Lake Michigan Early Season: Perch, Coho, and Smallmouth in Cool Water

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Michigan Chicago fishing report. We’ve got a cool, early‑season pattern hanging on the big lake. Along the downtown and North Side shoreline, winds have been mostly light to moderate out of the north‑northeast, keeping nearshore water a little chilly but pretty clean. Air temps are riding in the 60s along the water, with a mix of cloud cover and sun breaks, and only a light chop on most piers and harbor mouths. Lake Michigan’s a freshwater inland sea, so no true tides, but you will see seiche swings and slight water‑level changes with the wind. That north‑northeast push has been stacking a bit more water and bait against the Chicago shoreline, especially around harbor mouths and the concrete walls with deeper water close in. Sunrise is right around 5:15 a.m., with sunset about 8:25 p.m., so you’ve got a long prime window. Best bite has been classic low‑light: first two hours after sunrise and the last two before sunset. Midday is slower unless you’re fishing deeper water or shaded structure. Harbors and nearby lakefront have been putting out a mixed bag. Perch are spotty but definitely around: smaller schools sliding in and out of Montrose, Diversey, and up toward Belmont. Most fish are in the 8–10 inch range with an occasional bigger slab. Fathead minnows on a drop‑shot, small crappie rigs tipped with pieces of nightcrawler, or soft plastic minnows in natural shad and smelt colors are doing the work. Keep your presentations tight to the bottom and around any rock or crib structure. Coho and a few bonus kings are still in play for boaters running just off the Chicago and Wilmette lines. Most of the chatter has limits or near‑limits of coho coming on small orange and red dodgers with peanut flies in green, blue, and chartreuse, 15–40 feet down over 60–90 feet of water. A few lake trout mixed in, mostly deeper and hitting spoons run close to bottom. Trollers running standard spoons in silver/blue, silver/orange, and UV patterns have been connecting when the flies slow down. Shore anglers are picking off occasional trout and salmon off Montrose and Navy Pier with casting spoons and crankbaits. Think 3/4‑ounce silver and blue, glow‑white, or firetiger spoons, along with size 10–12 jerkbaits in natural smelt patterns. Work a slow, steady retrieve with a few pauses; the water’s still cool enough that they’ll track a bait a long way. Smallmouth bass action is building along rock edges and harbor walls. Fish are running mostly 12–16 inches, with a few bigger bronzebacks showing. Ned rigs in green pumpkin, tubes in goby and alewife tones, and small swimbaits have been hot. If the wind muddies things up, switch to something with a bit more thump—small chartreuse spinnerbaits or paddle tails. Live bait: minnows and nightcrawlers remain the best all‑around options. For perch and panfish, keep the rigs light and the hooks small. For smallmouth, a lively shiner under a slip float, set just off bottom along the rocks, can be deadly in the low‑light windows. Today’s hot spots: - **Montrose Harbor and the outer wall**: perch near the rocks and occasional trout/salmon for casters. Work the corners where the current wraps. - **Belmont Harbor mouth and nearby rock shoreline**: good shot at smallmouth, with roaming schools of perch sliding through. Fan‑cast Ned rigs and tubes along the breaks. If you’re heading out, pack a mix of small spoons, peanut flies, natural‑color plastics, and live bait. Stay mobile: ten yards can be the difference between dead water and a school of active fish. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local fishing reports and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn