Lake Michigan Chicago: Coho and Trout Bite Strong at Dawn and Dusk

**Artificial Lure** here with your Lake Michigan, Chicago fishing report. No tide change to worry about on Lake Michigan, but the wind and current are the real game today. For this morning in Chicago, expect a cool start with a strengthening lake breeze, and that usually means better action near current breaks, harbor mouths, and shoreline structure once the sun gets up. Sunrise is early enough to kick-start the bite, and sunset will give you another strong window this evening. Right now, the most reliable action around Chicago has been **coho salmon**, **rainbow trout**, and an occasional **brown trout** along the lakefront and near the harbors. Reports from recent days have also mentioned mixed catches of **smallmouth bass** tight to rocks and breakwalls, plus scattered **sheepshead** and **yellow perch** in the calmer water. The best numbers lately have come on the cooler dawn bite, with fish moving shallow early and sliding deeper as the day brightens. For **lures**, the hot tickets are still spoons, small crankbaits, and bright inline spinners for the trout and salmon bite. If you’re working the shoreline or harbors, a silver, green, or orange spoon can be deadly when fish are chasing. For bass, throw tubes, soft plastics, or small swimbaits around the rocks and riprap. If you want a more natural presentation, a slip sinker rig with **nightcrawlers** or **cut bait** can still put fish in the boat when the bite gets finicky. For **bait**, the standouts are **spawn sacs**, **nightcrawlers**, and **cut alewife or minnows** where legal and practical. Anglers targeting salmon and trout near the river mouths and harbor edges often do best with bait fished slow and close to the bottom, especially if the water has a little color to it. Perch anglers should stick with small pieces of worm or minnow on light tackle. A couple of **hot spots** to check: - **Montrose Harbor and the nearby lakefront structure** - **The Chicago River mouth and the breakwalls around the harbor entrances** Those spots tend to concentrate bait, and where the bait goes, the fish usually follow. Early and late are your best bets, especially before boat traffic and sun get heavy. If you’re heading out, start shallow, watch for bait flipping on the surface, and be ready to move if the fish aren’t showing in the first hour. A slow, steady retrieve is often better than burning lures through cold water, and a little patience around the structure can pay off fast. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn