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Snails in Kankakee River


asherman

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The last time that I fished the Kankakee River, (about 3 weeks ago)  I noticed that the river bottom felt different to me through my wading boots.  It felt kind of soft and crunchy.  The river was pretty muddy at the time so I could not see much on the river bottom.   I didn't think much of it at the time.   When I got home after the trip, I rinsed my wading boots and waders in the yard using a garden hose like I always do.

A couple of days ago as I was getting my gear ready to fish the Root River, I noticed that there was what looked like dried mud stuck in the tread of my boots.  I took a closer look at the boots and found a bunch of tiny snail shells stuck in the tread.  I had to use a screw driver to dislodge all of the snail shells from the boots. That seems to explain why the Kankakee river bottom felt kind of crunchy.

Some Internet searches for invasive species of snails in Illinois and the Midwest indicated that the snails could be New Zealand mud snails.  The snail shells that were in my boots (see attached photo)  seem a bit larger than pictures of New Zealand mud snails that were on a link on the IDNR web site, but they look pretty similar.  I called the IDNR and left a message regarding the snails, but I have not heard back from anyone yet.   I would like to know what kind of snails that were on my boots.

I will let you know what happens when and if the IDNR gets back to me.  In the mean time, I am going to start inspecting my boots and waders for contaminants after I rinse them off and dry them.

 

 

 

IMG_2072.jpg

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