Fredmo

I'm trying to post photos from Cast and Compare last Saturday, 6 guys showed up, looked at about 20 rods, avoided the rain, not sure if anyone stuck around to fish. Lake was crowded, must have been some tournament going on, along with the usual crowd of scouts fishing and canoeing.

BrianJ brought his rack, has a history from Michigan to Springfield to B/N. It came in handy.

BrianJ looking over the choices

jonn Graham can tangle his line on grass just like the rest of us.

they were caught "red handed" so that's pretty much enough evidence i would think..anything dumped in the water systems that kills that quick can't be good..

I'll bite: What was it they were caught "dumping"? Why were they dumping it? Did whatever they dumped cause a fish kill? Maybe they were using red paint and got it on their hands. That would explain the "red handed" condition. Don't you just hate due process?

They should get the harshest punishment. They should most definitely be made an example of.

Should we first find them guilty before we hang them? Not sure that we know just yet what happened, what these guys were doing, why they were doing it, and if there is some mitigating factor. Once we know that, then build the gallows.

It is set for this Saturday at 9:00 AM. Main boat ramp, Evergreen Lake. With all this rain, I don't think smallie chasing will be a top priority.

O.K. Assuming my wife allows me to take off the time to get to Evergreen and I play around with other folks' expensive rods to convince me I should buy something I can't afford, Then What?

What will be biting on Evergreen and what kind of flies should I bring? In my earlier days I came with a spinning rod and some little plastics, never caught much worth talking about. If I bring my canoe, are there crappie or bluegills or what, at this time of year with this weather?

I've go three granddaughters to pick up this evening for a weekend visit, so I'm probably not going to make it anyway. Met with a couple of farmers just before lunch, they were pondering if the rain was coming this afternoon or if they should go plant beans. (I think they were rooting for the rain)

How about resetting it for a Saturday morning? At Evergreen? Then folks could fish the lake, or the Mac, for the rest of the day, if they wanted to.

How would you like to have been out there, today, casting and comparing. Just a bit windy for my taste. Wouldn't want to have played golf today, either. Sure hope it improves for tomorrow, but I'm not holding out much hope from the forecasts I've heard. And this was going to be the outing practically in my back yard.

You probably want to use the Kickapoo Park, located just north of Oakwood, which is just west of Danville, as the place to go. Lots of the river is in the park, and a canoe livery is located in the park. Only problem might be dodging canoeists, depending upon the day of the week, etc.

Here is a photo of the boat, trailer & motor (gas tank, too)

I live at a Lexington, IL address, but it is really in the country, about one mile north-east of the dam at Lake Bloomington, just south of the Mackinaw R.

The boat is 10', and I'll try to get a pic up when I get home from work tomorrow. It has an Evinrude motor and a homemade trailer (not by me) but it has lights, etc.on the trailer.

I have a small jon boat with trailer for sale, along with a 5 hp motor. Nothing about them is new, but they have been good for Lake Evergreen and Lake Bloomington, and I think would be good on Dawson Lake and other similar-sized water. $500 for the lot. I'll try to get a pic up shortly.

Here's a group that stopped by Lake Bloomington on April 3...strange sight for central Illinois.

Either I have short term memory problems or missed something. How do we get on an email newsletter list? Don't recall hearing about it in the years I've been a member.

Thanks Cory, Michael & Joseph for a great job on intro to deer hair. Total of 15 tyers in attendance for this one. One of these days we need to do a combined day with the central region group. I left at 1pm but heard that you were tying until after 5pm!

Golly, I thought that was a combined day with the central region group. Should I move?

I want to ditto Pat's thanks to all who made the day possible. You may have created another monster though, I tried it again at Sunday's gathering in Bloomington, and apparently some of the previous days' instructions stuck. It didn't look too bad, imho. Now I need to figure out those instructions and post a photo of Sunday's effort. That's probably for some other weekend, as a guy can only learn so much in a short time. BTW, Dave Franklin was a big help on Sunday's venture with the deer hair.

