Norm M

I can't believe i read the whole thing, plop, plop, fizz,fizz

Every now and then, ideas start scrambling around based on stuff I've just experienced. After it kinda sorts itself out, I have to write it down otherwise it will gnaw at me until I do. This one started by the riverbank and pretty much worked itself out on a 5 minute walk back to the car. I'm really not sure what to call this kind of writing, so I generally just let it ride under musings. Grimy snowbanks, looking old and weary, release rivulets of runoff to the river as they relinquish their reign over the landscape. Rusty remnants of last years grasses rustle in a restless breeze. Here and there, green shoulders through the sepia tinged undergrowth. Glorious now - cursed later, glistening, black mud sucks at my boots, a welcome relief from the past season's crunchy snow. As I sit silently on a log basking in the warmth of the noontime sun, I close my eyes to enjoy the hopeful songs of multiple birds seeking romance. Upon reflection of the diversity and plenty of the morning's catch, yes, the promise of the coming spring is upon us.

It's not just Lake Michigan the COE is worried about. I was at the recent Illinois River Coordinating Council meeting and one of the COE members of that panel said the Asian Carp were in the Ohio River and there are canals connecting that river to the Great Lakes. The COE also said they had found the Asian Carp as far north as LaCrosse on the Mississippi River. I'd have to look at a map to see if there was any possible connection to Lake Michigan or Superior.

Do you just want stories or are poems, haikus or general musing on outdoors stuff ok?

Kankakee River

I have caught a few nice smallmouth bass out of my local river with this technique. The water temps have been in the high 30's to 40 degrees and to my way of thinking the coldwater period ends about 40 degrees and the cool water period starts so it's right there at the interface. I have been using a Storm Wigglewart that allegedly runs about 10 ft deep on current seams about 3 ft deep off slack water pockets. I quarter cast upstream out into the flow and crank it down until it's making bottom contact along the seam. I stop reeling, let it drift about 4 feet, turn the handle enough to make bottom contact again and repeat until I run out of seam. So far every fish has come when I tighten up the line to reestablish bottom contact, I just feel something extra and set the hook. The fish have mostly been medium sized ones in the 15 to 18 inch range but I did get 1 pig that was 22 inches. Now that may sound shallow for this time of year but my river is basically shallow, I'd say if you averaged it out over the entire river, the average depth would be about 4 feet. We also usually measure visibility in inches rather than feet.

Thank you all. As Gary said, I primarily fish the Kankakee River up in Illinois. I get to other streams but when you live minutes away from the best smallie river in the state, it's hard not to fish near home. If Gary and I fish together weird things happen weather wise. the chance of a tornadic blizzard is not beyond the realm of possibility. I will give fair warning if that is going to occur so you can get the kids and women to a place of safety, New Mexico might be far enough.

You have a good man in Gary. The only thing I'd warn you about is that he is a black cloud weather wise. Illinois farmers called him Ole Drought Buster.

Howdy All, Norm Minas from Bourbonnais Illinois[near Kankakee], also known as Creekyknees on River Smallies and a couple other forums. I'm with the Kankakee River Basin Commission, Kankakee River Roundtable, Illinois Smallmouth Alliance[past Conservation Director],volunteer for the IDNR at the Kankakee River State Park, River Watch stream monitor volunteer, Illinois Master Naturalist,took Project W.E.T.{Water Education for Teachers] training and do some outdoors related writing. I fish about 250 days a year or so and plan to kick that up to 350 days a year when I retire. Obviously to fish that much you have to fish in winter, I've been fishing for winter smallmouth for about 15 years now. I also carry garbage bags in my car and plastic grocery bags in my pocket to pick up after the slobs. I'm a career railroader, married with 3 kids. Currently 1 dog and 1 cat although that may increase again.