home is where the... crappie are?

I lived here going on a decade and with the abundance of waters surrounding my home there is always somewhere new to pioneer. This is Lake County Illinois after all, and home to the Fox Chain of Lakes. It makes it sometimes so easy to bypass some of those small waters right outside your front door. My neighborhood, just like many others, is speckled with many flood bearing retention ponds. Most...

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bass through glass

Early ice over a clear northern Illinois lake is almost like looking through a window into the fishes world. A few more inches of thickness and these images will slowly fade to a muted grey. But for now, they offer an almost fish tank perspective into our quarries underwater world. Marked very few today but every one that did come up off bottom ultimately hit. All the ice we found today was in...

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honey, i think the ice machine is broken?

After a lackluster 2011-2012 ice season last year, many hardwater enthusiasts have been left anticipating this season more then others of the past. The unseasonably warm winter last year, wreaked havoc on developing any significant amounts of ice for any significant amount of time. Just when you would think that the ice was solid a new warm front would push through and...

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waterfalls of pisgah national forest

looking glass falls moore cove falls moore cove fall...

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bunny strip deceiver

   tail- white hackle bunny strip deceiver    wing- magnum cut rabbit strips    body- white bucktail    throat- red flash cut inside the hook    thread- black ...

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tread lightly

"tread lightly...

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urban angler

Travel sure has a way of getting to me. It likes to grab a hold and shake me around a bit. It tries to persuade  me every time to fall for that simpler life. Caught somewhere between the rat race and suburbia is all I ever known. You don't just walk outside here and find yourself in the middle of some great and magical forest. Mountains are a pipe dream and an hours drive...

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great smoky mountains national park

I realize that it has been just over two weeks since my last post, and while I find serious discomfort in letting my blog go dormant for any length of time over a week, I was on a much needed vacation. And this wasn't a fishing trip but more of a chance to get the family out and explore a landscape that is quite foreign to us flat-landers. For those who visit this blog just for fishing...

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trout country usa

Iowa's driftless Fly fishing for bass and even Great Lakes steelhead browns and salmon are some of my favorite things to do where I live. Though, when one receives minimal doses of small stream trout fishing, injected straight into the vein, it leaves you always waiting for that next fix. There is something delicate and soothing about small stream trout. Trout on the fly should never be about sizes...

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nothing special

Like a moth to flame, I’m once again drawn back to the river. Flows are on the way back down and the crowds are starting to finally dwindle but just a bit. Fished a new section of water on the Milwaukee and have nothing exciting to report. A few salmon still running around and zero trout so far. Looking back at last year, I didn't get on the trout until November was in the double digit days...

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now i remember...

Fighting the crowds and peoples blatant disregard for regulations are certainly taxing on one's soul if you have even an ounce of a conservation mentality. But, people are people no matter where you go and one's drive to sustain the most basic of primal needs is ever present. Yes, we all need to eat and some can pallet salmon the consistency of mash potatoes better then others. I think I'll pass....

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fall bites, illinois bowfins

Fall is typically the time associated with fish putting on the feed bag to store up as much protein before the on set of the winter. While never specifically targeting the Illinois bowfin or even stumbling across one accidentally on my own, my buddy Shawn has been on a pretty reliable bowfin bite. Soaking some very large live bite just before dark on his local lake has produced some very nice...

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small water and big kings

small water As I write this, the smaller tribs have already crested and dropped back down to low flow status. But, they provided a short window of some good fishing for some surprisingly fresh and spry king salmon this past weekend. There is an absence of coho in the smaller rivers thus far but this could be due to the fact the first wave of kings have just arrived here.  female half...

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wake up fly anglers

like blood coursing through the veins Two solid storm fronts made their way across the southern salmon grounds today in the early hours of the morning. They brought with them the good solid soaking we have been sorely lacking here. Some of the rivers are starting to swell and the fish are responding accordingly. Look for the next two storm fronts moving in tonight to add even more volume to...

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another dam monday

another dam monday Another Monday morning in the books. I'm certainly a tad disgruntled to be sitting behind the computer at work while the family is home today getting ready to enjoy the Columbus Day off from school. Even though I'll be missing out on the pumpkin patch, I'm thankful in this economy to have a place to go everyday to make money. It was an enjoyable and productive weekend and I have...

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bright fall skies and salmon eyes

Another dry fall is upon us, is it just me or is this deja vu? Its like some sick and twisted dream I can't wake up from. Plenty of rivers that support lake run fish to choose from but not enough water to push them up the river. I've been fly fishing them for just over 3 years now and the most recent year and a half has been under low flow conditions. I now look back and feel I was a tad bit...

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smoke on the water

In the fall, night likes to hang on just a little bit longer and just a little bit colder then the previous night. The cold air combined with the warm water is a sure combination for fog and even some of your most traveled beats can become transformed into someplace new. a foggy fall morning on the fox river (wisconsin) Now, I wouldn't actually attest that fog can help fishing. To tell the truth,...

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beach fly

Thread- hot orange Tail- orange hackle fibers Body- orange floss Hackle- brown or natural red Wing- white bucktail A Les Johnson fly used both in saltwater inshore as well as for Pacific salmon. I have plans for throwing this fly at some of the Great Lakes king salm...

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MN Giant Harvested Opening Weekend Of Archery Season

  The itch and jealousy is defiantly in the air for IL. archers. This past weekend there where a few archery seasons that opened in the surrounding states. Minnesota was one of those states that opened on September 15th. After a long anticipated opening day arrived, MN archer Jeff Iverson was in the right spot at the right time to harvest this monster buck with his bow. Photo Taken By:...

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smallmouth retrospective

down the road i go Shorter days certainly signify a change in season but it's also a harsh reminder of the empty fly boxes that need filling before fall. Gear needs to be grouped and cycled and standards must be maintaned. My reflections on my passing smallmouth season this year have been mixed. On the positive, my first year fishing river smallies by fly has been a blast. Spring in the Rhinelander...

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wonderbread

wonderbread Up until yesterday the salmon shore fishing reports have been a tad spotty at best. It does seem like yesterday morning though, quite a few anglers got into some fish and some of the reports are starting to hit the forums. By no means am I a harbor master like a few others I know. In fact, last year was the first time that I landed salmon in the harbors. If you have ever read this...

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whistler

The whistler has been a very effective streamer for fooling plenty of smallmouth bass but has been an especially effective fly for catching northern pike. Thread- Red Tail- Silver Flash and grizzle hackle Wing- White Bucktail Collar- Red Saddle Hackle Eyes- Beadch...

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hidden gems

Illinois does have some real hidden gems. Cold water creeks with deep blue pools do exist here! This certainly isn’t my spot. More a spot from a friend of a friend. I’m content just being allowed to capture some of it on film, but that’s all your getting from me. If I ever go back to smallie fishing on spinning gear I’ll have to make a mental note to buy some chigger craws. Damien put on...

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catch photo and release

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