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Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

  • Favorites
ForecastCatchesFavorites
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© 2026·AI-powered bite forecast
0.1.0+2163 · 92c14a40

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United States / Illinois / Fox River

Bite forecast: Fox River

  • length 68 mi
Loading map…

Best fishing days for the next week

  1. MondaySeptember 7weather-based forecast
    54/100medium activity

    Clear: 63–93 °F

Nearby water bodies

  • PondKimball Farms Pond2 mi
  • ReservoirWoods Creek Lake3 mi
  • LakeCary Lake3 mi
  • LakeLake Sharop3 mi
  • ReservoirTara Lake3 mi
  • LakeLake Sharop4 mi
  • LakeMud Lake4 mi
  • LakeSpring Lake4 mi
  • LakeNorth Lake4 mi
  • LakeNorth Lower Lake4 mi

Fox River (Illinois) — a spot well known among anglers. About 109 km long. Nearby towns: Aurora, Elgin and Naperville. This page shows an hourly bite forecast for today and the week ahead; the algorithm factors in the weather, atmospheric pressure, and the moon phase.

TuesdaySeptember 8weather-based forecast
52/100medium activity

Partly cloudy: 73–106 °F

  • SundaySeptember 6weather-based forecast
    49/100medium activity

    Clear: 72–90 °F

  • Nearby towns

    • Aurora0 mi
    • Elgin0.2 mi
    • Naperville8 mi
    Loading map…

    Catches

    Recorded 7 catches here. Most commonly caught: Walleye, Flathead catfish, Smallmouth bass. Peak season: March–July.

    • Walleye
      Fox River
      39 °F18 mph
      Mar 28, 2021
    • Flathead catfish
      Fox River
      68 °F16 mph
      Jun 10, 2019
    • Flathead catfish
      Fox River
      68 °F16 mph
      Jun 10, 2019
    • Walleye
      Fox River
      50 °F9 mph
      Apr 18, 2019
    • Walleye
      Fox River
      52 °F2 mph
      Mar 29, 2019
    • Flathead catfish
      Fox River
      Jul 04, 2018
    • Smallmouth bass
      Fox River
      86 °F7 mph
      Jun 16, 2018

    Bite calendar

    Aug 31 – Sep 6
    Mon
    Tue
    Wed
    Thu
    Fri
    Sat
    Sun
    Bite activity:highmediumlowslow
    Based on:weatherseasonal
    What is a bite calendar?
    Coho salmonLake troutBlack crappiePikeSteelheadWhite crappieMuskellungeSmallmouth bassWalleyeWhite bassYellow perchChinook salmonLargemouth bassWhitefishBluegillCarpBlue catfishChannel catfishFlathead catfishRainbow trout

    Black crappie

    6/10 · Fair

    Hourly activity

    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Bite activity:highmediumlow

    The bite is moderate — fish feed in short bursts. Weather is steady, with no sharp swings — fish behave predictably.

    Peak bite hours

    Best time — 06:00–08:00 (dawn bite) and 19:00–21:00 (dusk bite).

    Tactics

    Work the cover — snags, weed edges, hole entrances; retrieve the lure with pauses.

    Lures

    In clear water, natural colors work best: small jig or minnow bait.

    Gear

    It's a hot day — a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water are a must.

    Summary

    An average day — best chances during peak windows.

    How this forecast is calculated

    Why this forecast

    The computed water temperature is around 80 °F — warmer than the 57–75 °F comfort range for Black crappie: in the heat it drops deeper and feeds less often.

    Computed water temperature by month; the green band is the 57–75 °F comfort rangecomfort 57–75 °F80 °F
    JFMAMJJASOND

    Black crappie works the twilight: the peaks are pinned to sunrise and sunset — their times are in the sun-and-moon card above.

    The day: daylight hours and when Black crappie feeds0:0012:0024:00

    Pressure is dropping 0.03 inHg over the day — fish are usually more active ahead of a weather change.

    Pressure through the day, 0.03 inHg change
    00:00 · 29.9723:00 · 29.94 inHg

    One more input — the moon's feeding windows: within their hours the score sits higher than across the rest of the day. The window times are in the “Solunar feeding periods” card below.

    Feeding windows on the day scale0:0012:0024:00

    September is an active season for Black crappie here.

