Navy Pier/Lake Michigan - December 6, 2025

The last outing of the season certainly did not produce the best results of the year. No fish were landed by the 2 club members and 2 guests who fished the Navy Pier area on Lake Michigan. Despite this outcome, the club can take the results in stride knowing they weren’t the only ones skunked that day on the water, as no fish were landed by any of the other fisherman out that morning! Making the results even more frustrating was the repeated sound and sight of large fish jumping at the pier throughout the morning. While definitely not the best outing in terms of points, it was still a great time being out on the water with fellow club members and friends. This outing marks the end of the 2025 season and the club looks forward to some great fishing in the coming 2026 season!

Lake Wisconsin - November 1 - 2, 2025

Lake Wisconsin once again proved to be one of the highpoints of the season. 12 club members fished this outing and weather conditions were overall very favorable with some cloud cover and light wind. Many fish of multiple different species were caught - something not uncommon for this lake - with a total of 333 points earned for this outing! The fish landed for points include: 54 Sauger, 11 Drum, 9 Crappie, 5 Perch, 4 Walleye, 3 White Bass, 1 Smallmouth, & 1 Sturgeon. The Big Fish award for the target species went to Al Silcroft who boated a very nice 17” Walleye. However, even more exciting was the massive 51” Sturgeon that was also landed by Al Silcroft. This breast was caught using mere 8lb test line in a legendary fight that lasted over half an hour! Not only was this fish the biggest of the outing, but it currently stands as the Big Fish of the entire season! The club looks forward to once again returning Lake Wisconsin next season.

Al Silcroft and his BEAST 51” Sturgeon from Lake Wisconsin!

Lake Koshkenong - October 11-12, 2025

A very respectable multi-species catch was had by the 11 club members who participated in this outing. The Walleye/Sauger bite (the target species of the outing) was decent, but not stellar. However, the Bass, Panfish, and Catfish bite helped fill out respectable bag for a total of 326 points! The qualifying fish include: 28 White Bass, 13 Smallmouth, 11 Walleye, 7 Drum, 6 Rock Bass, 4 Catfish, 3 Sauger, 3 Largemouth, 2 Perch, and 1 Yellow Bass. Some very nice Bass and hefty Catfish were landed. The Big Fish award of the outing went to Matt Biggerstaff who landed a beautiful 29.25” Catfish - with said fish currently topping the leaderboards as the Big Fish of the entire season!

Mikey Olszewski, Jr. with a nice Largemouth caught on Lake Koshkenong! This fish demonstrates the quality of Bass caught on this outing.

Private Walleye Lake - September 14, 2025

This was another day of bluebird skies and hot weather for the club as 17 members fished this private walleye lake once again. Walleye fishing was not spectacular on this occasion. However, a multi-species bag of fish was still caught for points. In total, 2 Walleye, 2 Largemouth Bass, 15 Bluegill, 1 Crappie, and 10 Yellow Bass were boated by the club. The Big Fish award of the outing was won by Mikey Olszewski, Jr., who landed a very solid 25” Walleye!

Powers Lake - August 23, 2025

Bad weather cannot be blamed on the below average catch for this outing. 7 club members fished Power Lake and the weather could not have been more pleasant. However, the catch consisted or mostly small Largemouth, with 7 qualifying for points. The big fish award was split between Lou DiNicola and Greg Sanders, each of whom netted at 14” Largemouth.

Independence Grove - August 9, 2025

The club faced difficult fishing conditions on this outing and the fish would not cooperate. 10 club members and 1 guest attended the outing and 2 Largemouth and 1 Pumpkinseed were caught for points. While certainly not representative of the fishing potential of this lake, John Medved won the big fish contest of the outing with a 13” Largemouth. All club members are confident better fishing is ahead as the summer heat starts to cool.

Lake Delavan - July 26, 2025

Bad weather and poor fishing conditions were again faced by the club on this outing. Even though fish were landed by the 7 club members and 1 guest, the catch did not compare to past outings on this lake. Fish that qualified for points include 1 Largemouth, 2 Northern Pike, 1 Rock Bass, and 10 Bluegill. Having faced challenging fishing conditions on a number of the past outings, we are hopeful to enjoy better weather and an improved bite for the remaining outings of the year!

