IL River Sauger Fishing

Illinois River - December 30, 2010

Icy Parking Lot

Since it's been a while since I fished for Sauger, I thought I'd try to get Jim Lukancic and Al Bernicky out on the river so we could try our luck. Jim had got called back to work for a couple days after being laid off and wasn't able to go, and so Al and I were disappointed he wasn't able to join us.

Launching the boat very carefully

The ride out to river was a messy one. The boat was covered with snow and road scum by the time we got there. The parking lot was a sheet of ice. That was great for the kids who come to the park to sled down the hill, but not great if you're pulling a bass boat. We took our time and had no trouble getting the boat safely in the 35 degree water. By this time, most of the morning fog had dissipated leaving a dreary and overcast day.

Bald Eagles in the distance

As soon as we were on our way to fish our first spot, I spotted a couple Bald Eagles in a tree up river from where we were. We never went close enough to try for some good photos and I figured that we'd see more of them during the day.

A Bald Eagle flies by

A short time after we started fishing, Al said " That bird is going to fly right over your head and you don't have your camera ready?". Sure enough, before I could grab the camera and get a good shot, a Bald Eagle flew right over us. I missed the good shot but caught him flying away from us.

One of my first nice Sauger

Fishing was slow. I caught one or two smaller fish in the first spot we tried, but since we were looking for more and bigger fish, we decided to move. Sitting in a bass boat when you're flying down the river at more than 50 mph is one thing. Doing it when the temperature is at about the freezing mark is quite another. I had to suck it up and take it for a few minutes while we ran to our next spot. That was one cold ride.

A young Bald Eagle watches over our fishing spot

On the way down river, we spotted more Eagles. I wasn't about to try to photograph them as we were moving for fear I'd freeze to death before I could aim the camera. I anticipated the air temperature was going to be a bit warmer than it was and I left my extra clothes in my car - which was parked back in Als driveway.

 Another shot of the Eagle

 Once we began fishing, I caught a nice fish right away. That gave us hope we were going to have a better day. Unfortunately every time we found ourselves on top of a school of fish, we had to move to let the tug boats get at the barges were fishing near.

Another fish out of the same hole

I caught another fish once we were able to get back on top of the same spot where had I caught the first, but we were forced off a few minutes later by another tug pushing a couple barges. This got old real quick. I'd catch a fish and we'd have move right away before we could get any more.

  

Another nice Sauger

We stayed as long as we could in that area and put a few more fish in the boat. Eventually the bite stopped once they stacked a couple barges right over the hole where we had found them so we decided to head back to where we started our day.

One more nice fish in the boat

By this time there were several boats drifting around the area we wanted to fish. They were catching a lot of small fish so we decided to try a different drift pattern. It worked since Al put a nice Walleye in the boat on the first drift we made.

A Barge passes us on its way up river

I put one more nice fish in the boat that we caught in much shallower water than everyone else was fishing. After a few more smaller fish we decided to head back. It wasn't worth it to stay out there and go through so many small fish. Not to mention that it was supposed to already be raining on us according to the weather forecast.

A scenic point on the river

Pulling the boat out wasn't too bad. Once it was out of the water, we had trouble getting traction on the ice to get it the rest of the way up the ramp. Al eventually got it and we stowed all the gear in preparation for the messy ride home.

Lots of Ice Cold Fish

Illinois River - January 19, 2010

More Photos from today:

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/01192010.htm

The clouds are winning but the sun isn't giving up

I left my house before sunrise with the boat in tow headed for the Illinois River. Along the way I stopped to pick up my two fishing partners for the day, Al Bernicky and Jim Lukancic. Our goal was to catch Sauger.

Now that's cold!

The forecast was for calm winds to become north at 5 mph under a cloudy sky with afternoon peeks of sun. We put the boat in the water just after sun-up and quickly found out that the outboard was frozen.

And that's even colder!

We decided to use the trolling motor to get to our fist spot since it wasn’t far, and hoped the water (which was only 5 degrees warmer than the 29 degree air) would help thaw the outboard. My boat is stored outside and we’ve had a lot of freezing fog lately.

Freezing Fog = Nice View

First Sauger of the day caught by Jim

Jim put the first fish in the boat and Al didn’t wait too long to get his first one. I caught my first a little later and we kept catching them non-stop all day long.

My first fish of the day

Eventually the outboard fired up and we were able to move up river and line up for our drifts much easier and quicker than with the trolling motor.

Al puts another nice fish in the boat

Another chunk of ice heads right for us

We spent over an hour in one area and after a few other boats showed up, we moved to another location. To get there we had to navigate through a lot of ice floating in the water. The chunks ranged in size from your average ice cube to the size of a car. The extra time it took to get to our spot was worth it. We caught some bigger fish but still had to sort through a lot of fish to get the keepers. The water temp in that area was one whole degree above freezing.

We can fish around the ice!

Another nice one caught by Jim

The action was pretty fast and furious. Al was using two poles and caught himself a double. There were a couple times when all three of us had fish in the boat at the same time. And on top of that, the sun finally came out and the ice stopped freezing up the rod guides.

Al catches two at once

After a while, we got relocated by a tug boat that had to maneuver into place to hook up to a barge. We waited and resumed our drift after the tug moved. It didn’t take long before we were knocked out of our spot again by another tug. This time we had to stay outside our preferred drift line for a while as the tug went about its business pushing the barges together and re-arranging them.

One of the reasons we kept getting kicked off our spot

As we were fishing, we spotted deer in the nearby fields. A Bald Eagle flew by on his way up river as did the occasional seagull.

One of several deer we saw enjoying the day

Once we got back into our pattern, we continued to catch fish after fish. Unfortunately the sound of a tugs horn from up river signaled that we would have to move one more time. We decided that it was getting late and we should get going anyway. We knew we’d have to watch out for the ice on the way back too.

I don't want to know where he was last night

As we got everything packed up and ready for the trip back, a Bald Eagle landed in a tree almost right over our heads. He did not look like he had the best of days, but we were appreciative of the fact that he chose to give us the pleasure of seeing him so close.

Still looking regal despite seeing better days

As we moved past him he decided to continue his journey up river. I was able to get a few more pictures and then it was time for us to finally go. As we got the boat out of the water we found that the air temperature had just made the freezing mark.

Time to go!

Al arrived at my place just as I got the boat put back in its place and we removed the fish we kept from the live well. For the day we probably caught close to 100 fish between the three of us but only kept 6 or 7 for meals. Bear came outside to help me place the second cover on the boat (and play in the snow). By this time the air temp had sunk back into the mid 20s and the sun had already fallen below the western horizon.

These will make a nice meal

Bear Goes Fishing

By William D. Anderson

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Catch Photo Re...

By William D. Anderson

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Des Plaines River 9/11/2009

More photos from today:
http://www.catchphotorelease.com/09112009.htm

Our trip started out right at 7:00 am. My partners for the day were Dale Bowman who is the outdoors writer for the Chicago Sun Times, and Joel Greenberg who is a friend of Dales, and a Naturalist. We planned to do a little fishing and also to do some wild life exploration.

Sunrise at the Marina

Our expectations for fishing were not very high due to the bluebird skies so we decided we’d jump from spot to spot and see what we’d see. Within the first few minutes of the trip, we spotted a Bald Eagle sitting in a tree. We stopped for a couple photos and then continued on to our first fishing spot.

Bald Eagle

Dale managed to catch a nice Bluegill at spot number one, but fishing there was kind of tough due to all the floating vegetation coming from up river. We didn’t stick around that spot too long.

At our next spot I caught a little Smallmouth Bass almost right away. Before we were done with that spot, we had quite a few fish in the boat. All three of us caught fish. Dale was determined to catch a fish on a top water lure and had several fish hit the lure.

A fish tries to inhale Dales topwater lure

His determination paid off with a nice White Bass.

Dale with a White Bass

Joel also caught a White Bass and his first few Smallmouth ever from that spot. At one point, Joel and I had doubles so we were able to photograph a Largemouth Bass and a Smallmouth Bass side by side. Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass side by side

After things slowed a little, we moved to spot number three. We didn’t catch anything there, and once again, fishing was tough because of the vegetation that would hang up the lures on every cast. We headed onward to the next spot.

Once we arrived I put a nice Flathead Catfish in the boat right away.

Flathead Catfish

Before we were done with that area, Dale had a couple more nice fish in the boat. We also spotted a big Red Tail Hawk circling above the river holding onto a snake he had captured.

Dale with another nice Smallmouth Bass

As we headed down river, we kept a lookout for different species of birds and other wild life. We saw the usual ducks, cormorants, deer, herons, swans, and egrets. We also spotted a couple of Osprey that were a little too far away for good pictures. We also stopped to fish along a Lotus field that was blooming but struck out there.

Lotus blooming in the distance

Once we got the point where the Des Plaines River and Kankankee River meet to form the Illinois River, we stopped to take some photos and talked about the history of that particular spot and how early settlers of our country passed through there.

Joel on the IL River with the Des Plaines River to his left, and the Kankakee River to his right.

