Lake Michigan Chicago: Coho Bite On, Cool Water Keeps Trout Close to Town

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Michigan Chicago fishing report. We’re coming off a cool spring pattern. Around Chicago’s lakefront this morning you’re looking at temps starting in the low‑50s, climbing into the 60s by afternoon. Light north to northeast breeze on the big lake, generally under 10 knots, keeps things a bit choppy but fishable along the piers. Skies are partly cloudy; a mix of sun and clouds most of the day. Sunrise is right around 5:25 a.m., sunset close to 8:10 p.m. Your best windows are that first light bite from about 5 to 7 a.m., and again in the low‑light evening stretch 7 to 8:30 p.m. Lake Michigan isn’t tidal like the ocean, but wind‑driven seiches do push water levels around; with this lighter northeast flow, expect slightly higher water pushing into inside harbors and along wind‑facing walls by late morning. Harbors and nearshore water are still on the cool side, sitting in the low‑50s near the surface, warming a touch in protected pockets by afternoon. That’s been keeping the trout and salmon game going close to town. Charter captains out of Burnham and Diversey have been reporting mixed bags: coho salmon still the main story, with some chunky lake trout and the occasional steelhead and brown. A decent coho run has had boats taking 8–20 fish on better mornings when they spread lines from the surface down to about 30 feet. Offshore trollers running out 2–6 miles have been doing well on standard Lake Michigan spread: orange and red dodger‑fly combos, small orange and gold spoons, and thin fish‑style crankbaits. Coho are still chewing on small baits, so think peanut‑size spoons and mini flashers. Inside the harbors and from shore, guys soaking spawn sacs and nightcrawlers under slip bobbers are picking off a few browns and steelhead early, especially along rock walls with a little stain in the water. Perch action around downtown has been spotty but showing signs of life. Anglers working Navy Pier and the Calumet area report pockets of keeper perch when they find schools of bait. Best bets have been small fathead minnows, soft‑shells when you can get them, and tiny pieces of nightcrawler on drop‑shot or simple drop‑perch rigs. Gold or chartreuse jig heads tipped with minnows have been outfishing bare hooks, especially in that 15–25 foot range on calmer days. Smallmouth bass are waking up along the breakwalls and rocky points. The clearer the water, the more you’ll want to go natural: green pumpkin tubes, goby‑pattern Ned rigs, and small jerkbaits. On windier days, a white or shad‑pattern spinnerbait slow‑rolled along riprap has been drawing some thumping hits. Most smallies are running 14–18 inches with a few bigger fish mixed in; remember to check local regulations and handle them gently—this is that pre‑spawn window for a lot of fish. For multi‑species action from shore, it’s hard to beat a simple slip bobber rig with a medium shiner or nightcrawler set 6–10 feet down over 15–20 feet of water. That’ll pick up trout, an odd coho, and the occasional bonus whitefish or sheepshead cruising the harbors. A couple of hot spots to circle today: • Montrose Harbor and the adjacent Montrose Rocks: Good mix of coho from small spoons and crankbaits, plus smallmouths along the rock edges. Early morning tosses with silver/blue and orange/black spoons have been putting fish on the wall. • Burnham Harbor and the Burnham/Northerly Island shorelines: Coho and lake trout nearby for boaters running small dodgers and flies; from shore, slip bobbers with spawn or minnows around the harbor mouths and along the rocks are seeing steady action when the wind lines up. Best overall lures right now: small orange and red trolling spoons, orange or green dodger‑fly combos for coho, green pumpkin tubes and Ned rigs for bass, micro jigs with minnows for perch. Best baits: spawn sacs, fathead minnows, shiners, and nightcrawlers. That’s your Chicago lakefront rundown from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a 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