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"Late Fall Trout and Salmon on Chicago's Lakefront - Your Saturday Fishing Report"
Published 6 months, 1 week ago
Description
Good morning from the Lake Michigan Chicago lakeshore—this is Artificial Lure with your Saturday, October 18th, 2025 local fishing report.
Sunrise hit at 5:57 a.m. this morning and we'll see sunset around 5:45 p.m. The weather’s classic late October: mostly cloudy skies with south winds pushing 15 to 25 knots, gusty at times, and waves right around 2 to 4 feet. Air temps are starting in the upper 40s and creeping toward the mid-50s as the day goes. Showers and even some rumbles of thunder are in the forecast later today and into tonight, so watch the clouds and don’t take chances. Water temperature off Michigan City is sitting at a brisk 58 degrees—great for the late fall trout and salmon—it’s jacket weather for sure. Tidal activity is moderate today, a high tide just after midnight and another at 12:28 p.m., so you’ll want to time those key bites for the late morning and right around dinner, when solunar activity ticks up.
Fish activity on the big lake and its Chicago harbors is finally picking up after that latest round of rain. According to the Indiana DNR's October 9 update, recent rainfall has moved salmon up the streams, so the nearshore is quieter for big mature kings, but there’s still action in the harbors, creeks, and deep offshore for younger fish. Some cohos and kings are still trickling in, especially around river mouths like the Calumet, Little Calumet, and at Montrose and Diversey harbors. The steelhead are just starting their fall show, so bring a variety.
Anglers are reporting a steady perch bite, mostly in 45-50 foot water off the breakwalls, but school location can take a bit of searching. Urban lakefront stalwarts caught some beautiful eaters this week, mostly working crappie rigs with minnows or small jigs. A few pike are showing on flashy spoons and stickbaits where the harbors poke into cold creek flows.
For baits and lures, your best bets this weekend:
- **Glow spoons** and *deep-diving crankbaits* have been top picks for nighttime and low-light salmon and trout, especially if you’re pier casting with that rolling cloud cover.
- If you’re fishing the river mouths or tributaries, try **floating skein or spawn sacs under a bobber** for salmon and steelhead.
- For perch, nothing beats a tightlined minnow, but small plastics and ice jigs tip with wax worms can coerce finicky biters.
- Those after pike or bonus smallies should sling big flashy spinnerbaits or white paddle tails around structure and weed breaks.
The lake’s in fall transition, so moving baits like jerkbaits, swimbaits, and large plastics in shad or white dominate for bass and aggressive brown trout.
A couple of hot spots to try:
- **Montrose Harbor**: solid for late-run salmon and bonus browns, plus some surprisingly big perch if you poke around.
- **Calumet Harbor and River Mouths**: prime for steelhead or a last-chance king, especially after this rain and with current pushing.
- **Diversey Harbor and Burnham**: often hold trout and occasional bonus pike, especially in low-light hours.
Be mindful—lake turnover is right around the corner and conditions can change daily this season, so check forecasts and always keep an eye on the wind and wave reports before you head out.
Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe if you want daily bite updates and expert tactics right from the lakeside. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Sunrise hit at 5:57 a.m. this morning and we'll see sunset around 5:45 p.m. The weather’s classic late October: mostly cloudy skies with south winds pushing 15 to 25 knots, gusty at times, and waves right around 2 to 4 feet. Air temps are starting in the upper 40s and creeping toward the mid-50s as the day goes. Showers and even some rumbles of thunder are in the forecast later today and into tonight, so watch the clouds and don’t take chances. Water temperature off Michigan City is sitting at a brisk 58 degrees—great for the late fall trout and salmon—it’s jacket weather for sure. Tidal activity is moderate today, a high tide just after midnight and another at 12:28 p.m., so you’ll want to time those key bites for the late morning and right around dinner, when solunar activity ticks up.
Fish activity on the big lake and its Chicago harbors is finally picking up after that latest round of rain. According to the Indiana DNR's October 9 update, recent rainfall has moved salmon up the streams, so the nearshore is quieter for big mature kings, but there’s still action in the harbors, creeks, and deep offshore for younger fish. Some cohos and kings are still trickling in, especially around river mouths like the Calumet, Little Calumet, and at Montrose and Diversey harbors. The steelhead are just starting their fall show, so bring a variety.
Anglers are reporting a steady perch bite, mostly in 45-50 foot water off the breakwalls, but school location can take a bit of searching. Urban lakefront stalwarts caught some beautiful eaters this week, mostly working crappie rigs with minnows or small jigs. A few pike are showing on flashy spoons and stickbaits where the harbors poke into cold creek flows.
For baits and lures, your best bets this weekend:
- **Glow spoons** and *deep-diving crankbaits* have been top picks for nighttime and low-light salmon and trout, especially if you’re pier casting with that rolling cloud cover.
- If you’re fishing the river mouths or tributaries, try **floating skein or spawn sacs under a bobber** for salmon and steelhead.
- For perch, nothing beats a tightlined minnow, but small plastics and ice jigs tip with wax worms can coerce finicky biters.
- Those after pike or bonus smallies should sling big flashy spinnerbaits or white paddle tails around structure and weed breaks.
The lake’s in fall transition, so moving baits like jerkbaits, swimbaits, and large plastics in shad or white dominate for bass and aggressive brown trout.
A couple of hot spots to try:
- **Montrose Harbor**: solid for late-run salmon and bonus browns, plus some surprisingly big perch if you poke around.
- **Calumet Harbor and River Mouths**: prime for steelhead or a last-chance king, especially after this rain and with current pushing.
- **Diversey Harbor and Burnham**: often hold trout and occasional bonus pike, especially in low-light hours.
Be mindful—lake turnover is right around the corner and conditions can change daily this season, so check forecasts and always keep an eye on the wind and wave reports before you head out.
Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe if you want daily bite updates and expert tactics right from the lakeside. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.