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Fox River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Chicagoland's smallmouth spine: a dam-to-dam river reborn, where bronze thrives between bike paths and the walleye ride the tailraces.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Gauge
1.66 ft
Air / High
90 / 91 F
Wind
S 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 05550000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Fox River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 9 mph, steady pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 91. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 83 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Fox River at Algonquin.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp90 F
High / Low91 / 73 F
WindS 9-13 mph
Pressure1011.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 10%
Sunrise / Sunset06:22 / 19:22
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 91/73 F, wind 15 mph, rain 10%

Fair or better. A 15 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Fox River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

When to come: the Fox River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Fox River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 88 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 92 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 91 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Illinois requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Illinois license. Smallmouth: catch-and-release zones on stretches: check IDNR. Dam safety zones marked.

Access

Forest-preserve accesses and the Fox River Trail, Algonquin to Yorkville; Dayton dam (lower).

About this water

115 Illinois miles to the Illinois River, Chicagoland's smallmouth spine.

Fishing Fox River: the full guide

The suburban comeback

The Fox threads Chicago's western suburbs dam by dam: a river that cleaned up into one of Illinois' best smallmouth fisheries: bronze in every riffle from Algonquin to Yorkville, walleye stacking the tailwaters, and a bike-path culture that puts a million people within a cast of good water.

Bronze between the dams

The smallmouth program runs the pools: riffle-run pockets (tubes, Neds, topwater in summer's low flows), current seams below every dam, and wading that shirt-sleeve summer evenings were made for. Fish average 12-15 inches with 18s honest: the Yorkville-to-Sheridan lower miles fish biggest and wildest.

Tailrace walleye and the mix

Each dam's tailrace holds walleye and the odd sauger (jigs in spring, dusk stickbaits year-round: Dayton's dam on the lower river is the storied stand), with channel cats everywhere, pike in the slack bends, and white bass runs pulsing spring riffles. The river fishes multi-species by design.

Path-side practicalities

Access is Chicagoland-easy: forest preserve lots and the Fox River Trail ladder the banks: canoe liveries run the pools: and dam safety is absolute (respect the boils and the barriers: they take lives). Our Algonquin gauge reads the river's mood: under 1,000 CFS wades beautifully.

Common questions

Is the Fox River clean enough to fish?

The recovery is real: smallmouth thrive and the river anchors suburban fishing culture. Consumption advisories exist (check IDNR): the catch-and-release bronze game runs guilt-free.

Where should I start on the Fox?

Any dam pool: walleye below, smallmouth in the first riffles down. The Yorkville-to-Sheridan lower river adds size and scenery for float days.

Is fishing good at Fox River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Fox Chain O’Lakes17 miFox Lake18 miLake Geneva30 miDelavan Lake35 miLake Michigan (Chicago)40 miShabbona Lake41 mi
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