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When the river level on the Fox comes up, my interest in fishing it goes down. Dramatically at times. That's what happened over the weekend. I found myself with a few hours time and an uncooperative river. Things could have been good if not for the rain.
When the river is up I generally go fish one of its creeks. They return to normal in a couple of days, usually. Problem with this time of year is that the creeks empty of fish. I was hoping against all hope that the high water may have pushed some back into at least the first few hundred yards. It was not meant to be. The creek I hit was devoid of life except for a few ducks that were pissed at my presence.
The hike to the creek and the last of the fall colors hovering over the creek still made the trip worth while. The sun had made a brief appearance that morning and lit up the remaining colors. The paths were blanketed in color.
You can see that the rain and wind from a few days earlier had all but dropped the remaining leaves. But there were enough clinging to the trees to make for some intense color juxtapositions.
Maybe it's because I grew up in Chicago, but I've always been fascinated with deteriorating structures. There were so many I played on as jungle gyms. Out in the woods they take on the beauty of the woods.
I don't know how I come across these things on the ground. Or why they seem to stand out like sore thumbs to me. It drives my wife and kids nuts when I stop dead in my tracks because something caught my eye.
The last of the leaves are lighting up the creek valley. Didn't feel like wandering too far back this day. If I knew how lame the fishing was going to be on the river, and how disinterested I would be, I would have kept going up the creek.
Hit North Aurora next. This time of year can be a bonanza of smallmouth, white bass and walleye when the conditions are good. The areas I wanted to fish, the areas where I do the best on the 3 species mentioned, were completely blown out by the water. I saw 3 fools actually trying to wade into these areas. Obviously clueless on how to read water and oblivious to how dangerous it could be. I considered passing on that information, but decided I wasn't up for the conversations. There was a good chance they wouldn't die for any spill they took, but it would be an extremely unpleasant experience. I figured let them learn from the experience.
I spent 20 or 30 minutes lamely casting to areas where I knew I wouldn't catch anything and gave up.
Headed to Montgomery for a sure thing and the fish cooperated. Not any numbers, but it was something. Landed 6 smallmouth and missed a few more all in about an hour.
Starting back in the morning, when I stepped out on my porch to enjoy that first cheap cigar of the day and a couple of cups of coffee, I noticed the squirrels. I counted 8 rummaging through the neighborhood under the old oaks that grow along here. That was in front of my house. More could be heard down toward the ravine.
On the creek the squirrels were boldly running across paths and out in the open in search of acorns and maple tree seeds. Must be nice to be able to pass from one side of a creek to another without ever getting your feet wet.
Down in Montgomery the squirrels were combing the shores and balancing on high limbs out over the river. I always keep one eye open for those. There are times when they don't have as good a grip on a limb as they think. After swimming and scrambling back to shore they have this look. Like they're pissed.
Since the water is up and more rain is in the forecast, I just about may be done with fishing for the year. Maybe a quick jaunt to Montgomery if I feel desperate. I know I have to try for at least one more smallie out of the river. I need it to continue on with the taste test. This cold, clear water should improve the flesh dramatically.
The walleye are running and now is the time to target them. Which I won't do. Lame fish, lame fight, can't be bothered.
I think this week I'll be digging out my 20 gauge. Making sure it's clean and ready to go. Maybe dig out the old 12 gauge single shot pipe on a stick. I was told it might be somewhere between 80 and 100 years old. Deadly accurate especially for long shots and kicks like a mule. Gotta love it. Maybe the .22/410 over under. There is a place it can be used. I think it's time to put a small dent in the squirrel population. Cook up some linguini and squirrel sauce. Or linguini and squirrel al fredo.
Yep, I think it will be time much better spent from now till early spring.
It's really not a targetted sportfish like smallies are, so most really don't care if people harvest them. Just like catfish, perch, or crappie. Most of those targetting them, are targetting them for the freezer. I don't think the walleye population is as self-sustaining as the smallie population is, either. They need extremely rocky river bottoms, with lots of cracks and crevices for their eggs to fall into. Generally, isn't there a ton of silt and sediment filling in the crevices on the Fox, especially during the spring when the walleye spawn? I think that might be another reason they have to stock so many. They just can't reproduce enough to offset harvesting and natural die off. The smallies also grow a bit slower than walleye do. A good eating size walleye (14-18") is only a few years old, tops. A good eating size smallie is quite a bit older. Compare how many 16-18" walleye you see, to how many 16-18" smallies you see. Pretty drastic difference. Regulations are another reason. The smallie regulations are kind of crazy. One fish over 12", or two under 12", and only after June 15th, right? I mean, it may take you a week to get together a meal for two, given those regulations. From what I've witnessed, the smallie population seems to be booming as well. At what point do they start getting stunted, because of lack of natural predators, and overpopulation? I dunno, and I highly doubt our fucked up state does either. We have one of the WORST DNRs in the country.
