Chris wades the Fox and catches smallies

Ready to hit the water

It was Sunday, our actual wedding anniversary, and again my awesome and lovely wife said I should go fishing. What did I do to deserve this amazing lady?

I quickly packed the car, grabbed my still-wet boots, and hopped in. I was off! There was no question where I should go- I was headed back to the Fox. I pushed the pedal to the metal, headed to my rematch with some Fox River smallmouth bass.

Just as I parked, another car came in the lot and parked near me. A lady come out, and noticed me putting on my waders. "Looks like we have the same idea!" she said, as she pulled out her own pair of waders from her trunk. We talked for a bit, I told her that tubes had worked yesterday although I couldn't hook up. We wished each other good luck, and I quickly hiked down to the water. There was plenty of water for us to share; on the other hand, I wanted to get back to the spot where I had so many hookups the day before! So much of the water upstream had been unproductive- I wanted to stake my claim on that particular stretch, and land some of those beasts.

This time I headed downstream on the trail, and instead of getting lost in the woods I quickly and efficiently made my way to the open area by the strange machine building. This was the spot where I caught my first smallie of 2011, and the spot where I left the water the previous evening. I fan cast the area- with my green tube jig of course- and entered the water.

On my third cast in the water, casting downstream (which many people say will absolutely just not work) I hooked into a smallie. Yes! It was on! I was determined not to let this one get away. The fish took the tube in about the same place the big smallie took it the night before- about 40' downstream. I set the hook, and the fight was on. I got the fish close to me, and somehow after becoming airborne multiple times, the hook was still securely in the fish!

First fish caught while wading!

Carefully, I held the fish close to my waders, and lipped it.

Success!! I landed a smallie, in a river, while wading. I had just accomplished what was for me a huge achievement, and it was only my third cast. Fishing is awesome.

I reached into my waders, pulling out my old iPhone which I had tied to some shoelace and caribeaner'd around my beck. I wasn't ready to bring my newer phone into the river- if I slipped and dropped it, it would be a disaster. So I found my old iPhone, which still took pictures. My newer phone had a camera on both sides, making it easy to take self portraits while holding fish. My old phone on the other hand was equipped with just a single camera, making it very difficult to get a good shot. It was also prone to blurriness, and it was hard to find the "take a picture" button with my wet index finger. Somehow I managed to get some shots.

I took the tube out, and carefully placed my friend in the water. Unscathed and unfazed, he immediately shot away, like the powerhouse of muscle he was. Like a torpedo.

Casting some more, I hooked into two more of his cousins, or brothers, or sisters; but couldn't keep the hook in. This was an absolutely great time! It really was more of a battle with these fish- there was no certainty even if I found them and hooked into some fish that I would be able to land them and get some pictures. It was exciting, and difficult. The payoff was huge, if I could manage it.

And I did, again! A smallie took the tube on the drop, and ran for it. Somehow I set the hook, and after what seemed like a long battle, my thumb was on its lip and I was taking our picture. I tried to hold it with my other hand, to get the full picture of its body, but it got wise to my grip and deftly jumped back into the water. Fair enough, fish, fair enough.

What a fish

I slowly worked my way upstream, letting my wading staff float in the water as I fished. I was feeling more confident wading, although I was more comfortable knowing it was there if I needed it. Farther upstream I saw the lady in her waders, fly fishing. Fly fishing!? I wondered if you could use tube jigs on a fly rig. I guessed not; I couldn't see what she was using, but I was pretty sure it wasn't a tube jig.

I worked every square inch of the area with my tube jig, every few casts bending the hook back into place with my pliers. There were many rocks, which were taking their toll on my hooks! I wondered if they were dulling the hook point as well, which could be preventing me from good hooksets. I didn't have my hook sharpener with me; I'd have to bring that next time for sure. I ended up breaking the hooks of two of my tube jigs from so much bending them back and forth! I have lost very few lures do to over-use; most of them get stuck and I can't get them back. It was nice to be able to pocket the "used up" tubes instead of covering the riverbed with lead and plastic. And maybe I could recycle them into some new lures....

Slayin'em!

The lady and I talked a bit, I told her about my catches; she said she hadn't had any luck yet. She was working her way downstream on the other side of the river, I was going upstream.  I was having a good old time in the river- it was just warm enough to make the cold water rushing around me feel very refreshing, I was catching smallies. The past few weekends I'd fished pretty much the same area of the Fox- I was getting a feel for the constantly changing river, and some good spots along this stretch.

And then, another! This was a great day fishing. Over the next hour or so, I hooked into more smallies; some of them made it to my fishing album... Some of them threw the hook and swam away. All caught on the good old tube jig- and I only lost 3 or 4 of them. I used three different colors and sizes, and they all landed fish for me. I wonder if it's not just the color or size but how I was working them along the bottom that was triggering strikes.

Biggest one of the day (~12"..?)

Once again, the sun began to set, and the air began to chill. This time I was actually getting cold, standing in the icy water while the air temperature sunk. I worked my way back to my original entrance to the river- back by the strange machine building. (I don't know what it is, or what else to call it!) I fished a small stretch of the river for a few hours- perhaps I should have traveled more, but I was extremely satisfied with the outing! I emerged from the water, cast a few "last casts," and headed up the trail. The almost full moon shined through the trees as I hiked back to the car. Today my hookup score was 3 for 6, which was a big improvement on yesterday's 0 for 8.

Fishing is awesome.

As I walked, I wondered when everything would be too cold for me to wade... November? December? What if I packed on the layers? Would anything bite in frigid water? I need to find out, because this is awesome.

Maybe THIS one was the biggest...

Fishin' Redemption with the wife

I *am* a fisherman!

In an effort to redeem myself as a fisherman, and to have some fun and catch some fish, Claire, Walter, and I headed out to the pond in the evening. Just a few short hours after the one that got away at Busse, and I was still a little salty about it. I figured catching some nice fish at the secret pond spot would do the trick.

When we got there, some other people were in my spot!! I'd never seen anybody fish the pond, but then again, I'd never really been there when normal people fish (evenings, weekends). We set up in a different spot, played some frisbee with Walter (it's his favorite thing ever) and did some fishing.

Soon the other family left, so we moved in. I set Claire up with a brown tube jig, which had caught tons of bass there last week, and I put on a bigger 5" black and blue tube. The idea was to get Claire catching a bunch of bass, and maybe my bigger lure would entice a big bass to come up for a visit.

Sure enough, on my first cast, fish on! The bass in this pond fight harder than any bass I've caught, ever, anywhere else. I love it! I can't figure out why, but I'm glad they do. This guy jumped out of the water 4-5 times, splashes everywhere, swam in all directions, jumped some more, but I managed to keep him on and land him successfully. 

I was pure joy! First cast, caught a fish. I don't even care if they do stock this pond- I felt redeemed. It was, as they all are from here, a nice looking fish, but the SMALLEST bass I'd ever caught there. On the biggest lure I'd ever used there! Fish are crazy.

Carefully placed him back in the water, and cast again. Every now and then I helped Claire get the weeds off her lure. At one point she switched to nightcrawlers, but then went back to tubes when I caught another one!

This one was bigger, and fought just as hard as the first! Landed him (or her?) snapped some pics, and carefully released the beautiful fish back into the murky water. I recast, and continued fishing, having a GREAT time. In between casts, I threw the frisbee for Walter, so he was also having a great time.

"Uh-oh, Chris, hey..." says Claire. I see her rod tip bent like she's trying to pull a car out of the pond. But her line is moving! Fish on! Big fish!

I drop my rod and run over to help, and she wants me to land it, so I do. I'm amazed at the fight of these fish! I could do this all night (if it weren't for the mosquitos, which were getting pretty bad).

Claire caught a bass! A nice-sized fish, not the biggest one to come out of there, but not the smallest. We snapped a picture, and again sent the feisty fish back to the deep.

Then we called it a day. The bugs were bad, we caught a bunch of awesome fish, had a great time, and I felt better as a fisherman. What a great wife I have.

Morning bass derby at the pond

this one was a hog!

I was going to stop by the pond on my walk home from the train last night, but when I opened my backpack to get my rod, I realized I left it at home. Undeterred, I decided to return in the morning.

