Eric

I LOL how so many posts turn into "about trout." Gone are the days of salty tube jig fishermen sleeping with their marked Gazetteers by their sides. We're in a new age of kinder, gentler ISA members. A Hills Bros coffee can full of Clousers...

You can checkout Kankakee Marsh YouTube page here and see clips:

http://www.youtube.c...r/KankakeeMarsh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKZQ772Yx6M&hd=1

Attached is the channel listing for WYIN. Not sure if they are going to rebroadcast it. My guess is probably yes, at some point.

Here's a few good tips on fishing the Dupe...

http://illinoissmallmouthalliance.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9449

Bump. Set your DVR.

Lakeshore Public Television WYIN on November 5th at 8pm

Wow. This post was a really fun read. You sound like a guide John! Thanks for sharing the info and pics. Quite a treat!

Checkout the RiverBassin.com forums. A lot of the guys have them and speak very highly of them. Some mod them with really cool stuff. Some run them bare. They are very versatile boats. Good luck!

Awesome catch John!

Mine would be throwing topwater for long periods of time hoping for that ONE blowup that's gonna make my outing. I often do this while kayak fishing. Redemption is sweet!

Nice Mike. Can't wait to check it out.

If anyone wants to get me Blinky off eBay, I'll GoPro myself catching a monster smallie with it and post it to YouTube.

Looks like a nice shallow runner for the Fox!

Now you're talking!

Remember the Coors Can lure posts and pics? Think there's even a video on YouTube. :-)

Nice looking lure. It's not about what you're throwing, but where you're throwing it.

Thanks Mike. And thanks to all who contributed. The issue is finishing at the printer and will mail soon. Went a bit late this go 'round.

There is very low water on the Fox, especially past Orchard Road. Be prepared to get out and drag through low areas.

I have the HD Hero 2. You're basically doing a hail-Mary every time you use it because you can't proof video in the field unless you buy the add-on. Fixed fisheye w no zoom, no proofing. Really bare bones but does shoot decent video. Underwater clarity is OK at best without another add-on. Fun to play around with and since you're already good at editing and creative, I'm sure you'll make some great videos. Editing is way time consuming so I mostly stick to taking photos with my D-SLR. I use my iPhone for shooting quick videos because I can upload direct to YouTube.

iMovie on iPhone / iPad has been my go to app for quick video editing.

Have fun with it. It's all in how much time you're willing to put in. Cool that your pops bought it for you.

Late spring floods on the Fox often push fish up into shoreline vegetation where they stay and feed. Fishing can by fantastic around these areas. Bass will use whatever they can for cover and ambush points.

I'm wondering if "low" is our new "normal." How long will it take our rivers to consistently flow at what we consider to be 'typical' rates? The Fox runs in the 750 - 900 CFS range this time of year but even with the last rainfall it's only at 350 CFS and falling. It rises and falls very quickly. Around 250 CFS has been "typical" this summer. We've lost so much volume we're really going to have to get a deluge north of us for it to flow at higher rates consistently and for a long period of time. It's an interesting predicament we're in. I suppose it may take a year or more for our river levels to consistently flow at the old waterlines they've scarred.

Checkout the flow rates from May 1 to date. You can see the spikes as rain events but aside from early May deluge, it drops as quickly as it rises. At least we seem to be trending upwards!

Neat! Nice setup. It would be fun to watch that little softshell cruising around. A friend had a tiny gar that he collected from the Illinois River in a 55 gallon aquarium and it was a really neat looking fish. Reminded me of something from the Amazon.

1. In the top right of the browser (when logged in), click your name and you'll get a drop down box.

2. Enter text in the "What's on your mind?" text box.

3. Click the "Update" button when finished.

The new update will appear at the top of your profile page in a light-gray callout box to the right of your name. Click on my avatar (profile pic in this post) to see mine ... I just updated it as a test using the steps above. I used text only, no HTML or special coding, and kept it short.

Be specific. You can always PM me, Mike C., Jim or Scott with questions. They are all admins.

Hard to tell from your poem what you are asking. :-)

I got to witness Jonn Graham in action with the Honey Buzz while we kayaked the Fox last autumn. That sucker was LOUD! I swear it echoed! About the fourth cast at dawn (we hadn't even left shore yet) it got pounded by a fiesty 16" smallmouth. Awesome. I was impressed.

Might have been the only thing I've ever heard loud enough to drown out Jonn's voice. LOL

Sounds like he rented The Lorax last night...

Yeah Terry, it is going to take a heck of a lot of rain to bring the Fox back up to 'normal' levels and to keep it there for any length of time. It is pretty darn low. The rain we got on Saturday shot it up from around 250 CFS to over 1,000 CFS but it peaked and dropped very quickly.

A few of the gravel bars that are occasionally exposed have been dry for quite a while and have knee-high weeds covering them. I have only observed a few dead fish -- a redhorse and a gizzard shad. Other Fox anglers may have seen more. The two biologists that I heard back from last week said they have not seen any major dieoffs of bass. Still, sure would be nice to get some rain!

Bill, also, to answer your original question on coupon codes, here's a great site to bookmark. Just search the name of your favorite store and it'll show you the latest coupon and promotion codes for online shopping:

RETAIL-ME-NOT

If you all are getting 1.5 years out of boots you're doing great! I'm lucky to get a season! My last pair was cheapie Field & Stream from Dick's Sporting Good and luckily I got them on sale last autumn. After sale price and discount they cost me less than $20. They lasted from then until now, so I figure I got a good bargain!

I imagine the L.L.Bean boots are just about as 'good' as anywhere else. I do like their service and quick return / exchange policy. Like anywhere, their products evolve and change over time so sometimes when you try to return / exchange, you can't get the same item and have to settle for something else or pay extra $ to upgrade.

As far as waders, every pair I buy is 'the best pair I ever owned!' -- until they leak!

I sure wish somewhere with a 'lifetime gaurantee' sold baitcasting reels! I'd be all over that!