|
1. |
1/09/2004
Illinois River
Ottawa, IL
|
Partly Sunny early then clouds and intermittent
light to moderate flurries. Air temps in the mid teen rising to the mid
20s. The wind was out of the Northeast around 5mph.
Water temp was 34.
|
|
Results |
| Me : |
1 Sauger |
|
3 Shad |
| Partner: |
6 Shad |
|
Techniques: |
| Vertical Jigging. |
All fish were released.
|
When we arrived at the boat ramps we found the river
to be partially covered with skim ice. There was thicker ice at the ramp
but it was easily removed. After a couple barges passed, most of the ice
broke up and moved down river making it much easier to fish. Fishing was
slow although we found a school of large, aggressive shad.
Pictures from today!
|
|
2. |
1/11/2004
A Creek in Indiana |
Clouds then bright
Sunshine - Air Temp in the upper 20s rising to the mid 30s with a
Southwest wind around 20mph. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1 Steelhead |
| Partner: |
6 Steelhead |
| Partner: |
|
|
Techniques: |
|
Worms, Wax Worms |
All fish were released.
|
All the fish we caught were very small. One of my
fishing partners hooked a big fish that jumped in front of him but he lost
it. The fact that the creek was frozen in some of the spots we wanted to
fish didn't help. |
|
3. |
1/14/2004
A Creek in Indiana |
Clouds with snow flurries and
sleet - Air Temp in the mid 30s with a Southwest wind around 20mph
shifting to the northwest and increasing to near 30mph with higher gusts. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
19 Steelhead |
|
Techniques: |
|
Worms, Wax Worms |
All fish were released.
|
The areas that we wanted to fish last time were all
open today. I caught a lot of little ones and hooked one very large fish.
He broke off as I was trying to grab him. |
|
4. |
1/18/2004
A Creek in Indiana |
Clouds with lake effect snow
that varied from moderate flurries to blizzard conditions - Air Temp in the
low teens with a North wind around 25mph with higher gusts. Wind Chill was
below zero. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
25 Steelhead |
|
Techniques: |
|
Wax Worms |
All fish were released.
|
Very rough conditions at times. I caught a lot of
small fish and tied into another big one. Once again the fish broke off
before I could land it. The 6 layers of clothes I had on kept me warm.
Pictures from today:
1 2
3 4
|
|
5. |
1/26/2004
A Creek in Indiana |
Cloudy with flurries - Air Temp in the
low 20s with a Northeast wind around 15mph and decreasing. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
3 Steelhead |
| Partner: |
|
|
Techniques: |
|
Wax Worms |
All fish were released.
|
The
area we wanted to fish was frozen but we found an open spot closer to Lake
Michigan. There was a lot of slush and ice that made it tough to get the
wax worms through it without having them stick on top of the slush at the
surface. We didn't stay out long at all.
|
|
6. |
2/09/2004
Powerton
Lake
Manito, IL |
Cloudy early with west winds
around 25mph and gusts beyond 35mph changing to Southwest around 15mph
with occasional 30mph gusts. Bright sunshine after noon. Air
temp was in the mid 30s. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
9 Freshwater Drum |
|
3 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Channel Catfish |
|
3 Hybrid Striped Bass |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits and
Blade Baits |
All fish were released.
|
After
the sun came out, the wind didn't feel as bad. The Smallmouth fishing was disappointing
but the other fish made up for that. The lake still seems warm and the
water level was down about a foot from the last time I was there.
Pictures from
today
|
|
7. |
2/16/2004
Powerton
Lake
Manito, IL |
High thin clouds with a
southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Air
temp was in the low teens rising to about the freezing mark. Water
temp was 60. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
4 Smallmouth Bass |
|
3 Channel Catfish |
| Partner |
11 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
6 Channel Catfish |
| Partner |
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Channel Catfish |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
Plastics, and
Blade Baits |
All fish were released.
|
Even
though the day started out cold, the fishing made us forget about it.
Everyone caught nice fish today. My friend figured out exactly what the fish wanted and how they wanted it, and he wound up catching one of the
nicest Largemouth I've seen in a quite a while.
Pictures from today:
1
2
|
|
8. |
2/25/2004
Powerton
Lake
Manito, IL |
Early clouds then bright sunshine. East
northeast wind around 15 mph with briefly higher gusts. Air temps started
at about the freezing mark then rose to the low 40s.
Water temp was 57 to 71
|
|
Results |
| Me : |
13 Smallmouth Bass |
|
6 Channel Catfish |
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits and
Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
Very
windy day on the lake but the fishing was good. I caught a couple real
nice Smallmouth within a couple minutes of each other but otherwise it was
a fish here and a fish there..
Pictures from
today
|
|
9.
|
3/01/2004
Braidwood State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Braidwood, IL
|
Cloudy with rain early, then
decreasing clouds with thunderstorms late. Air temp was 50 rising to the
low 60s. Winds were out of the south between 25 and 30 mph with gusts past
40mph.
Water temp was 62 to 75. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
4
Largemouth Bass |
|
9 Channel
Catfish |
|
1 Shad |
| Partner : |
3
Largemouth Bass |
|
9 Channel
Catfish |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
Spinners, and Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
We
fished the opening day at Braidwood and did pretty good despite the high
winds. Both of us caught nice fish. We would have done better if we would
have been able to fish slower, and hit all the places we would have liked,
but the wind made that next to impossible.
Pictures from today:
1 2
|
|
10.
|
3/04/2004
Braidwood State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Braidwood, IL
|
Thick Fog and light drizzle
early then rain gradually increasing in intensity. Air temps were in the
mid 40s and the wind was out of the northwest around 10mph.
Water temp was 63 to 83. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
5 Largemouth Bass |
|
23 Channel
Catfish |
|
1 Shad |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits |
All fish were released.
|
I
fished the rip rap on the hot side of the lake and caught nothing but
catfish and a big shad. The fog was pretty thick so I idled to a spot
where I had caught bass in the past and began looking for something other
than catfish. I stuck it out in the rain for a couple hours and it paid
off. I wound up catching 2 real nice Largemouth and 3 smaller ones. Pictures from today!
|
|
11.
|
3/08/2004
Braidwood State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Braidwood, IL
|
Mostly cloudy, then thickening
clouds. Air temps started around 30 and rose to the low 40s. Variable west
wind around 10mph.
Water temp was 54 to 78. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
5 Largemouth Bass |
|
4 Channel
Catfish |
|
2 Shad |
|
1 Bluegill |
| Partner: |
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
Spinners, and Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
We
fished the same areas where I had success last week but there weren't many
fish around. The fact that the water temps dropped about 20 degrees in 4
days probably had something to do with that. We went exploring other areas
and wound up catching a few nice fish.
Pictures from today!
|
|
12.
|
3/15/2004
Braidwood State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Braidwood, IL
|
Sunny, then thickening clouds,
then snow. Air temps in the mid 30s. Northeast wind around 10mph but
briefly higher at times.
Water temp was 52 to 72. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
2 Channel
Catfish |
|
1 Bluegill |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits and Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
The
main purpose of today's trip was to test my trolling motor after having it
repaired last week. It worked fine. Fishing was slow along the rip rap so
I did some more exploring and caught a
3lb 14oz Largemouth. The water
needs to warm up another 8 to 10 degrees before the fishing will improve
dramatically but there are still a few good fish out there if you're
willing to hunt for them.
Pictures from today!
|
|
13.
|
3/17/2004
LaSalle Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Marseilles, IL
|
Clouds, snow, and thick fog. Air temps
around 30 then rising to the upper 30s after the sun made a brief
appearance late in the day. The wind started out of the south around 10mph
and then shifted around from the Northwest around 8mph.
Water temp was 52 to 83. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
9 Largemouth Bass |
|
7
Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Blue Catfish |
|
3 Channel
Catfish |
|
3
Freshwater Drum |
|
1 Hybrid
Striped Bass |
|
1 Yellow
Bass |
| Partner |
2
Smallmouth Bass |
|
25 Channel
Catfish |
|
1 White
Bass |
|
1 Yellow
Bass |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits, Jigs, and
Blades. |
All fish were released.
|
Despite
the snow and thick fog, this was the best trip of the year so far. We were
able to get around without being able to see a thing by using a GPS.
Almost all of the fish we caught during this trip were good sized
fish...and we caught a lot of them. That's not counting the ones we hooked
and failed to land. My partner hooked and lost a huge Largemouth late in
the day. I was able to catch fish on every lure I used, and my partner was
able to catch catfish after catfish using tube jigs.
Pictures from today:
1
2
|
|
14.
|
3/24/2004
LaSalle Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Marseilles, IL
|
Rain then partial clearing.
South wind around 10 mph then shifting out of the southwest and increasing
to 20mph with higher gusts. Air temp started in the low 40s and rose to
the mid 60s once the sun came out. Water
temp was 56 to 72 |
|
Results |
| Me : |
3 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Freshwater Drum |
|
1 Channel
Catfish |
| Partner |
2
Smallmouth Bass |
|
3 Channel
Catfish |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits and
Spinners. |
All fish were released.
|
After
we put the boat in the water we still had a half hour of light rain to put
up with. We caught all but two fish during this time. Once the rain
stopped the wind really picked up. This made it too difficult to fish
where we wanted so we moved to safer water and picked up 2 more fish
before calling it a day. We weren't out very long but caught a couple nice
fish anyway.
Pictures from today!
|
|
15.
|
4/01/2004
LaSalle Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Marseilles, IL
|
Cloudy then mostly sunny.
Winds out of the North Northeast 8 to 15mph. Air temps started in the high
30s and rose to the high 40s. Water
temp was 66 to 84 |
|
Results |
| Me : |
8 Smallmouth Bass |
|
8
Largemouth Bass |
|
3 Channel
Catfish |
| Partner |
2
Smallmouth Bass |
|
2
Largemouth Bass |
|
12 Channel
Catfish |
|
1 Bluegill |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits, Blades,
and Plastics. |
All fish were released.
|
It
took some work to find fish today but we did it. They did not seem to be
concentrated in any one area. My guess is the weather had a lot to do with
that. We had to cover a lot of water but we caught some nice fish.
Pictures from today!
|
|
16.
|
4/06/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Mostly sunny with a brief
light rain shower.
Winds out of the Southwest 10 to 20 mph. Air temps started in the low 40s and rose to the
mid 70s. Water
temp was 53 to 56 |
|
Results |
| Me : |
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
3 Hybrid
Striped Bass |
|
1 Yellow
Bass |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits
and Plastics. |
All fish were released.
|
Fishing
was slow again. I lost as many fish as I caught including another big Smallmouth
and a nice Musky. Very windy day out there but boat control wasn't a
problem because of the direction the wind was blowing. The highlight of
the trip was seeing 3 White Pelicans fly over my head and land on the
other side of the lake.
Pictures from today!
|
|
17.
|
04/10/2004
Braidwood State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Braidwood, IL
|
Mostly Cloudy, air temps in
the mid 40s with winds out of the northeast around 10mph.
Water temp was 70 to 83. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1 Channel
Catfish |
| Partner: |
1 Channel
Catfish |
| Partner: |
17 Channel
Catfish |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits |
All fish were released.
|
My
brother and I took my nephew out on the boat for the first time and he
proved to be quite a fisherman. He caught more fish than we did. It was a
fun trip.
|
|
18.
|
4/11/2004
LaSalle Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Marseilles, IL
|
Bright Sunshine, air temps started around 30
and rose to the mid 40s. Northeast wind around 10 mph.
Water temp was 72 to 81
|
|
Results |
| Me : |
1
Freshwater Drum |
|
1 Hybrid
Striped Bass |
|
1 Channel
Catfish |
|
6
Largemouth Bass |
|
1
Smallmouth Bass |
|
Techniques: |
|
|
All fish were released.
|
I
had to fish fast because I only had a couple hours. I didn't catch any
real big fish but I did ok for the time I spent out there.
|
|
19.
|
4/12/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Bright sunshine with
developing haze late. Cloud cover by evening. Air temp started out in the
high 30's and rose to the mid 40s. The wind was out of the northeast east
at 20 to 25 mph. Water
temp was 53 to 55 |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1 White
Bass |
|
1 Walleye |
| Partner |
1 Hybrid
Striped Bass |
| Partner |
1 Yellow
Bass |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
Plastics, Minnows, and Spinners |
All fish were released.
|
I
took my brother and nephew out again. The conditions were pretty brutal
with the wind blowing out of the northeast as hard as it was. We wanted to
go to LaSalle but I called them and was told they were closed to boats due
to the high winds. When we got to the lake there were only two other boats
out and only one when we left. Fishing was slow but we stuck it out until
all of us had a fish in the boat. All the fish we caught were nice fish
but the Striper my brother caught was the best fish of the day.
Pictures from today!
|
|
20.
|
4/20/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Mostly cloudy with steady
moderate rain developing. Wind was out of the Northeast shifting around to
southeast around 18mph gusting beyond 25mph. Air temp was in the mid 40s
rising to the mid 50s. Water
temp was 58 to 51 The
water level was in the green marker at the bridge. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1 White
Bass |
|
1
Smallmouth Bass |
|
1
Largemouth Bass |
|
1 Carp |
|
4 Yellow
Bass |
| Partner |
1 Hybrid
Striped Bass |
|
1 White Bass |
|
1 Shad |
|
4 Yellow
Bass |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
Plastics, and Spinners |
All fish were released.
|
It
was another tough day at Heidecke. The weather sure didn't help. The water
is still fairly cold although the Yellow Bass were moving up on the bank
in better numbers. The bigger fish are usually not too far behind them. I
caught a good Smallmouth and lost a real nice Walleye at the boat.
Pictures from today!
|
|
21.
|
4/27/2004
LaSalle Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Marseilles, IL
|
Bright Sunshine. Air temp
started in the mid 30s and rose to the low 50s. West Northwest wind around
15 mph with higher gusts. Water
temp was 58 to 87 |
|
Results |
| Me : |
4 Smallmouth Bass |
|
9 Largemouth Bass |
|
3 Channel
Catfish |
|
1 Bluegill |
|
2
Freshwater Drum |
|
1 Shad |
| Partner |
4 Smallmouth Bass |
|
5 Largemouth Bass |
|
9 Channel
Catfish |
|
5 Yellow
Bass |
|
3
Freshwater Drum |
|
1 Shad |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
Spinners, Blades,
and Plastics. |
All fish were released.
|
Today
was more like early March than late April. It was cold out there in the
wind and it didn't seem to warm up until it was about time to go. We
picked the wrong bank to start fishing but my partner managed to catch a
huge Drum from there anyway. After we moved, the fishing improved to
the point where it was actually pretty good. Both of us caught a few real
nice fish. I went back out for almost 2 more hours after my partner had to
leave and he still caught 7 more fish than I did. Even though it was cold
and windy, it wound up being a good day on the water.
Pictures from today!
|
|
22.
|
5/11/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Mostly cloudy and foggy with
intermittent light rain early. Wind was out of the East around 5 mph shifting around to
South and increasing to 15mph, then bright sunshine. Air temp was in the mid
60s
rising to the upper 70s. Water
temp was 64 to 59 The
water level was in the green marker at the bridge. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
16 White
Bass |
|
3 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Carp |
|
3 Yellow
Bass |
|
9 Hybrid
Striped Bass |
|
2 Walleye |
|
1 Bluegill |
|
4 Yellow
Bass |
|
1
Freshwater Drum |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
Plastics, and Top water |
All fish were released.
|
Fishing
was fantastic! 3 of the Stripers were good ones and all the White Bass
were decent. One of the Smallmouth was 18 inches and the other two were 15
and 16. I even had one big Bluegill hit a crank bait. I lost a monster
Striper after fighting it for a good two minutes when it finally broke the
line. I couldn't budge the thing but it did come close enough to get a
good look. It was nice to catch fish no matter where I tried to fish. I
just with I would have had more time out there.
Pictures from today!
|
|
23.
|
5/25/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Cloudy with a light
mist for a time. Wind was fairly calm out of the Northeast then out of the
South between 5 and 10 mph. Air temp was in the mid
60s. Water
temp was 69 The
water level was in the yellow marker at the bridge. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1 White
Bass |
|
7 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Channel
Catfish |
|
1 Yellow
Bass |
|
1 Hybrid
Striped Bass |
|
1 Bluegill |
|
8 Freshwater Drum |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
Plastics, and Top water |
All fish were released.
|
Fishing
was a little slower than last time and I did not catch as many big fish. A
couple of the Smallmouth and Drum were nice fish, and I got a 7 lb catfish
into the boat. I lost a much larger catfish after fighting it for several
minutes. I was able to get a good look at it before it got away. The White
Bass I caught was also a nice fish but the Striper I caught was tiny.
Pictures from today!
|
|
24.
|
6/02/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Partly Cloudy then
intermittent rain - some of it was heavy at times. Wind was fairly calm out of the
Northeast then out of the West between 5 and 10 mph. Air temp was in the mid
to upper 60s. Water
temp was 68. The
water level was in the yellow marker at the bridge. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1 White
Bass |
|
8 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Walleye |
|
7 Freshwater Drum |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits and
Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
It
took a little while to figure out what lure the fish wanted, but after
that they cooperated. I accidentally kicked a very expensive rod/reel
combo over the side in 9 feet of water when I turned to grab the net, but
I was able to get it back. I also lost a couple more big fish. One was a
big Smallmouth and I wasn't able to get a look at the others.
Pictures from today!
|
|
25.
|
6/08/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Bright Sunshine with Southwest
winds around 15-20 mph. Air temp was in the mid 90s. Very humid. Water
temp was 72 to 77. The
water level was in the green marker at the bridge. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1 Bluegill |
|
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
2
Largemouth Bass |
|
3 Freshwater Drum |
| Partner |
1 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Largemouth Bass |
|
1 Freshwater Drum |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
Spinners, and
Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
Fishing
was pretty slow with the bright sunshine. We looked but we couldn't find a
concentration of fish along the rip rap or off the bank. I caught a big
Bluegill and a 4 lb Largemouth, but nothing else was really worth
mentioning.
|
|
26.
|
6/15/2004
Mazonia State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Braceville, IL
|
Bright Sunshine with calm
variable winds. Air temp was around 80. Very humid. Rain and thunder
developing and moving away. Water
temp was 77. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
3 Largemouth Bass |
|
1 Crappie |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
Spinners, top water, Plastics, etc.. |
All fish were released.
|
New
Lake, new learning curve. I'm looking forward to fishing more of this
place.
Pictures from today!
|
|
27.
|
6/19/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Mostly Sunny with North
Northeast winds around 15-20 mph. Air temp was in the upper 60s. Water
temp was 77 to 80. The
water level was in the green marker at the bridge. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Channel
Catfish |
|
Crank Baits |
All fish were released.
|
I
hit Heidecke for a very short time this afternoon and managed to catch a
couple fish. I managed to raise a nice Musky and he took the lure right
off the end of the line. I also lost 4 other fish before I changed the
hook on the lure I was using.
|
|
28.
|
6/22/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Sunny with winds variable
Northwest to Southwest winds around 10-15 mph. Air temp was in the mid
70s. Water
temp was 72 to 77. The
water level was in the green marker at the bridge. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
3 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Musky |
|
3
Freshwater Drum |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
Spinners, Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
The
cloud cover was departing as I put the boat in the water so I knew things
would be slow. The water temp was also a little cooler. I still managed to
catch a musky, and he managed to catch my thumb pretty good as I was releasing
him. I lost 3 other good bass.
Pictures from today!
|
|
29.
|
6/27/2004
LaSalle Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Marseilles, IL
|
Thickening Clouds with west
winds around 10 mph. Air temp was in the low 80s. Water
temp was 85 and warmer. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Channel
Catfish |
|
1 Bluegill |
|
2
Freshwater Drum |
| Partner |
12 Channel
Catfish |
| Partner |
3 Channel
Catfish |
|
1 Smallmouth Bass |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits, Night crawlers |
All fish were released.
|
We
took my nephew out to LaSalle for the first time. I was hoping the water
would have been a little cooler with the recent cool evenings. We put the
boat in and found that the water was 85 at the ramps. We caught quite a
few fish but nothing real big.
|
|
30.
|
6/29/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Sunny with West winds around
10 mph. Air temp was in the mid 80s. Water
temp was 72 to 77. The
water level was in the green marker at the bridge. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
8 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 White
Bass |
|
2 Hybrid
Striped Bass |
|
8 Freshwater Drum |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits, Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
The
sun was already shining brightly when I put the boat in. I decided to try
something a little different today and it paid off. I caught several nice
fish.
Pictures from today!
|
|
31.
|
7/07/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Sunny then cloudy with West winds around
20 mph diminishing to around 10 mph. Air temp was in the upper 60s. Water
temp was 75 to 77. The
water level was in the green marker at the bridge but the chop made it
impossible to get under it without hitting the underside. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Musky |
|
12 Freshwater Drum |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits, Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
I
think fishing would have been better had the clouds rolled in a couple
hours earlier. I hooked 3 muskies including one real big one and only got
one of them in the boat.
Pictures
from today!
|
|
32.
|
7/13/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Nearby storms and light rain,
then sun, then approaching severe storms. Southwest winds around 5 to 15 mph. Air temp was in the upper
80s. Water
temp was 76 to 82. The
water level was in the green marker at the bridge but the chop made it
impossible to get under it without hitting the underside. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
2 Channel
Catfish |
|
1 Freshwater Drum |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits, Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
I
started out wearing the rain gear, then the sun came out and the temp shot
up to the upper 80s, then my NOAA radio went off indicating a tornado
warning 1 county over. That meant it was time to leave. At least I caught
a few fish including a couple nice Smallmouth.
Pictures
from today!
|
|
33.
|
7/15/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Bright Sunshine. West wind
around 10mph. Air temp in the mid 80s. Water
temp was 78 to 84. The
water level was in the green marker at the bridge. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1 Hybrid
Striped Bass |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits, Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
My
wife and I took the boat out for a very short time in the late afternoon
and I managed to catch a very small Striper.
|
|
34.
|
7/22/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Bright Sunshine then strong
Thunderstorms. Southwest wind
around 5 mph and increasing before the storms. Air temp in the upper 80s. Water
temp was 78 to 84. The
water level was in the green marker at the bridge. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1
Smallmouth Bass |
|
5
Freshwater Drum |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits, Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
It
was a slow uneventful day before I decided to beat the storms. Baitfish
are everywhere.
Pictures
from today!
|
|
35.
|
7/26/2004
Busse Lake
Elk Grove Village, IL
|
Partly Cloudy then Mostly
Cloudy. Northeast winds around 10 mph. Air temp in the low 70s. Water
temp was 75. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
8
Largemouth Bass |
|
2 Channel
Catfish |
|
1 Yellow
Bass |
|
1 Walleye |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits, Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
It
was a very pleasant day on the lake. The rain that was in the area missed
me until I was on my way back home. I caught a couple nice fish.
Pictures
from today!
|
|
36.
|
7/29/2004
Un-named Pond
Cook County Forest Preserve
|
Partly Cloudy. South winds around 10 mph. Air temp in the
upper 70s. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
Nothing |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits, Plastics |
All fish were released.
|
I
had about two hours to walk the bank of a pond I haven't fish in a long
time. I saw one guy catch a very small Largemouth but that was it. I
didn't get a hit other than what might have been a crayfish that grabbed
the plastic I was throwing.
|
|
37. |
8/03/2004
Illinois River
LaSalle County, IL
|
Bright Sunshine. Air temps in the mid 80s rising to the
low 90s. The wind was out of the southwest around 5mph.
|
|
Results |
| Me : |
2 Sauger |
|
1 Shad |
|
2 Smallmouth Bass |
|
15 White Bass |
|
1 Mooneye |
|
3 Drum |
|
1 Carp |
| Partner: |
1 Shad |
|
25 White Bass |
|
10 Sauger |
|
2 Largemouth Bass |
|
1 Catfish |
|
Techniques: |
| Crank Baits, Blade
baits, Spinners, Plastics,
etc... |
All fish were released.
|
I
was invited to fish some new water today and it was a great trip. We
caught several different species including several nice sized fish.
Pictures
from today!
|
|
38.
|
8/06/2004
Heidecke
Lake State Fish and
Wildlife Area
Morris, IL
|
Bright Sunshine with light and
variable winds from the Northeast. Air temp in the low 60s rising to the
mid 70s Water
temp was 70 to 77. The
water level was in the green marker at the bridge. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1
Smallmouth Bass |
|
1 Freshwater Drum |
|
3 Carp |
| Partner: |
1
Smallmouth Bass |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits |
All fish were released.
|
Fishing
was very slow with bright sunshine, very little wind, and a fresh crop of
bait fish. Even the carp were up at the surface hitting small shad. I
caught 3 good sized carp on a small crank bait.
Pictures
from today!
|
|
39.
|
8/11/2004
Monee Reservoir
Will County, IL
|
Bright Sunshine then Clouds.
Variable west winds 10 to 25 mph. Light rain late in the day. Air temp was
in the upper 50s. |
|
Results |
| Me : |
1 Northern
Pike |
|
18
Largemouth Bass |
|
2 Channel
Catfish |
| Partner: |
Deserves
some credit for most of the fish noted below |
| Partner: |
1
Largemouth Bass |
| Partner: |
3
Largemouth Bass |
|
1 Channel
Catfish |
|
2 Bluegills |
|
Techniques: |
|
Crank Baits,
plastics, top waters, night crawlers, minnows |
All fish were released.
|
I
got to the lake and fished for 3 hours before my brother brought his
family to fish with me. We took the kids out with some live bait and
everyone caught fish. The kids are very good fishermen. Before they got
there I caught a nice Northern Pike and saw a lot wildlife along the banks
of the lake. The weather wasn't great but I went back out after they left
and caught a few more before calling it a day. My nephew wanted to catch
one bass and it was a good one. My niece caught several fish.
Pictures
from today!
|
|
|