Early Summer Coho and Smallmouth Off Chicago: Mid-50s Water, First Light Bites

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Michigan Chicago fishing report. We’re sitting on a cool, early‑summer pattern along the Chicago lakefront. Skies are mostly clear with a light west to northwest breeze and air temps starting in the low 60s, pushing into the low 70s by afternoon. Water temps along the downtown and North Side piers are hovering in the mid‑50s to around 60, still on the cool side but stable. With no real tidal swing on the lake, water level changes are minimal; what matters is wind direction. A west or northwest wind today should keep the water a touch clearer and push warmer surface water tight to the rocks. Sunrise is right around 5:15 a.m. with sunset close to 8:25 p.m., so you’ve got a long light window. The best bites have been in the first two hours after sunrise and again the last 90 minutes before dark, especially on the calm or lightly ruffled stretches of shoreline. Midday has been slower unless there’s solid cloud cover. Recent action has been a mixed bag but good for June. Shore anglers have been picking up **coho salmon** and a few bonus **chinook** off Montrose and Belmont on smaller spoons and crankbaits, with fish mostly in that 2–6 pound range. Brown trout are still hanging around the harbors and inside breaks, but numbers are thinning; early‑morning slip bobbers with live minnows are taking the better browns. The **smallmouth bass** bite is ramping up on rock structure from Calumet up through Montrose. Lots of 12–16 inch fish, with occasional 18‑inchers. Work the edges of riprap, concrete walls, and any broken rock piles. Perch are spotty but starting to show more consistently near Navy Pier, 31st Street, and down by Calumet when the water isn’t too clear. Best lures right now: - For salmon and trout: Small to medium spoons in silver/blue, silver/green, and orange‑accent patterns. J‑plugs and slim crankbaits in natural baitfish colors are producing on the outside of the harbor mouths and along the north‑facing walls. - For smallmouth: Ned rigs in green pumpkin, tubes in goby or dark melon, and 3–4 inch swimbaits in natural shad or smelt colors. A white or chartreuse spinnerbait slow‑rolled along the rocks will move bigger fish when there’s a little chop. - For perch: Sabiki or spreader rigs tipped with small pieces of soft shell, minnows, or gulp minnows. Keep your gear light and stay tight to bottom. Best baits: - Live shiners or fathead minnows under a slip float for browns and bonus coho around harbor mouths. - Nightcrawlers or soft shell crawlers on a simple drop shot for perch and smallmouth. - Fresh spawn sacs will still tempt trout early in the morning on the deeper walls, especially if the water has a touch of stain. Couple of hot spots to circle today: - **Montrose Harbor and the Montrose horseshoe**: Classic early‑summer mix. Cast spoons off the horseshoe for coho and the occasional king at first light, then slide inside and work Ned rigs or tubes along the rocks for smallmouth once the sun gets up. - **Belmont Harbor walls and pier heads**: Good shot at coho and browns on crankbaits and spoons during low‑light. Once the trout bite fades, switch to finesse plastics for bass along the inside walls. If you’re looking to stay closer to downtown, the rock walls near Navy Pier and the Ohio Street beach area are holding smallmouth when the boat traffic is light. Down south, Calumet’s outer breakwalls are worth a look for mixed trout and salmon if the wind lets you fish safely. That’s your Chicago lakefront rundown from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn