Good morning from the lakeshore—Artificial Lure here with your October 23, 2025 Chicago Lake Michigan fishing report.

It’s classic fall on the lake: chilly, blustery, and just what salmon and steelhead anglers dream about. Overnight, northwest winds gusted strong, bringing waves up to 10–14 feet out on the open water. Today those winds will stay stiff—expect whitecaps and possible showers early, but the pressure’s on the rise and things should slowly mellow tonight. Sunrise hit at 7:13 a.m., with sunset coming at 5:57 p.m. Tides don’t matter much for Lake Michigan itself, but this weather pattern is a dead ringer for big fish pushing into harbors and river mouths.

Cooler water temps have triggered a fresh push of chinook and coho salmon into the city harbors—Montrose, Diversey, and Burnham are all seeing fish moving at dawn and dusk. The action right now favors those hardy enough to cast in the gloom and wind. Hot setups include bright spoons, crankbaits, and skein or spawn sacs drifted under a float—classic fall tools. With these stiff north winds piling up bait in the harbor mouths, work pier heads hard—change lure colors if the water’s murked up.

Steelhead are peaking in on overcast, blustery days—the type of weather we’ve got. Toss small, flashy spoons, or drift a waxworm on a jig. Look to warmwater discharges and inside harbor corners, especially as the air cools further overnight.

Don’t sleep on lake trout—they’re prowling breakwalls and dropoffs (15-30 feet). A slow-rolled swimbait or heavy blade bait bounced deep can hook a monster when the wind and waves settle.

Inside the harbors and the Chicago River, the annual shad run has smallmouth and largemouth bass fired up. Current seams, marina corners, and pilings hold fish—ned rigs, small swim jigs, and jerkbaits in natural shad or chartreuse are locking in numbers. Word from shore regulars is that downsized GrubZ or finesse plastics (think Z-Man Ned rigs) are out-fishing larger baits, especially with the water stained from recent chop.

Perch are in the early phase, still hit-or-miss. But after a storm, calm mornings can turn hot, especially near weed edges and pilings—live minnows or small bits of shrimp are top ticket.

Remember: slightly stained water after these blows often fishes better than gin-clear—switch to louder profiles and some chartreuse when visibility drops.

Hot spots this week:
- Montrose Harbor: Salmon action at first and last light
- Diversey Harbor: Steelhead and bass near slips and current breaks
- 31st Street Beach and Jackson Park Beach: Harbors hold bass and bonus perch on calmer mornings
- North Avenue and Oak Street Beaches: Points and breaks in the waves are key, particularly at twilight

For lures, slow down your presentations. Drag or pause jigs, and go with smaller, natural or bright baits depending on water clarity. Spawn sacs, skein, and bright metal for salmon; natural downsized plastics and jigheads for bass; minnows and shrimp for perch.

That’s the latest from the water’s edge. Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Michigan fix—remember to subscribe for the next update.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI