Norm M

just retie or use a snap . it's not like retieing it's something that's done as a matter of course during a wade .

wind and snow up my way .

river slightly rising from recent rain, still around normal flow about 6300 cfs for this time of year. visibility poor, green stain to water. water temps 51 degrees only time I bothered . overcast, windy, maybe 45 degrees at best . fished a variety of current situations and techniques . at one creekmouth struck out with rattlebait and crankbait but got 3 smallmouth on a 1/0 weighted keeper/power pulse worm on the mudline . at the other creekmouth got 2 smallmouth on a crankbait retrieved against the current at the seam twixt river and creek . no fish on rattlebait or jig/plastic. fish a couple bridge abutments with 2/0 and 3/0 weighted keepers/power pulse worms , got a nice smallmouth from each in the downstream seam from the abutments . fished three slackwater spots that are back to back to back . 3/8 oz singlespin w/size 3 Colorado blade and no tip w/plastics . I got a nice smallmouth at the head of each spot and 5 decent smallmouth hugging the banks. I fished the flats out to the faster water with the spinnerbait , no fish . I switched to a rattlebait as I made my way back to the path up . I picked 15 smallmouth out on the flats with a steady retrieve as close to the bottom as I could get without constantly snagging . I hit a couple riffles, cranks and ratlebaits up and downstream sides, no fish . I went with a football head jig/plastic craw got 5 channel cat and three smallmouth on the upstream end, nothing on the downstream end .

river dropping under 7000 cfs, clarity is poor, water temp 50 degrees the only time I checked it. weather fair , mostly sunny but not as warm as promised , likely due to wind . first place I fished was a creekmouth, very nice seam and foam line where crick meets river. I started with a crankbait cast down stream , shorter and closer, working out further with each cast . I picked up 5 small smallmouth biggest about 14 inches. I checked the surrounding area with crank, rattlebait and jig, no fish . the other place I fished was a nice sized slow/slack area. cobblestone mixed with larger rock, limestone shelf and soft bottom. decent size waterwillow island at upstream end . I checked the cobblestone flats with crank, rattlebait and jigs, no fish. I worked up the the waterwillow island and started with a spinnerbait over the waterwillow stubble, nada. I switched the the reversed fat ika rigged on a ewg hook and shoved a bit of extra lead into the bottom of the ika. that got me 6 more smallmouth, these were nicer, 15 to 18 inches .

shore fished a triangular shaped retention pond, east -west axis, widest and deepest on the east end . main input culverts on north shore at east end . some emergent vegetation that comes to the surface otherwise mostly sand grass . a few other input culverts on east and south shore, outtake culvert at west end . partly cloudy , winds blowing at good clip from the east, rain/t storms predicted for evening and tomorrow . I walked west to east on the high ground saw no sign of emergent vegetation either by sight[wearing polarized sun glasses] or by the way it would have affected the surface currents caused by the wind . Ok , sandgrass beds are the main target . I was using a 3/8 oz spinnerbait cast across or slightly downwind as I worked my way from east to west on the north side . I choose the north side because it gets the better angle of the sun early in the year and can be warmer than the south side . Also the culverts are there so that is the first spot I check. I got a couple small bass there . When I cast to the sandgrass beds I counted the lure down until I felt it hit bottom to check for depth changes . I also deliberately tried to snag some sand grass to make sure it's green. Most of it was green, when I found some that wasn't I moved down. After the initial check for depth/green weeds , I counted the spinnerbait down to just above the bottom and slow rolled it back in . 7 more largemouth off the sand grass beds , all took the spinnerbait with no doubt about it hits . Of the nine bass , eight were in the 10 to 14 inch range , which is the usual size for this pond in my experience . One was 17 inches, caught him when the spinnerbait got hit at a two count instead of the five count that I had been having. After I released it, cast back and got a 3 count when it hit bottom. A hump I didn't know about, triangulated it for future fishing

After a week of barely any fishing and too many funeral homes and hospitals , fighting with mechanical devices and the like , I had to get out or go under . Simple was what was needed so I grabbed some fluke jrs, circle hooks, couple crappie size spinnerbaits, small jigs/ plastics, the ul and headed for the cricks. First was a tributary of tributary, water was lower and clearer than I thought it would be . I started with the fluke jr nose hooked on the circle. That worked well enough that I never bothered to change. Smallmouth and rock bass about the size you expect from such water but they were willing . Front and back of riffles for the most part , the rest around woody cover. No one else in sight, talked to the birds and squirrels until they ignored me for lack of intelligent conversation. Next up hit a different tributary that flows directly to the river, this one was higher and murkier. The fluke got a decent rock bass and was thereafter ignored. I switched to the jig/small plastics got rock bass, sunfish and some nice sized chubs No smallmouth to be had. Pools were far and away the best bet, riffle areas so/so . Action while slower was steady enough to keep me going . On the way home, decided to give the river a shot, it's close to normal flow but normal flow is 7000 cfs . Water temps low 50's by that time in the afternoon. I put on a Wart, hit the seam where the creek meets the river . a couple smallmouth 15 inch range . I moved to a spot with slower flow fished the wart upstream . One smallmouth, the same size as the other two . Called it a day , ham with all the fixings awaiting me at home .

