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Sugar River ?


Kev-mo

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Does anyone have any general info about the Sugar? I'm going camping with my kids for Scouts next weekend the 13,14,15. I'm not looking for anyones spots or anything. Just wondering about flow and depth as I've never been there before. Would my kids be able to wet wade (they are 9 and 11)? Any special lure I should not leave home without? Any info at all would be appreciated. I will of course be looking online etc but first/second hand info is always better. Thanks,

Kevin

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I've never fished it but have talked to some people that have. The dynamics of the river where it flows through IL is more river basin. It runs too deep to wade in most areas with a softer sand bottom. The river is very winding with a lot of bends, a lot of down timber, and a lot of deep holes. The fishing is supposed to be diverse with not a lot of any one species. Some smallmouth, some walleye, some pike, some catfish both channels and flatheads, some crappie, and your assorted rough fish like carp, sucker, bullhead, and drum. I've heard there is some decent smallmouth water in some of the reaches into Wisconsin.

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Kevin:

 

My experience on this flow mirrors Paul T's assessment. I waded the area from Colored Sands to the Yale Bridge in September a few years back. Bottom almost entirely sand with some silt. One very short stretch adjacent to the bluff had some gravel. Didn't get a single strike in the 3 or 4 hours fished. Saw a few large suckers. Spent alot of time climbing over downed timber. I got my exercise.

 

Bill Kreznor

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Thanks all! Maybe we'll give it a little whirl from shore while camping. Probably try to hit something closer to Rockford on Fathers Day if we can get a break on the rain and some low water.

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I have canoed the lower part of the Sugar River in the last seven or so miles before it dumps into the Rock River. This was a least fifteen years ago. Most of that section had a sand or mud bottom and most of it appeared to be too deep to wade as most of the time we could not touch the river bottom with our paddles. There were some deeper holes that held walleye and catfish as well as rough fish. There did not seem to be much good smallmouth habitat in that part of the river. I caught a smallmouth buffalo fish on that trip that must have weight 13 or 14 pounds.

 

If you are taking the kids fishing you might consider soaking some type of bait for catfish. The Sugar River looks like a catfish river to me.

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