Today marked the start of my 2012 fishing season, and it was my favorite hot spot on the Des Plaines River I chose to target, in search for Northern Pike.  I was confident with conditions in the mid-40's and sunny that my Cousin Will and I would be able to catch a few decent fish while we were out there.

Upon arrival, I was disappointed to find a group of people fishing in my hot spot by a runoff drain.  I really prefer that section of the river, as water levels suddenly drop off and the fish seem to hold within a 50ft section.  Anywhere outside of this hole, water levels quickly get just a couple feet deep again and fishing is near impossible.  

So, we had no choice but to move a little North, give it a try, and hope the group was only going to be out there for a short period of time.  We were fishing with live roaches on bobber and fished from 2pm-5pm.  The group never did leave my perfered spot, so we ended up staying a few hundred yards away where there is one other drop-off.  If we went any farther North, the water is so shallow the river is actually frozen over.  Now you can probably imagine why I like that spot so much. 

Anyways, I have fished this secondary spot many of times in previous years, and have had occasional luck, but the size of the Pike seem to be much smaller.  Today, the current of the river was a light reverse flow due to the winds.  I can't say I've ever seen the Des Plaines river flowing any other direction than South before today.  A total of four bites today, but no fish.  The roaches were being bitten, but almost in a way it looked like a territory bite, and not a feeding one.  There is also a chance that it was in fact baby Pike nibbling, or even a Catfish just sucking it in its mouth quickly.

It felt really good to get out though and start the season.  The weather was totally comfortable to enjoy a few hours on the River.  I am not really disappointed in not catching any fish today though.   I knew we were in a tough spot from the time we realized we would have to fish a much shallower secondary spot...and heck its only February!  It's normally about another month before I even catch my first fish of the year.  I'll be back here soon though...next time most likely on a weekday or early in the morning so I can assure getting the spot where the fish hold.  And for those of you wondering, the other group didn't catch any fish either.

The Illinois River is home of one of the most invasive fish species alive, The Asian Carp.  The Illinois river connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan, and it is thought that if the Carp make it to Lake Michigan that the eco system of the Great Lakes would be largely at stake.  It is not clearly understood how the Asian Carp got here, but it is believed floods in the 90's allowed this species into local waters.

For anybody who has never seen video's of the Asian Carp, at first glance, you are in for a treat.  These fish feed in extremely shallow water and are easily spooked by loud noises causing them to jump out of the water, hundreds at a time.  Fisherman understand their loud motors create the perfect noise levels to create an "air show".  To someone non-educated on the species, this may look not only surreal, but also look like a fun day on the water.  The truth is though, if we don't find a way to control or wipe out the species, all other fish in the river will be at high risk of getting wiped out as the food supply in the waters just wouldn't be abundant enough.

So, this brings me to why I have chose to write an article on a topic like this.  No, I've never fished the Illinois River, and nor have I witnessed in person a flying carp.  However, what is the most humane and safe way to control these fish?  Currently, due to Asian Carp being on an invasive species list, it is illegal to catch and release these fish back into the water.  An angler must keep and kill all fish they encounter.  The DNR has done a pretty good job at trying to control the species by holding fishing tournaments intended on targeting and getting the carp out of the water system.  The unique part about these fishing tournaments, is the angler just has a net and is literally catching the fish as they jump.  Thousands of pounds of Carp are successfully pulled out daily, with fisherman catching over 100 fish a day per boat.  Lets not forget most of these fish weigh 15-20 pounds easy.     

Now, the Illinois law-makers are trying to approve the next step, and its a dramatic one.  A bill is trying to get passed which will allow Illinois Gun Holders, to kill these fish with shotguns from their boats.  Think about this for a minute; Fast Boats, Flying Fish, and Shotguns.  To me, this has disaster written all over it.  There is no safe way to regulate this and people are going to get killed.  When I think of hunting, the first thing that comes to mind is deer.  Hunters have adequate time to line up a shot, most of the time on a non-moving target.  Then you have those who hunt for birds, firing bullets high into the sky.  However, with Carp, they are only out of the water for a second at a time, and jumping at a height of a few feet out of the water.  This is more of a "reflex" shot, where shotguns will be thrown into all different directions with not nearly enough time to guarantee a safe shot.  Also, lets not forget these boaters like to stay together, as the more noise, the more fish.

So, back to how we attempt to control them.  The first thing we have to do is prevent them from entering any other water systems.  To prevent the carp from entering the Great Lakes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. EPA, the State of Illinois, the International Joint Commission, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working together to install and maintain a permanent electric barrier between the fish and Lake Michigan.  This is the perfect first step to avoid them spreading any farther.  Then, you have the fishing tournaments which I think are a great idea.  How about possibly shocking the river system regularly and netting them out?  My point here is, although this is not an easy task, there are many options that we have.  However, the thought of allowing shotgun hunting from boats is just completely ridiculous.  Watch the video I have posted below, and imagine shotguns in these guys hands.  It has death written all over it.  Illinois law-makers need to think twice about this. 

I encourage you to read the following article from Field and Stream, "How To Control Asian Carp? Blast Them With Shotguns...Obviously".     

2011 was the first official full season that Three Oaks, located in Crystal Lake, IL was open to the public.  There is a small beach, and a lot of water to kayak and fish in near-crystal clear water.  Three Oaks is a former stone quarry gravel pit that has been turned into one of the best fishing spots in Illinois.

One of the main reasons the quarry has phenomenal fishing is because for decades fishing out here was banned to the public.  Meanwhile, a group called Crystal Lake Anglers Club continued to stock the waters withlaregmouth bass, yellow bass, rock bass, channel catfish, northern pike, walleye and pan fish.  A real healthy population of Smallmouth are also present, which appear to be stocked by the Department of Natural Resources.  Fish untouched for decades soon became monsters that had never seen a lure...or many of them.  (Every true fisherman was intrigued by this place, and all of us were out there at some point or another.  Yes, I was one of them fishing illegally mother)

Quality fish, every catch - and no such thing as a fishless trip over here.  With this being a quarry, you find yourself in about twenty feet of water just off the shore.  At the center of the lake, max. depth appears to be right around 60 feet.  Again, the water here is almost crystal clear...if you get into some of the right bays, you can see twenty feet to the bottom.  For those of you who like to sight fish, there are plenty of locations for that adrenaline rush. 

Although I will not disclose my favorite hot spots at Three Oaks, it is obvious that every species has their own territory here.  Once you find them, there are going to be a bunch of others around.  In a four hour span, plan to catch a good ten fish withease.  And for those of you who like a challenge of landing a one day trifecta (Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Pike) or the Quadfecta (Add Walleye), this is your place to do it! 

Trolling seems to work really well out here for Pike, while tossing worms will get you a boat filled with largemouth/smallmouth.  As for Walleye, I've yet to see someone pull one out of here, but they are in there.  Channel Cats can regularly be seen cruising and are of impressive size.  The majority of the Pike here are running close to 26-28", but the Bass are consistently 3-5 pounds, and Channel Catfish well over 10lbs.  A lot of my pictures in my photo archive are from this location.  Of course the monster Pike are present too as I've seen photos and video of other fisherman pulling them out...So, in 2012 it's my mission to pull out a trophy close to home.

If you want a fun filled fishing trip, Three Oaks is for you.  You can fish from the shoreline on the side of the main building, but it will be extremely crowded.  Therefore, when I make my trips out here, I take the time to rent a boat.  Four hours on the water witha rowboat, trolling motor, fish finder and back up batter will cost non-residents close to $60.  An expensive trip, but a memorable one...So, bring your camera and a friend.  This is by far my favorite fishing location in the suburbs, and I make it out there about 1-2 times a month.

In 2011, I found quite possibly my favorite fishing location in the Northwest Suburbs. Green Lake Park is located in Buffalo Grove, IL and is a large pond connected to creeks which flow into Buffalo Creek Reservoir. The first thing that struck my attention here, is the clear shallows. The water is just a couple of feet deep until about four feet off the shore. Weed beds can be seen about four feet out, where its obvious there is a somewhat steep drop-off. In early AM hours and late Afternoon/Evening, the Largemouth of Green Lake come into these shallows to feed and can be spotted easily cruising the rocky shoreline if you are quiet enough.

Green Lake will attract a decent amount of fisherman, but its the under-skilled fisherman you see out there regularly. These people are often fishing the scenic areas of the water, which are so shallow only bluegill are caught. I probably see about 1-2 true fisherman other than myself out there daily, tossing lures and trying to catch the lunkers.

An unusual thing about this pond is the variety of fish species and the average size. Channel Cats are present, not your typical Yellow Bullhead. Large Carp can also be seen surfacing quite regularly. The population of female Bass in the shallows is enormous around April as they are sitting on nests and protecting territory. Although I will not fish specifically for females during this time, you are easily able to see the average sizes of these fish, ranging from 2-5 pounds. In August of last year, I also managed to land a 32" Northern Pike out of the water which completely surprised me. At first I thought maybe someone put it in there trying to illegally stock the waters. However, after much research, its obvious the pike are present over there coming through the creeks from Buffalo Creek Reservoir during flood stages.

