Left work early simply because there wasn't much to do and it was too nice out to just sit there. On the way home I was thinking of fishing. Crossed over the East Branch of the DuPage and it looked pretty good. Didn't really feel like fishing it though.
Passed over the main stem of the DuPage and it looked pretty good. Had already heard that the fishing was pretty good, but for some reason I chose not to fish there. Kept going to the Fox. I had heard some half way decent reports of fish catches and I like to think I know where to go to partake in half way decent fishing.
Another half hour, not even, and I could have been on one of 4 creeks. But I chose not to go any further.
Within the first few minutes I landed a dink smallie. Not a bad start, but not worth a picture. The shore I chose to fish I can do from the river side when the water is high rather than standing on shore. Beautiful under cut banks with depths along the shore of up to almost 4 feet at the current water level. Water clarity wasn't awful. Lots of undercut root balls, good hiding spots for all kinds of species.
This stretch produces a variety of river species. I've caught smallies, largemouth, white bass, walleye, crappie, bluegills, both catfish types, a small northern and hooked a muskie once.
I was on my game too. Perfect casts to perfect spots. Dragging lures within rats hairs of massive tangles of roots and not getting hung up. Hanging the lure there waiting for a fish to hit.
It kept getting better and so did my presentation. Big deadfalls blocking the current flow. More big deadfalls along the under cut bank creating a nice long fish hiding spot.
Fished a nice pool behind the big dead fall. Wandered further down around a bend into a massive pool that just reeked of fish. They are there when the pool is smaller at low water so the potential was huge.
By the time I was done, I got these pictures and the dink in the first few minutes.
Not a hit, not a rolled carp, not a single carp scale stuck to the hook and I could see the carp moving around.
All this wonderful looking cover, structure and water and no one told the fish they should be there living the life of luxury.
I should have kept going to the creeks.
