Norm M

I went out today on a small crick just to enjoy the solitude and whatever I might catch. I used a light action spin rod with 8 lb test and a handful of small jigs-plastics.

I was using A Cubbie Lure Mini Mite that was about 1 inch long and maybe 1/64 oz. I was happily catching a bunch of creek chubs and small sunnies when I landed the smallest stream fish I've caught this year. It was a shiner of some sort about 1.5 inches long. How it got the hook in it's mouth I'll never know, prolly a one in a gazillion shot but there it was in all it's glory. I briefly condidered using it for rock bass bait but figured that any fish with that kind of gumption had to live.

Once I got to an area where the crick widened to almost a cast across I swithed to a 1/16 oz jig with a 2 inch twister and that was the ticket for the rest of the day.

Palm sized sunnies, a crappie, a bullhead, some smallies and a whole bunch of rock bass rounded out the trip.

I did not see another person let alone any other fisherman but plenty of wildlife including coons and deer early on. I heard but didn't see a couple turkeys back in the woods and saw a squirrel miss it's branch and take a swim. They sure look a lot smaller soaking wet.

All in all a soul restoring day.

I hate to even think how much trash Zach and I have removed over the years on our private cleanup missions. Not the removing of the trash but the idea it was there at all.

Stick some plastic grocery bags in your back pocket and fill them on the way out. The river gods will appreciate your gift of time.

For the big messes by the access area a couple of empty 50 gallon trash bags don't take up much room in your trunk.

If it's a navigabile river I'd contact the Army Corps of Engineers as well. You generally have to get a permit from them first before altering the flow in protected streams. That includes adding to or taking things out of that river.

BT,

I'm lucky enough to have a very understanding woman, a schedule that allows lots of time to fish, older kids and to live minutes away from prime water. You still got more time on the water in a few years than a lot of guys will do in a decade, shoot some in a lifetime.

Time on the water, the ability to learn from your experiences good and bad and learning to see and remember the natural cues are what's most important.

Over the years I've caught more big fish from mid October thru mid April than during the warmer months.

Many think I'm nuts when I say high, cold muddy water is one of my favorite conditions which in the long run is fine by me.

The first time you gotta scrape the frost off your car windows.

Efficient?

 

"The smallies also are more efficient, they will eat a larger meal versus chasing down several smaller meals."

 

Here we come close to my issue. That would be giving fish human attributes, like learning to be more efficient. Do they develop an internal ROI calculation.

Yep it's called instinct.

Being up in some sibling rivalry never hurts either.

Scott,

It's part of the NIAA cleanup and a River Appreciation Day event as well. The ISA is honoring it's agreement with the Adopt A River program and scheduling a clean up on this day.

As far as I'm concerned bring all the willing hands you can. Hopefully they will like what they see and join up. If not hopefully they will commit to the river itself and help keep it a going concern.

Cogratulations Craig, I'll pop over to Barnes and Nobles to check it out. The success is well deserved.

Thanks John.

Right now it looks to be 60/40 for a vacation day and my fishing afterward.

Thanks guys.

Right now getting the rest of the day off to fish is iffy, waiting to hear back from the "man" at work. If I can't go I'll give you some spots to fish.

I'd guess it depends on the current flow. You could rig a rope mesh over the opening on an inner tube and pull it back and forth. A back pack and a wading staff is another option.

As Mark said the best option is a watercraft, I remember Mike's duck boat getting pretty well loaded up. There is a picture in one of the old issues of the newsletter early 2000's as best I can recall.

I fit the technique to match I think the fishes mood to be based on current situation, local climatic condition, fishing pressure and I must admit my given mood at the moment. Sometimes I just get a wild hair up my backside and have to scratch the itch.

I generally fish larger lures and more agressive techniques anyway so that doesn't really have to change. Fishing 250 days a years or so already so fishing more often would also be a minor change.

I am currently writing an article about cool-cold water fishing so watch for it in an upcoming newsletter.

Mike,

Simply tossing out some possibile reasons. Flooded or not the fish still gotta eat, fish when you can.

CAFO's screwed my family farmers, you bet I signed.

The NIAA is holding the Kankakee River Cleanup on 09-19-09 from 8:00 AM until 1:00PM.

As part of the original Adopt A River agreement in which the ISA adopted a 3 mile stretch of the Kankakee River from Warner Bridge to Hoffman Island we agreed to have a cleanup on this date.

To meet our obligation I am asking for volunteers to meet at the concession stand at the Kankakee River State Park at 8:00 AM. We will go from there to cover our adopted stretch. The NIAA will provide lunch for all volunteers.

Let's hope for a better turnout than last year where it was two members trying to clean 3 miles of river.

