Lake Michigan Chicago: Coho Bite Heating Up, Calm Conditions Perfect for Salmon and Smallmouth

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Lake Michigan Chicago fishing report. Light winds and a stable barometer have been keeping the big lake pretty friendly this morning. Nearshore water temps are sitting in the mid‑60s, with a light chop along the Chicago lakefront. NOAA’s nearshore marine forecast is calling for generally calm to modest conditions today, so small craft and pier anglers both have a decent window to work with. According to the National Weather Service, skies are partly cloudy with comfortable air temps building through the day and only a slight chance of a passing shower later on. Sunrise over the lakefront was right around 5:15 a.m., with sunset coming close to 8:30 p.m., so you’ve got long low‑light windows to play the early and late bites. Lake Michigan doesn’t have a true ocean tide, but there are slight seiche and water‑level fluctuations. For practical purposes, focus more on wind direction and current around harbor mouths, breakwalls, and river discharges. A light north or northeast breeze will usually push bait in tight to the Chicago shoreline, and that’s when the bite around the piers and rocks tends to light up. Recent reports from local charter captains and lakefront regulars around Chicago Harbor, Montrose, and Diversey have been solid. Boats working 60–120 feet of water off the city have been boxing good numbers of **coho salmon**, some **king (Chinook) salmon**, and a mix of **lake trout** and the occasional **steelhead**. It’s been common for a full crew trolling spread to see a dozen or more fish on good mornings, with coho still making up a big share of the catch. Best producers offshore have been standard Great Lakes setups: orange or red dodger‑and‑fly combos for coho, small peanut flies behind short leads, and spoons in green, blue, and UV patterns for kings and steelhead. Lake trout are coming on heavier dodger and spin‑n‑glow rigs close to bottom. If you’re running a spread, keep a couple of high lines with bright spoons or thin‑fins for steelhead cruising up in the top 20 feet. From the shore and piers, local anglers have been picking up **smallmouth bass**, **yellow perch**, and the odd **brown trout** or **coho** right off the rocks. Live emerald shiners and fathead minnows under a slip float are still the go‑to baits for perch and bonus trout. For artificials, downsized tube jigs in green pumpkin, goby, or smoke, along with Ned rigs and small swimbaits, are putting smallies in the net along the riprap and inside the harbors. In the harbors and along the breakwalls, a 1/8 to 1/4‑ounce jig tipped with a chartreuse or natural‑colored plastic has been money, especially when you slow hop it down the rocks. Early and late in the day, a small suspending jerkbait or a slim profile crankbait in silver/black or olive works well for roaming smallmouth and any bonus salmon that slide in shallow. Top **hot spots** right now: - **Montrose Harbor and Montrose Pier** – Consistent reports of perch and smallmouth along the rocks, with occasional trout and coho cruising the outer wall. Work the edges of the weedlines and current seams. - **Diversey and Burnham Harbors** – Good mixed‑bag action inside and just outside the harbor mouths, especially when there’s a light north or east wind pushing bait in. Cast along the wall and any visible current breaks. If you’re heading out today, focus on those low‑light windows, keep an eye on wind‑driven current, and don’t be afraid to move until you find active fish. Trolling spreads offshore for salmon and trout, and light tackle along the piers and harbor walls for smallmouth and perch, are your best bets. 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