Friday, April 1, 2011
When I went outside Friday morning I was greeted with a very colorful sunrise. The air temp was in the upper 40s and it was forecast to rain off and on later in the day.
Colorful Sunrise
I got to the lake about an hour after it opened and was very surprised that for opening day there were only 11 trailers in the lot and I was going to be number 12 in the water. Usually opening day is pretty crowded and the lot fills up. Unlike the day before, I had no trouble or mishaps getting the boat into the water and heading out to find fish. As soon as I got to my first spot I noticed several schools of Carp swimming around the surface and sucking air. I've seen them do that in very warm water, but not 43 degree water like I was fishing in.
Carp at the surface
As I worked my way along the shoreline I saw several geese and ducks going about their business. Every now and then a small fish would cause some commotion as I spooked it away from the shoreline rocks.
A Duck swims away from me
I wasn't on the water for more than a few minutes when the clouds moved in and a few drops made their presence known as they hit the waters surface.
Clouds move in
The rain got a little heavier but wasn't to the point of annoying yet. It would sprinkle a little, then quit, then sprinkle some more. I kept working my way along the shoreline.
A pair of Geese
One thing I noticed even as I put the boat in the water was that the water level was probably as low as I've seen it. I had to be careful motoring out of the cove where the ramp is located. There is a fence that is supposed to keep people from getting closer to where the power plant used to be and it is usually right at the water line. I was surprised to see the water several feet lower than the base of the fence.
Very low water level
My first strike of the day was a good one. I knew right away I had a decent fish on and when I saw that it was a nice Musky, I grabbed the big net that I had ready and waiting just in case. A few minutes later I was netting the fish and taking a few quick photos.
Releasing the Musky
After I released the Musky I sent a quick text to a friend who was on his way to join me "Musky in the boat". A reply came right back "Awesome". In short order I was able to put a Smallmouth Bass and a Hybrid Striped Bass in the boat.
Hybrid Striped Bass
At this point the rain became a little steadier and everything started to get soaked - including me. The phone rang and it was time to head for the ramps to pick up Dale.
Smallmouth Bass
Once we got back out on the water the rain began alternating between a moderate rain and a light sprinkle with more emphasis on the moderate rain. Dale is the outdoors writer for the Chicago Sun-Times, has a great Radio Show that can be heard around the Chicago area, and also writes for Heartland Outdoors. See the end of this for some links.
Steadier Rain
Dale and I continued to fish and continued to get soaked. Our hands became numb and we'd have to stop fishing every once in a while to warm them back up. By this time we couldn't see any other boats on the water and it appeared as if we had the entire lake to ourselves.
Dale fishing in the rain
Heidecke Lake is around 1600 acres of water that is separated into two sections by a levee. At the northwest end of the levee there is a bridge that some boats can go under to get to the other section. My two previous boats would make it under the bridge, but not this one. Even with the water level as low as it was, I was not about to risk damaging the windshield. I have some fond memories of fishing the other side of the lake and miss being able to get under that bridge, but it's not worth the risk to the boat.
Rain, Rain, and more Rain
Heidecke used to be a cooling lake for a coal fired power plant. A few years ago they tore the plant down and the lake became more like a normal lake. There used to be a good current that moved the warm water from one side to the other. But when the plant closed, that went away. Even though the extended growing season is a thing of the past, there are still some huge fish in the lake.
Me with a nice white Bass
We put a few more fish in the boat. Dale had a musky bite a pretty good sized musky lure right off the end of his line and I hooked two more smaller ones but failed to land them. I got one right up to the boat but he got away just as Dale was lowering the net to the water. The other jumped so we could see him laugh at us before he let go of the lure. I also had a Walleye take a swipe and a lure as I was bringing it back to the boat, then as I pulled it out of the water, he came back again a jumped out of the water after it. Too bad he missed or that would have been a first for me.
Another White Bass
Despite the rain, it was still a nice trip. My boat was soaked but by the end of the next day it was all dried out and ready for the next trip. the air temp made it to the low 50s but you never would have know it being out in the rain as we were.
I recently moved my website to a new hosting company and have yet to put the two sites up where you can purchase my photos, but I'm looking forward to working with my new host with this being the 10th anniversary of my site being on the web. Here are some links to Dale's work:
I recently moved my website to a new hosting company and have yet to put the two sites up where you can purchase my photos, but I'm looking forward to working with my new host with this being the 10th anniversary of my site being on the web. Here are some links to Dale's work:
