Flyfisher 10/3/09 Geneva

[Ken G]

Flyfisher, hope you don't mind I put this in a post by itself. It deserves it. I didn't want it buried in the other thread.
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I fished the Fox south of the Geneva train tracks on Saturday, October 3, 2009 after the rain stopped. I caught one small mouth, about 14 inches, after the rain and notices several carp feeding in the spot where I caught the bass. I then moved further south and caught 6 yellow bass in about 15 minutes, each between 12 and 14 inches. The yellow bass fought hard. The small mouth was caught on a white streamer, and the yellow bass were all caught on a specially made nymph that I have used successfully on the river for years. I'll be going again on Saturday, Oct. 10th in various locations. Thanks for all of the tips this summer. The biggest bass that I caught was a 3 pounder in Big Rock Creek just south of route 34.

Flyfisher.

[Ken G]

The reason I separated this out was because I haven't caught a yellow bass from the river in about 8 years. The last one was at Les Arends. When I had it close to me and was reaching toward it on the water, a muskie came up and took if off the hook. Spooked the crap out of me. I think my comment to the guy I was fishing with was . . . thank god I wasn't wet wading naked.

My time line is all screwed up, but when I first started fishing the Fox around 1996, there were times when you couldn't keep yellow bass off your hook. Back then I was primarily fishing North Aurora through Indian Trail Road. Then around 1998 dead yellow bass were showing up all over the place. Even north in Elgin. Not sure if Ed wiped out all his old stuff, but it may show up if you do a search on CLF. If the archives are still there.

If you're catching them that size in Geneva, the IDNR might like to know this. Unless they know about a come back and just aren't talking. I can find out.

Hopefully you'll have a camera with you on the 10th. The white bass in that stretch should be turning on with this colder weather and rain. Wish I could make it out this weekend. Maybe Sunday. But I promised an uncle I'd get some things done around his house.

That's a whole nother story brewing in my head. Aging parents and relatives. In about 20 years I'll be at the age when my dad's stability started going out on him. A former roofer that could walk on any roof like a cat. And the uncle that used to climb trees like a cat as a tree trimmer for the city. I had to catch them both last weekend when they stumbled on level ground.

But like I said, another story.

Man, it's got to be the weather. Too much introspection going on around here. Or our ages are starting to show.

[Special Ed]

Thanks for the report flyfisher. I remember wet wading the Fox below North Avenue Dam with my Dad when I was a kid, at times the yellow bass were just as Ken said, but at others the small channel cats were the same way. I haven't seen a yellow bass in years, so I'm not sure I would be able to tell it from a white bass at all. I'll have to go back to the id charts before I head out next time.

Travis if you read this, you should break out your flyrod soon and hit the Fox near Batavia. Find some slow water off a current break or an outside bend with deeper water. Baitfish should be piling up there soon, with the predator fish right behind.

I'm going to try to get out this weekend to either the crap-plant again or one of the other areas Ken mentioned concerning walleye locations. I can only hope to have as much luck as you did flyfisher.

[Ken G]

I haven't seen a yellow bass in years, so I'm not sure I would be able to tell it from a white bass at all. I'll have to go back to the id charts before I head out next time.

Well, the yellow bass are

Uhhh

Yellow.

(Sorry man, you wouldn't believe how I agonized over leaving that response. I just couldn't stop myself.)

I'm wondering with this weather, whether or not to go invest in a bucket and some minnows. If it stays sunny out tomorrow, I may try to get out in the afternoon. Give the water time to warm and things wake up. Or, I may just take a nap. Today was one of those days where you wonder why you ever got out of bed.

Does anyone know if Smitty's is still open. Otherwise it's just Freeman's out this way I think. Shows you how often I use live bait. I don't even know what's around anymore. Where I can get minnows generally decides where I go fish. I gave away my seine net a few years ago too. Shouldn't have done that. The little ditch that runs through Glenwood Forest Preserve is usually loaded with bait fish this time of year.

[Special Ed]

I know they are yellow....... duh. After I wrote that I thought, well I know they are yellowish and whites are, well, white...., but typically the ones I have caught in the river are tiny, and harder to distinguish. I could probably positively id 99 out of 100 correctly, but I'm not very sure of myself considering I have not seen one or both in many years.

Anyway, I WILL be out on the river Monday afternoon, minnow bucket in tow. There is a baitshop on the way home from work for me that I will be stopping at. It's the one in Lockport - A Baits - they really hook me up during the hardwater season. There is a guy that lives on Jericho road in Aurora right next to the VFW that sells bait also, but I'm not sure he is open this late in the season. He operates his shop right out of his garage. Nice guy, I guess there used to be a pay-to-fish lake out behind his house. Other than that, all I know of near our stretch of the Fox is Gander Mountain - but they tend to be terrible with the minnow count.

I thought about hitting it today, but 39 degrees...... pfft. I'd rather stay home and get ahead on schoolwork and honey-dos so I have a few nights this week to explore. Plus the kids have colds that make them seem like they need special attention, the wife is starting sewing projects and needs time to herself, I've been neglecting the silly writing projects in my 2nd yr. comp class, and I just plain didn't feel like wiping snot outta my mustache today.

If you or anyone else for that matter needs bait or wants to fish, let me know. I may bring one of your new guys here (Travis) out with me. I've fished with him before, he's a good guy - always let's me catch more fish than him.