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What’s New Aboard Spendthrift Charters for 2025 Many years back a survey was taken among people who use guides and charter boats for fishing. The results amazed us and helped us to prepare our business model around the results. First on the survey results was staying safe, followed by friendly guides, followed by nice boats, […]
Delicious Fresh Caught Lake Michigan Coho Salmon Why do fisherman prefer fresh caught salmon? It is definitely is more than the just the sport of fishing that keeps people fishing for coho salmon year after year. Fresh caught coho salmon has a flavor that is unmatched. Salmon swimming in the wild of Lake Michigan feed […]
Coho Salmon - Chicago Area Fishing Coho salmon, Lake Michigan, and Chicagoland fishing go together as well as peanut butter, jelly, and Wonder Bread. The Coho salmon was introduced to the Great Lakes in 1966. Coho salmon made Lake Michigan famous for fishing because of the plentiful numbers. In the late 70’s thru the 1980’s […]
Being a Chicagoland fishing charter captain is not as easy as it appears. After a long hard season of working two trips a day almost every day of spring and summer you would think a captain would want to kick back and relax. What do most Chicago area captains do on their off season? They […]
2024 Chicagoland Charter Season - It’s a Wrap 2024 Recap 2024 was one of the best fishing seasons we’ve seen in decades. Big coho, King Salmon, and Lake trout were in abundance depending upon the time of year. If you fished with us during the 2024 season we thank you from the bottom of our […]
20 Facts surrounding the Port of Waukegan and Fishing Lake Michigan At Spendthrift Charters we host guests form from far and close. The most amazing thing we find is how little anyone knows about Lake Michigan and more specifically where we fish. Hopefully this blog will enhance your knowledge of the lake so you can […]
Chicago Area Fishing - Lake Trout Unless you are a Lake Michigan angler, you may not know that Chicago area waters of Lake Michigan produce more lake trout than the majority of other ports around the lake. The Lake Trout is the only native species to Lake Michigan that recreational and charter fisherman catch. You […]
The Salmon are Massive in Chicago’s Southern Basin of Lake Michigan - Why? A Charter Captains Perspective. 2024 marks the best salmon fishing we’ve seen as charter boat captains in Chicago’s southern basin in decades. Both the quantity and a size of the fish are increased trip after trip with no apparent end in sight. […]
Fishing the Lake Michigan Transition - Chicago Fishing the Lake Michigan transition in Chicago area waters is simply based on an understanding of water temperatures and what the this fish are doing. Patterns of the fish given the time of day and movements based on prevailing winds can be tricky to understand. However, once we […]
Salmon fishing in Chicagoland can provide for some excellent salmon catches and plenty of fish for multiple recipes. Now that we’ve been filling the freezers with fresh Lake Michigan salmon, we thought we’d share a few of our favorite recipes with you. Some recipes are smoked so if you don’t have access to a smoker; […]
Kayak Fishing Lake Michigan - Illinois Waters Kayak Fishing Lake Michigan can be an excellent adventure and provide for bountiful catches. The Illinois waters of Lake Michigan are some of the best multi species fishing waters of the lake. We have a great fishery for salmon, trout, perch, pike, bass, and panfish. However, there are […]
Shore Fishing Lake Michigan Near Me To start out, Spring is the perfect time of year for anglers without a boat to capitalize on shore fishing Lake Michigan anywhere near them. Shore fishing can come in the form of fishing from structures, such as; harbors, piers, and break walls. The second form resembles surf fishing […]
Coho Salmon Fishing We know a lot of anglers, especially kayak anglers, like pulling crank baits for coho salmon fishing. They certainly have a place in cold water coho salmon fishing. However, once the surface temperature of the water reaches 42 degrees, dodger/fly combos will yield higher catch numbers. Insects start to hatch which closer […]
Working On A Charter Boat So you are thinking about working on a charter boat. It's not the glamorous, fun-filled life, as it would seem from the perspective of a charter boat guest. In fact, it is far from such a life. Now don't get me wrong, if you meet certain qualities you might be […]
Chicagoland's Premier Fishing Charter Welcome aboard Spendthrift Charters - Chicagoland's Premier Fishing Charter. Hello and Happy Holidays. With the holidays upon us, we'd like to thank all of our previous guests. From our family to yours, we hope that your holidays are great. May the New Year bring you all health and prosperity. Did you […]
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Welcome to Spendthrift Charters!
Frequently called the "Best Chicago Fishing Charters" in Chicagoland and proudly serving the Chicago and Waukegan, Illinois areas for over 40 years, Captain Jerry Nied has been chartering the finest of fishing trips. Spendthrift Charters is one of the largest fishing charter fishing vessels available on Lake Michigan today. We currently have three 39-ft Tiara ships to satisfy every fishing need, no matter the size of the group. Captain Jerry is a full time U.S. Coast Guard and licensed captain. Fishing charters are available 7 days a week. Call now for the next available Chicago fishing charter departure time!
Email: info@spendthriftcharters.com
Direct (847) 816-7390 | Mobile (847) 514-4276
Mail: 1091 West Dearborn Ln. Vernon Hills, IL. 60061
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