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mannym

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Lowell,IL
  • Interests
    Fishing, Hunting, Camping, Canoeing, Gardening.

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  1. Welcome. Good group of folks here.
  2. Just keep an eye on water levels.
  3. The main reason I got my scuba certificate this year was to be able to swim in LM looking at these big fish the lake has. Oh and ship wrecks too. Now I just need my "needs work" vintage wood yacht with twin 5.7 L mercruisers to refurbish and go!
  4. Sad part is, it won't last. Mother Nature will make it sexy again in a couple years. Permits are needed when doing anything to a named river/stream. Just saying.....
  5. Today is not a good day to wade......
  6. Probably could have fished a few spots, even a little shore fishing or canoe-kayak paddling. The hook that starts the clock all over again.
  7. Did you have BWCA related books? Lake superior shipwrecks?!
  8. I ask myself the same question every year when i have to wait till late summer to wade my favorite stretches. I believe the grade is the primary river characteristic that causes the big difference. I also believe the river doesn't see as much water after ag fields are well into the growing season. The crops along with drain tile lower the water table. So when we get a good rain, the fields act like a sponge and soak up more than it allows to run off. From my understanding, some of the best producing ag grounds fall within the watershed. Having worked in water management for a few years, I can assure you, there are miles and miles of tile in the watershed. Once spring rains are drained, the subsurface can be pretty dry down to about 3 ft. Another characteristic i wonder about is the presence of the LaSalle anticline that runs along it for most of its course. How does that affect the river levels? I believe that is why there is enough grade to allow up to class three rapids in the Lowell to the mouth stretch. It also exposed bedrock. Just to be clear, most of my experience wading is from Lowell down. This is the section that has the most grade. It is dangerous if you don't have experience reading rivers. If asked, i will be conservative with my opinions in the name of safety. That is not to say it cant be fished. I just don’t because I can just as easily fish other more wadable rivers near by. If the original question was about floating, we would be having a different conversation.
  9. I would be comfortable using median if the river didnt have so much variation. Case in point, median in August is under 100cfs. April it is 1000cfs or better. Clarity can be unfishable at 150cfs just like 1100 cfs. Common sense and all of the other points go without saying. But to try and provide a reply that both keeps the community safe while being productive, i would shy away from the suggested rule of thumb. At least on a river like the big V. My original reply was based on 20 years of living walking distance from said river. Started fishing it ten years before that. I would be interested to hear John G perspective as he has surely fished this river more than i have.
  10. I would be careful with rules of thumb. The median on the Vermillion on 4/14 was 1000cfs. I won’t consider wading at that level or even near it. Especially when the river has lots of grade, as does this river. Even worse when you wade rivers with unexpected boulders and deep pockets. It is a case by case decision based on intel and experience, IMO. I certainly have lots of respect for this river. It can humble you pretty quick.
  11. She was so close. Back up to around 2500CFS.
  12. Depends on the section. I use the nearest gauge to me and wade when it is under 400 Cfs. You can wade at higher levels. I am just not comfy wading in the faster sections near my home base. I don't go too far upstream from me. So not sure near Pontiac.
  13. So many falls, so little time.
  14. I heard him speak there several years ago. If I recall, I won a guided trip with him but never used it. He also fished the ever bloom tourney trail on Evergreen and Bloomington back then. Good speaker and fisherman.
  15. Yes, wading is out for at least a week. Tie tie tie. Get ready for the next small window.
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