Trip Log - 2006
By William D. Anderson
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25 Segmented photo album for dial-up users |
| 1. |
Powerton Lake Tazewell County, IL |
Cloudy with light drizzle at times. Air temps in the mid 40s. Variable Southwest winds around 5 mph. |
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I got to the lake an hour later than I planned but caught 2 nice fish right away. After that it was a fish here and a fish there for the next 4 hours. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2. |
Lake Michigan |
Mostly Sunny. Air temps
in the upper 30s to low 40s. Southeast winds around 20 mph. Water temp was 36 to 40. |
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We didn't expect much today, but it's the middle of January and we're out on Lake Michigan in a boat. No one was complaining about that. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3. |
Lake Michigan |
Cloudy with light rain. Air temps in the upper
40s to low 50s. South winds around 15 mph. Water temp was 37 to 40. |
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Since the wind was blowing off the shore and the lake was fairly calm, I was able to put about 60 miles (according to the GPS) on the boat exploring different locations. It paid off with a couple of nice Brown trout. I also saw a couple Steelhead swim past the boat but they weren't interested in anything I had to offer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4. |
Powerton Lake Tazewell County, IL |
Mostly cloudy. Air temps
in the mid
40s. Variable Northeast winds 15 to 20 mph. Water temp was 46 to 60. |
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Fishing was slower than the last two years when we made this trip. The water temp was 10 degrees colder also. We caught a couple nice fish despite the wind, and when the sun came out later in the afternoon, the fish became a little more active. I spent an extra hour on the water and it paid off. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5. |
Des Plaines River |
Bright Sunshine. Air temps
in the upper 20s to low 30s. Variable Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Water temp was 46 to 54. |
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This was the first time I've fished this body of water. All but a couple of the fish I caught were small, but it's February, 28 degrees, so who's complaining? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6. |
Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area |
Cloudy. Moderate to Heavy Snow. Air temps
in the upper 20s to low 30s. Variable East to Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Water temp was 58 to 70. |
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Despite hitting a rock and putting my trolling motor out of commission for the day, and despite the worst weather I've ever been out on the water in, I did pretty good. If I would have had the use of the trolling motor I would have really had a day. Two of the Bass I caught were real good ones. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7. |
Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area |
Partly Cloudy. Very Windy. Air temps
in the mid 60s. Variable East to Southeast winds 15 to 25 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 58 to 78. |
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Despite trying to fish some rough water, it was a nice day to be out. I only caught one small fish but got some nice photos. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8. |
Des Plaines River |
Mostly Sunny with clouds approaching. Air temps
in the mid 50s. East winds around 15 mph. Water temp was 54 to 58. |
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Today was better than yesterday as far as fishing goes. I was looking for Bass and caught one before running into a school of Gar. I also caught one fish I've never seen before which turned out to be a Quillback. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9. |
LaSalle Lake |
Sunny with clouds approaching. Air temps
in the mid 30s. West winds around 10 mph switching to Southwest and
diminishing. Water temp was 48 to 70. |
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The totals may seem like a lot but only 5 of the Catfish and 3 of the Bass are worth mentioning. I caught a 23 lb Catfish at the same time the guys fishing about 50 yards away landed an 18 lb fish. Other than that, lots of small fish today and no Smallmouth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10. |
LaSalle Lake |
Mostly Sunny with clouds approaching. Air temps
in the low 30s rising to 50. North Winds around 5 mph switching to
Southeast. Water temp was 60 to 85. |
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If you take away all the non-keeper fish I probably had about 2 dozen good fish. Otherwise I think I broke my personal record for most fish caught in one day. The Largemouth were very active early and the catfish were the active fish later. I landed a 25 lb catfish and had 5 more monster catfish break off. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11. |
Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area |
Cloudy. Air temps
in the mid 40s. Variable North to Northwest winds around 10 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 62 to 84. |
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I had limited time to fish so I headed to the spot I wanted to fish last time but couldn't because of the wind. I caught several catfish including a few nice ones, and a small Drum. I also got more Eagle and Pelican photos. One shot captured both Bald Eagles with two Pelicans soaring near them. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12. |
