6/16/2023 Fishing Report Waukegan Harbor & Using Apps for Safety and Fun While Fishing

We have a great report from Waukegan Harbor for you all. We’ve fished all week and had catches from 20-30 fish per trip. The coho are getting bigger and the kings are getting feisty!

135’-180’ is where the action has been with most fish coming down 15’ - 45’ foot in the water column. Surface temps have varied between 56-58 degrees. Yellowbirds are still picking up a few fish each day, but the long lines, riggers and dipsys are definitely doing the bulk of the work. 

Here’s the best of the spread:

• Riggers are staggered between 25’ - 45’ Rigger 1 - at 25” with a orange stubble and 2” aqua slider has been good. 
• Rigger 2 at 35” with a 2 color SWR and a Moonshine RV Bloody Nose. Mimicing the 10 color lead.
• Rigger 3 at 45’ with a Michigan Stinger Stingray size NBK UV.
• 10 color lead with the Moonshine RV Bloody Nose is still going strong and has been for a couple weeks.
• 200” Copper is running in the strike zone too with a Moonshine RV Green Flounder
• Dipsy 1 were running a dragon slayer flasher with a Bullfrog fly back 90’ wireline mag diver.
• Dipsy 2 were running a chrome dodger w/ white and pearl fly back 100’ on braided with a 001 diver
• We have a 3 color lead core down the center (chute) with a orange stubby and 2” Blue/Green/Gold that’s been doing well too. 
• On sunny days the 2” Rapture trolling fly Green/Mirage can’t be beat with a 00 dodger behind the yellow bird, behind a stubby down 25” on a rigger, or the 3 color flat line. 

The shorter lead cores and yellow birds we’ve been running a variety of spoons and 2” slider flies depending on the light penetration in the water column. Cloudy vs. sunny etc.

Using Apps for Trip Planning, Safety, and Fun on the Water

Technology has come a long way and those of you with smart phones know that. Today were going to share with you the apps we use to forecast the weather, get live buoy data, and basically let us know if we’ll be fishing or not. Also, we use some apps for back-up to electronics failurer and couple fun ones we’ll share with you too. If you get these downloaded, there’s not much information that won’t be at your fingertips. Also, since the apps run off of cellular data they work many miles out on the lake. These apps are all nationwide so whereever you fish you may use them.

1. NOAA Buoy and Tide Data - This app allows for setting up a home buoy or find nearby buoys which will tell you GPS location, wind direction, wind speed, gust, wave height, atmospheric pressure, air temp, and water temp. It also has tidal data and moon phases. 
2. Great Lakes - This app allows you to choose any of the great lakes and offers NOAA charts on wave height, wind speeds and direction, and water temperature. These charts of the lake have forecast ability in 12 hour increments for days out. Additionally you’ll find nearshore and off shore forecasts and live webcams. Great for planning a trip!
3. My Radar - kinda obvious - Live radar data on incoming storms and offers alerts to imminent weather. Probably one of the most used apps on the water.
4. United States Coast Guard - An excellent app and a MUST HAVE for all things boater safety. Such as: State boating regs, request safety checks, safety equipment requirements by vessel size, float plans, rules of the road, NOAA Buoys, best of all is an Emergency Assistance button that alerts the USCG with GPS coordinates. 
5. Navionics Boating - This is an excellent App to use a backup to losing power to your graphs or other technical problems with instrumentation on the boat. It’ll do everything you GPS graphs do. 
6. Compass - This is another back up to losing power to/or malfunction of your graphs. If you don’t have a compass on the boat, this app will offer your heading when laying the phone flat.
7. Fishing Pro - probably one of the funnest apps to have one the boat. It offers a calendar of when peak fishing will occur, it allows you to photograph a fish and put in all kinds of information regarding the catch. Best of all, you can create a post right from the app to messages, Facebook, or Instagram. It's a great fish record/log app and fun to brag to your friends about the big catches. 
8. Fishing Knots - This app has animated directions to any kind of knot you can think of. It offers multiple to searches for the knot or offers knots by use. I.e. joining line, tying on hooks, etc. 
9. Place a bookmark on you phone or tablet to the NOAA & National Weather Service for your local www.marine.weather.gov. This bookmark will take you directly to your local marine zone forecast and knowledge of small craft advisories.

It is our hope that the use of these apps will help you in planning your fishing trips, staying safe on the water, and have some added fun while you’re waiting for the next bite!