Condititions

Air temp: 63°F

Wind: none

Pressure: 29.85" and rising

Clouds: none 

Another chunky bluegill from the pond

I arrived at 6:55am, and started casting (nightcrawlers with bullet weight). The sun was up, but it was blocked by trees to the east, so the majority of the pond was still dark. I watched the surface of the water- I didn't see any bait fish, but I saw TONS of big wakes... everywhere. On about the third cast, I hooked into one of the chunky bluegill the inhabit the pond.

I wondered if those wakes were all fat bluegill like this one. I'm getting better at reading the water, but I've got a ways to go. I paid more attention, and occasionally saw a wake head into an area, then tons of bubbles on the surface. Big fish eating little fish? Probably!

Before each cast, I stood on the pipe and watched the surface, trying to locate my quarry. I didn't have to wait long, because every 5-10 seconds I would see the wakes and cast. The water is so cloudy I couldn't see the fish even though I think they were right at the surface. Even with my fancy polarized glasses I couldn't tell what they were.

And then I hooked into a fish- bigger than a bluegill - and it gave me a GREAT fight! Jumped out of the water a few times, spun around, went swimming like a torpedo looking for any cover- but my flimsy collapsible rod prevailed, and I landed my first bass of the day!

Nice bass!

A VERY nice looking fish, dark and vibrant coloring (due to the bad water clarity?) When it first broke the surface, I wondered if I had hooked a catfish it was so dark. Out of the water, it was obviously not. A great before-work bass, about 9" long, looked like his belly was on it's way to being full.

I snapped some pics, completely satisfied with my outing, and I was only 10 minutes into it. I carefully placed the beautiful fish back in the water, and after a second it got it's bearings and darted back to the depths.

I thought I would try some artificials- I knew there were bass around, and it would be cool if I didn't have to burn through my supply of worms. Also, in my very limited experience, it seems that bigger bait really does catch bigger fish, and nightcrawlers on a hook can only get so big. In addition, I wasn't after bluegill, which I knew were everywhere- I wanted bass.

Naturally I tied on my magical green tube jig. Maybe this shouldn't have been my first choice, but I'd caught many bass in similar water under similar conditions. Even though the bottom wasn't rocky as far as I could tell (maybe not the best habitat for crawfish) I thought I would give it a shot. These bass seemed hungry, so I'd give them something bigger!

After a few casts, I snagged. I didn't rig the tube weedless, I actually did a pretty shabby texas-rig so the hook kept popping out of the tube. I didn't have any of the weighted jigs with me, otherwise I would have used one of those. When I yanked a little on the line, the tube started to swim away in the opposite direction. Fish on!! Sneaky fish!

This one gave quite a show as well, doing a few jumps and somersaults out of the water, and I brought it in. It was another largemouth, bigger than the other! It was longer - 10-11", and fatter.

This one's been enjoying the bluegill sushi buffet

Awesome! 2 bass in 15 minutes, this was pretty great fishing. I thought back of getting skunked at Busse more times than I could count, after driving, waiting in line, parking, and walking to my spot. This pond was literally on my way to work, 5 minutes from my house and 5 minutes from my train. I would have never guessed this dirty, polluted looking pond filled with runoff and the occasionally oil slick on the surface would hold any fish, let alone healthy-looking good-sized bass.

I continued watching the surface to let me know where to cast, and this technique was working. Another fish on the line! I think anglers call this "dialing in;" finding a pattern or technique that works on a given body of water under certain conditions, and exploiting that knowledge to catch fish. I was definitely dialing in this pond. This bass was definitely the feisty-ist of the lot; he swam faster and jumped twice as much as the previous bass. I got him out the water, and he shook like CRAZY! The fight was not unlike the small steelheads I caught a few weeks back.

this one had some chompers

...And this one had TEETH! I always grab bass by their bottom lip, which tends to subdue them and allow me to snap some pictures without dropping them. Of course all bass have little teeth-type things along their mouth, but I've NEVER actually hurt myself on them. Usually they are small and dull, seemingly more for gripping than biting. Not this one! These teeth were pointy and numerous, and actually cut into my thumb the way little cactus needles would (anybody cook nopales aka cactus paddles?) It didn't hurt, it was just surprising.

I snapped some pics, and brought the fighter over and returned him to the water. I'm fairly positive that I hadn't caught the same bass more than once, and I didn't think any of these were bass I caught earlier in the week. I'd been trying to remember specific marks on each bass, and I think they were all different. That's a lot of bass in a small pond!

At one point I counted at least 10 distinct wakes right in front of me that I was pretty sure were all bass. 10! And that's only fish within casting distance of my spot- who knows how many there are in the rest of the pond.

Now that I was catching bass regularly, I thought I would try another lure. Maybe I should have stuck with what was working, but I was curious if they would hit a buzzbait harder, or not at all.

Turns out, not at all. They weren't interested. I switched back to my lucky tube, and proceeded to catch more bass! By the end of my outing, I had caught a total of 6 largemouth bass all between 9" and 14." Some of them were valiant warriors, others were just dead weight on my line. I looked at my phone, and it was time to go. I packed up my rod, put my gear in my backpack, and hopped on my bike.

While I was waiting for the train, I called the park district to find out about the pond- I wanted to know if they stock it, and what they put in there. I was pretty sure they stocked it with bluegill. Turns out, they stock it with bluegill, crappie, and catfish. Not bass. (It's interesting they stock crappie, because I haven't caught a single crappie mixed in with all that bluegill.)

How did the bass get there!!? This pond is definitely man-made, and I'm pretty sure it was recently drained... So the fish in there haven't been in there for long. I've heard theories about fish eggs getting stuck on birds, who transport them to new waters; or fish moving from water to water during flooding... I really don't know how all these bass got there, but the massive numbers of bluegill seem to be the perfect forage for these pond bass. They seem healthy, and based on what I know about bass, they are definitely more than a year old. That means that either they only recently got into the pond, or they can survive the winter.

Another awesome short and sweet outing on my commute! This is actually a record for number of bass caught; the only other time I've caught this many bass is on a cloudy day at Busse, when I caught 6 largemouths in 2 hours. I was hoping to beat my record with a 7th bass, but the bite dried up and I had to go to work.

But don't worry, pond-bass friends, I'll be back.

One of six bass from this morning

Big fish in a little pond

Conditions: Mostly cloudy, very little wind, 74°F, a storm front moving in

my new honey hole

Decided to hit up a small retention pond on the way to the train, and it was definitely worth the stop! I'd fished there once before with some friends, and caught insane numbers of hand-size bluegill, and one dinky LMB. Pretty sure the county stocks it with bluegill to keep mosquitos under control. It's a somewhat nasty looking pond, with lots of scum on the top; I think all the runoff from the neighborhood drains into the pond through a pipe. (I think that's the point of retention ponds, right?)

I bike past the pond everyday, and many evenings I stop by to check out the water level, amount of weeds, and see if there any fish around. Tons of little gills are usually positioned about a foot in front of the pipe, especially after rain. Surprisingly I've never heard or seen any frogs.

Decided to wet my line at the pipe, I was sure to get some baby gills. Rigged a small hook with a bullet weight and crawler (I don't think that's the standard way to use a bullet weight, but it gets caught on weeds less than split shot- and there are tons of weeds here). I wanted to present the bait near the bottom, where the larger fish tended to hang out.

I cast out about 20' from the pipe, and immediately got a big hit! Missed the hookup because it took me by surprise. Second cast to the same area, and BAM! fish on!

If this was a gill, it was a big'un! It was great to have a battle with a sizable fish at such an unlikely location right on my way to work. THIS is why I have a collapsible rod! My backpack rod is 5'6" (same height as me) and pretty lightweight- it makes even the smallest fish a joy to catch.

My adversary was determined to best me, and gave a great fight; it's speed was pretty remarkable- it wasn't coming in without a fight! As I reeled it in, I got a glimpse of the fish- a bass! I saw the flash of what little sun there was reflecting on it's shiny scales and realized I had a good sized LMB on the line. Sweet! I shouted and I'm not ashamed to admit it- giggled - as I pulled in the monster. Fishing is awesome, this is so great- you really never know what you'll catch! And so close to home, on the way to work. Freaking awesome.

