Norm M

I fish rattlebaits a lot in a river and have always had issues with bringing all of them to hand after the initial hookset. I changed out factory hooks to premium hooks, played with different sized hooks, multiple hooksets on every fish, holding the rod away from the direction the fish was going and still about 30 to 35 percent would come unbuttoned during the fight. I never got really too upset about it because I was going to release them anyway. For the last week or so, I have been kirbing the hooks on my rattlebaits and now it's down to a fish or two a trip that come unbuttoned.

Well, that doesn't include airborne fish but I've never begrudged the fish that leap and throw the lure. Even after almost 40 years of chasing river fish, that still gives me a thrill to see fish come out of the water. Especially the ones that tailwalk across the surface.

I always run after them and try catching them in mid-air. So far it hasn't worked out so well, but it definitely enhances the experience!

 

Btw.... sticking the half the rod in the water and keeping pressure on the fish DOES work quite well.

even if you catch them in mid air you still need to duct tape them to the lure

pull out your glock and plug 'em

in jim's case advanced prolly refers to his age

computer glitch caused the bladder on the K3 dam to malfunction, aberrations in flow rates all connected to problem and fix

George Nielson says he caught the state record rock bass from that creek.

Rich,

On a navigabie river which the Kankakee is you have to have a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers before you may any modifications to the stream Even IDOT has to get an emergency permit before they can remove logs from the front of a bridge.

In most cases before any modification is allowed years of costly studies must be done.

Have to work. Fastest water I can find with a jig/pig has been best for about 2 weeks. Play the shade if sunny. Waterwillows may produce if some depth on outside edge. If fast water doesn't do it, the fish can go where they want with this flow rate, search baits rattlebaits, cranks, spinnerbaits to find them, then go to plastics if you like.

Don

It didn't matter how much I paid for waders or wading boots, I simply wear them out in a year or so. With that being the case I buy the cheapest ones I can find and simply replace them when they inevitably wear out.

K3 up a few inches, seems to have washed most of the floating algae away. Bottom still infested with the stuff

T Bone medium rare, baked potato, corn on the cob and some iced tea for me please.

Unless there is rain twixt now and then should be wadeable if you don't try to move too quick and mind the faster flow due to the sedimentation. Fish have mostly been feeding up, topwaters, buzzbaits, etc. Rattlebaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and spinners. Best plastic lately has been a fluke, jigs/plastics not so much.

Little to no moss on the bottom, other than waterwillow not much emergent veggies. Faster water has been best, shade definitely helps.

Average numbers way down, numbers of huge fish down as well. 11 to 16 inches seems to be most prevelant range.

I've got the day off, Zach says he'e ready. Where and when?

I have the Cutter with Picardin that I keep in my work truck.

It has a really pungent odor, yet everything I read about it states it has no odor.

This particular one is nasty.

 

Just a note to others- maybe stick with another brand on this one.

Don't store it in your work boots.

There's bacon?

I wish!

The fish adapt to the water conditions, why can't we do so as well?

Has the Christmas stuff started in the stores yet?

Check the Chebanse gauge on the Iroquois and the Momence gauge on the Kankakee as well as the Wilmington gauge. That way you can see what's coming.

If asked, I'd advise cancelling the outing, it's not going to be safe for wading or floating by this weekend.

Well the Fire Dept was headed to the river about 830 tonight with the boat and the rescue squad and it sounded like help was coming from Manteno. We had so much water here this afternoon that the water was bubbling up out of the storm sewers and in some places the streets were better than knee deep. There were flood warnings on on some of the tributaries before the rain started. My rain gauge holds 6 inches and it was full afterwards, not saying we actually got that much, but it was empty before it rained.

The only reason to wear waders over the last month or so was to keep the mud, ticks and poison ivy off you as you busted brush walking the banks fishing shoreline related cuts.

For me personally in the past, at 3000 CFS, I could go most anywhere I wanted. Most folks, who are smarter and have more sense preferred around 1500 CFS or less. Now with all the changes the sand has wrought, at 3000 CFS, it's hairier than I'll deal with in many places. Unfortunately, I can't remember it being under 3000 CFS this year.

Unless, you like walking the bank, thru tall weeds[ I admit I'm strange that way] it won't be anywhere close to being safe for wading any time soon. Maybe if we get 2 to 3 weeks of pretty dry weather throughout the entire water shed, it might get to where it's safe enough to wade. Right now the best bet is cut bait along the shoreline pockets for catfish. You can catch some smallies, but you are going to have to cover a lot of ground, plastics and spinnerbaits are the best option.

If I had to drive any distance to get here, I wouldn't.

If I lived down that way, I'd get involved. If you want to have a voice in how things are done, you need to attend meetings like this. I know, I do it on my home watershed.

Fish below where you see the suface activity and get the big fish that are eating the little fish that are eating the bugs.

With the way the K3 is going these days forget about the stuff you can't get to and concentrate on the shoreline breaks.

Very nice, that's like being in In Fisherman.

Some of you know, I went in today for a heart tune up as they found abnormal flow on my last checkup. There is some blockage below a stent and putting in another stent was not feasible with the location of the current stent. Doc deciced it could be treated with medications rather than doing bypass surgery so I dodged that bullet.

I got 48 hours in the penalty box and no wading until I go back on June 16 to check the insertation site.

Thanks Mike.

Gawd that guy is some ugly.

Any one who knows thier turtles please check out Dale Bowmans blog. We need help positively ID ing a turtle.