Heidecke Lake |
Cloudy. Air temps
in the mid 40s. Variable North to Northwest winds around 10 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 48. |
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I heard that the early morning trollers did ok for Walleye on the north side but I only saw one other fish caught all day. I caught 4 nice fish during the time I was there and lost 4 other fish. One of them was a Largemouth, and the other was a nice Yellow Bass. Both came un-glued at the boat. I never saw the other two fish but they were good ones. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13. |
Des Plaines River |
Cloudy. Air temps
in the mid 40s. Variable North to Northwest winds around 10 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 56 |
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We got out just as the tournament was ending and did pretty good. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14. |
Heidecke Lake |
Cloudy, light rain, storms approaching. Air temps
in the mid 50s. Variable South to Southeast winds around 20 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 58. |
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It was a very windy day. With the wind blowing so strongly directly in to the rip rap, it was next to impossible to fish it using the trolling motor. I managed one real good fish and a few others despite the lack of boat control. I was off the water before the Thunderstorm hit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15. |
Des Plaines River |
Sunny. Air temps
in the low 70s falling through the 50s. Variable West wind switching to Northeast around 10 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 67 |
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The River was still high and muddy, and the current was still very strong from the recent rain. I found a couple spots that had fish stacked up and had a decent evening. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16. |
Heidecke Lake
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Sunny. Air temps
in the low 70s falling through the 50s. Variable West wind switching to Northeast around 10 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp at Heidecke was 56 and 67 on the Des Plaines. |
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Despite some rain yesterday, the River was a lot clearer and there was less current. Most of the fish I caught were small, and most of my time was spent exploring new areas. I spent the first two hours at Heidecke then left once the sun was hitting the water pretty good. I got a real nice Smallmouth just before I headed for the ramps. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17. |
Des Plaines River
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Sunny. Air temps
in the upper 50s. Variable NE wind around 10 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 70. |
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We caught at least 9 species of fish today. The action wasn't fast but at least it was steady. We fished a good portion of the river where neither one of us had ever been and caught quite a few fish each. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18. |
Des Plaines River
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Clouds with light rain. Air temps
in the mid 50s. Variable NW wind around 10 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 64. |
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The river was pretty murky and way up due to 4 straight days of rain. Fishing was very slow but there was a lot of wildlife out to photograph. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19. |
Des Plaines River
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Bright Sunshine. Air temps in the low 70s. Variable
WSW wind around 10 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 69. |
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The river was still pretty dirty but the current wasn't anything like it was last week. I made a point to fish a couple new areas today. In one spot I caught 3 big Flatheads on 3 consecutive casts then caught a couple more later. All but 1 of the channel cats were on the small side as were most of the Largemouth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20. |
Des Plaines River
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Bright Sunshine then chased off by storms Water temp was 83. |
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I found a spot away from the jet skis and the pleasure boats and fished for about 15 minutes before making a run to beat the storms. Got off the water and on the road just in time. At least the one fish I caught was a good one. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21. |
Des Plaines River
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Bright Sunshine. Air temp in the upper 70s. NE
wind around 15 mph. Water temp was 83. |
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We fished a lot of new water today and did ok. Most of the fish were smaller than we would have liked, but we got a couple nice ones to make up for it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22. |
Heidecke Lake |
Sunny then light rain. Air temps
in the mid 70s. Variable South winds around 20 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 74. |
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The day started out with bright sunshine then the light rain moved in. I stuck it out through the rain but it didn't make much difference. I got a few decent fish but overall things were slow. I was expecting a better day with the strong South wind. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23. |
Des Plaines River
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Light Rain. Air temp in the upper 50s. NE
wind around 10 mph with higher gusts. Water temp was 73. |
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The river was high and getting higher due to all the rain we got overnight. I tried some new tactics that I thought might work on the fish that went deep and I got a few. Later on I started to catch some decent fish including two real nice Largemouth. One of the smaller LM I caught had a huge Crayfish in its throat. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24. |
6/15/2006 through 6/28/2006 Lake of the Ozarks
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Hot and humid days and cool nights. The water temp was around 82 degrees |
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We caught a lot of fish in two weeks and didn't bother to count them all. Most of the good bass were caught on deep crank baits and large plastics. Pictures From This Trip: |
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| 25. |
Des Plaines River
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Bright Sunshine. Air temp in the upper 80s. NE
wind around 10 mph with higher gusts. Water temp was 81. |
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The river was busy with holiday boat traffic so I had search for a safe place to fish. I found a couple places and caught a few real nice fish. Most of the LM were smaller than I'd have liked, but I got a couple nice ones. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26. |
Heidecke Lake |
Intermittent light to moderate rain. Air temps
in the mid 70s. Variable East to South winds around 10 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 75. |
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When I got to the lake there was almost no wind. What little there was was blowing out of the East. Once a breeze started and it shifted to out of the south, the fish started biting and I wound up with a few real nice ones. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 27. |
Des Plaines River
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Bright Sunshine. Air temp in the mid 80s. SE
wind around 10 mph with higher gusts. Water temp was 85. |
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It was great to get back on the water after a month away. Fishing was slow but we got some very nice fish to make up for it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 28 |
Mazonia State Fish and Wildlife Area
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Mostly Cloudy. Air temp in the low 80s. NW
wind around 10 mph with higher gusts. Water temp was 81. |
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We fished a tournament today and came in 2nd. My partner caught the better fish today, but I still had a great time and caught some decent fish. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29 |
Mazonia State Fish and Wildlife Area
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Mostly Cloudy. Air temp in the upper 70s and
very humid. Occasional light sprinkles. NW
wind around 10 mph with higher gusts. Water temp was 77. |
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We fished a couple different lakes today and caught fish in all of them. We both caught a couple nice Bass but most were on the small side. On my last cast of the day I caught a very large Gar. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 |
Illinois River
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Bright Sunshine. Air temp in the upper 70s. NE
wind around 10 mph with higher gusts. Water temp was 77. |
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The river was high, swift, and dirty due to heavy rain earlier in the week. I still caught one real nice fish and a few smaller ones. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31. |
Heidecke Lake |
Mostly Cloudy. Air temps
in the mid 70s. Variable East to South winds around 15 mph with
higher gusts. Water temp was 74. |
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I got one nice smallmouth but the rest of the fish were on the small side. Chased off by storms. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 32. |
Des Plaines River
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Mostly Cloudy. Air temp in the upper 60s. SE
wind around 10 mph with higher gusts. Water temp was 78. |
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The Drum I caught was a real good fish but the bass were all small. The river was still way up from the recent heavy rain. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 33. |
Lake Michigan |
Clear Skies. Air temps
in the upper 50s to low 60s. Southeast winds around 20 mph. Water temp was 65. |
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We chose the wrong area to fish. Simple as that. At least we weren't the only ones. Other folks who made a long run did a lot better. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 34. |
Lake Michigan |
Severe Storms. Air temps
in the upper 50s to low 60s. South winds around 20 mph. Water temp was 65. |
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We fished the same area as last time hoping the fish had moved in. None to be found. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 35. |
10/05/2006 Powerton Lake Tazewell County, IL |
Mostly cloudy then bright sunshine. Air temps
in the mid
50s rising to the mid 50s. Variable Northeast winds 15 to 20 mph. Water temp was 92 to 73. |
