I am so exiting to admit the official spring announcement. Hi everyone! This is captain Anton. To all my customers - Welcome back! For all of you out there, man and women of all ages visiting Chicago – its great to have you here! For us the spring marks the beginning of the Salmon fishing season and we are so ready for it. Boat with all the equipment will be in the slip on time for the season “Grand Opening” on May 1st 2024. From that point its a game on till the end of September/October weather permitting. We are still operating from Montrose Harbor in Chicago - on “C” dock to be more specific. So bring your family and/or friends for one of a kind party on the water and yes – we can catch some fish along with it. I hope to see you there!

Captain Anton

Hello boys and girls! With winter slowly loosing it’s grip there is a question on everyone’s mind - when and where? Many of you know that the official opening of the boating season in the city of Chicago is May 1st . Boat will be on it’s slip right on time for the Coho season. Speaking about the slip we have not moved from where we were last year. Ones we discovered the beauty of Montrose harbor it was a game changer - we loved it and never moved anywhere anymore. It’s still “C” dock and for those of you, who have not been there at all it’s the third from the very and of the drive. So please mark your calendar and plan accordingly. We can accommodate as many as party of six for either a morning or an afternoon fishing trip – all fishing and safety gear provided. We’ll be happy to have all of you aboard!

Captain Anton 

Now that all the COVID scare is fading away, there is a real chance of getting back to normal. For us the passionate fisherman that means a lot. Let’s get ready to start the engines and explore the depths ones again! Please join me and become a part of one of the most exciting fishing experiences Lake Michigan has to offer! Now is the time to reserve your trip and make that dream of yours a reality. Call, text or book your trip online today!

What a fishing season it has been so far and it’s so sad that is already coming to an end! Regretfully Why Knot didn’t take it’s fare share of big “Kings”, like the one’s before due to the highly unusual turn of events. The fish that tipped the scale to slightly over 30 lbs was caught by a fellow fisherman in our very own fishing grounds not too long ago, just to remind us that good old days are not over yet. It will be very exciting to watch for the returning King salmon in the fall, when the water cools off, despite the unpredictable weather in the transition. If you are as passionate as we are come and join us – book your trip for the fall showdown.

We are almost there! Just a remainder that an year past we had a blast! Let’s see what this year is about to bring. Keep the fingers crossed! Get ahead of the cabin fever – give us a call before all trips are booked up!

We started the year early in the spring with plentiful of Coho salmon roaming the shoreline of just about every Chicago harbor. Like most fellow fisherman Why Knot enjoyed the bounty with some good numbers of Coho salmon in the fishing box. As the season progressed a variety of salmonid species became actively feeding including the elusive King salmon and Lake trout presenting the perfect opportunity for some good size fish to be caught. Mother Nature had some mood swings mid summer with gusty winds and choppy waters forcing small boat operators to wait ashore and watch the weather from the protection of the harbors. Early and late fall very few predominantly larger boats continued to chase the fish tales till the end of the season. It didn’t take much more than the cancellation of several fishing trips to come to a conclusion that bigger boat was the answer to ever changing weather pattern. Late August a decision was made that 339 Penn Yan Commander would be the correct solution in response to the new challenges the weather had to offer. With the new addition fishing would be definitely more exciting than ever and offer a lot more comfort and stile for the entire crew and passengers alike. Changes in fishing trips packages are pending to reflect the addition of the larger boat.

We have entered typical summer fishing patterns for Lake Michigan out of Chicago. We are averaging 8-12 fish per 6 hour trip. We are getting most of our fish in 95-135 feet of water due east of Chicago. The fish are getting fat with 8-15 lb fish being the norm. Our weekends are filling up fast. Give us a call or book online to reserve your trip!

Let me first thank Brian (the website previous owner) for the kind words of introduction and for the time he took from his busy schedule to walk me true to this website. It’s not an easy task to fill up the space already created with such craftsmanship and true passion for fishing adventures. Speaking of fishing with no further due I would like to share some good news about the great numbers of Coho salmon being caught in the recent couple of weeks. The fish quickly migrated from the south part of the lake in the month of late April and the beginning of May and made a quiet of appearance along the shore line in downtown Chicago. For those who targeted that species the reward was fish limits within an hour or two – for the power-liners and boaters alike. We were fortunate to take our fare share on our fishing trips with some mixed bags of lake trout, Coho and couple of big King salmon. Can’t get any better! Stay tuned for more since the season is getting in full swing and there is more fish to be caught!

The time has come to pass the business on to a fellow friend, captain, and avid angler. As of January 2019, Capt. Anton will be the new owner and operator of Why Knot Chicago Fishing Charters. I have the utmost confidence our customers over the past 5 years will enjoy every second on the water with Capt Anton. His 23 foot Key West walk around boat with a brand new Suzuki 250 is perfect for smaller groups. The future of Lake Michigan Salmon fishing is looking better every year and Chicago should continue to be one of the best places to fish throughout the year!

This monster King Salmon is hopefully one of many to come over the next few weeks out of downtown Chicago.  

The ports to the north of Chicago and into Wisconsin have been struggling lately to find good numbers of fish. That’s because all of the fish are in the Chicago waters right now feeding on the massive amount of bait that is around. We are getting spoiled. Fishing should remain spectacular through the end of August! We have limited weekends open and a few weekday spots open the next 2 weeks. Call, text, or go ahead and book online to get your fishing charter scheduled! Here are some more fish pics from this past week! 

Fishing just keeps getting better. I was worried the fish would scatter after yesterday’s strong winds and waves, but it actually made it even better! The coho salmon are stacked off downtown Chicago! Give us a call to book your trip. No one else works harder or goes the extra mile in Chicago than we do! Our passion is making sure everyone has fun! 

The past 4 days have been some of the best salmon fishing out of Chicago in the past 6 years! Don’t miss out. We have July 4 open and a couple other dates this week! Fill your freezers with fresh salmon! 

we found a ton of fish this afternoon! Lake Michigan really cooperated nicely today. We’ve got a few charter slots open next week. Give us a call and fill up your freezer with fresh Salmon! 

We’ve had consistent fishing over the past few days. Good reports of 10 to 20 fish per trip caught. The fish are putting on weight quick! July should be amazing fishing!