ErikV

Np! That is what I was thinking. The lower on the food chain the fish feeds on, the healthier it is for humans to consume the fish. Silver carp: healthy. Sharks: not so much.

I read a study earlier this year that found that the Silver Carp had the least amount of toxins (Mercury) out of any large fish in the state. They had about 1/2 of the toxins of an average bluegill or crappie, which in turn are much lower than larger game fish. So if you are going to keep a fish to eat and were concerned about that type of stuff, I guess the Asian Carp would be your go to fish. Here is the link to the report: https://www.csu.edu/cerc/researchreports/documents/RiskyFishingPowerPlantMercuryPollutionIllinoisSportFish2006.pdf Data on page 16.

Thanks gang!

Thanks everyone for the good ideas. I will try a few things out on the fox tomorrow morning.

Yup. I agree, it sure sounds like money well spent! Nice work pulling the trigger on that.

Trying to add to my general Smallmouth techniques and knowledge. I live close to the DuPage west branch and to the Fox. There are going to be some days I will be able to choose to go to one or the other. After it rains and water levels are higher than average, in general, would you expect to have better luck in a small river like the Dup or a bigger river like the Fox? Also, would it matter if the river was really low and the rains took it back to average? My instinct would say fish the dup when the rains took it from low to average, as that might trigger a feed, but I am not sure. What has your experience shown? Thanks for your help!!!

Trying to add to my general Smallmouth techniques and knowledge. I live close to the DuPage west branch and to the Fox. There are going to be some days I will have time to hit both rivers. My question is: Is it better to hit a small river like the Dup at low light levels and fish a bigger river like the Fox midday? Or the opposite? My instinct says dup a low light, since it will be darker, fewer shadows, etc to spook the fish in the smaller body of water. But I thought I should defer to the experts. Thanks!