water temperatures have been steadily climbing into the low to mid-50s, creating prime conditions for a variety of species.
The smallmouth bass action continues to be excellent all along the breakwalls and rocky areas of Chicago harbors. These bronzebacks have been growing and thriving according to recent reports. Anglers are having success with swimbaits, tubes, crankbaits, and jerk baits in various colors.
The perch bite has been improving steadily as we've pushed deeper into May, especially in the deeper water near the cribs and around the North and South Gaps by Navy Pier. If you're after these tasty yellow bellies, now's definitely the time to get out there. Try minnows or small jigs tipped with soft plastics.
For those looking to troll the big lake, several limits of lake trout and brown trout have been recorded recently. Brown trout have been particularly active in about 15 feet of water, especially around the canal areas. The Coho salmon bite remains strong, with boat anglers finding them in 40-60 feet of water, typically 15 to 30 feet down. King salmon are also showing up in decent numbers in the same areas.
Walleye anglers are picking up fish in a variety of ways. Trollers are finding success in around 20 feet of water, with darker colored stick baits producing well.
For tackle, powerlines have been consistently producing limits. Try casting spoons, various crankbaits, slip bobber setups, or Michigan City rigs for best results. Large minnows, crawlers, shrimp, and spawn sacs have all been effective baits.
Hot spots this week include the Horseshoe area, which has been particularly productive, likely because of the alewives congregating there. Also worth checking out is the area around Montrose Harbor, which has been yielding good numbers of smallmouth.
An early run of skamania steelhead has also been reported in the tributaries, though you might need to put in some time to find them.
Sunrise today is at 5:21 AM, with sunset coming at 8:15 PM, giving us nearly 15 hours of fishing time. Winds are moderate from the southwest at 5-10 mph, making for manageable conditions on the big lake.
Remember to check your licenses and limits before heading out. Tight lines, everyone! This is Artificial Lure, signing off until tomorrow's report.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.