Saved from the skunk... by a goby

I'll stop right here and acknowledge most of you wouldn't count catching a goby as catching a fish, and would just as well feed it to the seagulls than take pictures of it... But on a tough morning like today, I'll take what I can get!

the view on my drive downtown

Woke up extra early, ate some crock pot steel cut oatmeal with pecans and blackberries (recipe coming soon), filled up my travel mug with coffee and hit the road. 

The weather report anticipated a light rain this morning and clouds, and winds from the south/southwest. This sounded like great fishing weather! I packed my rain jacket and was prepared to slay'em! I checked windycityfishing.com for updates, and somebody reported salmon close to shore. Awesome!

I really do like being up early, before the day really starts... Everything is nice and quiet, the air is fresh and crisp, and the possibility of catching massive amounts of fish could still become a reality.

Nothing about the expressway was nice and quiet, it was chock full of traffic, before 6am.

Once I got downtown, I went right to the pipe at Burnham. Meijer didn't have any nightcrawlers - even though I called ahead to confirm they did!! - so I would be working with all artificials today. Rigged one rod with a bobber and gulp minnow, the other with a little cleo spoon (wanted to try it out).

After 30 minutes and not a single bite, I was distraught. I can always manage a bite from SOMETHING by the pipe. Then I noticed a flow of water, about 50' to my right. I was in the wrong spot! Obviously I had not consumed enough coffee.

We meet again, goby

After moving to the pipe, I went through a selection of lures- tubes, jigs tipped with gulp minnows, spinners, and nothing. At this point I'd been sitting there for about an hour, with the blazing sun, unencumbered by clouds (no rain, weather.com, you lie!) not getting so much as a nibble.

Finally I got a fish! Although when I hooked it, I didn't get excited... I knew what it was.

BUT it sure was nice to catch a fish! I caught it on a beetle spin with a gulp minnow on the hook. The spinner was almost as big as the goby. I almost have to admire their audacity to attack something the same size as them. Or maybe they're not too bright.

Tried a few more spots in the marina, got nothing, so I moved to the lake side (by Shedd and the planetarium).

Got a few tiny bites (gobies, you bastards) but didn't hookup with anything. Worked my way down the shoreline toward Chicago Harbor. Saw a lot of gobies hanging out on the rocks, in the sun.

Farther inland, close to where the water taxi docks, I started getting some stronger bites. Could have been rock bass, I don't think it was anything bigger. Lost a few tubes and a chigger craw in the rocks. I saw some other guys fishing, one guy said he was fishing for smallies, and nothing was biting. I don't feel so bad when nobody else is slaying'em... If the guy next to me is catching them as fast as he can bait the hook, then I'm doing something wrong!

I called it a day. Alright smallies, you win again, but don't rest too easy- I'm coming for you!