I've added that NORS site to my bookmarks. The article, though long, is interesting reading. Even though it appears to be a well-researched article, I think before I'd jump to any final conclusion I'd want to read those federal cases cited and make sure they apply to our concerns. Lots of federal courts, and state courts for that matter, try to reach decisions on the narrowest grounds possible, and what they say in a Colorado case may not always apply to a situation in Illinois or Indiana, even when applying federal law.

I do hope the federal case law applies to Illinois waters, but I know there is a strong farm interest in this state that might have thoughts at odds with those of ISA members. Without reading the cases, I'm not sure what principle of law gives federal law jurisdiction over Illinois waters, especially those that are not involved in interstate commerce. There's something about "all powers not given in the constitution to the federal government are reserved to the states." I'll bet that's been said before in some of the argument of these cases.

Now when Jonn gets done with law school, I think I know what his first case will be.

I like Brian's suggestion. We might also consider Clinton Lake, Powerton Lake, and another effort at the river below the dam at Shelbyville. This is just in case I don't make it. I plan to be there, unless something comes up

Any word on what we are doing Friday? Could get a good book from the library to read. I think Heyworth has lost their good place to eat and drink on Friday nights.

Fred,

I was interested in if there was any water going over the spillway. I fish below the spillway quite a bit in the spring.

 

As for the 'gills & crappie, lets just say it is on the north end of town on a rather busy street. Sorry I'm not more specific, but the fish are in a wintering hole roughly 20 feet in diameter. I've put the entire fish population at risk just being there during the day and people driving by and seeing me catching fish. If some smart-a** decides to go over there with a can of wax worms & a stringer, they could easily clean out the whole pool in an hour.

As of Saturday, the ice is still right up to the spillway, but water is going over and it's looks like open water below. As to that other place up north, I thought it looked like it was still iced in. I've looked at it during the past year, but never got out to try to fish it.

And that I am, Fred! Been hitting the bluegills and crappie hot & heavy the last 2 days, and will do more next week. Then heading to Wisconsin on Friday (th 12th) for a day of trout fishing on Black Earth Creek & surrounding streams.

 

Have you been able to take a look at the Lake Bloomington spillway? Wondering what kind of shape it's in. With warmer weather starting to trickle in, the 'gills will start to congregate at the base getting ready for the spawn.

Not sure what part of the spillway you mean. I only get to see it a couple of times per day. There's ice right up to the dam, with clear water below. I imagine it will change every day now, with the 50's due on Sunday....along with rain. I'm looking forward to trying those Pan-Handler flies I've tied this winter, see if crappie or bills are interested. Where do you fish for gills and crappie these days? ( not "where" in the way of hot spots, just what greater body of water)

It's great how these things just seem to take off and everybody pitches in! I've been buried in homework all week and the calender posting is done already! You guys are good!

 

In that case, I'm going back to the homework.....one more class tomorrow and then I'm on spring break. Yahoo!

Am going to do quite a bit of tying next week!

The way it's warming up, you may want to be out fishing instead of tying next week.

I've got the 21st on my calendar and plan to make it, assuming other events don't pop up making it impossible. Sorry I could only get their for the tag end last Sunday.

Is this the one you were tying at the Urbana Library get-together? I didn't get a good look at it then, but the finished product looked good from across the table.

I'll try to make it, but very late, and I have to leave before 5. My look and not tie. Do you think the Chicago-area contingent need any directions, since they aren't coming from the East or West? I see we are getting messages on this event posted here and elsewhere.

Absolutely not true, this river only contains carp and other assorted "trash fish" It's the other northern Vermilion River with all the smallmouth. Trust me!

Oh, I understand the carp and trash fish aspect. I only meant it's pleasant surroundings and a nice place to TRY to fish for smallmouth, I never have any luck over there. It's the DuPage, Fox and Apple rivers and the shores of Lake Michigan that have all the smallies. Ever since JimJ brought that bus load of rowdies down to fish the place has been nothing but a wet place to walk.