John Gillio

Thanks guys. Manny, I'll take you up on the tube of sealant from BP. I'll tie up a few for you . They work great for big smallies too. Just PM me or give me a call when the deed is done. I'm the only one in the local phone book. The waders are the White River breathable waders from BP in case that helps with the material.

Any suggestions on how to seal waders at the stitching. I have a pair that has had limited use but has seapage at the stitching in the legs. Is there a product out there or a reliable home remedy for this, or will I be in leaky boots this fall?

It sounds like, from all that I have read on river law,and from attorneys versed in it, the federal courts have stood with the people having the right to use any moving body of water for recreational purposes. The states seem to have come up with their own laws. Somehow the DNR in Illinois has a say and they are standing with the mill, being that they own the land on both sides of the river. The expense of pushing it past the Illinois courts would be tremendous. A good source of info. is www.nationalrivers.org/us-law-facts.htm. I don't think there is a way to reach the river through the park that doesn't involve a fair walk and or some climbing. Maybe you can get some info. from the park rangers at Starved Rock State Park, as they are also in charge of Matthiessen. The rest of the river in the area is privately owned.

WOW! Way cool.

It has been three years now. They say it may be open again by next year. This past month they placed a large number of big cement blocks in the hole below the dam. This is to eliminate the undertow below the lowhead dam at the mill. There were too many people going over the dam, and getting injured,instead of following the signs stating to use the fish ladder or portage to the right. The wildcats are more dangerous now too. This is due to a landslide the year before they closed the river. The water at the head of the rapids now slams you into the large rocks on the right side of the channel. Most canoes and kayaks are flipped there now.I would suggest portaging here too, when the river opens. There is a trail to the left around the large rocks. It is upsetting that it is taking so long to get it reopened. It is affecting some of the businesses in town and ,of course,the four outfitters who had business on this stretch of river.

The cement mill that owns most of the land in this area has closed the river from the wild cats to Oglesby. The river is closed to any fishing, rafting, canoeing, and kayaking from the Lowell bridge to Oglesby. The only areas that are fishable without permission from landowners would basically all be reached through the park or below the bridge.

I just want to give a thank you to Dave Franklin for hosting a very enjoyable day on the Vermilion River, west of Pontiac. It was just the two of us, and we were fishing new water. We worked over a few spots quite thoroughly and had quite a few small healthy sunnies and smallies to show for it, along with a nice 15 incher. It was my first time fishing with Dave. He has a diehard passion for wade fishing and makes for some great company. The day passed much too quickly. Thanks Dave for a very enjoyable trip.

Thanks guys. The fishing and scenery were great, and the rod performed exceptionally well. John, good question. I've wondered that myself. I've caught them in about five different streams, from the size of the Illinois down to small creeks. I've targeted them in three of those streams and have caught them as late as November. They seem to be more prevalent in April and May and decrease in numbers as the year goes on. They must run up the smaller streams from larger bodies of water or drop over the spillways of lakes that stock them. Some, I'm sure, must get trapped in the pools of the smaller streams. I cannot imagine them being permanent residents. The others must move back downstream or are taken by anglers. Manny, I'll post how things went when I get back. We need to get together to fish that stretch of river we talked about last year. I usually like to fish it in Oct. when the leaves are changing.

Today was my first fly fishing outing of the year. It was also the first time using my new Echo Ion 7 wt. It handles larger flys and the tossing of split shot quite well. I tossed Clousers of various colors over a three hour period. I fished 6 small pools with yellow and caught fish in all but one. I went through the same pools a second time but with other colors. The second time around took less fish but they were larger. All fish were taken from shaded areas with some current. Strangely no smallies were taken even though these pools usually carry a nice one or two along with the usual dinks.All fish landed were of decent size and included a 12" largemouth, 1 crappie, 1 large drum, 1 river herring, 33 white bass 11"-15", and 4 hybrid stripers 19" 19" 20" 22". I lost one that went about 27". It broke off at the knot, as I was too lazy to retie after just landing the 22 incher. I would have kicked myself in the behind if I were limber enough. Here are a few pics.

Nice report Terry. Good info.

Jim,what dates do you need to park your car? I live in Oglesby just a few miles from Peru and may have an open spot behind the garage if the dates are right.

Good article Mike. Thanks for sharing.

Nice boat Steve. Looks like your plans for retirement will be realized. Hope you enjoy many new waters.

Congratulations Jonn.

Yes, the solar guards are polarized and cut the glare fairly well. I also like them because no light gets in from the sides.

There is a patch near my place of employement that only the custodian and I know about. We have been harvesting it for years. It looks like this patch has been harvested recently by someone whom also may have beaten me to the morels that I find in this part of the woods. Check out the stalks thet have been cut near the new emerger. A day earlier and I may have hit it big for both asparagus and morels. Thanks Don.

I agree with Mike. The solar guards work quite well. For 20 dollars they are worth a try. I've had perscription ones that were great in a recommended rose color, but my prescription keeps changing and the cost of new ones is tremendous. The solar guards look cooler propped up on your hat anyway .

Was out for about 40 min. on 5-6-11, looking for morels. No luck. Did see the fungus pictured below, many pretty blue flowers, some tall swamp grass, the underside of some young mayapples, mosquito larvae, a red tail hawk, and an asparagus patch. It looks like someone got here before I did. I'm not sure how this ended up under conservation ?

My wife got a kit for me a few years back. They worked great for largemouths. I used them almost exclusively at a couple local lakes that year and picked up the nickname "Banjo Minnow Guy", from a bunch of locals that fish the lakes regularly. I agree about the frogs too , quite under-rated. They were very productive lures all year.

Mike,I used to fish a clearwater pit that had all the same features except the deep water. It had ledges that dropped into it's deepest areas of about 10 ft. It changed over the years from strictly smallies to strictly largemouths. Three inch white twisters would catch smallies all day bounced near the bottom especially near a rocky island, run just over the weeds, or worked down the ledges to the bottom. As the lake changed over a few years to a largemouth lake, I found that the smallies hit the twister much more readily than the bigmouths. The skirted bass spinners, topwaters, and plugs caught mostly largemouths. It wasn't too long before the smallies were overtaken by the largemouths. Just my experience, but the twisters may be worth a try.

Matty,I like In-Fisherman for multi-species info. and techniques. Il. Game and Fish, is pretty good for what's biting when and where here in Il. It also covers techniques. I really like Eastern Fly Fishing. It covers the driftless area and the eastern states quite well. It's a nice looking magazine with good info on where, when, and how to fish specific streams. It's main focus is on trout and smallmouths but also hits on other species.

Nice looking fly Mike. Thanks for the post.

Sometimes I get a rush just heading to a favorite spot.I do it to rejuvenate. It can be relaxing too. Maybe not in a physical sense but definitely for my state of mind.If There is such a thing as a relaxing rush, it's wading a pretty stream, seeing and hearing the surroundig wildlife, the sound of running water, and the anticipation of what the next cast or river bend might bring. I do it because it makes me feel good.

I love the New Glarus wheat beers.Give Dancing Man Wheat a try.

Brad Paisley's "Catch All The Fish" from the"American Saturday Night" CD is a great tune."Water", is also on this CD."Five Pound Bass", by Robert Earl Keen,Jr. is quite good. I like the Dirt Band's "Fishin' In The Dark". You would have to include the theme song to the Andy Griffith Show. I think it's called " The Fishin' Hole".