|
1/04/2002
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Bright sunshine - Air Temp in the upper 30s with
a Southwest wind gusting past 25 mph.
Water temp was 34 degrees with a
lot of ice floating down river.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
1 Sauger |
|
|
1 Walleye |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook. The jig/minnow combo was lowered straight
down to the bottom then raised 2 to 4 inches
every few seconds. Proper boat control was important
in the wind and current in order to keep the
line vertical.
|
Both fish were released.
|
After driving to the river and finding the
ramps frozen, I fished a little
from the bank and then began trying to chop the ice
out using the wrong tool for the job. Lucky for me two
other fishermen showed up with the proper tools and
after a while we had the ramp open and were able to
launch. I know the guys in the other boat caught at
least 4 fish before I left.
Some of today's pictures: 1
2
|
|
1/09/2002
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Bright sunshine - Air Temp in the mid 50s with a
Southwest wind gusting past 25 mph.
Water temp was 37.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
5 Sauger |
|
|
1 Walleye |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook. The jig/minnow combo was lowered straight
down to the bottom then raised 2 to 4 inches
every few seconds. Proper boat control was important
in the wind and current in order to keep the
line vertical.
|
All fish were released.
|
Very windy day. I fished deeper water and did better
today, but not as well as some others who were there.
Two of the fish were decent.
Some of today's fish: 1
2
3
|
|
1/19/2002
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Mostly Sunny - Air Temp in the mid to upper 20s with
a Southwest around 7mph.
Water temp was 37.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
4 Walleye |
|
|
1
Sauger |
| Partner: |
0 |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook. The jig/minnow combo was lowered straight
down to the bottom then raised 2 to 4 inches
every few seconds. Proper boat control was important
in the wind and current in order to keep the
line vertical.
|
All fish were released.
|
The fish became active shortly before I had to leave.
All of them were caught within 30 minutes of each other.
The Walleye were small but the
Sauger was a decent fish. |
|
1/23/2002
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Cloudy with light drizzle - Air Temp in the mid to
upper 40s with a Southwest around 5mph.
Water temp was 41.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
17 Walleye |
|
|
3 Sauger |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook. The jig/minnow combo was lowered straight
down to the bottom then raised 2 to 4 inches
every few seconds. Proper boat control was important
in the wind and current in order to keep the
line vertical.
|
All fish were released.
|
All the walleye and one of the sauger were small but
two of the sauger were nice fish. I also lost another
big sauger at the boat. I was expecting the fish to
be hitting later in the day but I caught them on every
drift all day long until the sun began to set. A friend
showed up and fished the last 20 minutes with me and
we had a few light hits and stolen minnows, but didn't
catch anything right before dark.
One of today's pictures: 1
|
|
2/1/2002
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Cloudy then sunny - Air Temp in the mid 20s rising
to about freezing. Northwest around 15mph gusting past
25.
Water temp was 41.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
2 Walleye |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook. The jig/minnow combo was lowered straight
down to the bottom then raised 2 to 4 inches
every few seconds. Proper boat control was important
in the wind and current in order to keep the
line vertical.
|
All fish were released.
|
Both fish were very small. The river was higher and
moving faster due to recent rain and melting snow. Both
fish were caught closer to shoreline structure that
may have provided a break from the current. There was
a lot of debris floating down the river and it was very
murky. |
|
2/7/2002
Powerton Lake
Manito, IL
|
Foggy then sunny - Air Temp in the mid 20s rising
to the upper 30s. Northwest wind around 10mph.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
6 Smallmouth |
|
|
1 Shad |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Rapala Risto Raps, Fat Raps, Tail Dancers,
Long Cast Minnows, and a Mepps Spinner. Moved
along the rip rap'd shoreline fan casting.
|
All fish were released.
|
The Smallmouth were all caught casting parallel to shore
with various crank baits. No hits casting straight out
and nothing on the spinner. I saw some nice white bass
and a big buffalo caught on live bait.
Some of today's pictures: 1
2
|
|
2/15/2002
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Partly sunny - Air Temp in the low 40s. West
wind around 20mph gusting past 30.
Water temp was 41.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
4 Walleye |
|
|
4 Sauger |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook. The jig/minnow combo was lowered straight
down to the bottom then raised 2 to 4 inches
every few seconds. Proper boat control was important
in the wind and current in order to keep the
line vertical.
|
All fish were released.
|
The walleye were all small. I had to switch to a heavy
jig in order to fish vertically in that wind. It was
blowing straight up river making it difficult to control
the boat and fish at the same time.
Some of today's pictures: 1
|
|
2/25/2002
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Overcast - Air Temp in the upper 30s and falling.
Northwest wind around 10mph occasionally gusting higher.
