Des Plaines River - September 24, 2009

More photos from today:

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/09242009.htm

Sunrise over the river industy

My friend Al Bernicky and I hit the Des Plaines River Thursday morning. The purpose of this trip was to catch fish, and also to make sure I corrected the problem that was causing the outboard alarm to sound. Fortunately the owner’s manual was very clear as to what I needed to do and everything worked fine. There's a reason they tell you to read the entire manual before you operate the machinery.

Sun through the approaching clouds

We ran through the fog that was rising off the water to our first spot. On the way I took the usual sunrise photos and let Al take the wheel so I could get some good photos. We beat up that area pretty good and all we got out of it was a small Largemouth that hit my crank bait.

Largemouth Bass doing the tail-walk

On the way to the next spot I let Al take the wheel again so I could shoot some video. There was still some fog rising up off the water and it looked pretty neat. I also got some video of a Bald Eagle in a tree way off in the distance and a snake that swam out to greet us.

Bald Eagle in the distance

I combined the day’s photos with the video and put his together from it:

Al suggested another spot I’ve fished before where I’ve had mixed results and that was where the fish were. Al out-fished me two to one in that spot. We threw crank baits, jigs and plastics worms and only the plastic worm struck out. I had a couple fish pick up the worm, but couldn’t hook up.

Al with the first decent Largemouth of the day

After the bite slowed, we moved on to where I’d caught fish the last few trips. We beat up that spot with pretty good but it was pretty much for nothing. If I remember correctly, we both got a fish there, but nothing to really brag about.

My best Largemouth of the day

We hit a couple spots I’ve never fished before on the way back with no luck. In one spot the Shad were so thick you could have walked across them. I also got a couple photos of a sunken boat that was sticking out of the water.

Someone had a bad day a while back

We ran back to where we caught fish and they were still there. The bite was actually a little better and Al still caught more fish. We were throwing the same lure for a while but Al had the magic touch. I caught fish there, but he caught the biggest two of the day.

Typical size Largemouth for today

We stuck it out as long as we could until I had to be on my way so that I could get to where I needed to be later that afternoon. The water temperature was a little cooler than the last trip at 76 to 86 at the one discharge we fished. It was cloudy all day with very little wind which made it really nice to be out there. With any luck, Al and I will get back out there in the near future.

Des Plaines River - July 6, 2009

More photos from today:

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/07062009.htm

I took my neighbor and his son to the river to do some fishing today. What a great time! Fishing was slow by my standards but there were enough bites to keep us going after them. Just like my previous trip to the river, I struck out at the first couple spots, but Mike scored the first fish which was a nice Bluegill at spot number one. We were quickly displaced from that spot by a tugboat that needed to get into our spot so it could tie up to a barge parked nearby.

First fish of the day

We didn't spend much time at spot number two either. We saw a lot of Gar porpoising which got our hopes up, but we caught nothing but water. At spot number three (which was where we caught most of our fish the previous trip), we finally started seeing fish. We tried throwing some night crawlers at some of the Carp and Drum we saw along the banks but we only managed to spook them.

I changed the way little Mikes pole was rigged and a short time later he was yelling "I got something". He sure did. His pole was bent way over and there was a big fish pulling on the other end. I got the net out and scooped up the fish for him, then handed him the net so he could pose for a couple pictures with what turned out to be the biggest fish of the day. It was a nice Freshwater Drum.

Best catch of the day

A short time later we set Mikes dad (also Mike) up the same way (as I should have done in the first place), and he started catching fish. I caught a couple fish on the crank bait I was throwing too.

One of my fish

Mike caught the first Largemouth of the day.

Mike with a Largemouth Bass

While we were in that area we saw a few snakes including one that was curled up in a tree over the water.

Snake in a tree

Big Mike caught a few more fish in that area before we moved on again. I think I caught one more Drum in the next spot we tried, but since nothing was happening, we moved to one last spot. Here we found a lot of fish.

The guys caught.........

Largemouth, ......


Bluegills,.......


a small catfish,......


Green Sunfish, ......


and more Bluegills.


We would have like to stay longer but it was getting late and I wanted to take them for a ride to see the rest of that section of the river. We traveled between the Brandon Lock in Joliet to the Dresden Lock in Morris.

While riding in the boat we saw a deer along the shoreline with a little baby nearby. We saw the same thing from the car on the way home too. There were all kinds of egrets, herons, and other birds like belted kingfishers all along the river. We missed the turtles and other creatures I sometimes see but with this being the busiest time of year on the river, those creatures usually come out very late in the day.

Two deer by the water

The water temp was 78 in most places with it being in the 80s at the discharges we went by. Just like last time, the bright sunshine wasn't helping us catch fish, but the breeze that developed later in the day sure made it a nice day to be out on the water.

One more fish in the boat

Heidecke Lake - June 15, 2009

Heidecke Lake - June 15, 2009

Today's Photos:

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/06152009.htm

Expect some wind today.

When I got to the lake about 5 minutes past 7:00, Jim was already on the water and waiting for me. We headed out to our first spot as I've done the last few trips and let the wind try to take us along the bank. This saves gas and wear and tear on the trolling motor. Despite the wind wanting to push us into the bank, Jim did a great job controlling the boat and keeping us in the right zone to target the fish. After a while though it seemed we were throwing at the wrong target because fishing was very slow.

Off we go.

The forecast was for light east winds and mostly sunny conditions but we were blessed with a nice blanket of clouds and a little more wind than was predicted. The fish didn't see it that way because they were few and far between. Eventually I hooked up and brought one to the boat.

A small Striper.

A short time later, Jim hooked up and had a real nice Walleye in front of us but if came unhooked and got away. The birds along the shoreline were busy looking for fish and crayfish and every now and then I'd notice a blackbird with a crayfish he'd managed to pull out of the rocks.

Somebody who caught more fish than us.

We brought a few more fish to the boat and every now and then we'd make a second pass on an area where we had caught or hooked something. Each time it seemed like it was for nothing but at least we tried. We switched lures and caught fish on a few different ones but nothing seemed to really get them going today.

Me with another one.

Jim finally hooked another Walleye and was able to put it in the boat.

Jim with a nice Walleye.

A couple more fish and it was time to go.

As we headed in, I threw a cast towards a point and hooked a good fish. It fought hard but when I got it to the boat it was able to shake the lure. The fish was one of the better Walleye I'd seen at the lake and it would have been great to put it in the boat but it didn't happen. We spent another hour hammering that area trying for another one but struck out.

We did manage to find an interesting looking snake resting in some of the rocks along the cove. He had the right idea.

The water temp was as high as 74 in a couple spots and the level was still up from the previous weeks rains. The air temp hit the upper 70s before we left. We put maybe a dozen fish in the boat including Walleye, Stripers, White Bass, Drum, and a Crappie. No monster fish today (except maybe the one I lost on the way in) but it was still a great day on the water.