John Gillio

D___ it Terry, I can't stop giggling.

Rob, sorry you have had limited luck with the fly. I wonder if maybe smallies just don't like feeding on gar (too hard to digest all of those tough scales and teeth). It would probably be super along the coast as a needlefish representation.

Thanks Rob.

Very pretty fish Rob. That Big Black Bug produces quite well for you. How do you work that thing? I have had little luck for smallies on top this year. I don't believe I have one yet and have fished them on three separate streams. Other species had been hitting them well up to a few weeks ago. I throw a variety of popping baits. The 2" bandit popper is my favorite when using the ultralight on small streams. On larger water I like a 2 1/2" Storm chug bug or a Heddon Chugger Jr.. I like a 4" Rapala I Skitter Pop for hybrids and often catch smallies while throwing it if they are in the vacinity. I usually work them aggressively unless the fish tell me otherwise. With the fly rod I use various cup mouthed poppers and crease flies.

Nice report. It is a pretty stream. I hope to fish it again someday. It has been a few years. Glad to hear it was a good time.

Sad.

Thanks Jude, nice report.

Hot day, cool report. Were any darters found?

Nice looking streams. I would have loved to fish it too,but the trip was trumped by a wedding.

Hey Rob, that's a very nice smallie. Is it from one of the small streams on our side of the line, or is it from across the border? Nice to hear the fly is working well. I'll have to pick up some micro cut zonker strips and give them a try. Funny about those hatches, since the bridge is out there are fewer of them here too even though the water keeps jumping up. I get in a couple days every couple weeks just before it jumps again. I think I've only had four smallmouth outings all year. Once was a skunk. The others produced well but not much of size. That smallie of yours looks very healthy. He surely isn't missing the hatches. Hopefully the river will drop with the traffic and you can get after them with that new leach of yours and fish uninterrupted. Nice to here you had a safe trip. When you left here with the bicycle group you got the attention of a local radio talk show host. A caller must have talked to some participants that had stopped at Casey's in Tonica. He said they were a friendly bunch, and the radio host reminded people throughout his morning show to drive safely and keep an eye out for cyclists. He was in awe of the miles you put on in a day.

Very nice fly and fish on the fly.

Looks like they're doing something with them.

Very nice photo Gordon, you captured the moment well.

Ed & Kevin are both correct. Before the Illinois river was dredged into basically a canal itself, LaSalle was the farthest a steamboat could navigate the river upstream. The canal was built so goods and passengers in the south could be linked to Lake Michigan, Chicago, and other communities in the north. Soon after the canal was built, the railways entered the scene. http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/i&m/main.htm

The Better Fishing Assoc. is sponsoring it's 18th annual kids fishing expo in Peru on Sat. May 21 at Baker Lake from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm. They do a fantastic job on this event. No preregistration necessary.http://better-fishing-assoc.org/ This is followed up by their 31st Annual Lock 14 Kids Fishing Tournament on Sat. June 18. (see same as above)

Yum!

Kevin, at Split Rock it is overgrown with tall reeds and is next to dry. The 100 yd stretch with water in it, in the photo, is just east of Split Rock. Pecumsagan Creek empties into the canal there and feeds that part of the canal a little before it spills off to continue on to the lake south of the canal. A dike just east of split rock, and west of the creek, prevents much flow into the Split Rock section.

Eric,I like the way you brought them to the forefront with the focus. Very cool photo. All we need are some Lego people. Rich, hopefully the concrete sections can be used somewhere. You're right, they would make some awesome luncker structures or maybe patches for a leaky canal.

I took a couple walks along the Illinois and Michigan canal the past few weeks covering the stretch of canal between Utica and LaSalle. It saddened me to see how little water is left in the canal due to breaches in it's structure. Out of about six miles of canal only about two areas of about 100 yds each and about a quarter of a mile by LaSalle had water over a couple inches deep. Much of the canal is completely dry.It is a shame that what was once about 12 miles of easily accessible fishable shoreline is now defunct due to a lack of state funding. It's also a shame that such an important piece of our history has fallen into such disrepair. I took a drive, and as far as I can tell there is little water in the canal all the way to Morris. I'm not sure what is beyond. The tow path is still in good shape between Utica and LaSalle and is still used by hikers and bicyclists, but is surely a less interesting trip without the water and all the wildlife that goes along with it. Utica and LaSalle both depend on the canal to some extent because of the tourists it attracts. I am sure the lack of water, fish, and wildlife will mean fewer tourists. The canal boat at LaSalle will be of little interest if that section goes dry. I have no ideas as to how this problem can be solved. I know that getting water back into the canal is a top priority for the Village of Utica. I would guess it is important to LaSalle also. It would seem that now would be a good time to do some dredging and possibly use the dredged material to help patch the breaches and to shore up the walls of the canal, but with the lack of funding I'm afraid this is just wishful thinking. The fishing was never fantastic, but I can recall a day not too long ago, when you could walk or bike the entire six miles and be able to catch bluegill, crappie, and an occasional bass all along the way. This is what most of the canal looks like. There should be water from the treeline to the tow path. The metal structure is a spillway. This is a small stretch holding water. It should all look like this.

There is no access to the Vermilion river from the north side of the bridge on the Ed Hand Hwy also known as E651st Rd, Highway 23, or the Oglesby shortcut. The bridge is being rebuilt and will most likely be closed all year. Access can be gained by going through Oglesby and approaching from the south. Work is in progress.

Nice William, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing Mike.

Does anyone know anything about the rod pictured. It is a Wright & McGill casting rod numbered 156MS. I cannot make out the rod name. The handle seems to be oak. At first glance I thought it was split cane, but on further inspection it appears to be fiberglass with a wood grain finish. It also looks to be missing the rod butt.

What Rob said, plus use a spinner bait with a hammered Colorado blade and a trailer like a double twister tail. Both will help throw more vibration and allow for a slower retrieve. The hammered blade will reflect more light.