Water temp was 44.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
1 Walleye |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook. The jig/minnow combo was lowered straight
down to the bottom then raised 2 to 4 inches
every few seconds. Proper boat control was important
in the wind and current in order to keep the
line vertical.
|
All fish were released.
|
The walleye was probably the smallest one of the year
for me. The river was high and muddy. |
|
2/28/2002
Powerton Lake
Manito, IL
|
Mostly sunny - Air Temp in the mid 20s rising to
the upper 30s. Southwest wind around 10mph.
Water temp ranged from 62 to 47.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
3 Smallmouth |
|
|
1 Channel Catfish |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Rapala Risto Raps, Fat Raps, Tail Dancers,
Long Cast Minnows, and a Rooster Tail.
|
All fish were released.
|
All fish were all caught on silver/black Fat Raps tossed
along the rip rap. The catfish was caught a little further
out than the smallmouth.
Some of today's pictures: 1
2 3
|
|
3/14/2002
Busse Lake / Salt Creek
Elk Grove Village, IL
|
Mostly sunny - Air Temp in the mid 50s.
East wind around 10mph.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
Nothing |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Jigs, Minnows, Cranks, Plastics, Spinners,
etc.,
|
|
I walked both sides of the creek from the main dam to
the first overpass and tried every conceivable retrieve.
I was told a couple walleye had been taken very early
but that was it.
There were a lot of fish visible(9 species) in the
warm water discharge from the treatment plant but they
wouldn't even look at anything I offered including live
bait.
|
|
3/22/2002
LaSalle Lake
Marseilles, IL
|
Bright Sunshine - Air Temp in the low 20s rising
to about 30. The wind chill was in the single
digits most of the time.
West wind around 20mph gusting beyond 35.
Water temp was 52 to 68
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Cranks and Spinners
|
All fish were released.
|
This was by far the windiest day on this lake with the
boat for me. They closed the ramps early in the afternoon.
Both Smallmouth were taken on a Bluegill colored
Shad Rap. If there would have been less wind I would
have caught more fish. Most of the time was spent trying
to keep the boat out of the rocks.
Today's Pictures: 1
2 3
|
|
3/27/2002
LaSalle Lake
Marseilles, IL
|
Bright Sunshine - Air Temp in the mid 20s rising
to about 40.
Southeast wind increasing to around 10mph.
Water temp was 56 to 82
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
34 Channel Catfish |
|
|
1 Buffalo |
|
|
5 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
4 Largemouth Bass |
| Partner: |
1 Bluegill |
|
|
7 Yellow Bass |
|
|
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
5 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
16 Channel Catfish |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits, Blade Baits, and Spinners.
|
All fish were released.
|
Catfish were active all over the lake and they were
hitting everything. A few of them were pretty big but
most were very small. The warmer the water, the more
catfish we caught. No big Bass today. The biggest Largemouth
was about 2 lbs.
|
|
3/31/2002
LaSalle Lake
Marseilles, IL
|
Mostly Sunny deteriorating to light to moderate rain.
Air Temp in the mid 30s.
Shifting Northwest winds increasing to around 15mph
and gusting beyond 25.
Water temp was 56 to 85
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
21 Channel Catfish |
|
|
1 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
2 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
1 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
|
9 Yellow Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits, Blade Baits, and Spinners.
|
All fish were released.
|
Catfish were active in the warmer water again. I ran
into a school of nice yellow bass and managed to pull
a hybrid striped bass out of the same area before it
got too windy to stay there.
The weather cleared up after I got off the lake.
Some of today's pictures:
1 2
|
|
4/04/2002
LaSalle Lake
Marseilles, IL
|
Cloudy with intermittent light snow flurries. Air
Temp in the mid 30s.
North wind around 5mph.
Water temp was 52 to 86
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
15 Channel Catfish |
|
|
2 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
1 Yellow Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits and Blade Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
Another day for catfish. They were hitting everything
including a willow leaf buzz bait that I saw one caught
on. One of my catfish was
a little over 30 inches with better than an 18 inch
girth. The bass were all small. |
|
4/13/2002
Tampier Slough
Cook County, IL
|
Sunny with approaching clouds. Air Temp in the mid
60s.
South wind around 10mph.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
1 Carp |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits and Blade Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
Walked the north Shoreline for an hour and snagged a
small carp. |
|
4/14/2002
LaSalle Lake
Marseilles, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air temp was 50 at launch rising
to the upper 70s.
Southwest wind around 15mph.
Water temp was 58 to 86
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
17 Channel Catfish |
|
|
3 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
7 Yellow Bass |
| Partner: |
1 Drum |
|
|
5 Yellow Bass |
|
|
2 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
7 Channel Catfish |
|
|
1 Shad |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits, Spinners, and Blade Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
Finally caught another decent bass in between all the
catfish. A few of the catfish were quite large. The
yellow bass were in the water just off the wind blown
banks. |
|
4/20/2002
Braidwood Lake
Braidwood, IL
|
Cloudy. Air temp in the upper 40s. A very rare
drop occasionally fell from the sky.
Northeast wind around 25mph.
Water temp was 72 to 86
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
1 Channel Catfish |
|
|
3 Largemouth Bass |
| Partner: |
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
2 Channel Catfish |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits and Blade Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
Went to LaSalle first thing and found that the ramps
were closed so we went to Braidwood. LaSalle didn't
look too bad but if the they were getting the winds
that were being reported on the radio at the time we
left Braidwood, the ramps would have been getting nailed
pretty good. Braidwood didn't seem too bad, and we hit
the entire lake. Only one bass was a keeper and the
rest were small. |
|
4/22/2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Cloudy. Air temp in the low 40s. Occasional
light drizzle.
Northwest wind around 10mph.
Water temp was 59 to 63
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
1
Crappie |
|
|
2 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
|
1 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
2 Drum |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits and Blade Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
I spent then entire time casting the shoreline and caught
a big crappie on a crank
bait. The other fish weren't too big. At least the lake
was fairly calm even though the red flag was posted
for high wind and hazardous conditions. |
|
4/26/2002
Braidwood Lake
Braidwood, IL
|
Bright Sunshine. Air temp in the upper 40s
and lower 50s.
Northeast wind around 10mph.
Water temp was 68 to 83
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
9 Channel Catfish |
|
|
2 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
1 Bullhead |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
1 catfish was 3 lbs and one of the bass was 14 inches.
The rest were all very small fish. I saw three different
species of snakes in the water today. One of the snakes
was very fat and had to be 4 feet long. |
|
4/30/2002
LaSalle Lake
Marseilles, IL
|
Clouds with light rain. Temps in the mid 50s.
Variable wind direction between 5 and 10mph. No gusts.
Water temp was 64 to 85
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
11 Channel Catfish |
|
|
2 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
1 Bluegill |
|
|
2 Buffalo |
|
|
6 Yellow Bass |
| Partner: |
3 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
7 Channel Catfish |
|
|
3 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
2 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
|
3 Yellow Bass |
|
|
1 Buffalo |
|
|
1 Shad |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits, Blade Baits, & Spinners
|
All fish were released.
|
We snagged two big buffalo and another one of them hit
a small shad rap. With the exception of a couple catfish
and a couple of yellow bass, the fish were on the small
side. |
|
5/03/2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Not a cloud in the sky.. Air temp in the mid
50s.
Northwest wind around 5mph shifting towards
the west.
Water temp was 56 to 60.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
1
Walleye |
|
|
1 Drum |
|
|
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits and Blade Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
One of the Smallmouth was a keeper
as was the Walleye. All fish
were caught on cranks in the rocks. |
|
5/07/2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Overcast. Air temp in the mid 50s.
Northeast wind at 18mph gusting past 25.
Water temp was 62 to 64.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
3 Walleye |
|
|
3 Drum |
|
|
5 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
5 Yellow Bass |
|
|
3 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
|
3 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
4 Buffalo |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits cast parallel to the rocks
|
All fish were released.
|
I drifted along the rocks with the wind and I guess
I picked the right bank today. My first cast resulted
in a 12 inch smallmouth and they got bigger from there.
I also hooked and lost a massive striped bass. It ran
at will and there was nothing I could do but listen
to my drag scream.
Some of today's pictures:
1
2
3
4
5
|
|
5/10/2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Bright Sunshine Air temp in the mid 60s.
West wind at 15mph gusting past 25.
Water temp was 62 to 65.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
3 Walleye |
|
|
1 Drum |
|
|
3 Yellow Bass |
|
|
12 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits, Blade Baits, and Spinners cast
parallel to the rocks
|
All fish were released.
|
The Walleyes and Yellow Bass were on one side of the
lake and the stripers were on the other. Everything
but the Yellows were caught on cranks. The Yellows hit
rooster tails.
Getting under the bridge
was tough with the chop on the water.
Some of today's pictures:
1
2
3
4
|
|
5/24/2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Cloudy. Air temp in the mid 50s.
Northeast wind at 15mph gusting past 20.
Water temp was 60.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
3 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
1 Drum |
|
|
1 Yellow Bass |
|
|
1 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits, Blade Baits, and Spinners cast
parallel to the rocks
|
All fish were released.
|
After returning to the boat from parking my vehicle
I noticed the boat was slowly sinking. The drain plug
popped out. The auto float switch I have on my bilge
pump saved the day. I only had 3 hours so I pounded
one bank. The drum and one of the SM were big but the
rest were so-so.
I was unable to get under
the bridge due to the
recent rains having raised the water level. They will
not bring down the lake level until the rivers recede.
Some of today's pictures:
1
2
3
4
5
|
|
5/28/2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Cloudy. Air temp in the upper 70s and
low 80s.
Southeast wind around 5mph.
Water temp was 62 warming to 70 in the shallows as
the sun got higher in the sky.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
3 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
3 Walleye |
|
|
2 White Bass |
|
|
1 Shad |
|
|
1 Yellow Bass |
|
|
15 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
Very little wind today. That made it very easy to control
to boat, and also very easy for the bugs to fly
around. They were nasty for a while. I pounded the banks
and did very well today.
Some of today's pictures:
1
2
3
4
5
|
|
6/1/2002
LaSalle Lake
Marseilles, IL
|
Sunny. Air temp in the upper 80s and low 90s.
Southwest wind around 5mph.
Water temp was 80 to 93
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
22 Channel Catfish |
|
|
13 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
12 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
5 Drum |
|
|
3 Shad |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
One LM and one SM were nice fish, all the other bass
were very small. In contrast, only one of the drum was
small and the others were decent fish up to 6 pounds.
The catfish were still annoying. |
|
6/07/2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Bright Sunshine. Air temp in the upper 70s.
Southeast wind around 8mph.
Water temp was 66 warming to 71.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
3 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
3 Walleye |
|
|
6 White Bass |
|
|
4 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
|
1 Buffalo |
|
|
1 Crappie |
|
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
8 Drum |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
Good day on the lake even with the bright sunshine.
I pounded the banks and did very well again today. I
even caught my biggest walleye
yet. I think that one of the reasons I did OK
today is because I wasn't afraid to toss the lures into
the moss that was growing on the rocks along the banks.
The fish seemed to be holding tight to the slop.
Some of today's Pictures:
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
|
|
6/14/2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Bright Sunshine then Storms. Air temp in the
mid 60s.
West wind around 10mph gusting beyond 20.
Water temp was 72 warming to 76.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
5 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
1 Bluegill |
|
|
1 White Bass |
|
|
1 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
|
8 Drum |
| Partner: |
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
6 Drum |
|
|
2 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
|
1 Bluegill |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
The day started without a cloud in the sky and I later
wound up being chased off the lake by thunder, rain,
and hail. Before that we managed to catch some nice
fish. The fish seemed a little further off the banks
today than they were the past few weeks.
Some of today's Pictures:
1
2
3 4
5
|
|
6/21/2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Bright Sunshine with some puffy clouds. Air
temp in the mid 90s.
West wind around 5mph.
Water temp was 76 warming to 85.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
5 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
1 Bluegill |
|
|
1 Yellow Bass |
|
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
20 Drum |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
Very hot and humid today. Because there was little wind,
the bugs were ferocious.
Some of today's Pictures:
1
2
3 4
|
|
6-28-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Bright Sunshine. Air temp in the mid 80s.
Northwest wind around 5mph.
Water temp was 86 warming to 93.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
2 Channel Catfish |
|
|
5 Drum |
| Partner: |
1 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
1 Drum |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
Warm and buggy with no wind. Fished from 6:00am till
11:00am with my son tossing crank baits at the bank.
The 2 Catfish were two of the largest I've caught this
year. I lost an even bigger one at the boat. One of
the smallmouth was about 18 inches and the others were
15 and 14. The largest Drum was about 6 pounds. Between
the two of us we lost about a dozen fish due to my failure
to replace the standard hooks like I usually do.
Some of today's Pictures:
1
2
|
|
7/07/2002
LaSalle Lake
Marseilles, IL
|
Sunny. Air temp in the upper 80s and low 90s.
Southeast wind around 5mph.
Water temp was 91 to 102
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
17 Channel Catfish |
|
|
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
5 Drum |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
The temp at the ramp was 91when I launched at 6:00am
but when I pulled the boat out at 1:00pm it was 98.
I also caught my first Smallmouth in 100 degree water
today. A few of the catfish were caught in water as
warm as 101 at the surface. There were a lot of dead
hybrid striped bass floating in the water.
Picture from today
|
|
7-11-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air temp in the upper 70s and
low 80s.
East wind around 15mph.
Water temp was 80 warming to 86.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
2 Channel Catfish |
|
|
7 Drum |
|
|
3 Bluegills |
|
|
3 Buffalo |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
I caught one of my biggest fish of the year today -
a 20 lb buffalo. He hit a crank bait worked slowly along
the bank. I caught one other big buffalo and snagged
a third. Most of the fish I caught today were large
for their species - all on crank baits.
Some of today's Pictures:
1
2
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7-18-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air temp in the low 90s.
Southwest wind around 5mph increasing to 10mph.
Water temp was 86 warming to 88.
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Results
|
| Me : |
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
1 Channel Catfish |
|
|
6 Drum |
|
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
1
Hybrid Striped Bass |
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Techniques:
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Crank Baits
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All fish were released.
|
I caught my biggest Hybrid of
the year today. All but one of the drum were small.
I lost a big smallmouth at the boat and he took the
lure with him. The shad have hatched and that will make
things a little slower for a while.
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7-21-2002
Monee Reservoir
Monee, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air temp in the upper 90s with
high humidity.
Southwest wind around 15mph.
|
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Results
|
| Me : |
4 Largemouth Bass |
|
Partner |
3 Largemouth Bass |
|
Techniques:
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Crank Baits, Spinners, Topwaters
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All fish were released.
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Very hot and humid. The weeds that were in this lake
in the past appear to have been killed off. That may
be why the thousands of Bullfrogs that used to be there
were almost non-existent. All the fish were caught on
cranks but a large one was lost at the boat on a spinner
and I lost a good one on a weedless topwater. 3 of the
7 we got in the boat were decent fish.
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7-26-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Sunny then a nasty thunderstorm. Air
temp in the mid 80s.
Variable winds at varying speeds..
Water temp was in the upper 80s..
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Results
|
| Me |
1 Hybrid Striped Bass |
| Partner1 |
3 Hybrid Striped Bass |
| Partner2 |
3 Hybrid Striped Bass |
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Techniques:
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Crank Baits, topwater, jigs, blades, spinners
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All fish were released.
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We chased the stripers until the storm came. After it
passed we actually started catching them.
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8-04-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air temp approaching 100.
Southwest winds at 8mph.
Water temp was in the upper 86 to 92.
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Results
|
| Me |
3 Smallmouth Bass |
| 5 Drum |
|
Techniques:
|
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Crank Baits, topwater
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All fish were released.
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Bass fishing is still tough due to the amount of bait
fish that are available. I didn't have any luck
with the Stripers either. I saw them come up a couple
times but they didn't stick around more than a few seconds.
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8-06-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air temp in the low 80s.
Northeast winds around 15mph.
Water temp was 82 to 87.
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Results
|
| Me |
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
9 Drum |
|
1 Green Sunfish |
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Techniques:
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Crank Baits
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All fish were released.
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Perfect post cold front conditions. Blue Sky, Northeast
Wind, and 15 degrees cooler than yesterday. The lures
that were working the last few times out didn't even
get a look today. Once I found the one they wanted I
started catching fish.
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8-12-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air temp in the low 90s.
Southwest winds around 20mph decreasing to 10mph.
Water temp was 81 to 86.
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Results
|
| Me |
1 Smallmouth Bass |
| Partner |
6 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
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Techniques:
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Crank Baits and Spinners
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All fish were released.
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Very windy day on the lake. We fished from 6:00am until
2:30pm. I concentrated on Stripers but had no luck with
them. My friend did very well. 4 of his Smallmouth were
good sized fish. All fish were caught beating the banks.
Most of my casts were out towards the open water while
my partner concentrated on the shoreline.
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8-16-2002
Lake Sedgewick
Orland Park, IL
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Cloudy, Intermittent light mist.
Southwest wind around 5mph.
Air Temp in the low 80s.
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Results
|
| Me |
1 Shad |
| Partner |
6 Bluegills
Team Effort
|
| Partner |
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Techniques:
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Crank Baits and Red Worms
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All fish were released.
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We took my friends two year old on his first fishing
trip. He did pretty good too. I caught a big
shad on a crank bait and hooked
something that felt like a decent fish as it was time
to leave. Other than that I spent more time operating
the video camera and baiting the hook than fishing.
It was worth it though. We weren't there more than an
hour. |
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8/17/2002
Tampier Slough
Cook County, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air Temp in the mid 80s.
Southwest wind around 20mph.
|
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Results
|
| Me |
1 Walleye |
|
1 Yellow Bass |
| Partner |
0 |
|
Techniques:
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Crank Baits and Spinners
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All fish were released.
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We had an hour to kill while the kids were at the mall
so we walked the north shore of the lake for a while.
The walleye was deep and the yellow bass was taken right
off the bank. |
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8/19/2002
Tampier Slough
Cook County, IL
|
Clouds breaking. Air Temp in the mid 70s.
Northeast wind shifting to southeast around
5mph.
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Results
|
| Me |
0 |
|
Techniques:
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Crank Baits and Spinners
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All fish were released.
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I tried the same things I tried the other day and didn't
get a thing. I also tried fishing deeper and that still
didn't work. I got there just as the skies were clearing
up. |
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8-23-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Cloudy. Air temp in the low 80s.
Northeast winds around 25mph.
Water temp was 81 to 86.
|
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Results
|
| Me |
1 Smallmouth Bass |
|
4 Drum |
|
Techniques:
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Crank Baits
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All fish were released.
|
Hit the lake for a little over two hours this afternoon
and did ok. There were many more schools of bait fish
swimming around than I've ever seen before in this lake.
I hooked three more fish but lost them. Only one of
them felt like a decent fish and judging by the way
it ran I think it was another drum. One of the drum
I caught was about 7 pounds and the others were smaller.
The Smallmouth was only 15 inches.
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8-27-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air temp in the mid 80s.
Northeast winds around 10mph gusting beyond 20mph.
Water temp was 80 to 86.
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Results
|
| Me |
1 Musky |
|
1 Shad |
|
2 Drum |
|
2 Green sunfish |
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
5 Smallmouth Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
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Crank Baits
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All fish were released.
|
The fish were a little more active today than they were
the last few times I've been out. The water was also
a little cooler in morning than it has been. I caught
one nice musky first thing and then it was a fish here
and a fish there until it was time to go. I fished from
7:15 till 1:00pm.
Some of today's pictures: 1
2
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8-31-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air temp in the mid 80s.
Northeast winds around 10mph.
Water temp was 80 to 83.
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Results
|
| Me |
1 Channel Catfish |
|
4 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
3 Drum |
| Partner |
2 Green sunfish |
|
1 White Bass |
|
2 Smallmouth Bass |
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Techniques:
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Crank Baits
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All fish were released.
|
It seemed that the higher the sun rose in the sky, the
less active the fish became. We managed to pick off
a few here and there but nothing that was very big.
The schools of baitfish are still there and even the
herons were enjoying the easy meals. |
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9-03-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air temp in the low 80s.
North/Northwest winds around 10mph.
Water temp was 77 to 81.
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Results
|
| Me |
1 Channel Catfish |
|
6 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
5 Drum |
|
1 Shad |
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Techniques:
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Crank Baits
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All fish were released.
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The fish were running a little bigger today. I caught
my first 18 inch Smallmouth in a while, and I also caught
a catfish that was about 26 inches long.
Some of today's pictures.
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9-17-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Sunny. Air temp in the low 80s.
No wind until a light southeast breeze under 5mph
started around 11:45am.
Water temp was 74 to 79.
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Results
|
| Me |
2 Channel Catfish |
|
1 Smallmouth Bass |
|
2 Largemouth Bass |
|
6 Drum |
|
2 Green Sunfish |
|
1 Bluegill |
| Partner |
1 Green sunfish |
|
1 Channel Catfish |
|
3 Drum |
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
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Crank Baits
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All fish were released.
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Most of today's drum were over 5 pounds and they all
put up a good fight. It would have been better if there
would have been some wind. The bugs were pretty bad.
Some of today's pictures.
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9-23-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Sunny. Air temp in the low 40s rising to the
upper 60s.
Light southwest wind increasing to 15 mph gusting
beyond 23mph.
Water temp was 66 to 73.
|
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Results
|
| Me |
1 Channel Catfish |
|
1 Smallmouth Bass |
|
5 Largemouth Bass |
|
12 Drum |
|
1 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
1 White Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
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Crank Baits
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All fish were released.
|
Today's fish were a little smaller on average than the
last couple trips although I hooked something that pulled
me around for about 10 minutes before it got free. I
never saw it and I couldn't move it at all. Giant Catfish???
No real big fish today. The bright sunshine wasn't helping
things but at least there was a decent breeze blowing.
Some of today's pictures.
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9-25-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
|
Sunny. Air temp in the low 50s rising to the
upper 70s.
Southeast wind around 10 mph.
Water temp was 64 to 71.
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Results
|
| Me |
3 Drum |
|
5 Smallmouth Bass |
|
7 Largemouth Bass |
| Partner |
3 Drum |
|
4 Largemouth Bass |
|
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
Techniques:
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Crank Baits, Spinners, and Plastics
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All fish were released.
|
We caught some decent fish today. The schools of bait
fish were very few and far between which is probably
why we caught some decent bass today. All of the Largemouth
were very small but a couple the Smallmouth were good
sized fish. I also lost a couple good sized fish at
the boat. The drum were a little smaller than usual
too but we had a couple that were 4 to 5 pounds.
Some of today's pictures.
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9-30-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
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Sunny. Air temp in the mid 80s.
Southwest wind around 20 mph gusting higher.
Water temp was 66 to 70.
|
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Results
|
| Me |
2 Drum |
|
1 Smallmouth Bass |
|
2 Largemouth Bass |
| Partner |
1 Drum |
|
Techniques:
|
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Crank Baits
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All fish were released.
|
It got to be a little too windy to fish comfortably
so we weren't out for very long. The bass that were
caught were all small ones but two good ones were hooked.
I also had a musky bite off a shad rap. |
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10-03-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
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Cloudy. Air Temp around 70.
Northeast wind around 13 mph and diminishing.
Water temp was 70.
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Results
|
| Me |
5 Drum |
|
5 Smallmouth Bass |
|
4 Largemouth Bass |
|
1 White Bass |
|
1 Yellow Bass |
|
1 Channel Catfish |
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Techniques:
|
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Crank Baits
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All fish were released.
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The day started with perfect conditions. After the wind
died down the fish stopped hitting. As I was leaving
a light drizzle began to materialize. All the Largemouth
were small but the other fish made up for that.
Some of today's pictures.
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10-08-2002
Heidecke Lake
Morris, IL
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Mostly sunny. Air Temp in the mid 60s.
South wind around 15 mph briefly gusting higher..
Water temp was 60-65..
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Results
|
| Me |
3 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
1 Hybrid Striped Bass |
| Partner: |
4 Largemouth Bass |
|
1 Channel Catfish |
|
1 Shad |
|
Techniques:
|
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Crank Baits and Spinners.
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All fish were released.
|
After getting a late start we did ok for the 3.5 hours
we were out there. I lost a big smallmouth at the boat
and also had a nice striper grab my lure right in front
of the boat but I failed to hook him. Fishing was generally
slow considering how much water we covered. The wind
made accurate casts very difficult. This was the last
trip of the year to this lake. At least the
last fish I caught was a good
one!
Some of today's pictures!
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10/10/2002
LaSalle Lake
Marseilles, IL
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Sunny. Air temp in the low 70s
Southeast wind around 5mph.
Water temp was 74 to 93
|
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Results
|
| Me : |
2 Channel Catfish |
|
|
16 Smallmouth Bass |
|
|
7 Largemouth Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
Smallmouth fishing doesn't get much better. Only two
of the SM were small but it was the other way around
for the LM. Only two of those were decent fish. I saw
an otter following me in the
rocks as I moved down one bank.
Pictures from today
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10/15/2002
Busse Lake
Elk Grove Village, IL
|
Sunny - Air Temp in the mid 50s.
North wind 10 to 15mph.
Water temp was 54 to 58
|
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Results
|
| Me : |
4 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
1 Walleye |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
The fish were cooperating today. A weak cold front passed
through while I was on my way to the lake. When I left
the wind was out of the south and when I got to the
lake the wind was out of the northwest and shifting.
I found fish in all the familiar places and also caught
a LM on my first cast. Unfortunately I also lost a couple
big fish before I was able to get them in the boat.
Some of today's pictures!
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10/22/2002
Busse Lake
Elk Grove Village, IL
|
Clouds then bright sunshine after the cold front
passed. Air Temp in the mid 40s.
Northwest wind around 17mph shifting to a Northeast
wind around 10mph.
Water temp was 50 to 52
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
I only got one fish in the boat today. I lost a bigger
one and a smaller one and they all hit very lightly.
I got to the lake just before the clouds parted due
to a passing weak cold front. I noticed a lot
of suspended fish on the locators today.
Today's fish
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10/28/2002
Busse Lake
Elk Grove Village, IL
|
Cloudy - Air Temp in the mid 40s. Light drizzle
early
East wind 10 to 15mph.
Water temp was 46 to 48.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
2 Largemouth Bass |
|
|
4 Walleye |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits and Jig/Twister Combo.
|
All fish were released.
|
The fish wanted a very slow retrieve today. I found
them both shallow and deep. I caught both bass when
the sun popped out for a couple minutes and I only lost
two fish before I got them to the boat today.
Some of today's pictures!
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11/06/2002
Busse Lake
Elk Grove Village, IL
|
Cloudy - Air Temp in the low 40s.
Northwest wind at 15mph.
Water temp was 42.
|
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Results
|
| Me : |
3 Walleye |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits and Jig/Twister Combo.
|
All fish were released.
|
I got three walleye then started targeting pike with
no luck. I saw one bass that followed the lure to the
boat but he made no attempt to hit the lure. I've never
seen this lake so clear before.
Some of today's pictures!
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11/09/2002
Cook County Forest Preserve Pond, IL
|
Cloudy - Air Temp in the low 60s.
South wind at 20mph gusting higher.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
2 Largemouth Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
I walked the shore of a nearby pond this afternoon.
The fish were hitting very light. I lost a big fish
but got two smaller ones out of the water.
Some of today's pictures!
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11/13/2002
Busse Lake
Elk Grove Village, IL
|
Sunny - Air Temp in the mid 50s.
Southwest wind calm increasing to 10mph.
Water temp was 46 to 49.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
2 Largemouth Bass |
| Partner : |
1 Walleye |
|
1 Crappie |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits and Jig/minnow Combo.
|
All fish were released.
|
Once again the fish were hitting like feathers. I lost
a nice LM at the boat that I didn't even feel hit the
lure but got two smaller ones in the boat. My partner
for the day caught a small walleye and a real nice crappie.
Other than that we got a couple hits here and there
but weren't able to hook up. It was nice to see another
part of the lake I normally don't fish. |
|
11/19/2002
Busse Lake
Elk Grove Village, IL
|
Sunny - Air Temp in the low 50s.
Southwest wind around 15mph.
Water temp was 40.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
2 Walleye |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Crank Baits
|
All fish were released.
|
Caught a couple big fish and lost a couple bigger fish
today. One fish was a nice pike that took my lure with
him. Another fish was a large catfish that surprised
me. I also lost a bass about the same size as the one
I caught. The wind made it tough to control the boat
today.
Pictures from today!
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|
11/25/2002
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Mostly Sunny - Air Temp in the upper 20s with a North
wind between 5 and 15mph.
The water temp was 46
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
6 Sauger |
|
|
1 Yellow Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook. Also pulling crank baits.
|
All fish were released.
|
No big fish today. Most of the fish I caught were
taken when the wind died down and I could keep the line
a little more vertical. The air temp never cracked the
freezing mark as evidenced by the fact that I had to
deal with the guides icing up all day. All the fish
I caught except for the yellow bass hit very lightly.
Pictures from today!
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|
11/29/2002
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Cloudy - Air Temp in the low 50s and falling with
a West wind around 20 gusting beyond 25mph.
The water temp was 44.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
2 Sauger |
|
|
1 White Bass |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook. Also pulling crank baits.
|
All fish were released.
|
Another day of small fish. I only had a couple hours
to fish and the wind made it next to impossible to vertical
jig. The White Bass was caught on a crank bait along
the bank.
Pictures from today!
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|
12/04/2002
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Partly Cloudy - Air Temp
in the mid teens rising to the mid 20s with a
Northeast wind around 5mph.
The water temp was 39.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
4 Sauger |
|
|
3 Walleye |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook. Also pulling crank baits.
|
All fish were released.
|
Despite the bitter cold it was a nice day for fishing.
As soon as I put the boat in the water I saw an adult
Bald Eagle fly by on his way down river. With the lack
of wind, boat control was easier and I caught a few
more fish today. The fish were also a little bigger
than the past couple of trips.
Pictures from today!
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|
12/16/2002
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Partly Cloudy - Air temp in the mid 20s rising to
just above the freezing mark with a Northeast wind around
15 gusting beyond 25mph.
The water temp was 41.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
14 Sauger |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook.
|
All fish were released.
|
It wasn't as cold as last time but the wind chill
was no picnic. Boat control was difficult in the wind
but I settled into a pattern that allowed me to stay
vertical and catch some fish. I got a few nice ones
but I think the big ones are still down river. I got
three right away until the first barge then nothing
for 2 hours. After that they started biting again.
Pictures from today!
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|
12/22/2002
Illinois River
Fox River
Ottawa, IL
|
Cloudy - Flurries. Air Temp in the mid to upper 20s
rising to just above the freezing mark. West around
25mph gusting beyond 35.
Water temp was 41.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
0 |
| Partner: |
1 Sauger |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Vertical Jigging with a fathead and stinger
hook. Also pulling minnows.
|
All fish were released.
|
This was the worst I've seen the river. It was impossible
to jig vertically as there was no way to keep the boat
steady enough in that wind. The one fish that was caught
hit a three way rig being dragged behind us as the wind
pushed us up river a lot faster that we would have liked.
All I can say is "at least we tried". |
|
12/30/2002
Powerton Lake
Manito, IL
|
Cloudy - Air Temp in the mid to upper 60s. Southwest
wind around 20mph with higher gusts diminishing late.
Every now and then no more than a couple drops of rain
would fall - barely enough to notice.
|
|
Results
|
| Me : |
22 Smallmouth |
|
Techniques:
|
|
Rapala Crank Baits. Moved along the rip rap'd
shoreline while fan casting.
|
All fish were released.
|
The Smallmouth were all caught casting parallel to shore
with various crank baits. The lake seemed warm for this
time of year. I don't think the White Bass and Shad
have moved into the hot side in great numbers yet.
Pictures from today!
|
