Lake Michigan (Chicago/ Northwest Indiana ) * +      888
At Belmont Harbor a regular group of anglers can be seen on the floating docks picking up a few perch and bluegills.  The harbors are beginning to ice up, which will be good in the near future. The mouth of the Calumet River at 95th Street is dirty so the perch have moved out to clearer water. In northwest Indiana. The harbors in Indiana are locked up in ice now, but still unsafe to walk on and the streams that feed Lake Michigan have had very light to no fishing pressure this week because of the 20 plus inches of snow that fell in the area. 888 
   
Lake Michigan ( Waukegan) * *        888
Minnows under a slip bobber set to hold your bait a few inches off the bottom  have taken a few brown trout and steelhead near the Johnson Pier. No reports of perch this week.   888

Cook County Forest Preserves * +         888
The larger lakes still have areas of open water on them while some of the smaller lakes are ice covered and should hold better ice conditions by the weekend.  To remind anglers, ice fisherman will be permitted on the following lakes this winter: Arrowhead, Axehead, Beck, Belleau, Big Bend, Bode Lake South, Busse-Main, Busse-South, Horsetail, Maple,  Ida,  Powderhorn, Saganashkee Slough, Sag Quarry East, Sag Quarry West, Tampier and Wampum Lake.  All other lakes are closed to ice fishing  Please remember the Forest Preserve District  does not monitor ice thickness and it recommends that there be four inches of solid ice before you venture out on any of the above listed lakes. 888

DuPage Forest Preserves * +  888
At Deep Quarry open water anglers are reporting nice catches of pike and walleye along with a few trout that have made it through the fall stocking program. Better fishing has been coming at dusk and after dark when the lake in still open till 11 p.m. .  At Pratt Wayne a few anglers are venturing out on ice that is only a couple of inches thick but by the weekend expect much safer ice to form. 888
   
Rend Lake  *    888
Local anglers are seeing skim ice off the main lake and at boat ramps.  While temperatures are cold now, by next week any ice that formed will be gone. 

Fox River *     888
The small pond near the river are getting more of the action then the river itself. Action has been slow for most anglers fishing below the dams.  888

Illinois River  * * +      888
The river is in good condition, but the cold wind has made only the heartiest  anglers dressed for the cold weather, successful anglers. Water temperatures were at 34.4 degrees on Wednesday and a 3-way rig dragged along the bottom trolling with the wind took both male and female sauger.     Best fishing times to fish were from 10 a.m. till noon. 888 

Wisconsin River Dells Dam (Wisconsin) * * +  888
River Bay above the dam is where  most anglers are getting panfish. The river is froze up below the dam now but it could open in a day with changing weather. 888

Lake Delavan (Wisconsin) * * 888
Anglers were seen fishing on the ice near the public boat ramp. But anglers in ice shanties were able to handle the wind better, those without, left quickly. Bluegills were the only fish reported caught.  888

Lake Geneva  (Wisconsin) * *     888
There is really no ice on the lake right now. A few northern pike are taken during the day and at night. The few walleye that were taken were caught all after dark.  888

Root River (Wisconsin) * +  888  
The river is ice covered in some areas and slushy in others.  A few brown trout and steelhead were caught out of the deeper holes near Lincoln and Island Parks, and Colonial Park  Spawn sacs and large red and black flies have been best. 888 

Upper Chippewa Basin  *  *     (Wisconsin)  888
With the cold weather the larger lakes have finally iced up completely and it help to firm up ice on other local lakes. Ice thickness varies from 7 to 8 inches on some areas of the lakes and only 3 to 4 inches on other . The early-season walleye bite is slowing down and fish have settled into a mid-winter pattern. With the ice thickening, fish have moved into a little deeper water with the best depths now being in the 6 to 12 feet. The best success has still been over soft bottom areas and around any deep weed edges, but hard-bottom rock and gravel drop-offs are beginning to see some action, especially if they are near any weed beds. Northern pike are only fair, with the cloudy and colder weather seemin gto effect the fish. 888

Eagle River * *  (Wisconsin)  888
Small lakes and bays are holding four to six inches of ice, local anglers have been taking panfish and walleye with better walleye action at night.  Using a tip-up with a medium size minnow producing the best action.  During the day northern pike will hit this offering.   The edges of weeds are still the best in water that is 4 to 8 feet deep.  Panfish are scattered in among the weeds so anglers may have luck fishing over the weed tops using small ice fishing jigs tipped with spikes and wax worms.  888

Madison Chain  ( Wisconsin)  * * +  888
Ice is forming very well on most lakes and bays. At Cherokee Marsh, bluegill are hitting wax worms on ice jigs. Monona Bay the bluegill are fair with a few crappie also being taken. At Waubesa and Kegonsa bluegill are in shallows  over the weed beds. Mendota and Monona had open water in the middle of the lakes.  888 

Muskegon * +   ( Michigan) 
Whitefish are being caught near the bubbler that keep the water open in certain areas. Northern pike action improved with anglers venturing out of first ice with tip-ups dressed with minnows.   888
By Chauncey Niziol 

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