Rock bass are a waste of time.
Go up to Winthrop Harbour, it's only an hour from Chicago. Fishing Lake Michigan in the shadow of skyscrapers can be a drag, but I'll take it over fishing the suburbs anyday. At least Lake Michigan provides a natural barrier to all the urban and suburban sprawl. In the burbs, there is nothing to stop the never-ending development. It surrounds you, and thoroughly destroys any decent river.