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BrianA

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About BrianA

  • Birthday 04/22/1971

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Darien,IL
  • Interests
    Fishing for what ever is biting when I can't get to the Smallies.<br />Ice Hockey,

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  1. Jeff, ] Welcome to Illinois Smallies, the best bare-knuckles fighting around! Did anyone also tell you we have trophy whitetails also? That's a conversation for another day. In the Kankakee (typically posted as KKK), forget the hip waders in most spots also. One item I would pack just to make it interesting would be a River Quiver and I believe they have a web site like www.riverquiver.com, and/or a third grip rod holder for an extra rod. One of these gadgets keeps me from jamming a spinning combo down the back of my wading vest & waders. Every 4-5 casts I would be jerk and moving, adjusting the extra rod so it wouldn't fall out. Pros and cons I've noticed, the Third Grip which is available at all the big boys I know of - BPS, Cabelas, Gander Mtn and I'm sure there are more, tends to sit lower. That's a consideration if you plan to be in water over your waist much as your reel may spend a fair amount of time in the water. A River Quiver rides higher, is a bit more cumbersome to handle, but is still effective. The Quiver won't hold your pliers like the Third Grip will. Also, as previously stated a wading vest/fly vest. Its an alternative to a tackle bag and totes just pack sparingly.
  2. I was again this past Saturday graced by the presence of an otter, this time on the DuPage River in the greater Naperville area. It swam over oblivious to me and my topwater as I stood in chest high grass and cast out my topwater plug. Then it made its way up the bank and began to frolic through the same grass and either picked up my scent or my cast, retrieve and rattling lure set off his alarm. The little fella made an immediate bee-line back from which it came and no more critter. This same type of encounter was made once last year w/ my brother and again this spring w/ my junky pal Rudy. Now we (the three heads together to make one good brain) can tell the difference in critters. Neither was a beaver as it did not have a large paddle tail, large front teeth, wide berth body. It was not a muskrat as the tail was too thick and the body too long and sleek. Having watched them @ the Brookfield Zoo I am convinced as were my compadres that we had a bonafide otter sighting! Now three times. How cool is that?
  3. I use Reel Magic pretty consistently. I have the large pump bottle and this is especially good when fishing in cold weather. Although it may not prevent icing up totally - it certainly lessens it to a high degree. Eventually it does wear off like anything else. This works for cold water river fishing and ice fishing too. I like the tip about running it through a cloth when respooling. I'd be obliged to borrow that technique in the future - thanks Ron!
  4. Norm, Having been exposed to such practices to "make a living" down south, I feel that type of pain. Ignorance sure can be bliss. Especially if we only get about 3-4000 more folks to follow suit on their farms. It doesn't matter, its not on my property now. Wow, and I thought burning garbage was bad the first time I saw it down there. It was one of those "you're doing whatttt?" moments. When will we start to call that evolution? When the clouds drop solid waste on us?
  5. Gents, Love all of this discusssion and many great points have been made. No shortage of words from this yap of mine so spell me a minute or two. I am not a barometer watcher for stream/riverine bass. L-M, SMB, Rockies, seem to be willing whether its bluebird skies, oppressively hot, or overcast. I have experienced great topwater all day long in early summer w/ my brother and our new junky from Marinette,WI where the sun was hot, the sky was high, we were soaked w/ sweat and the fish would not lay off the topwater lures. The bronzed warriors couldn't get enough Chug Bugs, Pop-R's, and other topwaters. Color, type, retrieve never seemed to matter. We were rewarded for our time put in. My cousin and I on the same flow a few Labor Day weekends' ago experienced the same at the front end of a storm front - temps dropped from the 90's earlier in the week to 80 that Friday morning w/ a pitter-pat drizzle. The water was a relief, the mild rain felt good, and all species of fish came to play that day. This past spring, we had a half dozen fish in off colored, cold water post storms with large wobble/rattle cranks running shallow being our hero baits. Had a few fish swipe and miss but chalk it up to the water color and fish that hadn't adapted to it. They were still feeding and some found our offers using their other senses. I like the point about confidence levels attributing to angler success in relation to water color, conditions, and weather. I agree that I'm a sharper fisherman in clear water, watching that bait, or my line for the jig to do something different. In off colored water, I'm more of a lure chunker. Throw it out, search for them but don't get your hopes to high. I also skylark around the water surroundings more. I hooked one of those spring smallies while watching an otter do his thing cross-stream. Next thing I know, I'm wrestling a foot long bass w/ a mouth full of treble hook. In those situations on our creek, spinnerbaits don't seem to produce although I've heard the Dupe sure does. Rattling wake baits, Mann's Minus 1's are a good go-to. I will certainly continue to pursue fish in different circumstances and conditions like on the Dupe. It's not far from home either. After all, that's what makes us better anglers and smallie hunters. It's like being a Marine fishermen - improvise, adapt, overcome. Semper Fi!!
