DPR...IT'S BACK!!!

We've had an extremely wet June and mid July here in the Chicagoland area.  That means that one of my favorite fisheries has been blown out or not to my liking to fish.  Finally, the rain let up for a few days, and the Des Plains River returned to it's normal levels, and allowed me to finally get some fishing in.

One of my favorite shirts to wear out on the DPR is a $3 shirt with a shark on it for "Shark Week."  Well, this past Spring I was checking out the clearance section of a store and stumbled across this gem of a shirt.  It's a Shark Week shirt, and it says "I <3 Snuffy"...I'm not familiar with Snuffy, but someone told me that's what they named one of the seals at the infamous spot where Great White Sharks fly out of the water.  The best part about this find is that it was another $3 shirt! SCORE!!  I couldn't wait to wear it out on the DPR, and I finally received my chance.

SNUFFY and PIG FARM INK

There were 4 of us that day...DanK, Keith, and Piker Mike.  We floated a section that Keith was familiar with, and it proved to be tough.  DanK, Keith, and Piker Mike tossed spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and some other lures.  I tossed some flies, with the occasional soft plastic swimbait (I wanted to try something different).

Cleaning up all of the missed pike. :)

I ended the day with 3 pike caught all on a firetiger baitfish pattern of mine on a size 2 hook.  Nothing with crazy size, but the normal hammer handles that love to keep me busy.  I really with all of the ones that missed came back for a 2nd run.  DanK hooked up with 1 little "pickle" and missed about 25 others using a buzzbait.  He was really determined to hook up with all of his pike top water.  Keith caught the biggest one of the day toward the end of the float trip, and missed quite a few others.  Piker Mike finished the 8 beers he brought too early and didn't even see pike.  I'm sure he had some unseen follows, the pike are getting hungry!!

This one exploded out of the water when it hit my sub-surface fly.  Great strike!

DanK got caught playing with his Pickle!

Great company to go on a float with.  Looking forward to our next outing Gents.

Catch n Release

The DPR

It's that time of year when I hunt for teeth. I'm referring to Northern Pike, and Musky. I have caught many pike, but musky seem to elude me. I know that I'm not alone.

This one time I hooked up with a musky, but that was about it. I was bass fishing, and had an 8lb test leader on. My prayers of a the hook being set in the perfect place were not met. I was broke off right in front of me.

I took my kayak out for it's first float of the year on the Des Plaines River (DPR). The outing was short, and upon arriving at my desired put in, I was upset to find that the chain with the closed sign was still up.

Plan B.

Before I put my kayak in the water I made a few casts near a big storm pipe, and I was greeted with an explosion, but no hook up. Then I casted straight out into the river and watched a pike about 17 inches short strike my single pike fly about 5-9 times. It was quite comical.

Belmont Ave.

It was going to be a short outing with the sun starting to set earlier as Fall quickly approaches. I decided to paddle up river and float, anchor, and fish my way back. I ended up going 1 for 3, hooking up with a hammer handle.

Shark week or pike week

Not too long ago a friend of mine hooked up with a pike estimated at 34 inches, a real trophy for the DPR, but there are rumors of 37 +inchers roaming these waters. Looking forward to a weekend outing where I have nothing but time.

Bitchin'