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Saturday, 26 July 2008
Nice Bass from Diversey Harbor
Topic: Diversey Fishing Reports

diversey bassSpent a couple hours from 2-4pm this afternoon fishing for largemouth bass at Diversey Harbor. Right away I caught a couple smaller fish in the 12" range with a pumpkinseed colored power worm. Both bass came from under the docks.

I continued fishing along the west side of Diversey Harbor looking for any spots where I could drop in my lure. For a good hour nothing was happening for me. I was getting little bites here and there from some bluegill and caught a couple small rock bass, but that wasn't what I was after.

I decided to switch my lure to a watermelon colored senko. I worked the docks pretty hard the first time through, so I tried to work the heavier weed areas on my way back. So that's what I did.

Anywhere I saw a shady area and some heavy weeds is where I tossed my senko. The great thing about fishing a senko is that you don't have to give it that much action to fish it. Simply toss it out and let the lure wobble on its own as it dead drops into the pocket you're fishing.

With this senko fishing technique I came away with a nice 19" largemouth bass that swam up from the bottom, and inhaled my lure. It put up a nice fight with a couple jumps and I thought it was gonna break off my line with the weeds it had dragged me through, but I was lucky enough to land this bass with no problem.

 

Good Fishin'

Jon


Posted by Jon at 4:39 PM CDT
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Sunday, 13 July 2008
Diversey Largemouth Bass
Topic: Diversey Fishing Reports

diversey largemouth bassIt's been awhile since my last post, and equally as long since my last time fishing one of the Chicago harbors. I got out yesterday morning to Diversey Harbor after the rain storms. The skies were still cloudy, and the winds were calm. It looked like another front was pushing into the area, so I thought the fishing would still be great.

I tossed a weightless watermelon senko between the docks on the west side of Diversey Harbor, but didn't have any luck. I noticed I was getting some follows, but no strikes. I switched my lure to a Berkley powerworm in pumpkinseed color below a split shot, about 8" up.

I would cast out, and swim the powerworm back, past the docks, weedlines, shady areas, etc. I think the twirling action of the curly tail made the difference as far as strikes. I came away with two smaller largemouth bass, and one decent largemouth that was about 14". Not too bad for a couple hours of fishing.

-Jon


Posted by Jon at 8:40 AM CDT
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Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Bass at Diversey Harbor
Topic: Diversey Fishing Reports

largemouth bassFinally, I was able to locate (and catch) some decent largemouth bass this season. I fished Diversey Harbor yesterday evening from 6-8pm. Conditions were in the 70s with clear skies that eventually turned cloudy around 7ish.

I started along the west end of the harbor tossing a jig and minnow lure along the bank and across the weedbeds. I picked up a few rock bass here and there. I continued walking south, past the boat launch, where I tossed my jig into a dark pocket right alongside one of the docks and bam!...caught this largemouth bass in the picture above. He hit the lure almost as soon as it broke the surface of the water.

jig and minnow

The clouds started moving in at this point and I made my way further south and across to the other side of Diversey Harbor, right by the Fullerton Ave. bridge. I wanted to see if I could pick off any smallmouth bass sitting in the current.

I started tossing a chartreuse spinnerbait upstream, and worked it back about 10-12 ft. from the shoreline. I was getting a few little swipes at it, but nothing big enough to bite. I switched over to a suspending jerkbait, and made the same presentation by throwing upstream and slowly reeling, pausing and twitching it back. After my pass on that first cast I noticed there was a smallmouth trailing right behind my lure, but he wouldn't commit to it. I made the same cast a handful of times, and every time was the same. That smallie would just stare at my lure as I swam it along with its nose an inch away. Long story short, I threw a bunch of lures in that direction, but just couldn't get that smallmouth to bite.

I headed back to where I had caught that first largemouth bass and tossed a floating Rapala above the weed pockets. A couple casts later I hooked into a similar sized largemouth bass and yanked him out of the water with my line still taught. He made one good head shake, broke my line, and he dropped right back into the water, with my lure. Damn.

With that, I called it a night. It was still a successful one in my mind, knowing that the largemouth bass were finally turning on, and that some smallmouth bass in Diversey Harbor were still to be had.

Good Fishin'

- Jon


Posted by Jon at 8:43 PM CDT
Updated: Wednesday, 25 June 2008 8:38 AM CDT
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Sunday, 15 June 2008
Perch at Diversey Harbor
Topic: Diversey Fishing Reports

perch fishingdiversey harbor storm cloudsTried again for some perch at Diversey Harbor on Friday afternoon. Storms looked like they were gonna roll through, but no rain ever fell while I was out there. It was a bit windy, which made casting and feeling the end of the line kind of tough. I was fishing for rock bass in the inner harbor when I noticed a striped fish come up and take a nip at my lure. Ah ha...perch! I switched up to a 1/32 oz. jig and white twister and caught a handful of perch. Nothing real big, but fun nonetheless. The key for me was to let the jig sink for a few seconds and to just keep the twister tail moving through the water with short pops every few seconds.

 

Good Fishin'

- Jon 


Posted by Jon at 12:03 PM CDT
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Thursday, 12 June 2008
Rock Bass Galore
Topic: Diversey Fishing Reports

gobyHad the day off work today, so I headed to the piers at Diversey Harbor this morning around 9am. I was using a jig tipped with an artificial minnow and hoping to come away with some perch. I started out just underneath where lake shore drive crosses overhead. There was an opening in the gate so I tossed my lure parallel to the bank and just jigged it back along the bottom. I got a few bites, no perch, and one goby.

Next, I headed over to the long pier to try my luck on that side. Talked to some other folks that were out there saying they had a great day yesterday catching over 40 perch. I was watching what they were using as bait and it seemed to be pieces of shrimp under a bobber. They caught a couple perch while I was there, but nothing too big. There was one other guy working the opposite side of the harbor jigging something and he looked to be doing well. Me... no perch. Oh well.

rock bassrock bass on chatterbaitI made my way back to the east wall of the harbor and started tossing a crankbait, than a white chatterbait. Picked up a few more rock bass. I switched over to a green tube and worked the shoreline south of fullerton avenue, in the lagoons. Came away with one small largemouth, and that was all.

I changed over to a senko and fished the west side of the harbor by the docks. I noticed a lot of largemouth covering their nests, but they weren't interested in chasing a lure. Of course the rock bass were. Picked a few more of them on the senko.

me and rock bassFinally, made my way north of the boat launch and figured I mine as well just have some fun with the rock bass. So I did. I tied on a chartreuse twister tail and caught a bunch. The last one of the day here was the biggest.

 

Good Fishin'

- Jon 


Posted by Jon at 5:37 PM CDT
Updated: Thursday, 12 June 2008 5:41 PM CDT
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