  6. Paul- The bite for me at least, has felt more like a plastic worm hit too. That should help out the we from the L-M Green Bass upbringing. The Mr Twister -Exude R/T Slug is a good one too. It smells like baby barf or something that vile - the fish hold it pretty well. I use the Pearl/Sparkle and the green/gray 5 inchers. Push that hook point through the baits or rig it as previously told. I like Norm's nose rig, reminds me of that stinkin' Banjo Minnow thing too. Now through Fall and these baits will catch fish. Try that 3 inch finesse rig if the bronzebacks seem fickle. Smaller fish too but you'll get them to pull your string.
  7. PAUL- I mainly fish those upstream - especially in current. There are some scenarios for downstream especially when you're fishing pools & eddies. I like the other replies on hooks and styles - I've used a Keeper Hook (non-weighted) 2/0 & 3/0, the EWG hook is good. I also have the Gamakatsu's also, Eagle Claw Laser Hooks - Mustads - I'm not loyal to one particular hook but I would certainly use a heavier wire so I can cross that fish's eyes when I set the hook. No worries on the L-M fishing, that's where I fished them first also. That is when the Texas rig is more prevalent too.
  8. Paul, let's share: I like to fish the fluke a number of ways for smallies. In moderate flow, Texas rigging is not necessary if there is not heavy cover present. Rig the hook like its a jig head and leave it exposed. I took this advice from Jonn Graham and it has improved my hookups considerably. In heavy flows - use the Texas rig w/ the hook point pushed up through the plastic but not further than the barb. A heavy wire hook is best 2/0 - 4/0. I twitch this and let it "glide & die". I get a few more bites when its warmer out and thru the fall. Another method w/ the 3 inch finesse Slug-O is to Texas rig the bait and fish it w/ a small sliding sinker - bullet or egg shaped. Slowly drag the bait through all kinds of current, eddies, pools, edges and what not and hang on. I picked this up from an article in some kind of magazine I can't remember and an ISA dude fishing the worms that way. Yet more, rig either size baits w/ a small crimp on bullet/nose weight and twitch it in swifter current, it keeps the bait from rolling over. You can also insert the more expensive custom nail weights into the baits or use trim/finish nails to weight the baits. Slide a nail or 2 into the middle of the bait and its now weighted w/out doing nose dives. Most productive colors of Fluke, Slug-O, and other slug-soft jerkbaits are typical - pearl white, white, white/sparkle, shad, blue/gray, and clear sparkle w/ black pepper. I have some from Rattlesnake baits that are more Fluke/Slug-O SS like that fish nice and the only complaint is the plastic is not as durable. I missed many fish that hit on the fall of the bait because of improper hooking/rigging of the bait. Save yourself the grief & heart aches, rig it like a regular leadhead jig would and twitch it near current breaks, in pools, in eddies and just set the hook like you would for fishing an exposed hook jig. I've only had 1 fish come unbuttoned since switching over.
  9. I have been slowly breaking my pack mule ways too. In an attempt to cover all of the "What If's" for myself and countless fishing partners, there was not a whole lot left to chance. I had it all and my back has been paying the price. I still find myself carrying too many hard baits and varieties of plastic. I'm still caught second guessing on the "What If" scenarios on the slower days. Hey, maybe the slower days are for enjoying just being out there and not lugging an aisle worth of tackle around stupid!! This is what I tell myself and thus fish a bit faster not necessarily farther. We typically cover 1/2 - 3/4 mile worth of water in 5 hours or so. I will break down to carrying 4-5 pcs of a certain plastic and only covering 1 or 2 types/colors of those. Too many colors, too many choices, too much time wasted decision making rather than getting the old line wet. I victimize myself w/ info. Time to stop carrying everything that everyone posts about catching fish on and concentrate my efforts on what has been working w/ the exception of Jonn's Jigs. I've got to pack 1-2 of those puppies for those nook & cranny spots that require attention. You know, its an advantage to fish w/ a buddy so that he can carry one or two of those other options and compare notes. It bears witness to what you guys are doing working different parts of the water column. I do that w/ my brother and friend Rudy. No bets on the first fish though, I'd lose too much cash!
  10. KEN'S TIP - "KEEP SWITCHING THEM AROUND" Gives the appearance they've been used more. Boy I wish I could figure something out w/ all of those tackle boxes, totes, gear bags etc..... I guess using them all more would be a fine start! That's another reason I have rods & reels "stored" in a few locations - can't add them all up and my wife really doesn't want to spend that much time near my work bench area anyway! That's another free tip from your Uncle Larry!
  11. Jim, My brother is an affluent "long eared hunter" in the Joliet/Shorewood area. He has the same issues. He would also tell you he has no problem scoping out dem varmints @ dusk. There's another alternative - has Naper outlawed small concentrations of C-4?? "Don't worry Mr Gopher, I'm not a plastic explosive, it's just your pal Mr Squirrel" "Freeze Gopher!!!"
