Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Lake Michigan Chicago Fishing Report: Winter Steelhead and Perch Action - Feb 22nd
Published 2 months, 1 week ago
Description
Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure with your Lake Michigan Chicago fishing report for Sunday, February 22nd, 2026. Winter's holdin' firm with water temps hoverin' at 32°F per WaterTemps.com, and lake-effect snow lingerin' from that recent whiteout—temps in the low 20s overnight climbin' to upper 20s today, winds 10-15 mph off the lake shiftin' southwest. Sunrise was at 6:35 a.m., sunset 'round 5:35 p.m., givin' ya a solid daylight window.
Tidal action's moderate—lows at 5:12 a.m. and 5:36 p.m., high tide peakin' near 11:28 a.m. per Tides4fishing, perfect for fish pushin' into harbors on the flow. Solunar peaks hit late mornin' 8-10 a.m. and dusk, when bitin' ramps up.
Fish are active but picky in the cold—steelhead up to 10 lbs and coho 2-6 lbs stagin' at pier mouths and harbor walls, mixin' with brown trout, jumbo perch 9-12 inches, smallmouth bass, and spotty walleye. Illinois Outdoor News notes solid mixed bags this week at Montrose and Burnham, perch buckets from Navy Pier north to Evanston on fatheads and waxworms.
Best lures: 1/4-3/8 oz jigs with white/pink Z-Man GrubZ or TRD CrawZ for steelhead; silver spoons, chartreuse blade baits, firetiger crankbaits for coho and bass; Ned rigs in green pumpkin, drop-shots with Strike King Dream Shot or Berkley Maxscent for smallies and perch. Bait kings are spawn sacs, waxworms, golden shiners, and minnows under slip floats—locals swear by 'em for trout near discharge.
Hot spots: Montrose Harbor—steelhead and browns off the wall at sunrise; Navy Pier deep walls—perch and bonus trout on minnow rigs. Bundle up, watch ice edges, and slow your roll.
Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Tidal action's moderate—lows at 5:12 a.m. and 5:36 p.m., high tide peakin' near 11:28 a.m. per Tides4fishing, perfect for fish pushin' into harbors on the flow. Solunar peaks hit late mornin' 8-10 a.m. and dusk, when bitin' ramps up.
Fish are active but picky in the cold—steelhead up to 10 lbs and coho 2-6 lbs stagin' at pier mouths and harbor walls, mixin' with brown trout, jumbo perch 9-12 inches, smallmouth bass, and spotty walleye. Illinois Outdoor News notes solid mixed bags this week at Montrose and Burnham, perch buckets from Navy Pier north to Evanston on fatheads and waxworms.
Best lures: 1/4-3/8 oz jigs with white/pink Z-Man GrubZ or TRD CrawZ for steelhead; silver spoons, chartreuse blade baits, firetiger crankbaits for coho and bass; Ned rigs in green pumpkin, drop-shots with Strike King Dream Shot or Berkley Maxscent for smallies and perch. Bait kings are spawn sacs, waxworms, golden shiners, and minnows under slip floats—locals swear by 'em for trout near discharge.
Hot spots: Montrose Harbor—steelhead and browns off the wall at sunrise; Navy Pier deep walls—perch and bonus trout on minnow rigs. Bundle up, watch ice edges, and slow your roll.
Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI