John Loebach

Better than you would think but I don't think the minnow would agree.

Low & slow is my most productive approach 80% of the time on area rivers. Right now until the water temp. drops to 50 or lower & stays there I always start an outing with more aggressive action higher in the water column, usually fishing a down & across swing with the current. If that doesn't work then slow it down. If you catch it right the fish will pursue & nail your fly on the lift as the current buggywhips your line straight at the end of the drift. When that is the case shallow or deep, fast or slow water doesn't much matter. I agree with Caig on large minnow patterns as the fall progresses. Whatever you do get out as often as you can, fish midday & on & cover water. You will find the fastest fishing with the flyrod this time of year. From the results that Eric has posted that time is NOW.

I'll be there on Saturday unless work gets in the way.

Rich, I'll have some anyone else can get them to you at the next tying on 9/22, check the calendar for details - it is Monday although the oct. & nov. meetings will be on tuesdays as I have a class this fall on Monday nights. we can tie some extra then as well.

Jonn - most of the fly nuts I know have too much gear but can't part with any of it. Next blowout should present some possibilities, in the meantime call Eric at Coren's rod & reel 773/631-5202. He sells some used tackle on consignment & may have what you are looking for.

With floating lines I start with tapered 9' 1x or 2x and use until the tippet is gone then add 1x florocarbon 18" to 30" & repeat. Eventually I will build in a section of 0x to keep some taper as the mono is used up. One leader per reel & line is good for the year. Sink tips go straight to tippet 36" or less. I agree with Ron 1x,2x are the start occasionally 3x. Sometimes in clear water I will cast 10' leaders most of the time 7 or 8' is a good working length.

Take your kids to anglers international in palatine. They have a wide range of imported Aussie & Japanese stuff mostly too expensive but there is a section of realistic panfish lures that are moderatly priced & look like beetles, dragonflies ect. that your guys would get a kick out of. I suspect they also work at catching fish.

Congrats Don, You da man!! Who else is still fishing the rivers come december? Your enthusiasm is contagious & as president it will only rub off on more new members. Rich, a great two years, you are a hard act to follow. thanks for lots of support for our goals & for the Bassbuggers.

Hi, Jeff - I don't know your area but watch for outings in the central region or pm the coordinator of previos outings for more info. Also consider buying a Illinios Gazateer & do some exploring, smallies are in most flows from Wisconsin to I74. if you get up to chicagoland I will happily provide you with some pointers.

Josh I've tried your spinnerd minner ( as Fox Statler calls them) & think a small snap swivel at the fly is the answer - I just haven't tried it yet. By the way they trigger alot of fish - I'm still waiting to get one in front of some bigger fish. Thanks for sharing, we would like to have you tie it at either tying night.

Overline by a weight is best suited to the larger wt. rods or the very fast tip flex rods. A 6 wt. which bends into the middle of the rod ( medium or progressive action) will not handle long casts with a 7 wt line. Also at 6 to 7 wt the gap(# of grains) becomes larger making the effect worse. Add to that many lines such as Rio clouser & outbound are really 6 1/2 wt. Don't be in a hurry to overline & do not buy your only or first line for a rod oversize. Lefty Kreh says that at times underlining a rod will make it perform better. Its complicated by the rod action, skill & needs of the caster & lenght of cast & size of fly.

Jonn, take some time & get used to what you have. I think you will find the 6wt. is your first choice most of the time. Try to come to the Cast & Compare outing on 10/18 at Hidden Lake - the whole point of this outing is to cast different action,size & taper rods for feel. You won't know what you like until you try it & its alot cheaper to winnow the choices before you buy more. Also expect your requirements to change in the next few years as you cast developes. The Midwest fly show in January is another chance to do this but not on the waterlike the C&C outing. The blowout is a great place to hook up with bargains as we have more fly gear as interest in the group grows. Let us know how it goes - summer & fall low water is my favorite time to fly fish moving water.

Also flow & guage ht. at Montgomery - These do get stuck a good hint is when the height goes flat for a long stretch.

I'll be there.

I got out on the lower main dupe today, clarity in places 2' with cloudy stain not sediment. lots of floating weed parts, small but annoying. Still a good day to wade & pleasant temps - lots of dinks nothing of note or size. Although it could be clearer its definatly fishable. When in doubt try!

Dick have your anchor on a short rope tie off & drop it at once or set up on choice spots with the anchor before you cast. I use a 2 to 4 lb coated dumbell, it is light tumbles in rock instead of snagging & its quiet on the drop or in the boat. That tarpon is a good stable platform isn't it? I agree with bterrill wading in a stream like the Dupe is my preference. I want to get out on the Kankakee with the yak to cover more water in an outing. One more thing - rig an anchor trolley & you can adjust & hold position despite current or wind.

Unfortunatly due to continued high water this years planting is cancelled. Bob Rung area DNR biologist informed me that July is the end of the window for the plants to root & survive to next year. The latest rains will push us past that time window before the river returns to normal levels. We will do this again next year & continue to look for additional volunteer opportunities to improve our local waters.

Unfortunatly due to continued high water this years planting is cancelled. Bob Rung area DNR biologist informed me that July is the end of the window for the plants to root & survive to next year. The latest rains will push us past that time window before the river returns to normal levels. We will do this again next year & continue to look for additional volunteer opportunities to improve our local waters.

Wading opportunities are now more limited unless you"re as big as John L. due to the vast amount of weeds raising the water to levels uncomfortable or impossible for wading.

G'd weeds! Good fish, Ron. Better than Josh or I could find on Saturday. Weeds were not that bad where we were. I must dispute the notion that the river rises when I step in.

As of today the new date is 2 weeks out on 7/19 lets hope this time we will get it done. Hope to see everyone there, if you have already responded I will pm you.

Numbers aren't everything. Nice fish, congrats Steve.

Thanks for posting that Don. I'll be watching the weather & flow rates closly over the next 2 weeks.

The outing at Fermi was a sucess. Thanks to Pat H., Michael T., Jim Krueger, Cory G. for coming out. A beautiful evening despite the mosquitos with a flurry of fish caught as the sun set. I think Cory caught the most on large deer hair poppers although everyone caught fish with the bass running from 10 to 16" mostly largemouth. This deserves doing again but I hope to fish the Fox in 4 weeks if it stops raining. In August I would like to fish north of I90 to accomocate Cory & others who have a long drive to Dupage county. Those who live & fish north please make suggestions - ponds or lake fishing is an option- just want to turn out some different members. Cory, Alan, Stuart & others please chime in.

Glad to hear you have been getting out, Alan. With the high water this year I have fished flowing water ONCE & the season is well on to the half way point. I haven't found much on the ponds by me as far as bluegill but I have gotten some nice bass & I'm fishing large flies. I'll have to try the small stuff next time.

Because of high water on the Fox we will meet at Casey's pond at Fermilab instead of Glenwood f.p. at Batavia. Access requires drivers liscence, tell them you are going to fish Casey's & ask for a map if you haven't been there before. I will try to be there by 5pm there are two ponds to fish no need for waders & Caseys does have smallies. Hope to see a good turnout theres plenty of room.