  12. Saturday - barring any monsoon or floods of Biblical proportion - I will be fishing "the creek". This mission is not just in search of bronze but it must serve a higher order. Last outing I put one of Jonn Graham's jigs into a brush pile and a different lure into another area. I had one hell of a time knocking the rust off 2 weeks ago. The truth is, I haven't been able to sleep knowing that jig is sitting where it is. It's a hard to access area in higher water but I recall an adventure-some way to get into there. I'm a coveteous ladd. I like my baits and continue to kick myself in the hynie for bad casts. It goes to the exact nature of my wrongs - perfectionist - all in or all out. I'm good for one lure donation every other month. This one, I'm having trouble living with. Jonn's jig hit the water 3 times before it got stuck in the jungle. Since Jonn gave me some pointers on tying my own jigs - I must under take this venture. Wish me luck!
  13. Gents, I was taught to fish rivers, streams, creeks that way. Only if there was no other possible way to get into a spot - then head downstream. I've fished this way with many other guys and yes, its more demanding on the body young & old but a lot of the wisdom makes sense: You tend to read the water easier You keep in better contact w/ your lures wading upstream You don't kick up silt/sand/muck into the faces of your potential targets Less filling! Taste Great! Sorry - I lost my train of thought like cocker spaniel w/ a nervous tick. We typically walk 3/4 - 1 mile worth of water on most 5-6 hour wade trips on "the creek" - on the DuPer - we have fished both ways upstream and downstream mainly due to access points. The KKK River - mostly upstream wades too. The Fox, only waded twice - both times - you guessed it - upstream.
  14. Although not a fishing theme - it's still outdoorsy. My other Dad bought my 8 yr old a Daisy Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas this past year. Had an issue with Ian's Red Rider back in March. He thought he killed the rifle every kid wants for Christmas that his Pappa gave him. My guy had been running around the house - killing Nazis & liberating Europe from oppression for about a month dry firing the rifle. When he wasn't doing that he was hunting deer, bear, and elk from the safety and comfort of our suburban home. The next events were the cocking-lever did not work and the loading door jammed. I looked up Daisy via the net and got a number to call. The wonderful lady in customer service told me after I explained the whole story including Ian's abuse by dry firing his weapon so much, "Just send it back to us so we can look at it and make sure to include your UPS mailing address". My next question "Will they call me w/ an estimate and tell me what actually broke before the repair it?" She replied "Why no sir, we're gonna git your boy a new one sent out just as fast as we git the old one. It really shouldn't have dun him like that anyway!" The next day I sent it, again including a small note describing the symptoms and how we believe it happened. I get a call 4 days later from Clyde @ Daisy Air Rifles in Arkansas "Mr Bryne, we got your boy's rifle and the lever was no real fuss but the load door's still jammin'. We're gonna gitcha another one buddy." "Okay" I replied. "What do I owe you all for shipping costs?" "Don't you worry 'bout that buddy, we'll send your boy's rifle out the next day or two, okay buddy?" states Clyde. "Alright, I appreciate ya' bud - thanks again" I quipped. "No trouble a'tal buddy, y'all take care and enjoy that rifle buddy" Clyde finished with. The only part is you'll have to imagine your own accent of the other parties involved. I'm from Chicago so you get mine. Apparently Home Cooking and good manners weren't lost on the nice folks down @ Daisy Air Rifles. All "Buddy's" were included to paint the picture of just that kind of hospitality. My 8 year old rcv'd his rifle after vacation w/ explicit instruction that all Germans, Japanese, or any other WWII enemies of the United States must be thwarted w/ his own toy guns from now on. The same applies for hunting wild animals. The Daisy sits in the box in the garage awaiting his next trip to Kentucky. What a company!!!!!
  15. I too was very stubborn about "scented" products. Yes, L-M changed my thinking especially w/ the Power Bait worms vs. unscented baits about 10 years ago. The fish @ the local ponds were pounding these things - a "THUNK" and then a chunk on the end of my string. Naturally my confidence soared. The fish were very responsive. We even started squirting extra Power Bait scent onto the baits & the bullet weights & Florida Rig screw-lock weights. For Smallies - I use some salted & scented baits - don't notice that big of a difference other than as previously stated - hold time on a bait. A 3-4 inch Power Craw or salted XYZ bait seems to entice fish to hold it longer and I can wake up from day-dreaming to set the hook in time to catch them. I use Power Bait Crawfish scent for L-M, sometimes on smallies. Big fan of salt & garlic Chommpers, FLW skirted grubs, MR Twister Exude (baby barf scented-yummy!) baits. If I'm in "the zone", I could throw Yamamoto Hula Grubs w/ the same success. I believe some of it is confidence but also how the bite comes across is really good for the ego.
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