Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Late Fall Fishing Report: Coho, Trout, and Perch Bite Strong on Chicago's Lake Michigan Shoreline
Published 5 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here with your Lake Michigan Chicago fishing report for November 13, 2025.
We’re waking up to **partly cloudy skies and a mild fall pattern, with today’s high topping out near 72 and a light west wind around 5 to 10 miles per hour**, according to the latest from Weather For You. Overnight, temps are sticking in the high 20s—but highs all week have made for downright comfortable November angling. **Waves this morning are running 3 to 6 feet, dropping later to 1-3 feet,** so expect some chop early, especially along exposed shorelines, as noted by the National Weather Service’s marine zone forecast. By afternoon, things calm down and the action should pick up for shore and pier fishermen.
**Sunrise hit at 5:57 AM, with sunset just before 5:46 PM, giving us almost 11 hours and 50 minutes of daylight today,** based on Tides4Fishing. The biggest tide swing is near midday—low at 5:12 AM, high at 11:28 AM, and a second low rolling in at 5:36 PM. Tidal coefficient is up at 70 and rising, so expect stronger currents and more movement just before and after that midday high, which can really fire up the bite in those comfort zones where bait piles up.
**Fish activity remains strong for late fall.** Reports from local bait shops and creel surveys this week say anglers are still finding good numbers of **coho salmon, brown trout, and some late kings cruising close to harbor mouths and the river outflows.** Steelhead are moving in and staging by river mouths, with a handful pushing up into the warmwater discharges. Perch are starting to bunch up deeper—try 20 to 30 feet off Navy Pier or the Burnham Harbor wall.
As for what’s working, those **stickbaits in silver, gold, or firetiger are hard to beat for trout and salmon near the surface, especially early and late. Cleos, spawn sacs, and nightcrawlers fished below a float are solid bets up by Montrose and Diversey Harbors.** The key is to move and check depths, as the warmer week has fish just off the break walls before dropping deeper midday. Throw in a slip bobber rig with a fathead for perch; locals are filling buckets when the schools run through.
If you’re running up the lake or west Indiana, **remember Michigan DNR’s November single-hook regulation at Grand Haven, Muskegon, and Whitehall/Montague piers—only one unweighted single-pointed hook, less than half an inch from point to shank, is allowed, and jigs or treble hooks are off-limits through the end of the month.** This protects spawning lake whitefish, which are particularly sensitive this late in the year. Check your rigs before heading out to avoid a ticket.
**Hot spots right now are the Montrose Harbor horseshoe, Navy Pier’s outer wall, and the power plant discharge at 95th Street.** Early risers have been rewarded at the Burnham breakwall, while the Calumet mouth is giving up mixed bags of trout, coho, and big perch as the sun dips.
A quick heads up: Lake-effect snow flurries have been spotted north of the city over the lake, so watch for bands rolling in—conditions can change fast. Dress warm, watch your step on icy docks, and keep an eye to the west for new cloud bands.
That’s it for today’s Lake Michigan rundown—thanks for tuning in, folks! If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe and stay plugged in for more daily local reports and tips.
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.
We’re waking up to **partly cloudy skies and a mild fall pattern, with today’s high topping out near 72 and a light west wind around 5 to 10 miles per hour**, according to the latest from Weather For You. Overnight, temps are sticking in the high 20s—but highs all week have made for downright comfortable November angling. **Waves this morning are running 3 to 6 feet, dropping later to 1-3 feet,** so expect some chop early, especially along exposed shorelines, as noted by the National Weather Service’s marine zone forecast. By afternoon, things calm down and the action should pick up for shore and pier fishermen.
**Sunrise hit at 5:57 AM, with sunset just before 5:46 PM, giving us almost 11 hours and 50 minutes of daylight today,** based on Tides4Fishing. The biggest tide swing is near midday—low at 5:12 AM, high at 11:28 AM, and a second low rolling in at 5:36 PM. Tidal coefficient is up at 70 and rising, so expect stronger currents and more movement just before and after that midday high, which can really fire up the bite in those comfort zones where bait piles up.
**Fish activity remains strong for late fall.** Reports from local bait shops and creel surveys this week say anglers are still finding good numbers of **coho salmon, brown trout, and some late kings cruising close to harbor mouths and the river outflows.** Steelhead are moving in and staging by river mouths, with a handful pushing up into the warmwater discharges. Perch are starting to bunch up deeper—try 20 to 30 feet off Navy Pier or the Burnham Harbor wall.
As for what’s working, those **stickbaits in silver, gold, or firetiger are hard to beat for trout and salmon near the surface, especially early and late. Cleos, spawn sacs, and nightcrawlers fished below a float are solid bets up by Montrose and Diversey Harbors.** The key is to move and check depths, as the warmer week has fish just off the break walls before dropping deeper midday. Throw in a slip bobber rig with a fathead for perch; locals are filling buckets when the schools run through.
If you’re running up the lake or west Indiana, **remember Michigan DNR’s November single-hook regulation at Grand Haven, Muskegon, and Whitehall/Montague piers—only one unweighted single-pointed hook, less than half an inch from point to shank, is allowed, and jigs or treble hooks are off-limits through the end of the month.** This protects spawning lake whitefish, which are particularly sensitive this late in the year. Check your rigs before heading out to avoid a ticket.
**Hot spots right now are the Montrose Harbor horseshoe, Navy Pier’s outer wall, and the power plant discharge at 95th Street.** Early risers have been rewarded at the Burnham breakwall, while the Calumet mouth is giving up mixed bags of trout, coho, and big perch as the sun dips.
A quick heads up: Lake-effect snow flurries have been spotted north of the city over the lake, so watch for bands rolling in—conditions can change fast. Dress warm, watch your step on icy docks, and keep an eye to the west for new cloud bands.
That’s it for today’s Lake Michigan rundown—thanks for tuning in, folks! If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe and stay plugged in for more daily local reports and tips.
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.