Norm M

Thanks to Jim, Ted and Zach for assisting with this event. The area around Warner Bridge got an excellent cleaning by the four of us. Zach and I took care of the parking lots in our stretch after Jim and Ted had to go. We got about a dozen bags of trash and some large pieces of metal out of the river environs. We also got a broken lawn chair back out, one that I had removed earlier in the week that somehow made it's way back down.

The NIAA provided tee shirts, patches, hot dogs, chips, soda, water and garbage bags. Gloves and additional bags came from my trunk.

Edit to add, Zach and I replacedtwo ISA signs as well.

Here's to a successful campaign. All right all you winnebago county outdoorsfolk, vote early and vote often for Jude.

Condolences from the minas family on your family's loss. That is a wonderful way to pass on your mother's gift to you.

If you are looking for something to do with the kids Saturday afternoon, Stacey Johnson the park interperater at the Kankakee River State park is offering a Water Bugs from 100Pm to 230 PM after the cleanup.

Me. I might take some cleanup volunteers fishing afterwards.

Isn't twitterpated from the movie Bambi? The part when spring is there and they get distracted by the females. What's that have to do with smallmouth fishing rivers? There was one time I was fishing the kish and 3 young ladies floated by in a canoe. They decided to get out and stretch their legs on a sandbar just downstream. One was wearing a thong. That's the only combination of twiterpated and smallmouth fishing I can come up with.

 

As far as changing baits, I try to bring 2 rods and my 3rd grip rod holder. If you have 2 good lures, 1 that can cover the surface/subsurface and 1 that can get to the bottom, you should be good to go. There is no magic bait to keep retying and trying for. Its more about being in the right place at the right time with the right kind of presentation.

pictures ?

snapswivels if using straight shaft spinners like mepps, etc. snaps or direct tie for all else.

retie often.

color hasn't mattered, I've used 4 or 5 different colors and they all worked.

my own personal policy is forget the pictures and let the fish go as quickly as possible. as much as possible I try not to even take the fish out of the water.

the message at river smallies went from off line to account suspended. Al Agnew who is on the staff said in a post on Ozark anglers that he doesn't know yet what's up. the guys at Dr's fishing site didn't hear any reasons why either.

Rattlebaits in fast water has been the key pattern for me since the water came down. I've been on the water every day except four days for being sick and a roundtable meeting since the last part of July. I'm closing in on 650 smallies on that pattern in that time frame.

It has been an amazingly stable pattern due to the long lasting stable environmental conditions.

Jeff,

Berkley Power worms, green pumpkin and black. Off to meet Phil on the river

Tested them today with the jobee jig. I got 8 pickups but never landed a fish. On 5 of the pickups they just pulled the worm down and i doubt the hook was ever in thier mouth. they could have been small bass or possibly walleyes or they just never got the whole worm. i am not real sure about the last as it's been my experience that they generally hit it head first. On one of the pickups, i dropped the rod tip to give a little more line and then bent a little to give some more. The fish dropped the worm.

On another the fish grabbed the lure as soon as it hit the water and dropped it quicker than I could set the hook. On another pick up, the fish grabbed it and swam toward me. As I caught up with the fish and was just about to make an effective[hopefully] hookset, the fish dropped the lure.

I went to a point pool, with much slower water, but never got a pickup.

There was definite interest but they dropped it like an 18 year guy hearing the M word.

More work to be done.

Dang Jeff , that's prolly an exact copy of the jobee jig.

Phil can outfish and outwalk most guys I know. The conversation about spots and techniques on the ride between spots with Phil is the best.

Always go with what you have the most confidence in.

Why not, they obviously work. Are you using bullet weights with them, pegged or free sliding if you are. I think I'd work on a different delivery system than the standard plastic worm t-rig as I think in the heavier flow and rockier bottom I have that might be a reciepe for snags. Might be able to use the jobee jigs with the longer hook shank for instance. Maybe a worm hook on the venerable wolf river[3-way] rig.

On other sights, I'm known as Creekyknees so you know they aren't the greatest. I actually prefer breathables with Under Armour or poly pro to neoprenes and I wade all winter long. I've found that getting out of the water periodically and walking around helps. Other than that, I keep the core warm and will use handwarmers right from the get go to keep my hands from even getting cold. When the hands are toasty, I'll slide them in my pants pocket to help keep the core warm. Alternate as needed.

