CHICAGO RIVER AT COLUMBUS DRIVE AT CHICAGO, IL

CHICAGO RIVER IL USGS

CHICAGO RIVER AT COLUMBUS DRIVE AT CHICAGO, IL (05536123) is a real-time river monitoring station on the CHICAGO RIVER in IL, operated by the U.S. Geological Survey. Riverbot tracks its river conditions, including water level and keeps recent, datum-labelled water-level history for anglers. 35 fish species are associated with this station in public fish records.

USGS site number: 05536123
Operated by: U.S. Geological Survey
State: IL
Coordinates: 41.8884, -87.6212

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Fish recorded near this station

Community observations nearby

Chicago River At Columbus Drive At Chicago, Il has 35 fish species documented via iNaturalist research-grade observations within 10 km. These community-sourced records indicate fish presence in the vicinity.

Species include: Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris), Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus), Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), Goldfish (Carassius auratus), and 30 others.

Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus
Rock Bass Ambloplites rupestris
Brown Bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus
Freshwater Drum Aplodinotus grunniens
Goldfish Carassius auratus non-native
Longnose Sucker Catostomus catostomus
White Sucker Catostomus commersonii
European Carp Cyprinus carpio non-native
Amur Carp Cyprinus rubrofuscus
American Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum
Northern Pike Esox lucius
Banded Killifish Fundulus diaphanus
Blackstripe Topminnow Fundulus notatus
Threespine Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus
Spottail Shiner Hudsonius hudsonius
Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus
Common Sunfishes Lepomis
Green Sunfish Lepomis cyanellus
Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus
Pumpkinseed × Bluegill Lepomis gibbosus × macrochirus
Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus
Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu
Largemouth Bass Micropterus nigricans
Sand Shiner Miniellus stramineus
Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus non-native
Golden Shiner Notemigonus crysoleucas
Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch
Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss
Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Yellow Perch Perca flavescens
Bluntnose Minnow Pimephales notatus
Fathead Minnow Pimephales promelas
Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus
Brown Trout Salmo trutta
Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush

3 species above are flagged non-native or potentially invasive (Goldfish, European Carp, Round Goby). Records show what has been observed near this station, not what is native to the watershed.

Where these records come from

Evidence: Community observations nearby; Research-grade community observations (iNaturalist) recorded near this station, not a formal survey.
Records: 35 species; from 200 individual records
Observed: Aug 2, 2025 – Aug 12, 2026; 200 dated records

Sources

iNaturalist research-grade fish observations — 200 records