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Fox water level.


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I believe Eric mentioned at one time the Chain of Lakes releases water this time of year, but as you mentioned far northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin did get a good bit of rain this year.

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  • 1 month later...

The Fox Chain 'O Lakes draw-down is usually in November. I think it normally goes for a week or two, depending on how much water they want to release. I agree that a higher flow rate is starting to feel like the new normal on the Fox! It certainly has been an odd fall and winter. I've been following the USGS graph religiously and never saw a window of opportunity to get out and wade. The flow has remained beyond my comfort level. Looking forward to warmer days and kayaking.

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I as well have been bitten by the kayak bug. You can't beat the extra mobility and have gained access to out of state rivers that before would have been out of reach. I thought a great point for spring fishing was the 120 rule. This is a combination of air and water temp being above the 120 mark. 60 plus 60+120 makes an easy guide to prevent hypothermia. I know there is all kinds of warm weather gear and experts on here that don't tip there kayaks when fishing but I myself have been seeking comfort and not speed when it comes to my fishing and I thought i would share this for what it's worth.

Peace!

 

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  • 2 months later...

Fox is finally flowing under 2K CFS! First time since late September 2018! That was quite a run of above-average flow!

Pea soup now, given the intense heat. But slower nonetheless for those interested. 

Would try topwater late day ‘till dusk around faster chutes and riffles.

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3 minutes ago, Eric said:

Fox is finally flowing under 2K CFS! First time since late September 2018! That was quite a run of above-average flow!

Pea soup now, given the intense heat. But slower nonetheless for those interested. 

Would try topwater late day ‘till dusk around faster chutes and riffles.

I wish I would have read this Saturday, bite was impossible in the afternoon and gave up around 5 after being cooked, but I was hiding under bridges most of the time so not that bad.  Do recall the time I met you in the evening on the Fox in the Elgin area ?  It has been a few years, but that specific pool currently has some construction going on creating some unique fast water seams, has great depth & current.  I spent time there on Sat but couldn't find any big girls to cull out but thought you might want to check it out if you haven't ventured up north on the fox lately but my guess is you are well aware of this and have already scouted but now finally down to a decent flow could hold some bigguns

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Mark L and I fished the Fox last week when at 2200 cfs.  The water looked great but we were skunked on smallmouth on this blazing hot day and left scratching our heads as conditions seemed perfect for fishing.  Mark did salvage our day by pulling in this beautiful 22" walleye to avoid the complete skunk.

IMG_1902.jpg

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Level and flow just took a major nosedive today. Back to “normal” is gonna seem like a trickle! 

Good on the catching.

When the flow was up around 5,500, my son and I were running into a lot of nice walleye out fishing for smallies with big swim jigs. It was rare when we didn’t encounter one during an evening outing. Brent topped out at 23.5” ... which is one of the bigger ones I’ve seen come out of the Fox. A lot of the ones we caught in the spring seemed skinny. Very different from the heavy ones we catch in the late fall. Those look like they’re right off a driftwood mount — perfect specimens!

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  • 2 months later...

Here we go again! Interesting that September *used to be such a reliable month with mild, stable weather and relatively “normal” water levels — affording anglers some of the best smallmouth fishing of the year. 

This current round of high water is sure to last into October and much cooler temps. Before we know it, the Chain ‘O Lakes drawdown will be happening (early November) and bump the level once again. 

Yikes! So much for great fall fishing, at least on the Fox River. 😕

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On 9/24/2019 at 7:57 AM, Eric said:

Here we go again! Interesting that September *used to be such a reliable month with mild, stable weather and relatively “normal” water levels — affording anglers some of the best smallmouth fishing of the year. 

This current round of high water is sure to last into October and much cooler temps. Before we know it, the Chain ‘O Lakes drawdown will be happening (early November) and bump the level once again. 

Yikes! So much for great fall fishing, at least on the Fox River. 😕

I am not sure about the Fox, but along the I55...what do they call it, Illinois Heritage Corridor crazy huge-ass-warehouses are going up at an insane rate.  I hope there are some checks in place to deal with all that water that will be displaced.  When I see just how much water comes off my house, which size-wise is like comparing a paramecium to whatever Eric caught today, it has to be a colossal amount of water and it's hard to imagine how. 

 

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  • 3 months later...

It certainly is perplexing! I suspect that it’s related to global warming and how the upper Midwest in general is draining.

I’ll be surprised if we ever see flows of 900 to 1,200 CFS for extended periods like we were used to. Higher and faster seems to be our new reality. 
 

Now if we could only get rid of the dams on the Fox!

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