And did I miss the news report.
The Montgomery gauge is stuck at 3000 cfs and has been there for a week. This is very unusual. Usually it rains, the river shoots up, then starts its gradual decline. But there's always a decline.
I thought the fishing on the Fox last weekend pretty much sucked. Granted, I didn't try very long, but the one stretch I tried should have produced up to 4 fish and it didn't. The next few days could be different though. The fish will adjust to the 3000 cfs as normal and go on with the spring feeding binge. They have no choice. They're fish.
The creeks on the other hand are absolutely perfect. The rain that's scheduled to come through tonight and tomorrow morning looks like no big deal. The 10 day forecast show the rain pattern switching back to weekends a week from now, so this is the time to be out there.
With the near crystal clear water on the creeks the first and last 3 or 4 hours of the day will be the best time to be out. If there is a good canopy of trees on the creek, it won't matter as much.
My choices in order would be:
Somanauk above Lake Holiday. Figure out how to go further up stream.
Somanauk below Lake Holiday, but getting to spots is a bitch because of all the private property.
Little Rock Creek. Look for parks and forest preserves on maps.
Big Rock Creek. Ditto.
Indian Creek out west, but access is limited and I'm working on exploring a couple of new areas I've come across.
A friend used to go on Mill Creek above the Mooseheart Lake and do well, but I never got around to trying. There are pike in that lake, you would think some would venture up stream.
Another friend used to fish Blackberry Creek throughout Kane County. Since this creek is cut off from the Fox by an 8 foot dam near the mouth, the retention ponds that feed the creek all the way up apparently put largemouth bass in there that now think they're smallies. Only did it a couple of times and it was worth it.
I'm going some where on my way home tonight, haven't decided where yet. Only gives me about an hour and a half. I'll be playing with my daughter all weekend, so no go then.
Leave reports even if the fishing sucks. Failures are learning experiences. I learned not to go on creeks with no canopies in the middle of bright sunny days.
As for fishing the Fox, I don't know what to tell you. This whole high water fishing thing continues to bore me to tears. I have my April prospects post up here. I think I forgot to put here what I put on WCF last week giving away my high water spots. I'll fix that today.