Fishing at Damsites

[jeff b.]

I don't fish any areas where there are dams, but in light of the recent stories in the news about drowning deaths of fisherman on the Kankakee at Wilmington and the Rock at Oregon; I was wondering how many of you regularly fish below / near dams and what stories of peril and / or words of wisdom can you share?

[Steve S.]

Fish can congregate at dams during parts of the season, but so do many fishermen. I stay away from them for the most part. If I do fish them, I stay well away from the dam. The undertows are dangerous and currents can be swift with deeper holes. Also, you never know what might have come over the dam and is resting below the water that may trip or trap you.

 

Better and safer fishing is almost always found elsewhere.

[jude]

A lot of guys mention the Kish dam in Belvidere, but I envision a lot of bucket heads there and at any dam. That usually means lots of garbage too. I'd rather avoid crowds and litter, so I avoid dams.

[BenW]

I fished at 8 dams on the fox back in the day. The Yorkville dam was pretty easy to fish along with most of them. Most the people at the yorkville dam that have drowned have done so during low water condition. People forget how dangerous the boils are and tend to get to close. People tend to forget the power of moving water.

[Paul Trybul]

I fish dams but usually only during those peak periods when the fish stack up. They are not my favorite places but I go where the fish are and I have had some great days below dams. There was one day I was atching some guys wade below the dam in Rockford catching some nice walleyes. I put my waders on and gave it a try. After I got about 1/2 way out and had spots where I could feel my feet being swept out from under me, I decided to turn back. When I got back to shore I told myself "it was not worth and that is the last time I'll try that". You have to use common sense in these situations. Is it really worth life or death to catch a few extra fish?