Just a few years ago I used to spend a tremendous amount of time fishing the Fox this time of year. Now it's rare. For the last few years I've spent the majority of my time exploring creeks. Usually this time of year the water is high, today it was flowing at 2000 cubic feet per second. The creeks on the other hand tend to be in perfect condition since they drain and clear up faster.

Thought I would spend the last hour and a half before sunset fishing the shoreline in front of the houses that lead down to Saw-wee-kee Park. When the water is up like this, this shore becomes perfect. Not too deep or fast. Lots of shore line breaks and eddies and a relatively easy wade to accomplish in and hour and a half.

Quickly picked up 3 smallies. I noticed quite a few fish chasing minnows to the surface and busting them. I was going to tie on a topwater but decided to just drag the jig and pearl twister across the surface of the water, dipping it down about a foot now and then.

Had a hard smack and a heavy fish bulldogged it's way around the big eddy, out into the current and back again. It was peeling off drag like I haven't experienced in awhile and I imagined a big smallie coming to hand.

Instead, it was the biggest drum I've ever caught in the river. I've caught them this big out of Lake Michigan, but the ones in the river have always been smaller.



This thing had come up in the water column and smacked the twister just like a smallie would. Usually the colors on drum are a beautiful iridescent blue, purple and green. In the setting sun it took on a bright gold coloration.



Wound up with 6 smallies and 2 drum for the brief time I was out there.

Dumped into the water is a large concrete block that does a nice job of blocking the current flow. I knew if I got the lure in tight behind it I would catch something. The second cast got me a 16 inch smallmouth that hit, ran, bulldogged and jumped all the way in.



By the time I caught this fish the sun had set behind the tree line. The colors were more muted, but beautiful in their own right.



I wandered just a few feet down the shore to the leading edge of a big eddy and current break. The first cast on the leading edge of the eddie got nailed. The fish immediately headed into the current and made a mad dash up stream, then turned and bolted down stream making my drag hum. I wasn't sure I was going to get this one in because of the way it kept fighting in the current. Finally landed a nice 17 inch smallie.



I'm getting out mid afternoon on Saturday. There's a stretch south of Glenwood Forest Preserve I've been wanting to fish at high water for over 10 years, but never got around to it. Which is odd since this area used to be my home away from home. I don't think I've fished this area in almost 3 years.

I think todays results clinched fishing at Glenwood on Saturday. Of course I'll have to go fish where they removed the South Batavia dam first. But the stretch I want to get to should be very similar to what I fished in Oswego. I already know this area holds big smallies. I've seen more 20 inch smallies come out of this area than anywhere else on the river. A long time ago I got to see a 22 inch smallie in the hand of a friend. Just as a picture was about to be taken, it shook itself free from his hand. I thought the guy was going to cry.

My alternative fishing plans was a new stretch of Little Rock Creek to explore, but it can wait. My daughter is coming out next weekend so we can go fish it.

The fish better cooperate and make this a good decision.

Very nice fish. I wish I had as much luck as you did when there's high water, but truth be told, I just suck at finding good spots to fish when the river is raging.