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Today more than made up for the last couple trips. The Smallmouth were cooperating nicely. I caught everything on 3 different crank baits. The last fish of the day was probably the best Largemouth I've caught this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 36. |
Powerton Lake Tazewell County, IL |
Cloudy, intermittent light to significant
rain. Air temps
in the mid
40s rising to the mid 50s. Variable WNW winds 20 mph with much higher
gusts. Water temp was 90 to 70. |
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The conditions were not that great, but the fishing made up for it. I didn't catch as many fish as the last trip but the ones I caught were very nice. Boat control was tough in the wind but at least I had the entire lake to myself. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 37. |
Des Plaines River |
Mostly Cloudy. Air temps
in the mid
50s. Variable SSW winds 10 mph with higher
gusts. Water temp was 57 to 62. |
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Fishing was slow until I found a spot where the Bass were herding Shad. Most of the Largemouth I caught were small but I got a couple real good ones in the boat. I caught several nice Shad on crank baits and hooked a big catfish. I knew it was a cat even though I never saw it because it left that unmistakable catfish slime all over the last 6 inches of line. I also landed an escapee from one of the Cooling Lakes(Hybrid Striped Bass). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 38. |
Des Plaines River |
Mostly Sunny. Air temps
in the mid
50s. Variable SSW winds 10 mph with higher
gusts. Water temp was 57 to 62. |
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Fishing was slower than last week. There was a tournament earlier in the day so we think most of our spots got hammered. We caught some fish and had a good time out there anyway. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 39. |
Lake Michigan |
Mostly Cloudy. Occasional light drizzle. South
winds around 15 mph. Water temp was 46 |
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I saw a couple Lake Trout caught. I was lucky enough to get a real nice Largemouth right away, and then 3 Gobies later while trying different things for the Lakers. I also explored the shoreline from Portage to almost all the way back to the IL state line. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40. |
Des Plaines River |
Sunny. Air temps
in the upper 40s. South winds around 10 mph. Water temp was 46 to 51. |
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I caught a nice Largemouth on my first cast and then landed 4 or 5 real nice fish in less than 10 minutes. Two were monsters. After that the average size started to drop. I fished a lot of water today and caught fish almost everywhere although most were on the small side. The fish seemed to be schooled up by size. The wildlife viewing today would have made the trip worth it even without the fish. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 41. |
Des Plaines River |
Mostly Sunny. Air temps
in the upper
50s. Variable SSW winds 10 mph with higher
gusts. Pretty much the same as last time but a little warmer and a few
more clouds. Water temp was 49 to 66. |
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Fishing was pretty good today. We caught quite a mixed bag and a few of them were nice fish. I lost a catfish at the boat that was at least 12 lbs but we got the lure back a few hundred yards down river. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 42. |
Des Plaines River |
Mostly Cloudy. Mist late in the day. Air temps
in the low
50s. South winds 10 mph with higher
gusts. Water temp was 44 to 52. |
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Finding fish was a little tougher today but once I did, fishing was pretty good. All but one of the bass was on the small side but the catfish were decent fish. I lost a species of carp at the boat that I'd never seen before. This was the largest fish I've ever seen on the water. I snagged it in the gill plate and it broke off while trying to get the net around it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 43. |
Powerton Lake Tazewell County, IL |
Mostly Sunny. Air temps in the upper 30s. Variable WNW winds around 15 mph. |
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It was a tough day at the lake but we had a good time. After searching for a while, we finally found the Smallmouth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 44. |
Lake Michigan |
Mostly Sunny. Air temps
in the upper 30s to low 40s. Southeast winds around 10 mph. Water temp was 36 to 38. |
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I didn't catch what I was after but got lucky and caught two little fish anyway. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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23 24
25 Segmented photo album for dial-up users |
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Totals for 2006 |
| Sauger | ||
| Walleye | ||
| Smallmouth Bass | 6 | 3 |
| Shad | 1 | |
| Channel Catfish | 3 | |
| Buffalo | ||
| Bluegill | ||
| Yellow Bass | ||
| Hybrid Striped Bass | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 20 | |
| Carp | 1 | 2 |
| Freshwater Drum | 12 | 2 |
| Crappie | ||
| Bullhead | ||
| White Bass | ||
| Musky | ||
| Green Sunfish | ||
| Mooneye | ||
| River Redhorse | ||
| Goby | ||
| Lake Trout | ||
| Longnose Gar | 23 | |
| Spotted Bass | ||
| Steelhead | ||
| White Sucker | ||
| Blue Catfish | ||
| Grass Carp | ||
| Northern Pike | ||
| Perch | ||
| Brown Trout | 2 | |
| Warmouth | ||
| Quillback | 1 |