Don't forget to eat while fishing in coldwater, keep the fuel going for the furnace so to speak. A thermos of something warm to drink can help as well.

Like Scott, I'm diabetic so the blood flow to extremities ain't what it used to be, well it at least feels that way.

I've never really experienced anything like that, but that might be because I don't carry as many different types of lures as some do.

I have heard from locals on various rivers that a particular color is the best for that river. For example, on the Kankakee for years, I heard that green based lures were better. I've come to the conclusion that it is more a matter of many buying into the "local lore" and using that color more. Since it is used more often, then many of the fish caught are on that color hence reinforcing the "local lore" It's been my actual experince that color matters very little in river fishing other than for angler confidence.

To get back to your original question, it may also be that a particular lure/technique may be used more often one one river than another and the fish may have become "burnt out" on that approach. It may also be the fish just being fish.

Earlier this year I couldn't buy a walleye with a suspending rogue but did well on rattlebaits. Yet another guy, I know did just fine with the rogues. Was he doing something a little different than me in presentation or location or was it just a matter of me losing confidence early in the rogue and gaining confidence in the rattlebait?

to slightly paraphrase Mr Jig

An ounce of knowledge is better than pounds of gear.

Sunday Sept 19 at 9 AM at the mouth of Rock Creek in the Kankakee River State Park

Stream Monitoring Demonstration that is sheduled to be filmed as part of a documentary on the Kankakee River. Right now it looks like Mike Clifford, Zachary and myself. A couple more who have taken the class or are interested in learning about it would be nice.

If if comes down to helping Mike at the Hunting and Fishing event the following weekend or this, please choose the Hunting/Fishing event.

if anyone is interested the NIAA is hosting thier annual Kanlakee River cleanup on Saturday Sept 18. Zachary and I will be there representing the ISA and doing our best to take care of the 3 mile stretch of river the ISA adopted as part of the original Adopt A River program.

We will be at the concession stand between 8 and 830 am with a sign in sheet for ISA members. If you miss us please sign in as ISA members on the NIAA sign in sheet. Our stretch is Warner Bridge downstream for 3 miles which encompasses just about all of the state park from Warner Bridge downstream. However feel free to cover your favorite stretch.

The NIAA should have gloves, bags and patches and usually provides pop/water, chips and hot dogs to volunters.

I will have my standard load of bags/gloves that I carry all the time in my trunk.

If you can't make this see my next post about an opportunity on Sunday

edit to add it's at the Kankakee River State park

Also, once again if it comes down to this or the Hunting/Fishing event the following weekend please choose to help Mike with that one.

thanks norm. it must be part of that river rat language called kankanese. lol rich

Actually I first read about it in an old fishing book, think it was from the 20's or 30's. Also Dick Bergland aka Mr Jig on RS has spoke of it as well.

Sometimes we already have the solution that comes from a different source and just have to make the connection to our current problem which may not be related to the source of the solution.

my spitting image shad[old model] came with kirbed hooks, I believe I get better results than with my spook that doesn't. i will be rectifing that.

I ran into a guy the other day that was flyfishing channel edges. He was using an 8 weight rod with what looked to me to be a very large clouser with at least an 1/8 oz of weight and also using a sinking line. He was having continual problems with snagging up. When I asked if he could use a lighter weighted or non weighted fly and still get down with the sinking line, he just gave me a look of what did I know. Maybe it was just how he handled his gear be cause I thought he had too much slack line as well.

So I pose the question to those that should know, is it necessary to use a weighted fly and a sinking line to fish channel edges that are about 3 feet or so in the Kankakee River? I know it's not a question of deep import but more to satisfy my curiousity. It's not a knock at fly fisherman either because as far as I'm concerned he represented himself and not the rest of you.

BTW, I could fish those same channel edges quite handily with an 1/8 oz jig/pig.

kirbing is twisting the hook points to the right or left, also can open up the hookpoint a bit but that's not technically kirbing.

cooler nights, shorter days, changes in flora/fauna. are you paying attention?