Fishing? Not Much

[ronk]

Other than a little trout fishing from shore at a nearby trout farm I haven't fished at all this year.The 2 trips I had planned,a Lake M. trip with Austin for coho & browns & a Milwaukee outting with Tom L set for tomorrow had to be cancelled, the former due unfavorable conditions, the latter due to a terrible cold I've had all week leaving me tired & listless.Not only would I not have been able to keep up with Tom but I might've passed on this nasty germ to him as well.Catch one for me,Tom.

[Eric]

Sorry to hear you've been down and out. At least things are starting to green up and warm up. You'll heal up and be back at it in no time!

[Tom L]

It was downpoured in the a.m. and was in the low 40's all day, yesterday. Fishing was OK, but it'll be better this coming week. Get well soon....

[ronk]

Eric, Tom

Thanks. I'm finally feeling much better today and plan on trying out a cupl spots on the Dupe before it rises too much with more rain expected. I enjoyed your steelhead report Tom.The river looks to have a good push of water.I'm definitely looking forward to joining you next week.

[ronk]

I got out as planned yesterday.Despite fishing all afternoon I stupidly forgot to try what might've been the best spot under relatively hi flow conditions.The light winds prompted me to use a 4wt but a 6 would've been better to land fish in that flow.It was tough bringing the fish in the last few feet with the 4. I got 3 fish swinging an olive meat whistle, a 15.75",& a 17.75" along shoreline cover & a 14" in mid river. The girth on these fish is impressive.They could easily pass for those brutes in Lake M.

On an outrageously infuriating note the village of Plainfield is continuing its policy of removing ALLvegetation along ALL the land it owns along the Dupe's banks either not knowing or more likely not caring as long as there's a "pretty" view that the growth is crucial to stabilizing the banks along with reducing muddy runoff/silt & providing cooling shade to the river during summer's heat.It makes me ashamed to be a resident of such an environmentally ignorant entity.The ISA must try to bring the IDNR & IEPA to bear to stop this insane policy.Otherwise what does our organization even exist for? DRIFT also needs to get involved.The 1st photo of an open bank in the background shows the results of P'field's handiwork.A cupl years ago that background would've consisted of thick undergrowth extending at least 20' back from the river.

[Eric]

Nice catches Ron! You're right about the girth. Amazing.

 

Can you call the village and find out who the contact person is regarding the clear-cutting? With some dialogue perhaps we can get through to them. Wondering if there are further plans for bank stabilization that aren't apparent yet.

[Steve S.]

Good to see you back on your feet! Great catches!

[Bart Durham]

I noted the same shore clearing going on but didn't realize it was being done by the Village. I agree Ron, this should be stopped. We have enough silt in the river and need policies that prevent river sedimentation, not promote it. Anything I can do to help I'm ready to do so. Great fish too!

[ronk]

Nice catches Ron! You're right about the girth. Amazing.

 

Can you call the village and find out who the contact person is regarding the clear-cutting? With some dialogue perhaps we can get through to them. Wondering if there are further plans for bank stabilization that aren't apparent yet.

The 1st post including pics I did about this was 2 maybe 3 yrs ago when the park district 1st started doing this as part of its (misnamed) river improvement or some such.program.I cringed when I 1st learned that the village had "plans" for the river knowing what environmental cretins those running the village are ever since a few years before I'd caught workers dumping a vast amount of grass clippings from a large field into the river downtown.I stated in that post that I'd spoken to the official who'd initiated this practice while he was supervising the bank rape in the section of the river adjacent to the Riverview residential development near the Kohls store on rte 59.He had no interest in hearing anything about the affects to the river.He was smug & condescending in effect saying he knew better having achieved a degree presumably in some landscaping type of study.It sure as hell wasn't in river management. He claimed that in a cupl years I'd be happy with the outcome which would lead one to infer he planned to sow some kind of ground cover in the lost undergrowth's place. Instead all that was left behind was denuded ground & mud.Nature has returned some of the undergrowth. But I'm sure a return to undoe Nature's work is on the park district's to do list.The only thing that will stop the village is a higher authority with injunctive powers.The only hope is the IDNR/IEPA. To illustrate what an abomination this practice is here are a few pics of 2 areas along the river the village has "improved" one of which was obviously perpetrated just recently.Lovely sight isn't it?Note the contrast between the natural banks which either haven't been attacked yet or alas cannot be because they're private.Consider that the contrast will be even more telling once the natural banks green up.

[Guest Jim S.]

That happens here in places too (DeKalb), the Army Core of Engineers. Knock everything out 15' back from the banks.

[ronk]

That happens here in places too (DeKalb), the Army Core of Engineers. Knock everything out 15' back from the banks.

Why? Here it's a misguided attempt tp beautify the river & make it more accessible never mind that also getting greater access to the river are heat,runoff,& silt. Could have something to do with P'field's inferiority complex vis a vis Naperville.

[Guest Jim S.]

Has to do with funding from FEMA, except they don't have the funds to help if there was a problem.

[ronk]

I managed to reach an IEPA representative today concerning Plainfield's butchering of the Dupage R's banks.She requested I send her the pics I took which I'll be emailing tomorrow.I also requested that the agency send someone to witness the situation first hand & offerred to show the rep around to the various sites affected.Apparently in response to a message I'd left with her last week she called Plainfield & was told they were tearing out the undergrowth in order to beautify the river.That'd be funny if it weren't so sad.

[Bart Durham]

Ron, Im sure the Village means well in clearing the undergrowth but doesn't realize the effect. Perhaps they simply need to be educated on the issue and can accomplish what they want without disturbing the vegetation/runoff. Not sure the best way to approach this but maybe attend a village council meeting and offer our insight?

[ronk]

Ron, Im sure the Village means well in clearing the undergrowth but doesn't realize the effect. Perhaps they simply need to be educated on the issue and can accomplish what they want without disturbing the vegetation/runoff. Not sure the best way to approach this but maybe attend a village council meeting and offer our insight?

 

 

Ron, Im sure the Village means well in clearing the undergrowth but doesn't realize the effect. Perhaps they simply need to be educated on the issue and can accomplish what they want without disturbing the vegetation/runoff. Not sure the best way to approach this but maybe attend a village council meeting and offer our insight?

Bart

See my reply to Eric's post on 4/10.The only way Plainfield will stop this destructive practice is if theyre forced to.I don't know that it'll do any good but today I sent in the pics I took last week along with several more I took today to IEPA along with details of what plainfield has done I requested that an IEPA rep personally view the devastation & offerred to show the rep around to the various sites.It won't undo the damage done but hopefully Plainfield can at least be stopped from preventing the return of the undergrowth in the future.Here are the additional pics I took today

[Jonn Graham]

Great fish Ron. Last time I floated the Duper I wondered about what the hell was going on along the bank as well. Saw damage being done in a few different places.

[ronk]

After the email/pics I sent yesterday the IEPA rep i've been communicating with called me today saying she wanted to inspect the banks in question. She said that while Plainfield would not need a permit to work their property there would be restrictions on doing anything that caused erosion.That's encouraging since what Plainfield did in stripping the banks bare is all about causing erosion. i am neeting with her Monday morning to show her around the areas affected.

[Ed Buric]

Thanks for grabbing the bull by the horns on this Ron.

[Eric]

Nice follow-through. Thanks.

[alank]

moving it in the right direction Ron...thanks

[Kev-mo]

Thanks for staying with this. I'd be interested to see the same pics of both cut and uncut banks after this flood to compare erosion differences.