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

Loading map…
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

    Cloudy: 61–97 °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.

WednesdaySeptember 9weather-based forecast
59/100medium activity

Cloudy: 73–100 °F

  • FridaySeptember 11weather-based forecast
    56/100medium activity

    Cloudy: 61–86 °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

    11 SepFriday, September 11

    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
    • Pike9/10
    • Lake trout8/10
    • Smallmouth bass8/10
    • Steelhead8/10
    • Walleye8/10
    • White bass8/10
    • Yellow perch8/10
    • Black crappie7/10
    • Muskellunge7/10
    • White crappie7/10
    • Whitefish6/10
    • Chinook salmon5/10
    • Largemouth bass5/10
    • Blue catfish4/10
    • Bluegill4/10
    • Carp4/10
    • Channel catfish4/10
    • Flathead catfish4/10
    • Rainbow trout4/10
    Bite activity:highmediumlow
    How this forecast is calculated
    11 SepFriday, September 11
    +84°

    Cloudy · feels like +83°

    Low / high
    +61°…+90°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    7 mph SE
    Cloud cover
    92%
    Humidity
    34%
    Pressure
    30.06 inHg
    00:00+66°—8 mpheast wind, 8 mph70%88%
    01:00+65°—8 mphnortheast wind, 8 mph75%82%
    02:00+64°—8 mpheast wind, 8 mph79%79%
    03:00+63°—8 mpheast wind, 8 mph82%77%
    04:00+62°—8 mpheast wind, 8 mph83%74%
    05:00+61°—8 mpheast wind, 8 mph84%66%
    06:00+61°—8 mpheast wind, 8 mph83%58%
    07:00+62°—7 mpheast wind, 7 mph79%53%
    08:00+66°—7 mpheast wind, 7 mph68%56%
    09:00+72°—7 mpheast wind, 7 mph54%64%
    10:00+77°—7 mpheast wind, 7 mph43%72%
    11:00+81°—7 mphsoutheast wind, 7 mph37%82%
    12:00+84°—7 mphsoutheast wind, 7 mph34%92%
    13:00+86°—8 mphsoutheast wind, 8 mph31%100%
    14:00+88°—8 mphsoutheast wind, 8 mph29%100%
    15:00+90°—9 mphsoutheast wind, 9 mph27%100%
    16:00+90°—9 mphsoutheast wind, 9 mph27%100%
    17:00+88°—8 mphsoutheast wind, 8 mph28%99%
    18:00+85°—7 mphsouth wind, 7 mph31%97%
    19:00+82°—6 mphsouth wind, 6 mph35%93%
    20:00+78°—6 mphsoutheast wind, 6 mph40%86%
    21:00+74°—7 mphsoutheast wind, 7 mph46%77%
    22:00+71°—9 mpheast wind, 9 mph51%67%
    23:00+69°—9 mpheast wind, 9 mph53%57%
    +90°+75°+61°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Friday, September 11
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:33
    Sunset
    19:10
    Day length
    12 h 37 min
    Sunshine hours
    12 h 4 min
    UV index
    5
    moderate
    Moon
    New moon
    Moonrise
    07:03
    Moonset
    19:19

    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

    +14% in the windowFriday, September 11
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Major00:00–01:54Moon underfoot
    • Minor06:33–07:33Moonrise
    • Major12:17–14:17Moon overhead
    • Minor18:49–19:49Moonset

    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

    Look for drop-offs and gaps in the weeds, retrieve slowly, lingering over promising spots.

    Lures

    In clear water, natural colors work best: crankbait or spoon.

    Gear

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