Chicago Park District Fishing Programs and Information

This website is full of information that can make your fishing more enjoyable and rewarding.

Fishing Chicago

There are many 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 well.

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?

Chicago is unique among the largest cities in the United States – few have as many local bait and tackle shops as we do.

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.

Fishing is spoken in these little gems and the existence, partnership, and cooperation of these bait and tackle shops are crucial to the way we fish in Chicago and to our fishing opportunities throughout the fishing season.

Give them your support. These brick-and-mortar establishments know local fishing better than anyone else: where the fish are bitin’, and on what. Give them a call, or better yet, pay them a visit, and drop a few dollars when you do.

And, help a kid learn to fish, will ya? Get them a budget fishing rod and a matching reel. Help them catch a Goby if nothing else (and they are easy and fun to catch – a great first fish).

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 issues that every user group in this City has to be involved in to keep their resources open and available.

For more information about the fishing programs sponsored by the Chicago Park District and Fishing Advisory Committee visit Chicago Park District.

Chicago Bait Shops

Chicago is unique among the largest cities in the United States – few have as many local bait and tackle shops as we do.

Fishing is spoken in these little gems and the existence, partnership, and cooperation of these bait and tackle shops is crucial to the way we fish in Chicago and to our fishing opportunities throughout the fishing season. Give them your support!

These brick-and-mortar establishments know local fishing better than anyone else: where the fish are bitin’, and on what. Give them a call, or better yet, pay them a visit (they still have that wonderful “fishing scent” to them), and drop a few dollars when you do.

You will miss them when they are gone.

Dan’s Tackle Service, 2237 W. McLean

Henry’s Sports and Bait, 3130 S. Canal St.

Mac’s Live Bait, 2322 ½ E. 75th St.

Park Bait Company, 600 W. Montrose Ave.

R & B Bait and Tackle Shop,  5558 W. Harrison St.

Scottie’s Bait Shop, 1442 S. Pulaski Rd.

Vet’s Live Bait, 10150 S. Indianapolis Blvd.

Please call first as shop hours may vary by season.

Personal and Charter Boat Fishing General Information

As the summer progresses, salmon, trout, and perch move farther out into Lake Michigan, and smallmouth often move out of the harbors.

Boats can be launched from Calumet Park, Jackson Park, Burnham and Diversey Harbors, and 95th Street at Calumet Park. You can also go out with a professional charter boat captain on one of the many fully equipped charter boats.

Call the Chicago Sportfishing Association or Capt. Al “The Fisherman’s Pal” Skaleche, in Burnham Harbor. Westrec Marinas can be contacted for information on launch fees in the Harbors

Visit here throughout the fishing season for the latest information on fishing programs.