Salmon are spotty, but present

It has been a few weeks since my last post, which is disappointing to myself, especially during salmon season. Time on the lakefront has been limited, and when I do make it out, the fishing has been spotty. Needless to say, there are lots of fish around, and on occasion, they do decide to get active. At times, when salmon fishing from shore, there is a frustrating dilemma that presents itself. If the fish do not make themselves known via seeing schools of them swimming or their aerial assaults they provide as they jump, it is difficult to tell if the fish are present. This raises the famous question: Are the fish here and lazy, or are they not around at all? After last season, it was determined that the fish were just not present in great numbers. This year is much different. The fish are present in pretty good numbers. There size is also much better than previous seasons. The trouble with this year is they just are not as active as they should be.

Typically, at this time of year, it is likely to have multiple fish nights. If you fish with spawn under a bobber, you should see your bobber go down many times. When you are throwing crankbaits, you receive a lot of hits from fish that you do not hook up with. I wish I could say that it was just me, and that I was doing a fixable mistake. However, other than people going north to Wisconsin, the Chicago harbors have been spotty at best.

Despite the tough conditions, I have been able to put in my time and pull a few fish out the past 10 days. Here is a quick photo summary (the other guy you see is my best bud Todd, the one who introduced me to the great salmon species):

29" Male King - Spawn under a bobber

Todd with a male king on spawn

31" Male King: Spawn under a bobber.

Todd w/another male king.

29" Female King: Perch colored Rapala Clackin Rap

Hopefully, this will not be my last salmon blog post. Last year, with the late run, we were able to catch fish into December. I will be averting my attention, at times, to chase some other species found around Chicagoland, including the walleye, pike, and muskie.