I pulled it in, and the many little bluegill right by the pipe dispersed franticly, trying to avoid what must be one of their main predators in the pond.

big fish in a little pond! booyeah!

What a great looking fish! It looked very healthy, a little surprising considering the apparent condition of the pond and all the runoff that ends up there. This largemouth would be a pretty good catch at Busse or Burnham, but coming out of this little pond it was a trophy!

I snapped some pictures and held it next my rod to get a rough estimate of it's length- I measured the length of my rod butt this weekend for this very purpose. My pond trophy bass was about 12-13" long, relatively slim for having a veritable buffet of tasty bluegill nearby. I wondered if there were a bigger bass in there that competed for the food... I'd read that in small ponds there are often many little fish and a single, huge, top predator. I wondered if I was holding the top predator, or her skinny wingman.

Either way, I was elated! I shouted some more, so excited to land this beast on my second cast. I paused to admire my adversary, its hefty weight and muscle, a true big fish in a little pond.

I carefully carried my new friend back to the water, and gently placed the bass back in the water. A few seconds later it sprang back into action, and with a quick splash of the tail disappeared into the murky water.

Great! Two casts, one big fish, not bad for a Tuesday morning. This great fish also ended my bass skunk, which had been going on for a week or more.

I texted my wife to share my trophy catch, and looked at the time. I still had half an hour before my train arrived, so I quickly re-baited the hook and recast.

I proceeded to pull out around 15-20 mostly very good sized bluegill over the course of the next half hour. Every cast a fish! I could get used to this. I remembered the previous trip to the pond, and how small most of the fish were. A combination of no fishing pressure and plenty of food seemed to be providing the perfect environment for relatively large bluegill. I wonder if the bass in the pond eat the small gills, and the bigger ones get more food and grow larger.

biggest gill of the morning, ~8", check out the beautiful dark pattern

Either way I was slayin'em! The largest one was at least 8", again bigger than any of the fish I caught at Busse this weekend. It seems like water clarity definitely affects the patterns and color of fish; out of this zero visibility murk came the most stunningly beautiful fish!

After a while duty called, and it was time to pack up. I put my nightcrawlers in my backpack, took apart my rod, put my tackle and tools in, and began walking to the train.

Fishing is great! Perfect way to start the day. I looked forward to battling the pond bass another day, and wondered if these fish would be able to survive the winter. Either way, I would be back soon to battle the feisty fish in this little muddy puddle.

All fish C&R to fight another day

nice bass for a tuesday morning on the way to work

Chris Beckstrom: Suburban kayak adventurer

my adventure- distance paddled: 5 miles. distance portaged: 1/2 mile

I'm pretty fascinated with the idea that so many bodies of water are connected, and it's possible to travel between them in a boat or something (or if you're a fish, just swimming). It's pretty cool to think that before there were roads and expressways, the indigenous people of the area (and european "explorers") used the waterways as their transportation (and of course a major source of food!)

Busse Lake

When I discovered that our new house was a mile from Salt Creek, which connects to Busse Lake - one of my most frequented bodies of water - I immediately thought "whoa, that means I could kayak from near my house to Busse!" Just the idea of that made me excited. I can't really explain it, but traveling a distance in a kayak just excites me. I've fished Salt Creek a bunch of times, and always had great luck in numbers, if not size. Tons of bluegill, pumpkinseed, some crappie, even the smallest LMB I'd ever caught.

Of course, there's no real need to kayak up the creek to Busse- I have a car carrier for my yak, and could just as easily drive up there and launch at Busse proper... But kayaking the 3-ish miles upstream to Busse to go fishing seemed like an adventure worth having, and Sunday was the day to do it!

this awesome spider was hanging out where I launched
(the internet tells me it's a female
"garden spider," Argiope aurantia )

I woke up at 4am, drank my coffee, ate my oatmeal, grabbed my crawlers and frozen water bottles out of the fridge, sprayed down with bug spray, and hopped in my car, kayak and fishing gear loaded a few short hours ago before I went to sleep. My plan was to be on the water by 5am, and I roughly estimated I could be to Busse by 6am, just in time for sunrise and good fishing. And there is such a thing at Busse, I promise!