Al I have a better idea, we let our wives run the show while we go fishing .

actually had to vote twice . first time they handed me two ballots, filled in the front of one and the back of the other . after the judges put their heads together put those ballots in an envelope they had. 4 different folks checked to be sure it was a single ballot . filled it out, turned it in, got two of those I voted stickers. One dude that knows me, said what did you expect from a guy who grew up in Cook County but vote early, vote often . BTW, started a write in campaign for Al Agnew for president. Latest word is that he has a commanding lead in both party races here in Illinois .

I got in a bunch of short trips before work while the river was below normal flow and dropping and one when it started raining and rising. One long trip in which the flow rate climbed to more than double the normal flow and in which the water temps dropped from the low 50's to the high 40's . On the trips while it was dropping I was trying something different everyday at least to start. One day it was crankbaits out on the current seams , cranks designed to run 8 ft or so worked against the current in 3 to 4 feet of water. That worked well enough that I stuck with it the entire trip . 8 decent smallmouth . One day it was hard suspending jerk baits on flats , nothing doing. I switched to rattlebaits picked up 2 smallmouth . Next day I started with the rattlebaits on the flats, one decent smallmouth. I made the switch to paddle tail flukes on a 1/8 darter head jig, one more smallmouth . Last trip before it rained , fished spinnerbaits over stubble on water willow humps. islets that I kinda pushed it a little to reach wading wise. Had a very nice day 11 smallmouth , mostly decent , a couple good sized but not trophy status . On the short trip in the rain started aggressive with cranks, rattlebaits and swimbaits on flats and seams. Ended up with one mercy fish on a jig/twister behind a bridge abutment, this bridge has a history for me of producing mercy fish . On the long trip with the high muddy water, it was a no brainer , inflows , slack areas and flooded trees . I hit a large slack area twixt two inflows, one permanent the other intermittent . I got some smallmouth on a single spin fishing around flooded trees and where the flow from the intermittent creek met the river, I started hearing splashes up stream , looked like gar feeding all the way up to the permanent creek in a zone from right off shore to about 20 feet out into the river. I switched to a paddletail fluke on a 5/0 unweighted ewg hook. I just slowly worked my way up staying on shore to avoid spooking the fish. Hooked 17 , landed 11 , which considering I had no metal leader was pretty good. Went thru 3 hooks and a dozen flukes, and sustained no injuries unhooking them . That's also pretty good for an old dude with slowing reflexes and a short pair of needlenose pliers, I tossed a weighted keeper/twister up stream of a debris pile and let it wash under . Saw the line jump, felt the hit, set the hook, landed a largemouth about 14 inches . I worked up into the permanent creek with a weighted keeper/power pulse worm , got 3 rock bass about 6 -7 inches and my smallest smallmouth of the year , almost 4 inches long . nice week on the water, not a single skunk trip, although one came perilously close

saw another sure sign, a car with steamed up windows rocking at one of the more secluded access areas .

My wife writes don't go fishing, come home with the food first at the bottom of the grocery list .

Just a bit , shoot I'm still grinning like a kid after his first real kiss . The biggest smallmouth I got from that river or in my life was 23.5 inches .The PB was from the glory days of the river in my lifetime , 3 great spawns in a row all came together with great conditions to grow them big . The giant smallmouth will be even more rare down the line. Increased sedimentation destroying spawning/nursery areas and increased flooding is really hurting the river. The pool above the biggest dam has already lost about 70 % of it's carrying capacity due to the increased sediment load .

Curious , what is the largest number of different species on a single trip for those who keep track of their species ?

About 6400 CFS and 2.57 height which are about normal for this time of year. Water temps 44 degrees , not much visibility . weather was nicer when I was able to get out, missed the crappy weather with some sort of bug . I guess if you have to be sick might as well be when the weather is crap . First trip , fished a couple slack spots from shore , cobble/chunk rock, softer bottom . short trip couple smallmouth on suspending jerk with longish pauses, couple smallmouth on rattlebaits slowly just above bottom . decent size , couple sporting red hook marks so someone else had some success previously . Second trip , much longer, fished slack spots with cobble, chunk rock, soft bottom combos, couple inflows, couple riffles . Waded carefully and only as needed in spots I know very well , mostly just for casting angles or getting closer to the fast water current seam . Eight smallmouth , largest on a Rapala Tail Dancer while catching walleye , brute was a shade over 22inches . The other seven were decent fish, one on suspending jerk. the rest on rattlebaits . Thirteen walleye, biggest 28.5 inches on 6 inch swimbait.1/2 oz jig. That setup also got another walleye at 25 inches, both of them fat with tight full egg sacs. Got one walleye on a rattlebait while catching smallmouth, the rest of the walleye on Rapala Tail Dancers . Four channel cats at the downstream side of riffles, on the big swimbaits . All four cats in the mid twenty inch range. One northern pike about 34 inches in a slack area with foam/debris overhead cover on the big swimbait. One gar about 25 inches on a fluke in a slack spot that has produced many a gar over the years . I carry the tape measure hoping to get some legal walleye to eat in the14-18 inch slot, of course no walleye in that size range . Oh well , 5 species, 27 fish , some with size to them , best outing of the year .

