Where to go walleye fishing in Chicago area? What are your thoughts on weather in relation to walleye fishing? Options

[levis888 View Member Profile]

Just started fishing passionately this year. Learning by reading and then going out and testing theories. Worked so far. But fishing in spring, summer and early fall is easy. I’m having trouble with walleye fishing. Where to go in chicago area? What are your thoughts on weather in relation to walleye fishing. Since mid October only managed to catch northerns. I guess it’s too late for trout and salmon…. right? Thanks

[Tony L. View Member Profile]

I have a buddy who charters a walleye boat on lake Erie, he used to run the pro walleye tour all over the country. I'll pick his brain for some pointers and places for the Chicago area. We have some pretty decent walleye fishing here in Indiana at our local lakes, but we are about 2 hours south of Chicago down I-65.

Tony

[carphunter View Member Profile]

Hi Levis,
can't help you with the walleye as the UK is a bit far from Chicago, but great to read that you're getting into the fishing in a big way. We don't have many walleye in the UK (although I did put a post and a photo in the fishing section about catching my biggest UK walleye a couple of months back).
The great thing with walleye is when you do hit into them you can get several in a short space of time, as - unlike northerns- they're a shoal fish.
I hope you catch a few soon- they're a fantastic fish witht heir perch like rough scales and spikey dorsals.
God bless, and all the best with your fishing adventures,
Jon

[Tony L. View Member Profile]

Levis,

Talked with my Walleye buddy this morning. Here is what I learned from him.

The Illinois river is great for walleye and sauger (a cousin to the walleye). He said that there is a dam near I-80 and I-39 that is the best sauger fishing in the world in his opinion. He said that the fishing there will be good from now thru March. The NWC will have a walleye tournament there in mid March.

He said that the Rock River used to be great walleye fishing but it got poisoned a few years back and hasn't recovered. He also said that Lake Winnebago and Lake Fox Chain are also good for walleye fishing.

He said if you go to the dam, watch out for the carp, they will jump in your boat at the sound of any noise. Don't know if he was serious, but he sounded like it.

Hope this helps, have fun. If you need anything else or want to know about another area (NW Indiana, NW Ohio, ect...) let me know.

Tony

[Hoody View Member Profile]

Levis,

Talked with my Walleye buddy this morning. Here is what I learned from him.

The Illinois river is great for walleye and sauger (a cousin to the walleye). He said that there is a dam near I-80 and I-39 that is the best sauger fishing in the world in his opinion. He said that the fishing there will be good from now thru March. The NWC will have a walleye tournament there in mid March.

He said that the Rock River used to be great walleye fishing but it got poisoned a few years back and hasn't recovered. He also said that Lake Winnebago and Lake Fox Chain are also good for walleye fishing.

He said if you go to the dam, watch out for the carp, they will jump in your boat at the sound of any noise. Don't know if he was serious, but he sounded like it.

Hope this helps, have fun. If you need anything else or want to know about another area (NW Indiana, NW Ohio, ect...) let me know.

Tony

He is serious. Asian carp have infiltrated the Illinois River and are heading up stream to Lake Michigan. The state of Illinois is doing everything they can to keep them out of the lake because they will start destroying habitat for everything else.

If you have seen any video or TV shows about bow fishing for carp, chances are that is was filmed on the Illinois river. There are people making good money on it right now, and it does look like it could be fun, but the long term consequences of them on the environment is not good.
Here is a you tube video about the problem I found. Go to about 2:40 into it to see how bad it can be.

Steve

Asian carp video

[carphunter View Member Profile]

What exactly ARE "Aisan Carp" - looking at the pictures they're certainly not the common strain of carp, cyprinus carpio.
How did they get introduced to your rivers?
It'll be interesting to see if in the fulness of time if they do devestate the fishing and eco systems of the rivers there. In the UK I've lived through several apocalyptic predictions of how various species will destroy the fishing in the UK, but nature seems to have some pretty good inbuilt control systems that redress the balances. (must be something to do with the wisdom of the Creator!).
In the UK, when walleye (zander as we call them) were introduced to a few rivers in the 1960's there was uproar- they would decimate fish stocks, munch through all the smaller silver fish in our rivers - there were even a couple of legalised culls, but it was all scare-mongering nonsense, and now walleye/ zander are accepted as part of the balance of life in our rivers.
Otters, cormorants and American signal crayfish are the "baddies" that are currently going to decimate our rivers and fishing in the UK according to some, but I bet that in years to come there'll still be fish in our rivers, and we'll still be fishing for them!
Having said all that (and I have to admit to a bit of a carp bias, even though I've never seen an Aisian carp), the Youtube clip is incredible- talk about flying fish!
God bless,
Jon