Reading this account, please keep in mind that in general, "the outdoors" is a completely new thing to me. Just a few short years ago, the idea of waking up before 9am if I didn't have to was incomprehensible; I couldn't stand to be in 75°F heat longer than a few minutes; I had always been an "inside kid." When my friends were outside playing, I was inside practicing saxophone or playing video games. I don't regret that at all; I still love music, computers, video games, and playing the saxophone. So this whole waking up at 4am to go kayaking is a pretty radical thing for me...

I'm either going mining or kayaking in the dark

Anyway, since I'm so new to all this, sometimes key things don't occur to me. Things like at 5am in the summer, it's dark. Of course intellectually I knew this, and the whole reason I was launching so early was predicated on this fact... But I didn't think about how I would not only launch in complete darkness, but paddle for an hour before the sun came up.

Good thing I had my LED headlamp! Best purchase ever, after the kayaks and collapsible fishing rod of course. The water level was so high I the kayak floated in the tall grass that is usually 20' from the water. I hopped in, and paddled through what is normally definitely land. About a million bugs fell on me as I made my way through the grass, something that even 3 months ago would have creeped me out so much I would have turned around right then... But not today. I brushed them off, and shortly I heard the quiet gurgling sound that meant I was in open water, in the creek proper.

It was so dark. It was 5am, the sun wasn't showing up in full force for at least an hour, and the many trees lining the banks blocked whatever light there was in the sky- so it was very dark. My LED headlamp illuminated just enough in front of me I could avoid logs and branches, but not a lot more. This was a surreal experience, paddling in basically complete darkness, surrounded by buzzing insects, knowing there was a myriad of wildlife on all sides, but not being able to see any of it. Illinois law says any water craft must have the appropriate lights to legally be on the water in darkness, but since it didn't occur to me it would be so dark, I didn't equip my kayak with lights.

As I paddled, I tried best I could to keep to the middle of the creek, avoiding blocked areas, and trying not to get too close to the shore on either side (the bugs really intensified a few feet from the bank). I looked around with my headlamp, and I was surprised to see many pair of eyes reflecting back at me. Honestly, I didn't know that was a real thing! I thought it was just in disney cartoons animals in the jungle watched from the dark- but nope, it was real. I was as anxious about it as I was curious.

At one point a pair of eyes near the top of a tree was clearly watching me. I couldn't tell what it was, maybe a raccoon? A possum? To big to be a squirrel. I stopped paddling. The animal came down the tree a little bit, and looked back at me. We stared each other down, trying to figure out what we were looking at. The animal came closer; it was as interested in me as I was in it. It was too dark to really see what it was, but I enjoyed my animal-nature-bonding moment.

something tells me they know where the fish are

Back to paddling, I started to see more detail in my surroundings. Although I knew from satellite pictures there were residential and commercial areas on all sides of the creek, from where I was sitting I could have been in upstate New York, or the Everglades, or some remote creek in Montana or Canada somewhere. There was so much wildlife! I heard the quacking of ducks, who seemed to be swimming the same route I was paddling, only a few yards in front of me. I saw the silhouettes of many many heron in the trees; a few times my presence startled them and I was delighted to hear the sound of their wings beating the air only a short distance above my head. A few fish jumped all around me. This is what is so great about kayaking- since paddling is very quiet, you can get extremely close to wildlife before they realize you're there.

The sun was higher in the sky, and I noticed fog all around me, my headlamp turning everything white. The fog was rising from the water, something I'd often seen early in the morning, but I'd never been in it's midst when it was happening! This was great. This was exactly what I wanted to experience.

on the great salt creek

I passed under some bridges, counting them to get an idea how far a distance I had to my destination. I'd been studying the map and satellite photos, and I figured by this point I was more than half way. The water level was so high, on one bridge I had to recline in the kayak to avoid hitting my head.

