North Avenue Beach / Addison Street areaon Lake Michigan (Chicago Shore)
Conditions right now
No USGS gauge is linked to this water yet, so we can't chart flows.
What's working on Lake Michigan
- 01Brisk fall morning with clear skies and light wind (47°F).
- 02No significant insect hatches; focus on baitfish and migratory salmon/trout.
- 03Salmon (Coho) staging and spawning; Steelhead and Brown Trout keying on eggs.
- 04Pike, Muskies, Largemouth, and Smallmouth Bass feeding on smelt and perch.
- 05Concentrate on nearshore areas, harbor mouths, piers, jetties, and drop-offs.
- 06Use a deliberate, slow-strip retrieve with pauses for lethargic fish.
What to tie on at North Avenue Beach / Addison Street area
Picked from recent reports for this stretch.
Hopper Juan
Mid-summer through early fall, grasshoppers are a crucial food source for a wide range of species including trout, salmon, bass, carp, pike, and muskies along grassy banks, making this a prime terrestrial pattern for Lake Michigan's shorelines.
Buy at AmazonBeetle
Terrestrial beetles are often dislodged from streamside vegetation during summer, providing an opportunistic meal for trout and bass feeding near shaded banks along Lake Michigan's shore.
Gurgler (Bass)
With warm summer water temperatures, topwater action for bass, pike, and muskies intensifies, especially in calmer pockets and harbor areas. This popper creates an enticing disturbance on the surface.
Clouser Minnow (Chartreuse/White)
A universal baitfish imitation, effective year-round for the numerous predatory species in Lake Michigan, including pike, muskies, trout, salmon, steelhead, and bass, mimicking the abundant forage fish.
Woolly Bugger (Olive)
This versatile streamer pattern imitates leeches and baitfish, which are consistent food sources year-round in Lake Michigan for trout, salmon, steelhead, bass, pike, muskies, and carp.
Dragonfly Nymph (Olive)
Dragonfly nymphs are a large, protein-rich food source for cruising trout, carp, and bass in Lake Michigan throughout the summer. Stripping these slowly along the bottom near weed edges can be highly effective.
Scud (Pink/Orange)
Freshwater shrimp (scuds) are a consistent food source in Lake Michigan, especially in areas with aquatic vegetation. A pink or orange scud can be very effective for carp, trout, steelhead, and bass.
Buy at AmazonCrayfish (Fly)
Crayfish are a primary food source for smallmouth and largemouth bass, as well as carp, in rocky areas of Lake Michigan and its connected waterways during summer and fall.
Buy at AmazonScud (Pink/Orange)
Freshwater shrimp (scuds) are a consistent food source in lakes with aquatic vegetation, and a pink or orange Scud can be very effective in early spring for Carp, Steelhead, Trout, Pike, Salmon, and Muskies.
Buy at AmazonIllinois season by season
What changes on the water through the year, with the flies for each season.
Fly shops nearby
Local flies, current advice and guided trips.