John Gillio

One night some guy was checking out her bass. I was so mad at the little shrimp, I felt I octopuses face in.

Rob, I like the new name. Bring on the storm.

I remember the shape the local rivers were in back in the 60s. They were nasty. The Clean Water Act of 1971 made a major impact on their revival. I also recall a small town, not 20 miles from me, having problems with acid rain ruining clothes hanging on the clothesline. I totally agree with Jon and Ron.

You can move quite close to a smallie holding in current from the side or from downstream. I pick up quite a few nice fish from a rods legth away with both fly and spin equipment. Good point Tom.

He may be too shellfish to share his best spots.

He looks like one of those guys sitting at that intergallactic bar in "Starwars", or is it George Burns?

I've seen a few that should have been put in jail, but I really wouldn't call them fishermen.

There are some beautiful rivers in this state. Among them are the Fox with it's many bluffs, the swift waters of the Kankakee, the wooded banks of the Kish as just recently posted by Terry, and I am sure many others. I may be biased, but I do agree that the stretch of river that runs from Lowell to it's confluence with the Illinois River at Jonesville is among the prettiest and diverse stretches of river in the state. At normal levels much of the river can be cast accross with a seven foot rod and a 1/4 oonce lure. The entire river has wooded shorelines or bluffs with the exception of the cement mill site. At Lowell the river is swift, rocky, and shallow. It soon has bluffs on the left andsome rapids. Deeper pools begin to show up between series of riffles. Rocky or wooded bluffs appear on both sides of the river. There are a couple of little islands with small swift channels around both sides. As you enter into the area bordered by Matthiessen State park and Big Bend Nature Preserve the bluffs are even more pronounced. The river remains very rocky and sandy until you reach the wildcats. The cement mill ownes the property on both sides of the river from about this point. This is where the large boulders become prominent. The river is deeper here and eventually begins to slow as the river widens. The high bluffs are left behind and the boulders subside. The river runs quietly with wooded banks on both sides. Eventually the Mill is seen ahead. A lowhead dam is here. The mill is to the left. Below the dam the boulders make another appearance. The river runs through a series of rapids, pools, and riffles. The boulders become fewer and farther between. Matthiessen Park is once again bordering the river on the right with private land to the left. A nice little island is found here. After a few more riffles the river slows considerably. The Ed Hand bridge appears. The canoe takeout is on the right. From this point downstream the river flows a bit deeper for quite a while. There are sandbars and wooded shorelines with occasional rock outcroppings. On the left will be the remains of another cement mill long defunked.The current cement mill ownes the property to the right. Just downstream from this the river shallows again boulders appear and rapids form, dumping into the deepest pool on this stretch of river. The river shallows to another island and runs quiet, sandy, and shallow from this point . It flows under the Route 71 bridge at Jonesville and into the Illinois Just downstream from Starved Rock State Park and upstream from the Little Vermilion River, another gem of a river with very little public access. In the spring the big Vermilion can be a raging torent. In the fall much of it is a mere trickle. It is many rivers in one.

They will be showing up in my classroom soon.

A couple more shots. Step Falls, Bailey Falls, Wildcats

The falls was a very popular spot for the locals at the time. From what I am told there was a nice shelter near it . It was a frequently used picnic area.I never saw it other than in pictures, as it was destroyed the year I was born. The river itself looks much the same as it did then. The narrow area is where the wildcats start. Today it is more narrow and a bit more treacherous than it was due to a landslide that moved some large boulders farther into the channel. This just happened a couple years ago. The wooded areas above the river on both sides as well as the farmhouse are now quarries that have been abandoned for years now. The company that first quarried it supposedly promised that it would restore the area to it's original state when it was done using the land. After a number of new owners, I don't imagine I will ever see it happen. Images of the wildcats can be found by googling Vermilion River

Step Falls and Bailey Falls

If you look closely at the downstream part of the river you can see where Bailey creek enters the river. Illinois' most beautiful waterfalls is just to the left behind the trees. It was easily seen from the river. The creek was diverted in 1956 to allow for the quarry, destroying the falls. I will try to locate and post a picture of the falls as it once was. Step falls can be found on the existing creek farther upstream and cannot be seen from the river.I will post a picture when I get a chance. It is a nice falls but does not compare to what Bailey falls was.

A friend gave me this old photo of the Vermilion river. This stretch is now owned by a cement mill and is off limits to shore fishermen. It is part of the river that was closed by the mill for a couple of years but has now been reopened to canoe and kayak traffic. It is still offlimits to the shore angler. This shot was taken before both sides of the river were quarried. I just thought it was kind of neat.

Does it come with the fish?

You are an artist , a poet , a philosopher, and a fisherman.

Agreed. I would rather gain my knowledge from reading about the misfortunes of others and apply what was learned to avoid such misfortune. Good is good, bad isn't so good.

Congrats on the upcoming wedding. I'ts rare to land a fly girl. I wish I could help with info about the UP but I haven't been up that way. Best wishes to you and your girl.

Wow! Great tip.

I'm sure invasive species would be frowned upon. I would also think it would be illegal to take fish under the legal size limit unless you were on private waters and had permission from the owner to do so. I would also stay away from protected species. I haven't seen anything in the Illinois fishing regs on the subject so I couldn't say for sure about keeping game fish of legal size in a tank. I have seen game fish kept in tanks on display at sport shows, bait shops, sporting goods stores, and state parks.

We had a snapping turtle that was raised from an egg one year. I was amazed at how much it grew during the school year. A student had gathered the eggs from an area near her farm pond. Her father had disturbed the site with a dozer. I believe she said there were 43 eggs. She actually hatched them from a makeshift nest she made from plans she found on the internet. Amazingly all of them hatched out. She released them in the pond and a nearby creek. The one that ended up with us was the last to hatch. She was about to give up on it, thinking it had died.

Nice video Tom. I still have a Ted Williams fiberglass baitcasting rod that I pulled from the waters of Lake Shelbyville back in the 70's. It was my favorite rod for many years. Good memories.

Great report Terry. Thanks for sharing. It's a nice looking stream.

Over the years I have learned alot about the behavior of fish fro m watching them in the fish tank I have at work. From bass to catfish,sauger to drum, even that of various kinds of bait fish is different and fascinating.