Planes flew overhead, the ducks maintained their distance in front of me, and I seemed to be following a bunch of herons, who were doing what I would soon be doing- looking for fish. Fog rose all around me, bugs buzzed, the sound of my paddling was so soothing I didn't even notice how much my arms were burning until I stopped to drink some water and coffee. This was by far the farthest I'd ever paddled all at once, and I'd never paddled continuously for so long. If I stopped paddling, I would start to go downstream, away from Busse, so I had to keep paddling!

Finally I got to the Arlington Heights Road bridge, which was the dividing line between the residential area and Busse woods. I made it! Part of me wasn't sure I'd be able to make the almost 3 mile journey in the kayak, against the current, but I made it. There was a pool just inside the preserve that was my first fishing stop.

arlington heights road bridge, the dividing line between the world and Busse, my destination

Once I got into Busse, the current went away, and I could calmly float as I prepared my rods. I started with a 1 oz. white spinnerbait, hoping to entice some of the fish jumping around me to hop into my kayak for a quick hello and a picture. I'd never caught a bass in the kayak, I really hoped this would be the day. I put a crawler on a 1/16oz jig with a bobber, and wet that line as well.

A few minutes later a fisherman emerged from the forest, rods and bucket in hand. I think I surprised him; I was only about 10' from the shore, and he didn't notice me until I said "hello." He said he was fishing for carp and catfish, and he'd caught some pretty big ones in this pool. I wished him luck, and he followed the shoreline to his spot.

After a half hour, I didn't even get any nibbles. It was time to move on, so I bid my fishing friend farewell and paddled north. The water came back to a creek's width for a bit before it met with Busse's south dam, and that was where I planned on portaging to get to the main pool.

As soon as I rounded the bend, I saw a huge fallen tree blocking the entire creek. It was creating a small rapids, and making what I thought was going to be a smooth paddle very difficult. I adjusted my rod holders so my rods were horizontal - to avoid hangups on the tree - and prepared to navigate through the obstruction. Let's do it!

Well, it wasn't going to happen. Not only was the current extremely strong - flowing in the wrong direction, but there were branches everywhere, scraping my neck and dropping spiders on me. I could barely get the paddle out of the water before it hit branch after branch. I scanned the banks for a possible portaging route, and that wasn't going to happen either- the high water level had changed the grassy area into a marsh, where I would certainly sink into the earth, unable to get to the main pool. My only real choice at this point was to go back to the pool and portage through the forest, reconnecting with the creek past the obstruction.

the great portage of salt creek

On land, I could see a path leading north, that I hoped would curve west again and meet the creek. I grabbed some rope from my tackle box, and tied it to the front of my yak. With my new knot-tying chops, I tied a few butterfly knots, which are great for making handles if you have to pull something... like a kayak.

I'm glad there was a trail

The ground was still wet from yesterday's rain, and so was the grass. This made it possible to pull my boat instead of carry it, which was pretty nice. I made my way through the forest, following a muddy path which I hoped would lead me to water sooner than later. As I pulled my yak, I was really glad I didn't bring an anchor, which would have made it even heavier. I felt like an explorer, portaging around an undiscovered stream through an unknown forest, not knowing what I would find on the other side. Obviously people had been here before me, but it was true I didn't know what would be on the other side.

What was on the other side was a parking lot. I knew this lot was quite a bit west from the creek, and even farther south from the main pool. I decided I'd better follow the bike path instead of trekking through the forest- I was wearing shorts, and can't yet identify poison ivy and stuff...

I dragged my yak along the wet grass until I got to the bike path that goes over the south dam (where Busse spills back into Salt Creek). Many bicyclists passed me, many of them looked perplexed by what I was doing... As they should have been! I got the kayak over the bike path, down the rocks, and back into the forest. I had fished this spot before, I knew the water was very close and there wasn't a steep dropoff- perfect place to launch.

herons know what's up with fishing

Got the yak in the water, pushed past the tall plants growing out the marshy area, and I was on the water! To my left was the south dam, where many families seemed to be having a great time fishing; to my right was a fishing wall, lined every foot with a fisherman; in front of me, on the other side of the lake, was a shoreline lined with fallen timber and weeds. I saw a heron perched on a tree very close to the water, and in the blink of an eye it's knife-life beak went into the water and pulled out a fish.

