This is the first I've come across to reading this.

That is a tremendous fish and something worth being proud of, forever. Bet if you sent this photo in to Dale for his fish of the week column, he'd shit his pants! But yet again, I respect your decision in not wanting to publicize the fishing venue.

Glad you got good photos of various angles of that baby. I bet it's getting framed on the wall.

Excellent fish! Guess the rumors are true about down there.

Andrew I already did talk to Dale and sent him some pics. He's doing an entire piece on the fish, how big the smallmouth really are in the northern illinois rivers and streams, and a little bit thrown in about the difficulty of finding public access to prime fishing grounds.

pezdek1 wrote:Andrew I already did talk to Dale and sent him some pics. He's doing an entire piece on the fish, how big the smallmouth really are in the northern illinois rivers and streams, and a little bit thrown in about the difficulty of finding public access to prime fishing grounds.

I'll have to teach him how to look for little green spots on maps next to rivers.
That's usually a park and the way in.
I thought I told him that already.

I'll be looking for your shot online in Dale's column.

Read it this morning. Nice job.

The fish totals and max lengths/weights in those surveys are so true. 5 pounder from any river is just RARE and I don't care if it's spawn season or not.

So it's been a couple of weeks since you caught that big, beautiful smallie have you been back to that stretch? Has it been inundated by meat hogs? I may make a trip down there in the next few days. Which way have you explored the most going up or downstream from that spot?

Sorry Jim. No haven't been back. I got busy for a couple days and then just got home from Wis. Dells family vacation today. We stayed on the Wis. River but I didn't get the chance to fish as much as I would have liked. Family activities you know? I plan on hitting it sometime this weekend, maybe Sunday. I usually wade down river from the area where the fish was caught, but plan on exploring up river as well. We also found another area to park that we can get in and there was some really good looking water. As far as the spot goes, I don't expect many people to show up there and fish. Someone on another site said that he saw 6 or 7 cars parked there, but I think that's bs.

With this rain we've been getting, watch those water levels.

On the way to the Kank over the weekend I crossed the Mazon on 113.
Of course we had to stop on the bridge to gawk. My daughter wants to add it to her list of rivers to hit. I almost had her on it years ago, but we opted to fish the Mazonia Lakes instead.

I never go to any other state too fish and I never have the time to hit all the rivers I want to hit just in northeast Illinois.

Go figure.

Now aren't you glad you don't have to explain yourself endlessly on this site? Geez, your fingers must hurt. Between CLF and ISA, it's just too much.

This actually isn't a private site. Anyone can visit and based on comments from people on other sites, some real lurkers out there.

People choose not to come here because they don't like me or my opinions. Their loss.

Some of the best fishermen you would ever want to meet no longer visit any sites. They just can't be bothered. The crap chased them off and they won't go back. They think I'm nuts for still doing this stuff.

Some day I may get tired of it and lock it down. Let it become a repository of stories and pictures and comments. Kind of like an on-going on-line book.

Till it's not fun anymore, may as well have at it.

I have a brother 1 year younger than me. I used to taunt and antagonize him till he couldn't stand it anymore, then he'd try to punch me.

I guess I still like to do that sometimes.

Ken G wrote:Now aren't you glad you don't have to explain yourself endlessly on this site? Geez, your fingers must hurt. Between CLF and ISA, it's just too much.

This actually isn't a private site. Anyone can visit and based on comments from people on other sites, some real lurkers out there.

People choose not to come here because they don't like me or my opinions. Their loss.

Some of the best fishermen you would ever want to meet no longer visit any sites. They just can't be bothered. The crap chased them off and they won't go back. They think I'm nuts for still doing this stuff.

Some day I may get tired of it and lock it down. Let it become a repository of stories and pictures and comments. Kind of like an on-going on-line book.

Till it's not fun anymore, may as well have at it.

I have a brother 1 year younger than me. I used to taunt and antagonize him till he couldn't stand it anymore, then he'd try to punch me.

I guess I still like to do that sometimes.

It is nice not having to do that