Thanks for the input. I thought that with whatever method you used to get down the technique would be to lead your target area enough that your lure had time to sink to the desired level by the time it arrives on target. That is just basic river sense.

What I didn't know was how hard this was to manage with a fly and how it affected your sense of feel.

As for the dry fly purist, I just figured he was like the guys who say they would rather catch one fish on a topwater to ten on anything else. Dedicated but a tad off thier rocker.

Over the last few weeks with the lower water on my flow I've been getting fish in faster water and in channel areas that are deeper with a good flow. In that same period I have encountered guys fishing flys that I attempted to steer toward the areas that were producing.

Most gave it a shot but a few said that it was too hard to fish deeper and/or faster flows. One guy said that he would have to go buy a whole new set of line to get down.

Now I thought you could buy tippets that sank and add them to your line without buying a whole spool of line that sank. I also know about Clouser minnows and ways of weighting flies by wrapping lead on them.

What I would like to know is it actually harder to fish faster and/or deeper water if you have the proper fly gear ? My initial reaction was that these guys were just not willing to change which is an affliction fisherman of all gear types suffer from.

I thought I'd ask as I prolly should have give them the benefit of doubt as I don't know for sure if it is harder.

I did run into one guy who was using dry flies who said it was only sporting to cast to rising fish. I've heard that is the way they do it on chalk streams in England but it seems that on a river as wide as mine while fishing for a species not as prone to rise to flies that he was really limiting himself unnecessarily. I admire his sticking to his ethical point of fishing but don't completely understand it.

I'm not looking to turn this into a spin vs fly fracas but rather trying to satisfy my curiousity.

I fish for smallies year round. I've noticed over the years that I hardly if at all catch smaller smallmouth as the water gets colder. I have thought that it may be account the lower metabolism of the small fish tends to shut them down a lot more that the larger fish. They may go into some sort of hibernative state or it may be that they need to feed so infrequently that I just don't encounter them. Well that and the fact that I use larger than normal baits that may intimidate them.

Is there a fall feeding frenzy of large fish or is it that the smaller fish are actually feeding less than the larger fish due to thier metabolic rate dropping?

It would be interesting to know for the sake of pure knowledge but in the long run I'd say sit back and enjoy the ride for the average guy.

Maybe it has to due with less fishing pressure as some put down the rod in favor of the bow or the shotgun. You also have the kids back in school, others that don't like colder weather and for some thier weekends are consumed by college and pro football.With less pressure the larger bass may return to the classic spots and day time feeding after spending the summer feeding at night or in off the wall spots. If so then they are more likely to be encountered by the average fisherman.

It may also be that over the years due to the preception that there is a fall feeding frenzy of large fish that folks actually start fishing techniques that catch large fish thus making it a self fuliing prophecy.

Or it could be that I'm bonkers and these are the just ravings of a lunatic instead of the musings of an experinced[not old] river rat.

Whatever it is, enjoy the fishing and tight lines.

Well, Steve, Ted and I did our best Don Rego imitation and all landed at least one clam. No turtles though so the Caliph of Clams and the Titan of Turtles[may his shadow never lessen] aka Don R retains his titles.

Eveyone got at least one but Ted and I had to leave early. I left Steve with some suggestions but forgot I'm a tad taller. Good to here he got some. Looking forward to that e-bomb Steve.

22 1/4 inch smallie Friday, 1.5 ft water, fast flow on crankbait.

purple/white clousers, olive wooly buggers, black bunny hair leches and bead nymphs. yellow or white streamers for channel cats.

Rattle baits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, topwaters, jigs/various&sundry plastics, and flukes-weighted and unweighted.

Fast water, shade, low light times.

Water level and flow rate extremely low.

I'll be there, can stay until about 1130-noon, unless I get stuck working a split shift until 0300 the night before. Gotta keep the main line of Mid America rolling Saturday afternoon.

BTW, all the fish been sore lipped already.

Jim J

I've heard Madasgascar is the true smallie mecca.

As far as I'm concerned the best smallie water is the one that you are personally wired into.

I gave up long ago trying to judge the size of fish in pictures, too many variables. The way I figure if a guy stretches the size, he is only cheating himself in the long run. It's between him and the religious figure of his world view.

Surveys are supposed to be done in a scientific manner, for the data to be meaningful it must have repeatable conditions. Hence they are done for the same length of time in the same place from year to year for the most part. Would you take a survey boat/crew to your honey hole if it was you?

Who knows a river better, a guy who spends 200 days a year or so on it or a biologist who spends a few weeks to a month a year at best working on that river? Is it any surprise who tends to get bigger fish?

Jim

No smallies at all in the Kank

Mike,

I just took it as paying my dues.