Since the last week of March I’ve been spending the bulk of my fishing time getting lost up the creeks that feed the Fox River.
I don’t keep detailed fishing records like I did over a decade ago. For the past few years I barely wrote any totals down at all. This year, since I’m trying to send Dale Bowman a fishing report every week, I’ve been putting most of my results up on Facebook. On my personal page I only have 45 friends, I eliminated about 100 others over the past year. Of those 45 only six fish. Of those six, maybe two will get out to the places I fish, but even that I doubt. I already know nobody reads anything I send to Dale, tested that over the past year.
So, all that wonderful information being read by maybe 10 fishermen total did exactly what I planned.
I run into virtually no one out there and it’s extremely rare that I see another set of foot prints where I go.
Best I can tell is that I started fishing this year toward the end of March and have got out on average three times a week. Lately 4, sometimes 5, but we’ll stick with a 3 average. That makes approximately 33 fishing trips which I know is on the low side.
I didn’t bother writing some of it down, but I know I’ve been on the Fox a half dozen times and the rest have all been spread across 5 different creeks. The totals so far this year show 273 fish caught, 98 percent of those are all smallies. I hooked but blew the landing on another 198.
Those numbers do show that I suck at setting the hook.
Treble hooks on some hard lure would probably fix that, but they destroy the mouths on fish and I don’t think I’ve used treble hooks in well over a dozen years because of that. Single hooks on a jig is all I ever use. I catch smallies all the time that have severely damaged mouths from treble hooks. It’s very apparent that the average angler pretty much sucks at extracting treble hooks from the mouth of a fish. One of the other things I don’t like about them is how a smallie will take the front hook, thrash around and get a back hook jammed into it’s gill plate. You’ll see the result of that in the pictures below.
Impressive numbers overall perhaps until I compare it to previous years, at least what my memory allows. This has been the slowest spring of the past three. I did much better the last few years. Last year alone in this same time frame I hit the same amount of water. I only bothered counting the fish caught on one creek and the rest I didn’t bother with, but I remember doing well.
On the one creek alone that I tracked my caught/miss ratio last year, by now I had stopped counting at 300 caught and another 200 that I blew the hook set on.
That was on one creek.
So, what’s this mean? Brutal winter, delayed spring, less than usual rain keeping the fish from running up the creek. I know nowhere near as many carp and suckers came up the creeks, they never materialized like years past. Who knows, rivers and creeks are too hard to judge. Moving water will screw up theories quickly.
I guess I’ve had a good start to the year and should shut up and be happy with what I’ve caught so far, but the half of my brain that is always asking questions is badgering me for answers as to why. Why are things different this year?
No wonder I don’t sleep much.
I recently went through all the photos I’ve taken since the end of March. I haven’t felt much like dealing with them so far. The ones I liked are all below.
Unless I get distracted by fishing, watching the garden grow or sitting and staring off into space, maybe I’ll put another post up in July.
Howard Levett
14 Jun 2014Seems like I’ve been waiting forever for this post. I’m not much of a fish counter, but I think I sense the photography skills haven’t fallen off.
Ken G
14 Jun 2014Seems like I’ve been a little absent lately Howard. Busy fishing or doing nothing. I like a good day of nothing.
Got a DSLR on order and hoping that will end my frustration with the point and shoot. I used to shoot a lot of film with old SLR’s. This will be a learning curve, but looking forward to seeing if I can make some improvements on the photos.
Matt
15 Jun 2014It’s good to see you post.
I’ve been having a slower Spring for smallmouth as well, and couldn’t help but wonder how you were doing. I never see anyone out there either, except maybe in the last couple hundred feet before the creeks empty into the Fox.
Ken G
15 Jun 2014It’s been hard to get motivated to do posts Matt. Been a nice spring.
Wasn’t going to send Dale my fishing reports this year, but like usual, nobody else stepped up and I hate to see a blank spot for the Fox on Wednesdays.
Creeks are acting odd. I’ve avoided near the mouths too, but it seems like the smallies never went more then a mile inland. Hit some favorite spots in the last couple of weeks much further in and they were barren. Makes no sense. Was eyeballing some creeks out west of me, about an hour drive. May have to do some exploring even if I catch nothing but creek chubs.
Jim McClellan
16 Jun 2014Glad to see you back in the saddle, or at least back on the blog! I’m with you on the treble hooks. I use them sparingly and only for fish I intend to release into batter and grease. Beautiful photography. The stark contrast between winter and spring is incredible and that really comes through in your pictures!
Ken G
16 Jun 2014Been so busy fishing and sitting around Jim, tough to write things down.
I need to find the time to go around and do some reading.
Was talking to my brother-in-law yesterday, he lives next door, we couldn’t believe just a few months ago we had nearly 5 feet of snow lined up along the street in front of the house.
Rick
16 Jun 2014I haven’t lived in Illinois for over 30 years and used to fish the Kankakee for smallies. Great to read your columns when you put them out, Ken. The Fox where I lived was more of an open sewer, it’s heartening to see the health of river systems in the area – smallies and northerns in the Chicago and Des Plaines Rivers!
Ken G
16 Jun 2014Thanks Rick. Luckily I’ve only seen the Fox at it’s best. When I was a kid I lived a short walk to the Chicago River not far from Bubbly Creek. Picture a handful of 8 year olds (that would be 1964) standing on the Ashland bridge and throwing lit matches into the water. We really did want to see it catch on fire. Fished that spot over a decade ago and LM bass were everywhere. Lived near the DP too back when it was a sewer. Amazing how things have changed in a few decades.
Richard Velders
18 Jun 2014It’s so good to see the photography back in the blog. Always beautiful pics and and encouragement just to get up the creek for the view. Reptile looked like a Diamond Backed Water Snake. Beautiful creatures. Dick Young called the purple flower the gaudy matron as it is an invasive biennial Dame’s Rocket. They’re all over the place and we pull up tons of them. Hope to connect up on the waters. Dick
Ken G
18 Jun 2014Thanks Dick. You might want to give the creek near you a try. This rain seems to be turning them on and bringing more in. I missed what I call the field of bluebells that bloom in that area first. For as far as you can see through the woods, nothing but shimmering blue.
Dan "The Impractical Fishermen" Roloff
24 Jun 2014I enjoy reading your blog and seeing pics of the river. I really miss that river. I wish I had gotten to know her better.
Chris L. Robinson
24 Jun 2014I hear you on the hooks. I’m not really new to fishing, but I’m new to catching. I’ve been catching small bluegill for about two years now. Never really caught anything else. Last weekend I went fishing at LaSalle Lake and everyone was catching. Small catfish and bluegill mostly, but I’ve never been out where so many people were reeling them in. And though I know better–I fish with small hooks and often have to use the disgorger to get them out of a fish–I’d lost the little tool somehow and hoped I wouldn’t need it. I also hoped this would finally be the time that I caught a fish large enough to eat. Sure enough, I hooked my first catfish ever–couldn’t have been more than a pound, and yes, that’s a small fish, but I was keeping it. I I was overjoyed. Been waiting a long time. But the hook. He’s swallowed the hook deep and I can’t get it out. I try and try and the little guy is grunting all the while and I’m irritated with myself. The only think that makes it tolerable is that I know he’s going in the pan. I would have been heartsick otherwise. Instead, I put him out of his misery with a rock and head out. Managed to get two motel-soap-sized fillets out of him. Gonna have to practice. But they were delicious.
I also went to the store the next day for a disgorger. One bigger than the pencil-sized one I’ve been carrying–I’m catching lunkers now.