Park Bait Co.

05/09/2026

Fishing might be slow but the sunrise is worth it.

05/08/2026

FRIDAY MAY 8TH, WELL ITS BEEN A SLOW WEEK. OFF AND ON RAIN AS WELL AS UP AND DOWN TEMPERATURES KEPT A LOT OF PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE LAKEFRONT. THE ONLY FISH CAUGHT THAT I KNOW OF ARE SMALLMOUTH. THEY ARE STILL HITTING PRETTY GOOD IN AND AROUND THE CHICAGO HARBORS. LIVE BAIT BEING USED, LARGE GOLDEN SHINERS, NITRO WORMS AND LEECHES ALSO PLASTICS SUCH AS NED RIGS, TUBE JIGS, SOME SPOONS , ETC… A FEW LARGEMOUTH HAVE BEEN CAUGHT TOO. NO COHO OR TROUT TO REPORT IN THIS AREA BUT I’VE HEARD THAT WAUKEGAN IS DOING GOOD. RACINE AND KENOSHA ARE GOOD FOR THE BOATERS NOT SURE ABOUT THE SHORE FISHING. PERCH SEASON IS CLOSED AND WILL OPEN BACK UP JUNE 16th SO CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY! LOOKS LIKE THE WEATHER IS GOING TO GET A LITTLE MORE STABLE, LETS HOPE! AS IT GETS NICER OUT, GET UP AND GET OUT! YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T CATCH EM FROM THE COUCH! AS ALWAYS CALL FOR YOUR UP TO THE MINUTE REPORT WE TELL IT AS WE HEAR!

05/07/2026

My father loved this pier! I love that I get to look at it everyday!

The pier is old and needs work. Hoping it can get done in the future.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=122189090120909464&set=a.122100701066909464&type=3

Montrose Beach Pier, known locally as "The Horseshoe," is more than just a scenic walkway; it is a vital piece of coastal engineering that defines the north side of Chicago’s lakefront.

Its distinctive "fishhook" shape was intentionally designed to manipulate the natural southward current of Lake Michigan, known as littoral drift. By extending out and curving back toward the shore, the pier acts as a giant trap that "captures" moving sand.

This process has allowed Montrose to become Chicago's largest public beach, as the sand builds up behind the pier rather than being swept away by erosion.Beyond its utility, the pier and its surrounding point have a layered history that many visitors never realize.

The area directly adjacent to the pier was once a high-security Nike missile site during the Cold War.

To camouflage the military base, the Army planted dense rows of Japanese honeysuckle, which unexpectedly turned the site into a world-class migratory bird sanctuary now known as the "Magic Hedge."

However, the pier also serves as a somber reminder of Lake Michigan's power; it was the site of a tragic 1954 "seiche"—a freak 10-foot wall of water that swept several fishermen away, leading to the installation of the safety railings seen today.

05/06/2026

Ernesto is a good friend of the shop and definitely just an overall great guy! We all know fishing is definitely good for our well being!

First Responder Mental Wellness Fishing Event

04/30/2026

Thursday April 30th, Let Me Start By Saying Based On The Crap Weather Still In The Forecast We Will Not Change Our Hours Yet. At Least For This Week They Will Stay 6am To 7pm And Lets Hope The Weather Decides To Get Better Soon.

Ok With That Being Said Here’s The Fishing Report!

Coho Are Hit Or Miss. When The Winds Are Out Of The North/Northeast They Have Been Biting Which Is Truthfully Normal For This Time Of The Year. I Had A Report From A Guy On The Horseshoe Tuesday That Was Using Night Crawlers With A Tiny Hook On A Bobber Had 4 And Then Another Report On Wednesday From Powerline Had A Limit. They Are Around You Just Have To Find Em. I Think A Few Alewives Are Starting To Move Closer Which Should Bring The Fish Closer And Get Them More Active. Time Will Tell. Change Up Your Baits, Depths And Areas. If Your Up For Taking A Ride Try Waukegan, I’ve Heard The Bite Is Good Up There. My Father Loved Fishing Waukegan At This Time Of The Year Back In The Day!
There Are Still Brown Trout Catches Being Reported. Large Minnows, Night Crawlers, Spawn Sacs, Cut Bait (Shad),Etc… With A Few Nice Northern Pike In The Mix!

Smallmouth Action Has Been Pretty Solid On All The Usual Plastics As Well As Large Golden Shiner Minnows, Nitro Worms And Leeches Which Are Now In Stock!
There Have Also Been Some Perch Caught A Few Jumbos As Well As A Few D***s. Not Many Have Been Targeting Perch Based On The Weather But Nice To See A Few. The Perch Season Closes May 1st And Opens Back On June 16th.

As We Try To Navigate This Weather, Get Up And Get Out When You Can Because Remember, You Can’t Catch Em From The Couch! As Always Call For Your Up To The Minute Report We Tell It As We Hear It. Have A Great Week!
We Added A New Tool For The Shop Last Fall Right Before We Closed For The Season Just To Get A Start And Have It Ready For This Year So Here It Is. Scan The QR Code And Keep Up To Date On When The Fishing Report Is Posted. Eventually We Will Add Other Stuff Such As Specials And Other Announcements. Hope You Like It! Click On The Link Or Scan The QRCode Here.
It Can Also Be Accessed On Our Website .com At The Bottom Where You Can Scan It Or Hit The Link. Thank You!

https://myhubsuite.com/r/viral/oTRstg

04/30/2026

Based on the weather we will be keeping our hours as is for the next week for sure.
6am to 7pm.

