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I was able to get out for a couple of hours on Sunday morning as the sun came up. Tough start, wandered to better looking water and caught around 15 to 20 smallies (lost count) and missed catching another 15 to 20 in about an hour. Really have to look for those current breaks. With water temperatures coming down, seems like they like to be right on the edges. But what do I know. The river is stuck between 1500 and 1700 cfs, which is a little high. I think they’re lowering the chain, otherwise there’s no reason for that. We’ll see what the rain brings, but I don’t see it getting lower in the next few days.
Passed on a guiding opportunity this weekend. Also passed on getting together with guys from a website that put together an outing. Looks like I’m done with the guiding and it sure seems like I’m done getting together with anyone to go fishing. Haven’t got out with anyone in over two years. Not even Mr. Long, or you, which is unusual.
Took some nice shots from the river of a barn tucked off into a wooded hill. From the river to the barn was an overgrown field with the occasional tree changing to its fall color. The sky was sky blue, the sun streaks were gold and there was a mist lifting off the field.
I think that’s why I go now. Company would ruin it.
Need to get out the thesaurus and look up spirit, ghost, ephemeral, ethereal . . . Seems like that’s what I am out on the Fox now.
You’ll have to come up with something other than Ken Gortowski, Fox River wading guide.
Nikinaga is an indian term for river spirit, but I can’t seem to find the reference anymore.
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I put the following up a couple of weeks ago and I've basically just edited it and added more details from week to week. The chances of me getting out are slim, but if that were to happen I think I'm going to take the two minute walk from my house down to the river and fish a short stretch that's generally pretty productive this time of year. Or maybe a shore drive to the remote spot I've fished on Little Rock Creek. Should be nothing short of stunning this time of year. In color, not fish. I expect to catch nothing there, but then, who cares.
In the mean time, someone read the details below and someone get out and try these areas. Just remember to report back here, and on fishingheadquarters and on windycityfishing, if you go.
Despite the rains we had on last Wednesday, the river is coming down fast. That means they've quit draining the chain and the river should be pretty much back to normal for a while. More rain in the forecast for this week, but it doesn't seem to be having much impact on river levels. Unless we get another deluge I guess.
With the temps the way they are, the fishing could be nothing short of excellent if you are in the right spot at the right time. There are always going to be key spots to hit at certain times of the year. The ones below are the ones I relied on for years. They've never let me down.
My choices would be Indian Trail Road, west side north of the road, east side south of the road. On the east side, be careful under the bridge. You don't want to be walking around directly under it. Cross the river from the island to the east shore about 200 feet upstream of the bridge. You want to stay on the east side all the way to the riffles far down stream. When going under the bridge, you can walk right along the wall of the bridge pier. There's a pylon in the water about knee deep under the water. It's like walking on an eighteen inch wide side walk. As you get to the down stream side of the pylon, stick your rod in the water about two feet out. Should be about four feet deep. Tells you where you should have been casting.
As you go further down, when you get to the low limestone wall, you want to be out in the middle. Fish from the low wall to the concrete wall, all along both and in front of the concrete wall, fish all over the place. If you don't catch anything in this whole stretch, you may want to take up knitting. You sure don't know how to fish.
Montgomery, starting at the railroad tracks, fish all the way down the west shore to the treatment plant outflow. Of course, fish the outflow. Then continue fishing all the way down the west shore to where the channel meets back up with the rest of the river. You want to be about 30 feet from shore casting toward shore, casting into the fast water, letting your lure swing down stream in front of you and reeling back nice and slow. Hell, let it just swim around out there without reeling at all.
When you get to the end of the channel, you'll see an area we've named "The Flats", why will become self evident. You should still see the clear water of the outflow. You want to be out in the river, out from the flats, casting up onto the flats, down stream in front of you and into the faster stuff on your left. Slow is the goal. As you wade down stream move in a little toward shore, but the fish should still be pretty much everywhere, so cast everywhere.
If you're really feeling daring, zigzag over to the east shore a couple of times. You'll understand why I say daring if you give this a try. Was worth it, kind of, when I've done it.
Otherwise, keep following the treatment plant outflow tight to shore all the way down to the electric wires crossing the river. Now that I think about it, from the wires all the way down to Troy Park, a good mile away, is pretty good this time of year. Especially this one boulder strewn shore just down stream from Violet Patch Park. But that's a lot of water.
If someone wants to explore, start a couple of hundred yards north of the bike path over the river at Violet Patch Park, fish the west side all the way down to the old broken dam. Get out there on the east side and walk back to your car on the bike path. Don't forget the boulders on the shore as you go down stream. Putting any more detail into explaining this stretch would take forever. You'll figure it out as you go.
Orchard Road, half mile up stream to 1 and 1/2 miles down stream. Maybe further either direction. The north side is the more productive side, but some zizagging wouldn't hurt. Heading down stream from Orchard Road, fish from the road down for a couple of hundred years pretty much right down the middle. There are rock bars that create some pretty good water both in front and behind them. To the side too now that I think about it. The north shore can be pretty good. The south shore starting where the houses start is all pretty good.
I prefer to head to the north side behind the islands as I get further down stream. There' s just more water and more fish. You can continue fishing the north shore well beyond the canoe launch at Saw Wee Kee Park. The south side of the river once you get past the houses tends to be pretty shallow. That's true for almost a mile down stream from the canoe launch too. Stay on the north side and there's no reason you shouldn't do well.
North Aurora was another place where I used to concentrate a lot of my time in the fall. With the river levels the way they are, there is no reason I can think of to not be tying into white bass, especially at the dam. I used to get out on the rock bar out in front of the dam and just walk back and forth across the river casting all the way into the boil of the dam itself. It didn't seem to matter what you had on, but small pearl twisters on jigs did pretty well. The best were minnows three feet under a bobber.
Heading down from there, all around under the bridge should be good. Especially fish tight along the bridge pylons. If you're more than six inches from the concrete, that could be too far.
On the down stream side of the bridge is another rock bar. This creates a great pool that goes from one shore to the other. Down stream from there all the way to the end of the island, the river bottom goes up and down and the fish should be there. Follow the flow around to the east and keep going all the way down to the end of the second island and I'll bet you'll tie into something. Other than Yorkville, this area is where I have come across the most musky in the river.
But then there's Batavia from the dam that won't go away all the way down to just beyond the mouth of Mill Creek. This wade can be difficult, but when you find the fish, you'll find a lot.
My fingers hurt from typing.
This will have to do.
