Chicago Park District
Fishing Programs and Information
This website is full of information that can make your fishing more enjoyable and rewarding.
I'm Bob Long, Jr., "The Fishin' Guy!" with the Chicago Park District. I'm a fly and spin fisherman, and my two loves are steelhead and smallmouth.
I also take kids fishing as the Coordinator of Mayor Daley's Fish`N Kids Program of the Chicago Park District. Lot's of kids. In 2008 the Fishin' Guys & Gals (Fishing Instructors) of the Program took 10,400 kids fishing. 90% of them caught at least one fish. We supply the rods, reels, bait and Fishing Instructors: no charge. Free.
This year, we have already (as of April 21) scheduled 12,000 participants for fishing between June 22 and August 28. Yeah, 12,000.
I am hoping "fishingchicago.org" will inform you aout many of the fishing opportunities in the City of Chicago. We are among the luckiest of big cities in the world to have such a wealth of fishing available, right on our doorsteps. With 11 stocked lagoons, a reviving Chicago River, 22 miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan, access in eight harbors (courtesy of the good people at Westrec Marinas) and along the north side of Navy Pier (courtesy of the Navy Pier Authority), we are looking and fishing good.
We have a lot of fish to pursue: Coho and Chinook Salmon, Steelhead and Brown Trout, Yellow Perch, Smallmouth, Largemouth and Rock Bass, Bluegill, Crappie, Carp and Channel Catfish. That constitutes a fishery that lasts 12 months of the year.
We hope that you will be willing to put in the time and effort to get to know fishing in Chicago. And, you'll meet a lot of nice people - after all, aren't fishermen among the nicest people in the world?
But our world of fishing is changing. Many of today's young and young-to-middle-aged adults don't fish, and never have. Local bait shops are somewhat endangered and overwhelmed by the big boys. To keep fishing strong and visible, YOU will have to be involved. Involved in keeping bait shops alive, tackling issues of access to the water, parking within reach of the water, and in all of the other mundane and down-and-dirty, pain-in-the-butt issues that every user group in this City has to be involved in o keep their resources open and available.
And, help a kid learn to fish, will ya? Help them catch a Goby, if nothing else (and they are easy and fun to catch - a great first fish).
For more information about the fishing programs sponsored by Mayor Daley's Fish`N Kids Program of the Chicago Park District and Mayor Daley's Fishing Advisory Committee (Mayor Office of Special Events), call Bob Long, Jr., "The Fishin' Guy!" at (312) 742-4969.
For more information about your Chicago Park District call(312) 742-PLAY or (312) 747-2001 (TTY) or visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com.
A listing of bait shops and contact numbers is also listed on this site.
Visit here throughout the fishing season for the latest information on fishing programs and events.
City of Chicago
Richard M. Daley, Mayor
Chicago Park District
Board of Commissioners
Chicago Park District
Timothy J. Mitchell, General Superintendent & CEO
Mayor Daley’s Fishing Advisory Committee
Tom Gray, Chairman
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