Where to fish

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Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

  • Favorites
ForecastCatchesFavorites
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© 2026·AI-powered bite forecast
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United States / Illinois

Illinois — bite forecast

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Towns and settlements (15)
AuroraBethaltoBloomingtonChampaignChicagoEast Saint LouisElginJolietNapervillePeoriaQuincyRockfordSpringfieldUrbanaWaukegan
Rivers (226)
Chicago RiverEmbarras RiverFarm CreekFox RiverKaskaskia RiverKent CreekLittle Wabash RiverMississippi RiverNorth Branch Chicago RiverRock RiverSangamon RiverSouth Branch Chicago RiverSugar CreekWaukegan RiverWest Branch DuPage River

211 more — find yours by name.

Water bodies (1675)
Burnham Harbor North BasinBurnham Harbor South BasinCarlyle ReservoirCrystal LakeDuSable HarborMiller Park LakeMonroe HarborPeoria LakeQuarry LakeThe Confluence

1665 more — find yours by name.

Sea areas (4)
Cambria NeckDuck NeckPisgah BaySmith Bay

Best fishing days for the next week

  1. TuesdaySeptember 8weather-based forecast
    62/100high activity

    Clear: 63–97 °F

Which fish are caught here

  • Largemouth bass75 catches
  • Walleye11 catches
  • Black crappie7 catches
  • Pike6 catches
  • White crappie5 catches

Catches

Recorded 129 catches here. Most commonly caught: Largemouth bass, Walleye, Black crappie. Peak season: year-round.

  • Bluegill — Heidecke Lake, May 05, 2019
    Bluegill
    Heidecke Lake
    68 °F4 mph
    May 05, 2019
  • Steelhead — Waukegan River, Oct 01, 2018
    2

Illinois — a region with a sea coast plus rivers and lakes. The region has 15 cities, 226 rivers, 1675 water bodies and 4 sea areas. We forecast the bite not only on rivers and lakes, but at sea as well. Species found here: rainbow trout, pike, carp, whitefish, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. A smart bite calendar — moon phase, atmospheric pressure, and weather combined into an hourly fish-activity forecast for the coming days.

MondaySeptember 7weather-based forecast
54/100medium activity

Partly cloudy: 64–86 °F

  • WednesdaySeptember 9weather-based forecast
    50/100medium activity

    Partly cloudy: 79–106 °F

  • Smallmouth bass4 catches
  • Flathead catfish4 catches
  • Bluegill4 catches
  • Yellow perch4 catches
  • Channel catfish2 catches
  • Rainbow trout1 catch
  • Steelhead1 catch
    • Steelhead
    Waukegan River
    Oct 01, 2018
  • Walleye
    Fox River
    39 °F18 mph
    Mar 28, 2021
  • Smallmouth bass
    Illinois, Will County
    41 °F9 mph
    Nov 11, 2020
  • Largemouth bass
    Crab Orchard Lake
    81 °F4 mph
    Jul 01, 2020
  • Smallmouth bass
    Lake of the Woods
    81 °F7 mph
    Jun 06, 2020
  • Black crappie, White crappie
    Crab Orchard Lake
    45 °F7 mph
    Apr 14, 2020
  • White crappie
    Crab Orchard Lake
    79 °F2 mph
    Apr 08, 2020

    • Bite calendar

    7–Sep 13
    Mon
    Tue
    Wed
    Thu
    Fri
    Sat
    Sun
    Bite activity:highmediumlowslow
    Based on:weatherseasonal
    What is a bite calendar?

    Bite on rivers

    9 SepWednesday, September 9

    Tap any fish to open its full forecast — the hours it bites, what it takes, and where it has been caught.

    0:0023:00
    • Coho salmon9/10
    • Lake trout7/10
    • Pike7/10
    • Smallmouth bass7/10
    • Steelhead7/10
    • White bass7/10
    • Yellow perch7/10
    • Black crappie6/10
    • Muskellunge6/10
    • Walleye6/10
    • White crappie6/10
    • Whitefish5/10
    • Blue catfish4/10
    • Bluegill4/10
    • Carp4/10
    • Channel catfish4/10
    • Chinook salmon4/10
    • Flathead catfish4/10
    • Largemouth bass4/10
    • Rainbow trout4/10
    Bite activity:highmediumlow
    How this forecast is calculated
    9 SepWednesday, September 9
    +103°

    Partly cloudy · feels like +101°

    Low / high
    +79°…+105°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    16 mph W
    Cloud cover
    29%
    Humidity
    25%
    Pressure
    29.95 inHg
    00:00+82°—12 mphsouth wind, 12 mph56%3%
    01:00+80°—10 mphsouth wind, 10 mph58%5%
    02:00+80°—10 mphsouth wind, 10 mph58%9%
    03:00+80°—11 mphsouth wind, 11 mph56%14%
    04:00+80°—12 mphsouth wind, 12 mph55%16%
    05:00+80°—12 mphsouthwest wind, 12 mph55%14%
    06:00+80°—11 mphsouth wind, 11 mph56%10%
    07:00+81°—11 mphsouthwest wind, 11 mph54%7%
    08:00+85°—12 mphsouthwest wind, 12 mph48%8%
    09:00+90°—14 mphsouthwest wind, 14 mph41%10%
    10:00+95°—15 mphsouthwest wind, 15 mph34%14%
    11:00+99°—15 mphsouthwest wind, 15 mph29%21%
    12:00+103°—16 mphwest wind, 16 mph25%29%
    13:00+105°—15 mphwest wind, 15 mph23%35%
    14:00+105°—15 mphnorthwest wind, 15 mph22%34%
    15:00+104°—16 mphnorthwest wind, 16 mph23%31%
    16:00+102°—18 mphnorth wind, 18 mph25%33%
    17:00+99°—16 mphnorth wind, 16 mph29%48%
    18:00+95°—13 mphnorth wind, 13 mph35%68%
    19:00+91°—11 mphnortheast wind, 11 mph41%80%
    20:00+88°—10 mphnortheast wind, 10 mph46%76%
    21:00+85°—9 mphnortheast wind, 9 mph51%64%
    22:00+82°—8 mphnortheast wind, 8 mph56%56%
    23:00+79°0.00 in8 mphnortheast wind, 8 mph63%57%
    +105°+92°+79°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Wednesday, September 9
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:31
    Sunset
    19:13
    Day length
    12 h 42 min
    Sunshine hours
    11 h 33 min
    UV index
    6
    high
    Moon
    Waning crescent
    Moonrise
    04:42
    Moonset
    18:29

    The day is 2 min shorter than yesterday.

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

    Solunar feeding periods

    +14% in the windowWednesday, September 9
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Minor04:12–05:12Moonrise
    • Major10:42–12:42Moon overhead
    • Minor17:59–18:59Moonset

    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?

    Recommendations

    Tactics

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

    Lures

    The water's turning murky — go with bright, noisy lures: trolling spoon or spinner.

    Gear

    It's a hot day — a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water are a must. Rain is expected — don't forget a rain jacket or a waterproof shell.