life long memory for both of you . with your tutelage there will be more

I doubt they know what it once was .

Thanks for the update . Anyone who thinks Yadi shouldn't be considered one of the best of our time with Bench and Pudge just hasn't been paying attention .

if any Cards fans are thinking of following the team to Chicago, better try to get tickets now , they are selling fast . Definitely going to be an interesting year . Any word on how Yadi Molina is doing ?

I'll trade you the hot mess the IDNR is for the MDC with any and all warts perceived or real . Y'all got it good compared to me .

river has come up almost a foot in the last couple days, went from about a foot of visibility to nearly none, a bit above normal flow, water temps up from low to mid 40's . weather out side of wind has been good . starting to see larger concentrations of waterfowl , wild turkey in nice numbers, hawks all over . insect activity , lots of furry type critters getting loosey-goosey . first trip before the water came up 6 inches or so, water had a about a foot of visibility . I fished a series of slackwater spots with cobble, some larger rock , ledge rock and softer bottoms . water willow stubble patches/islands in softer bottoms . some wood cover here and there . not much algae but some leaves on the bottom . I fished a KVD 1.5 squarebill crankbait and caught fish at the upstream side of rock piles , rock humps, isolated larger rock and dips/ holes in the cobble . Every fish I caught came on a downstream cast , brought back slow/steady from a river left casting angle . any other casting angle speed or direction[quarter cast , cross cast or upstream cast] was ignored . I fished hard and soft jerk baits, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, rattlebaits and jigs/plastics with no success no matter the angle/direction/ speed/cadence used . Next trip after the water came up , I went back to the same areas to see what would or would not work . After much experimentation the only two things that worked were a jig/twister swum ticking the tops of the newly covered waterwillow stubble or jig/erie darter on the bottom barely moving in the openings in the waterwillow stubble where it doesn't grow . First day ended up with 11 smallmouth medium to large in size . Second day ended up with 23 smallmouth medium to pig status . First day noticed some craws in gullets , second day minnows in gullets. all fat healthy fish, evidently eating well . First day definite , no doubt about it hits, had one tail walker . Second day all hits light to barely noticeable . I'm pretty sure I missed at least a half dozen fish because I just didn't feel it and execute a hook set quick enough .

I sincerely hope to still be wading at age 77

I wonder, that ring looks too modern to date back that far .

pitchers and catchers have reported , we'll being having some baseball soon .

congratulations on the PB , may there be more in your future

It's been warmer lately, one day the wind was quite intense . river temps getting into lower 40's , some stain , wadeable with care . It's been a mixed bag of current conditions fished and techniques used . Smallmouth bass on modified Carolina rig on flats off the channel. on a jigspinner/weighted keeper hook/4 inch ribbed swim bait at the upstream sides off points and riffles, on x rap shad raps on flats off channels and on current seams, and on husky jerks on flats off channels . Mostly mid sized fish with a fair amount of big fish . Walleyes on x rap shad raps, suspending rogues and husky jerks on flats off channels, on jigspinner/weighted keeper/ribbed swimbait at points and riffles . A few channel cats on the Carolina rig . Today was my birthday all of 59 years young . I decided to give my self a little challenge , fish multiple types and bodies of water . The first turned out to be the easiest , got a largemouth on the third cast with a rattlebait in a retention pond . Cool, off to a nearby crick to catch whatever . That took a little longer about 45 minutes to get a couple rock bass on a jig/twister . Off to the river , decided to give some crankbaits a whirl, nothing, switch to rattlebait still nothing. I dead drifted a husky jerk on the flats off a channel got some nice smallmouth . I moved to another spot that holds walleye, same deal dead drift the husky jerk over the flats got a couple . I decided might as well try for some pike so I moved again . I tried three different spots with swimbaits, jerkbaits, minnow baits, crankbaits, rattlebaits and single spins, no pike action. I went to a local quarry to complete the challenge, figuring low and slow was going to be the way to go. I fished jig/pig[real pork] , a drop shot rig and a Carolina rig , totally struck out . 3 out of 4 ain't bad , make untold millions if I could hit that . I may be getting older and slower but I still get there. The upside of all this experience is that I generally know what to do now when I finally get there .