I don't have a fish-finder on my kayak, so I have to rely on other clues to find fish. I study depth maps like a crazy person, I take careful note of weedlines and what look like dropoffs from the surface, and I always watch the birds. The birds are fishing too, and they usually have a better idea where the fish are than I do- so I go where they are. 

sorry I stole your spot dude

I got to the spot where the heron was (it flew away- like most fisherman, herons aren't fans of b**** fishing - when another fisherman fishes in your spot). I dropped a line in the water, hoping the fish didn't notice my paddling and were still in the area.

Sure enough, a few minutes later I pulled out the first fish of the day!

thanks mr. fish, you made it all worth it!

I can't express how happy I was to have gotten this dink fish in the boat! I was so incredibly happy, not only to break my 3-4 day skunk, but to have made it to my destination, and successfully caught a fish. Small as it was, this was a trophy fish to me. I thanked it profusely, and was glad it seemed fine when I carefully placed it back in the water. This fish did me a tremendous favor, and I was eternally grateful. I have often gotten the skunk at Busse, and catching a fish there at all is a big feat- but especially today!

I continued to catch fish on my 1/16oz chartreuse jig and nightcrawler, rigged without a bobber. The fish were hanging out just past the weedline, toward the bottom. The heron had unintentionally tipped me off to a great spot! I hoped the bird had found another and could get enough to eat. I think you're supposed to tip your fishing guide- if it had still been around, I definitely would have tossed it a fish to say "thanks."

Each fish I caught was bigger than the last, I was slayin'em at Busse! After the bite died down in that spot, I moved north along the coast to find some more fish. I found a good looking spot, where there was a nice change from weeds to open water, a large dropoff, and there were a bunch of ducks eating. Thanks to the birds, again, I began catching fish. Some more bluegill/pumpkinseed, again I was incredibly elated. At this point I decided to rename my kayak the S.S. Silent But Deadly, for her silent fish-hunting ability.

Then I hooked into a fish that seemed to be bigger than the others, and had a very different fight. To my astonishment, I pulled out this awesome fish:

perch! at busse!

At first I thought walleye. I'd never caught a walleye, and I thought they look kind of like this... But the eyes were wrong, and the teeth weren't right... A perch!!?? At Busse!!?? I'd never heard of anyone catching perch at busse; I thought perch were only found in deeper, bigger lakes, and of course Lake Michigan. Who knew!!? Not me.

I snapped some pictures and quickly re-cast to the same area, just along the bottom at the dropoff. I knew perch usually hung out in schools, so if there's one I might be able to catch more. I did!

The school of perch must have been a class of two, because that's all I caught. I decided to move on, working my way up the coast. Wasn't getting any action, although I was thoroughly enjoying myself. I had come a long way, had caught fish, and the day was still young. After hitting some nice-looking spots (and seeing one of my heron friends again) I decided to move toward the south pool/main pool dam where I'd caught some nice bass in the past. Actually that's where I'd caught my largest bass ever, at night, on a black spinnerbait.

The sun was up in full force, not much wind, not many clouds, and I tried to think where I would be if I were a fish. Well first of all, I'd be in the shade. I headed to a promising spot- sunken wood, weeds, shade, and I cast.

what a pretty fish

more perch

Fish on! This was turning out to be a great day fishing. I caught some more gills, and pulled out another perch. What!?? How is it after all the times I'd fished Busse, I'd never caught a perch, and now I was catching a bunch of them? Maybe they prefer to be as far from shore fisherman as possible, maybe they know how tasty they are.

As morning turned to early afternoon, the bite died down. I worked some more spots, to no avail. The fish were taking a siesta in either deep or in the shade, and I got the hint that maybe I should do the same. My lovely wife agreed to come pick me up, as I wasn't mentally prepared to do the reverse portage and long paddle back to my car. I headed toward the boat launch, completely satisfied with my suburban kayak angling adventure, happy that I made it in one piece, caught a new species (for me, on that lake), and all-in-all had an incredibly great morning.

next time I'll be sure to tip my guide with a nice juicy bluegill