Round Lake - July 12, 2025

The club had some decent fishing on Round Lake this year. Weather conditions transitioned throughout the outing, beginning sunny and clam until more wind and cloud cover developed later in the day. Bass and panfish were the catch of the day for the 12 club members who attended this outing. Many Bass and Panfish were landed and 19 Largemouth Bass, 1 Smallmouth Bass, 1 Catfish, 4 Crappie, 3 Bluegill, and 2 Perch qualified for points. Some standout first were the 3 9” Bluegill landed by Mikey Olszewski Jr., and a big 20.5” Largemouth Bass landed by Stew Fishman, when ended up winning the big fish contest of the day! All and all, it was a decent day on the wat

Silver Lake - June 28, 2025

High heat and blue bird skies strike the club again. Challenging conditions could not stop the outing as 5 club members fished Silver Lake even with the odds stacked heavily against them. Both Largemouth Bass and Panfish were caught, but, only 5 Bluegill qualified for points. On a more positive note however, club member Mike Olszewski, Jr. demonstrated that much better fishing is to be had on this body of water. Throwing nothing by a large musky inline spinner the entire outing, he had 5 large muskies follow his bait back to the boat, but unfortunately, none were tempted to strike!

Private Bass Lake - June 14, 2025

11 club members and 1 guest got into some good fishing this Saturday! Overcast skies and light wind added up to great fishing weather. Many Largemouth were caught, including 25 qualifying for points. Of those, 5 Largemouth were 18” or larger, and Greg Sanders landed a 20” beauty, winning the big fish contest for this outing! Besides the Largemouth bite, the following fish were additionally boated for points: 12 Crappies, 3 Bluegills, and 1 Perch. Fishing the defined weed edge was very productive and this pattern should continue to produce as the summer heats up. This local spot continues to produce some good fishing for the Club and we look forward to returning next year!

Lake Elizabeth - May 31, 2025

Cold weather did not hold back the Libertyville Fishing Club as 11 members hit the water on Lake Elizabeth. Even with unfavorable weather conditions, some nice fish of multiple species were landed for points, namely 17 Largemouth Bass, 2 Walleye, 2 Northern Pike, and 1 Bluegill. Live bait was productive but crankbaits and soft plastics baits also produced results. Many other fish were caught that did not qualify for points but some of the standout fish landed for points include a solid 17” Largemouth caught by Stew Fishman, and a nice 25” Northern Pike netted by Lou DiNicola, (a very respectable Pike for that body of water!) As predicted, rising water temps should result in more active fish and better outing results as early summer begins.

Private Northern Illinois Walleye Lake - May 17, 2025

There was a decent bite for the 16 club members and 2 guests who fished a private walleye lake in northern Illinois. In the face of overcast weather and mild wind 15 Largemouth Bass, 9 Walleye, 2 Bluegill, 2 Crappie, and 5 Yellow Bass were caught for points with many other Largemouth and Panfish landed that did not qualify. Lou DiNicola brought home the Big Fish award with a nice 24” Walleye, and Matt Biggerstaff landed a 17” Largemouth bass to round out the highlights of the outing.

Chain O' Lakes - April 19, 2025

Seven club members and one guest fished the Chain with some fish biting. The Sky was overcast and there were slight drizzles of rain - great walleye fishing conditions - but bites for the target species were tough going. Nevertheless, 2 walleye, 7 bluegill, 5 crappie, and 2 yellow bass were caught for points. John Medved landed the big fish of the outing with a nice 19” walleye! Water temps are warming up this spring and fishing should continue to improve in future outings.

Independence Grove Forest Preserve - March 15, 2025

Gale force winds could not dissuade 7 club members from hitting the water at Independence Grove Forest Preserve. Even in the midst of bad weather 2 Largemouth Bass and 11 Crappie were caught for points, with the largest coming in at 14” and 12” respectively.

Lake Koshkonong - October 4-6, 2024

Seventeen club members and one guest fished in pleasant but windy weather. Due to the wind, most of us stayed in the river fishing bridge footings and rock piles. We caught 51 walleye, 4 sauger, 5 smallmouth bass, 1 largemouth bass, 1 northern pike, 3 channel catfish, and a bunch of panfish that were of scoreable size. Fishing was steady but challenging, with sporadic flurries as schools moved through.  The water was warm for October, so that might have affected the action.

Fox Chain - April 20, 2024

Thirteen club members fished our first boat outing of the year. It was very cold and windy, but we managed to catch 25 fish that qualified for points under our scoring system. Jig/minnow or blade baits caught most of the fish. We caught 9 walleye, 2 catfish, 1 smallmouth bass, 2 white bass, 9 yellow bass, and 2 crappie. Ward won big fish honors with a 24.75” walleye.

Our next outing is 5/4 on Lake Michigan for coho.

Rock River - April 6, 2024

Nine club members fished the Rock River outing, most from shore but two by boat. The weather was nice, but with all the recent rain the river level was high and the current was strong. We mostly used 3-way river rigs with 1.5-2 ounces of weight to maintain bottom contact. We caught 13 walleyes in the 15" - 16 3/4" range, and Jason Cashmore won the big fish honors with the 16 3/4 incher. 

The next outing is April 20 on the Fox Chain.