    JFMAMJJASOND

    These are the same values the bite curve above was computed from. How the forecast works

    2 SepWednesday, September 2
    +98°

    Clear · feels like +100°

    Low / high
    +78°…+100°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    11 mph SW
    Cloud cover
    10%
    Humidity
    35%
    Pressure
    30.00 inHg
    00:00+81°—6 mphsouth wind, 6 mph58%0%
    01:00+79°—5 mphsouth wind, 5 mph63%0%
    02:00+79°—5 mphsouth wind, 5 mph65%0%
    03:00+78°—6 mphsouth wind, 6 mph70%0%
    04:00+78°—7 mphsouthwest wind, 7 mph72%2%
    05:00+78°—9 mphsouthwest wind, 9 mph69%1%
    06:00+78°—7 mphsouthwest wind, 7 mph71%0%
    07:00+78°—6 mphsouthwest wind, 6 mph72%0%
    08:00+83°—10 mphsouthwest wind, 10 mph61%0%
    09:00+88°—11 mphsouthwest wind, 11 mph48%1%
    10:00+92°—11 mphsouthwest wind, 11 mph41%2%
    11:00+96°—11 mphsouthwest wind, 11 mph37%2%
    12:00+98°—11 mphsouthwest wind, 11 mph35%10%
    13:00+99°—11 mphsouthwest wind, 11 mph33%4%
    14:00+100°—11 mphsouthwest wind, 11 mph32%8%
    15:00+100°—11 mphsouthwest wind, 11 mph30%8%
    16:00+100°—11 mphsouthwest wind, 11 mph29%0%
    17:00+99°—11 mphsouthwest wind, 11 mph30%0%
    18:00+97°—11 mphsouth wind, 11 mph30%0%
    19:00+94°—9 mphsouth wind, 9 mph34%0%
    20:00+90°—7 mphsouth wind, 7 mph40%0%
    21:00+87°—6 mphsouth wind, 6 mph45%0%
    22:00+86°—7 mphsouth wind, 7 mph48%0%
    23:00+84°—7 mphsouth wind, 7 mph54%0%
    +100°+89°+78°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Wednesday, September 2
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:25
    Sunset
    19:24
    Day length
    12 h 59 min
    Sunshine hours
    11 h 42 min
    UV index
    6
    high
    Moon
    Waning gibbous
    Moonrise
    21:53
    Moonset
    12:32

    The day is 3 min shorter than yesterday.

    Sunshine hours count direct sun only — cloud cover cuts it, so it is shorter than daylight.

    Solunar feeding periods

    +13% in the windowWednesday, September 2
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Major03:48–05:48Moon overhead
    • Minor12:02–13:02Moonset
    • Major16:16–18:16Moon underfoot
    • Minor21:23–22:23Moonrise

    The windows are set by the moon's transit and rise, and the forecast above already accounts for them: within these hours the bite score sits higher than across the rest of the day, while the day's overall level still comes from the catch-calibrated model.

    What are solunar periods?

    Measured river conditions are available for Fox River: current gauge height, streamflow, and water temperature when reported by the source.

    Water

    Gauge height
    1.71 ft
    Streamflow
    725 ft³/s

    USGS gauge FOX RIVER AT ALGONQUIN, IL, 1 mi away · measured 2026-09-02 19:45 · data source · provisional data, subject to revision

    BiteGuide·From anglers’ reports

    What actually worked on this water

    Based on 7 verified catchesPeriod: 2018–2021

    This is a summary of anglers' reports, not a proven cause of the bite: conditions lining up does not mean they drove it.

    By fish species

    vertical axis — number of catches

    023
    331
    Flathead catfishWalleyeSmallmouth bass
    By fish species
    ValueCatchesShare
    Flathead catfish343%
    Walleye343%
    Smallmouth bass114%

    By month

    vertical axis — number of catches

    023
    2131
    MarAprJunJul
    By month
    ValueCatchesShare
    Mar229%
    Apr114%
    Jun343%
    Jul114%

    Air temperature, °F

    6 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    012
    1221
    32506886
    Air temperature, °F
    ValueCatchesShare
    32–39 °F117%
    50–57 °F233%
    68–75 °F233%
    86–93 °F117%

    Pressure, inHg

    6 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    023
    123
    28.7429.1329.33
    Pressure, inHg
    ValueCatchesShare
    28.74–28.90 inHg117%
    29.13–29.29 inHg233%
    29.33–29.49 inHg350%

    Wind direction

    6 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    024
    114
    SESWNW
    Wind direction
    ValueCatchesShare
    SE117%
    SW117%
    NW467%

    Wind speed, mph

    6 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    012
    11121
    0491318
    Wind speed, mph
    ValueCatchesShare
    0–2 mph117%
    4–7 mph117%
    9–11 mph117%
    13–16 mph233%
    18–20 mph117%