Still good fishing before the freeze

For all those dedicated die-hards who would rather dill away to their heart's content on a favorite lake, hang in there because the ice fishing season is fast approaching.

I know ice fishing is not for everyone. I also know there is a large contingent of anglers who would rather be in their ice tents than sitting in a boat and experiencing a sweltering summer day.

Reports from Ontario and far northern Minnesota tell me that the bite is already on some of the smaller lakes with unbelievable catches of jumbo perch and monster crappies.

If Mother Nature would just stop teasing us with a taste of cold weather one day and then a fast defrosting period, maybe we can get down to business.

In the meantime ...

There's still some very decent soft-water angling happening in the area:

Fox Chain: Two muskies in a day would satisfy many muskie hunters. The fish came from the northern lakes of the Chain. They were caught by Randy, a Lake Villa angler who has been targeting fish on Channel Lake and Lake Catherine. Look for fairly good crappie activity on Lake Marie and Petite Lake. Try the 10-foot depths.

Fox River: Angling has slowed a bit, but a few walleyes have been caught near the McHenry Dam.

Lake Michigan: Paul Ingles reports perch activity near Navy Pier this week. A few perch have been caught off Government Pier in Waukegan. Brown trout are still shallow there as well.

• Mike Jackson's radio program can be heard Sunday mornings from 6-7 a.m. on WSBC 1240-AM.