So, what are these fish eating at Green Lake to become the monsters they are in such a small pond? SHAD! Yes, this pond is loaded with bait fish, and schools of hundreds can be seen on the surface in the summer months. I often would see commotion in the water, toss a lure on top of it, and see hundreds of shad jump out of the water at the same time. Although this may make the fishing a little bit more difficult because of the easy dinner option, its allows the fish to grow big!

This pond doesn't have a lot of visible structure, but does have a handful of creek overflow drains, a lot of rock, and some good weed beds about four feet out. There is a man-made floating island on the west side of the pond, designed to keep the water pure. Lures of choice over here are top water in the shallows, and weedless rubber worms in the weeds.

Some days you will catch a handful of fish easily, and some days the fish will just shut off completely. It's a tricky body of water to fish due to all the shad present, but the lunkers await you, no matter if you are after Bass, Pike, Channel Catfish, or even Carp.

I sat here last night and asked myself, if I could design my own fishing lure for game fish, what would it look like and what qualities would it present?  So, I started thinking about all the senses...Sight, Scent, Taste, Hearing, and Touch.  After a short while, the answer sat right in front of my eyes...let me explain.

Sight: Quite possibly the most amazing part of the body.  However, with fish it is different.  The eye quality and visibility fluctuate with the temperature of water.  A Bass for example sees the best in water around 70 degrees, but as temperature rises the visibility severely decreases.  This is why UV Lures were invented, and also why glitter qualities were added on lures.  In high temp situations, these "reflectors" may just catch the fishes eye.  Lets not forget the water quality and clarity will also decide how well a fish can see.  As far as colors, most game fish detect their prey by seeing the contrast of the forage against various colored backgrounds,  Also, just because a lure looks right, doesn't necessarily mean the fisherman knows how to present it.  Don't get me wrong, Sight is the #2 most important quality on my list.   SIGHT = DECIDES WHETHER TO EAT, PROTECT OR IGNORE 

Scent:  A channel catfish makes this sense appear dominant as it can smell acids in as small quantities as one part in 100 million in water.  This sense is most important to bottom feeders.  However, my quest was to target a lure for game fish.  Most hard bodied lures such as crank baits are sold scent free.  Then as you shift into soft bodied lures, its about 50/50.  Companies like Powerbait and Gulp utilize this quality, but for the intention of taste (See Taste).  I do believe the smell of humans can throw a fish off a bite at the last minute...Therefore, I think the scent on baits is strictly an advantage for the sole purpose of cover-up from human odors.  SCENT = HUMAN COVER-UP

Taste:  As I just explained, companies like Powerbait and Gulp target scent on lures, however, the main intention of this tactic is to get fish to hold on longer.  They actually claim by adding this to the lure, fish will hold on up to 18x longer than unscented baits.  So, you are extending your hook set opportunity by 18x.  Yes, you will catch more fish because of this, but its not going to help you find them.  TASTE = LONGER TIME TO SET HOOK

Touch:  Lures are made of many different materials, and pose bodies that are sometimes soft, or hard.  I think this sense is the least of a factor when it comes to catching fish.  As a fish approaches a lure, it has to decide if it follows through on the bite.  This is when the visual aspects of the lure as well as presentation come into play more than ever.  Think about it, the bite is instinctive.  By the time the fish "touches" the lure, its already in its mouth.  TOUCH = FISH DON'T HAVE HANDS

Hearing: We all have those baits in our bags with rattles built into them.  The intention to create a little commotion in the water on top of the visual.  I really think these rattles and buzzers turn heads.  Keep in mind, sound travels five times faster in water than on air.  HEARING = IT TURNS HEADS

So, I sat there and pondered this for a minute.  Then, I thought like a fish to catch a fish...

THE SIXTH SENSE: The Lateral Line! How soon did we forget that fish have an additional sense?  The Lateral Line is an amazing system of organs designed to detect movement and vibration in the water.  Think about this for a minute, and you will realize this really goes hand in hand with Hearing.  Without even seeing a Buzz Bait for example, a fish can hear it and detect through its lateral line where its located and coming from.  Amazing!  - No wonder why that's my lure of choice!  LATERAL LINE = ONLY FISH HAVE IT, SO YOU KNOW ITS IMPORTANT

So, there you go.  If I was designing my own lure, I would ultimately try to utilize qualities of all the senses into my invention.  However, the most important senses scream Sight and Hearing.  But, if I had to pick just one...The Lateral Line decides it all: A lure with a little noise and vibration, dominates even in the lowest light, and murkiest of waters.  HEARING WINS.  