04/24/2026

Leeches are in stock.

04/24/2026

FISHING REPORT
By
Stacey Greene
04/24/2026
FRIDAY APRIL 24TH, THIS WEATHER! EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT BUT OTHER THAN THE WEATHER THERE ARE A FEW OTHER REASONS FISHING FOR COHO HAS BEEN A DIFFERENT THIS YEAR. FIRST IN 2024 THEY HAD PROBLEMS AT THE HATCHERY WITH THE COHO EGGS. THE IDNR USUALLY STOCKS ABOUT 300,000 COHO AND WERE ONLY ABLE TO STOCK JUST UNDER 88,000. 2025 HAD SOME HATCHING ISSUES ALSO BUT NOT AS BAD BUT STOCK WAS DOWN BY ABOUT 50,000. THESE ARE QUITE SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS FOR A FISH THAT ONLY HAVE A 3 TO 4 YEAR LIFE CYCLE. NOW WITH THIS BEING SAID THEY DID UP THE STOCKING NUMBERS IN 2024 SIGNIFICANTLY FOR STEELHEAD AND RAINBOW TROUT. THEY ALSO STOCKED MORE CHINOOK AS WELL AS BROWN TROUT. ON TO THE NEXT, THE WEATHER HAS BEEN SWINGING LIKE A PENDULUM. WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO HAVE 2 DAYS CLOSE TO THE SAME. THE GOOD THING IS IT IS KEEPING WATER TEMPS LOW SO THE SEASON SHOULD LAST A FEW MORE WEEKS BECAUSE IT IS KEEPING THE BAITFISH OUT. I HAVE FINALLY HEARD THERE ARE BAITFISH ABOUT 20 TO 30 FOOT OF WATER SO MY THOUGHTS ARE THEY SHOULD BE MOVING CLOSER BY THIS COMING WEEK. THAT WILL DEPEND ON WHAT MOTHER NATURE HAS IN STORE. SO NOW WITH ALL THIS BEING SAID MY REPORT IS: COHO WAS SLOW BUT STILL MOSTLY ON POWERLINES USING LARGE MINNOWS AND NIGHT CRAWLERS MOSTLY AND POSSIBLY SOME CUT SHAD. BROWN TROUT HAVE BEEN BEING CAUGHT UP AND DOWN THE LAKEFRONT, MOSTLY LAKESIDE NOT MUCH INSIDE THE HARBORS THAT I HAVE HEARD. THE HORSESHOE HAS BEEN PRETTY GOOD TOO. THEY ARE HITTING LARGE SHINERS, LARGE FATHEAD MINNOWS, NIGHT CRAWLERS, SPAWN SACS, ETC… A FEW FISH HAVE BEEN CAUGHT CASTING, THAT SHOULD PICK UP AS THE BAITFISH MOVE CLOSER. SOME STEELHEAD HERE AND THERE IN THE HARBORS. USE A HAIR JIG WITH A WAX WORM AND WORK THE BOTTOM. SMALLMOUTH ARE VERY ACTIVE RIGHT NOW. THEY ARE BEING CAUGHT UP AND DOWN THE LAKEFRONT ON ALL THE USUALL BAITS, PLASTICS AS WELL AS SOME LIVE BAITS. NO PERCH TO REPORT BUT WITH THIS INCONSISTENT WEATHER THEY WOULD NOT BE AROUND ANYWAY. QUITE A FEW NICE NORTHERNS BEING CAUGHT IN AND AROUND THE HARBORS.

OUR HOURS WILL BE CHANGING SOON. FOR THE REST OF APRIL HOURS ARE 6AM TO 7PM

STARTING MAY 1ST HOURS WILL BE 5AM TO 8PM

AS WE ALWAYS SAY YOU CAN’T CATCH EM FROM THE COUCH SO GET UP AND GET OUT. AS ALWAYS CALL FOR YOUR UP TO THE MINUTE REPORT WE TELL IT AS WE HEAR IT!

04/15/2026

Nitro worms are in stock now!

04/12/2026

Sunday April 12th, Coho Doing Good. Lots Of Nice Brown Trout Being Caught Too. Powerliners Doing Better Than Rod And Reel, But We Have Had A Few Reports Of Fish Being Caught With Rod And Reel. The Water Is Warming Up So Hopefully Soon The Bait Fish Will Start Moving In And They Will Be Closer To Shore. They Have Been Hitting Large Minnows And Night Crawlers As Well As Some Shrimp And Spawn Sacs. It Seems Night Crawlers Have Been Working Best Most Days. All The Harbors Have About The Same Reports. A Few Smallmouth Are Starting To Hit. As The Water Warms Up They Should Start Getting More Active. The Usual Baits For Them, Ned Rigs, Senko Worms, Tubes, Crankbaits, Live Worms, Nitro And Night Crawlers, Etc…No Perch Reports.

We Are Changing Our Closing Hours. New Hours Are 6am To 6pm 7 Days A Week.

As The Weather Gets Nicer Get Up And Get Out! You Can’t Catch Em From The Couch!
As Always Call For Your Up To The Minute Report, We Tell It As We Hear It!