K3 State and Aroma Park

[bossbob50]

Saturday, July 19.

Weather: warm, gettin' humid, sunny, fluffy white ones here and there. 80's.

Water: 1200 cfs but it didn't look or feel that low when I got in it; felt faster. Water temp: I'd venture 75+ based upon a life of dipping my toes in that river.

Viz: poor, kinda'. Only about 12 inch. Brownish stained (not sand or weeds - just brown)

Aroma Park: no one there but me. Of course it's middle of the day, but still... Fished the rock ledge, up island, island slot, dam in middle and on north side, then along north slot back to rr trestle. Got six smallmouth. Really should have gotten a lot more. It was really, oddly, slow. And NO rockies! It's almost impossible not catch them. Did get one very large bluegill, which i did not expect. Got the 'gill on a surface streamer/slider (oh, using fly rod only). Smallies came on Charlie Brewer Slider Grub (on fly rod only) - my brand new, all-time favorite, plastic lure for the fly rod.

Overall, though it was delightful wading and the fish came from exactly where you would expect summer time smallies to be, in areas with 18 - 30" of depth, irregular bottoms with haystacks on top to define the area.

State Park: down by the Pottawattomie end of it. The big isalnd down there. fished about 200 yards along the north slot of the island. water more stained here. Still, got 6+ more smallies (agian, no rockies, no cats) in the deeper parts of faster water (at the head of the pool), along cuts, and anywhere near current (and bubble lines) that dropped down in depth a little bit.

Tech note: I only wade and fish facing downstream, so I tend to hook most of the fish that hit. It's just that few fish hit. On such summer days on the K3 I really expect 30 to 40 fish to the hand in 3 to 4 hours - regardless of location. They won't be large, just lot's of action. Today, didn't work that way. (Even the little black, 2" worm didn't produce - now that is truly weird). Best color grub: white/pearl 2" slider grub on 1/32 and 1/64.

I haven't fished the K3 much this year - gas issues, y'know - so I can't tell if it is an odd year or not, or iff'n I simply done lost my touch. I kinda' doubt that. I'm havin' a bang up year on smallies, drum, carp and rockies in Monroe Harbor, Chicago, along the seawall between Buckingham Fountain and Monroe Street harbor master station.

You can sight fish the drum (up to 8-pounds so far) as they cruise very close to the wall, and the white edge of their fins are clearly visible. They like white, 1/32 ounce mini-mites. I'll have to post these on flickr.com soon (bossbob50).

if you have a question, it's best to pm me as I don't read these things as much in summer.

[Ken G]

Was just thinking about the Kank and whether or not I'll even get there this year.

Don't know if you got to read the post I left about the little creek. Man oh man.

Heading out there this weekend with my daughter. Don't get to fish much with her any more, but she's off to college in less than a month and I wanted to get in one more trip with her. We're going to catch and keep a couple of smallies out of the creek for dinner that night. They will be the first ones sacrificed for the Great Smallie Taste Test, I expect good results.

Of course, I'll show you this. You would absolutely love it and get lost in it for quite a few hours. But I'm afraid it may actually be further for you than the Kank.

We do have to at least try to meet up once this year. The sustained high levels of the Fox have kept me stalking the creeks. But maybe it will come down by September and we can meet up in Batavia.

Next time, big helgie looking things. They've been loving them on the creeks.