I was asked today by fellow fisherman, Richard Mey, what my favorite fishing lure was.  For me, that question is so easy I didn't even have to stop and think.

When the warmer weather hits, Bass and Northern regularly start hitting Top Water lures.  For anybody that has tried this technique, you have to admit a fish jumping out of the water to strike a lure is one of the coolest things you will ever see.  The varieties are endless, and my tackle box is in fact loaded multiple types,  However, the standard Buzz Bait is what I love to throw the most.  It will come in handy in the summer and fall months, so keep it stored away until after spawning.

One of the problems withBuzz Baits, is finding ones that are perfect size, weight, and quality of construction,  Really small light weight Buzz Baits are tough to cast far, and don't tread water enough to really get the blade screaming.  Vise versa, a really heavy Buzz Bait makes for a good cast, but only allows you to only burn the lure through the water at a very fast pace.  As every fisherman knows, some days you fish slow, some days you fish fast.  A big bulky buzz bait will not allow you to make the adjustment to find the fish.  Also, I am a firm believer, too loud spooks the fish more than catches them.

I prefer to fish with a Buzz Bait that is 3/8 ounce, as its the perfect weight to try different kinds of retreives, and heavy enough to cast far and cover a lot of water.  That is the main advantage of a Buzz Bait - Covering Water.  In one cast, I can cover nearly 100 yards of water. The noise more than anything else is what attracts the bite, and will quickly turn fish heads.  The skirt on the buzz bait acts as the visual of bait fish in a flurry.  Colors of preference are Black, Chartreuse, or a Chartreuse/White combo.  The blade, creates commotion which triggers a fish to either feed, or protect its territory.  Think about that for a second.  A fish won't really hit a worm for invading its territory, not unless you are dealing with a female sitting on a nest.  However, bait fish do pose a threat for eating eggs, attracting other fish, etc.  Therefore, you are doubling your chances by adding a territory protection bite.     

As for the quality of the lure, I've seen a ton very poorly made. For instance, avoid lures that have any plastic on them.  A lot of times to save money, company's will use a plastic circle to hold the blade still, but that's not going to cut it long term.  Also, take a close look at how the skirt is attached.  Most companies attach the skirt with a rubber band.  A couple good strikes and you are in the position to either replace the entire lure or go through the hassle of installing another skirt, which is not an easy task.  Really take the time to look at the metal wire that constructs the heart of the lure, and pick one that looks as sturdy as possible.  This will ensure the buzz bait does not twist up, which could cause you to not only lose a lure but also a fish. 

THE WOW FACTOR: Yes, I said it.  Adding trailer hooks to any type of lure increases your chance at landing a fish by about 50%.  Why you may ask?  A lot of times fish bite "short", as its more a curiosity strike.  Setting a hook on a curiosity bite will do nothing but get you frustrated for missing fish after fish.  Trust me, you will have days all strikes will be curiosity bites.  Anyways, with this in mind, finding a buzz bait with a trailer hook attached is key.  This is EXTREMELY hard to find.  In Illinois, there is a small company called Hard Hook, who hand crafts buzz baits and sells them out of their truck.  The company has been M.I.A. for the past two years, and rumor is he no longer sells.  However, you will find them if you look hard enough.  I recently came across a website in December that found these PERFECT size, weight, and constructed buzz baits with a built in trailer hook, and guess what - I bought the entire stock!  If you have a buzz bait with a trailer hook, those curiosity strikes will quickly turn into fish on the shore.  The nice part with the Hard Hook trailer hooks, is that they are welded in to the construction of the lure, and are not flimsy.  And drum roll please....The skirt is attached by a compressed metal wire, and will never come off!  This lure will last you seasons and seasons of good fishing.

When fishing Buzz Baits, the key is flipping the bail while the lure is starting to come down and approach the water.  The second that the lure slaps the water, it should already be getting reeled in.  Remember, you have to think like a fish to catch fish.  Don't just throw lures straight out into the deep!  Most top water bites will happen in the shallows, around weeds, or good structure.  Therefore, fish these lures parallel to the shore!  This will allow you to keep that lure running in the strike zone the entire time.  Again, the fish that are feeding are probably looking for trapped bait fish in the shallows.

Below, I will show a picture of a standard, undersized, cheap and poorly constructed Buzz Bait.  I will then post the beast, the Hard Hook construction which has landed me hundreds of fish.  Thanks again for the daily mail from Richard Mey, and once again, happy fishing!