At our last fishing spot Dale caught the first fish. It was a big Smallmouth Bass.

Dale with a big Smallmouth Bass

A short time later, I hooked a slighly larger fish. My first thought was that it was a Drum but Dale got the first good look at it and encouraged me to "get it in the boat". Then when it jumped again, I saw that it was a real nice Smallmouth.

Lifting my Smallmouth Bass into the boat

I noticed it was hooked pretty well so I quickly horsed it up into the boat. We tried for a few more fish there but struck out.

20 inch Smallmouth Bass - Thanks to Dale for providing this photo

As we were heading back I asked Joel about a bird I noticed. He looked at it and determined it was a black-legged kittiwake which is rare for that area. We were able to get quite a few photos of the bird.

Black-Legged Kittiwake

Joel has a blog at http://www.birdzilla.com/blog/

Dale’s column can be found in Wednesdays and Sundays Chicago Sun Times, and his blog is at http://blogs.suntimes.com/bowman/

We stopped to notice more sights, birds, animals, and plants on the way back to the boat ramps. It was nice to be out there with a couple guys who appreciate all aspects of the outdoor world as I do, and who I can always learn a thing or two from. The water temperature was anywhere between 82 and 86 degrees depending on where we were. The was hardly a cloud in the sky and a comfortable breeze was blowing out of the East Southeast.

Swans

At the end of the trip we all agreed that the day turned out better than expected.

Bridge

Bear goes Fishing, Again!

Photos from this trip:

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/07272009.htm

After a couple of trips back to the Monee reservoir that didn’t leave me with much to write about, I decided that my next trip would be to new water. On Monday July 27, 2009, my wife and I took that trip. We took the boat to Starved Rock State Park and launched in the Illinois River.

The last time I was at Starved Rock, they had a dock there which made it fairly easy to put a boat in the water. No dock this time. I had to pick the dog up and put him in the boat while it was still on the trailer. After my wife climbed up into the boat, I backed it down the ramp and into the water. The plan was for my wife to drive the boat off of the trailer and then I’d climb into it over the front after parking the vehicle and trailer.

As soon as I got out of the car I noticed water being spit out thanks to the bilge pump. Yep, Rookie move. I forgot the drain plug. Good thing that one of the first things I did after I got the boat was to install a float switch and replace the bilge pump with the biggest one I could make fit. That kept the water from sinking the boat, not to mention my wife, the dog, my cameras, and all my other gear. Despite the wind and strong current, my wife got the boat on the trailer on her first attempt and after I put the plug where it belonged, we were off.

As we were heading down river, we spotted a critter along the river bank. My wife grabbed the camera, took aim, and all of a sudden a young Bald Eagle swooped down on the critter. It was either an otter or possibly a mink. My wife took several awesome photos of the bird before it took off and she handed to camera to me. I got a few shots of it flying off before it was gone over the trees.

Better Picture:

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/eagle26.htm

For more Bald Eagle photos, check out:

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/eagles.htm

We continued our journey down river looking for spots that I would return to fish in the future. I noted several as I kept an eye on the locator and side scan sonar unit. After traveling well past the town of Peru, we decided to turn around and head back since there was a slight chance of storms later on.

On the return trip I decided to stop and take a couple casts at what I thought was a fishy looking spot. Bear was really happy I was going to do some fishing. He was probably thinking about his last fishing trip. Sure enough, it took less than a minute and I had a small Sauger in the boat.

A few casts later and I had a small White Bass in the boat. We turned to make another pass over the spot and I hooked a monster fish. It ran towards me before turning and heading off to one side. I pulled back and the fish changed directions again heading away from the boat. A couple seconds later and the line went limp – fish gone. It fought like a Striper but was more likely a large bighead carp.

Rather than spend more time there, Bear was looking like he was getting too warm in the sun so we poured a bottle of water into the bowl we brought for him, then headed back after he took a drink. We stopped at one spot I had fished before and I hooked a nice Sauger but lost it at the boat. We spent less than 2 minutes there.

Getting the boat out of the water was a challenge without the use of a dock. My wife nosed the boat up to the ramp and I jumped off the front. She backed away until I had the trailer in the water and then she did another perfect job of driving onto the trailer.

My last trip to Starved Rock resulted in my falling out of a friend’s boat into the water below the dam. I was fishing from the rear casting deck when his trolling motor suddenly struck a rock stopping the boat on a dime and sending me over the side. My cell phone was the only casualty. Luckily this trip went a lot better despite my forgetting to check the most important thing before putting the boat in the water.