Fishing!

[Pez68]

That is sad to read and hear about. I have pretty much given up on my days of wading and fishing after slipping on a spillway, getting washed down and have my waders fill up and I was all alone. Scary moment ......

Wading is actually very safe, most of the time, as long as you use your brain. What were you doing walking on a spillway?!?! Don't most of those have big giant "DANGER" signs on them?

Glad you're safe though. Where were you wading when that happened?

 

[IceHogsFan]

Wading is actually very safe, most of the time, as long as you use your brain. What were you doing walking on a spillway?!?! Don't most of those have big giant "DANGER" signs on them?

Glad you're safe though. Where were you wading when that happened?

The spillway is normally pretty safe and the depth about waist high below the spillway in that area. What I found out the hard way and where many get in trouble is that there are deep holes below the spillway which I can only assume are from the river flooding. Not only did I manage to be okay but I held onto to rod and my gear but still, it scared the %$# out of me and I had done that for years, no more.

 

[IceHogsFan]

I'd love to take a trip to Manitoba some day after I get my float plane license and rent a plane and hop around some of those lakes though.

I have an infinity for planes since my Air Force days. Flying in the floats is second only to my flight in a 1942 Stearman Biplane. The power of that plane in the picture above is ridiculous. I have awesome video from flying in that plane and the next year we had a female bush pilot. Kendra was awesome. She flies in northern Ontario in the summer months and in Thailand during our winters. I think I have a picture of her and our crew....

 

[bri]

So do any of you do that catfisting? I think it is the same as that Hillbilly Handfishin', but not positive.

 

[bookjones]

The part of yer noggin that resides in Montana?

Yeah, that part smartass. What can I say, I am a Norman Maclean fangirl of the highest order. At least I tried to participate---it's not my fault there's no goddamn fashion/style thread mister!

In August, I went crabbing for the first time off Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands, off the coast of Washington state. My wife's cousin bought a tug boat in 1987 and refurbished it. We caught our limit of Dungeness crab, 10 each, and boiled them right on the boat. Ate one there and took the rest home and ate crab the next 4 days. Yum!

You caught crabs. . .heh.

 

[phranchk]

I did a fly in trip with my Grandpa when I was like 10. It was fantastic. I found the place recently online and didn't realize we drove 18 hours from Chicago just to get to the place where we flew out of. The place was called Roderick lake.

http://www.chimolodge.com/

I would do it again in a heartbeat. The price isn't too bad and the fishing was excellent.

 

[Pez68]

The spillway is normally pretty safe and the depth about waist high below the spillway in that area. What I found out the hard way and where many get in trouble is that there are deep holes below the spillway which I can only assume are from the river flooding. Not only did I manage to be okay but I held onto to rod and my gear but still, it scared the %$# out of me and I had done that for years, no more.

Yeah, the deep holes below are from the undercurrent that the spillway creates. Spillways and dams are actually the most dangerous spots on the river. You really shouldn't ever wade near them. Even when river levels are low, you can be caught underneath it and drown. I'd say the majority of river fatalities happen at dams or spillways.

I did a fly in trip with my Grandpa when I was like 10. It was fantastic. I found the place recently online and didn't realize we drove 18 hours from Chicago just to get to the place where we flew out of. The place was called Roderick lake.

http://www.chimolodge.com/

I would do it again in a heartbeat. The price isn't too bad and the fishing was excellent.

Another thing that's on my bucket list. I would absolutely love to do a fly in.

 

[R K]

Wading is actually very safe, most of the time, as long as you use your brain. What were you doing walking on a spillway?!?! Don't most of those have big giant "DANGER" signs on them?

Glad you're safe though. Where were you wading when that happened?

Actually all depends on the River you are in. If it's goin ga million MPH it's usually not safe.



You could wade in certain parts of the Kankakee River and catch the current and die.

 

[R K]

Below Libby Dam, even at low flows, the Kootenai River is wide and has a very quick current. For the first twenty-five miles below the dam, only small riffles and waves exist. The river then flows through a rapids called the "China Rapids", so named because a group of Chinese gold miners attempted to float through these rapids instead of portaging, and instead ended up capsizing their raft, sending their gold and all but one man to the bottom of the river.



Deadly to 40-50 miles way.

 

[phranchk]

Actually all depends on the River you are in. If it's goin ga million MPH it's usually not safe.



You could wade in certain parts of the Kankakee River and catch the current and die.

I didn't think there were any parts of Kankakee that you could wade. Isn't that one of the most dangerous rivers in Illinois? The current is pretty fast there.

 

[Pez68]

Actually all depends on the River you are in. If it's goin ga million MPH it's usually not safe.



You could wade in certain parts of the Kankakee River and catch the current and die.

Haha, that's why I said "using your brain". There's a nice website that lists a bunch of the flows for the rivers. I always check that before heading out.

I didn't think there were any parts of Kankakee that you could wade. Isn't that one of the most dangerous rivers in Illinois? The current is pretty fast there.

There's actually a bunch of areas on the Kank that you can't wade. And yes, it's the most dangerous river in Illinois. Mostly because, even in low water, it still has areas where the current REALLY shoots up because of elevation changes. It is also a really wide river, so in areas where the river narrows, the flow can carry you away in a heartbeat. As long as you respect the river when you're in it, you should be OK. When it doubt, don't wade through a spot.

 

[R K]

which is anywhere along the Kankakee State Park. Man it flys by there. But like Pez said there are certain parts you can wade. Even on the kootenia if your not dumb there are places you can wade. If your dumb, they find you in Idaho. On the Kankakee if your dumb they find you bubbling at the damn.



Always better to have a boat!



Ice fishing on any number of the Mississippi Pools near the damns is often funny. Those cheese heads will sit right at the edge of the ice 100ft from the wide open locks. One slip or crack in the ice and they'll find you near the next lock/pool.

 

[MassHavoc]

I'll wait for the thread to derail itself before I destroy it with my sarcasm... Last fishing I remember doing was years ago off a pier in Galveston. Best thing I caught was a snak... eel. The guy I was with though caught a baby shark. It was odd to see everyone rush to start casting when they spotted it in the water. Everyone wanted to catch that thing. I think we could a big flounder or something too but I don't remember what it was. We did an all night thing on the pier, I think I was more afriad to stick my hand in the giant bucket of shrimp than anything else.

 

[howcho]

On the note of the lad that drowned, no the river was not particularly high, he and his friends just made a bad judgement call thinking that they could cross to a sandbar. It was not even him that fell first. Another one of the group slipped and he managed to save him but lost his life in the effort.



Hip waders are awful for this, I use full waders and tie tight belt around my waist to keep the water from filling the legs if I happen to fall.



Unfortunately I have never really gone specifically for Halibut. Possible the best eating fish I know.



My family used to own a large boat, 42' that I would take friends and guests on for fishing trips. My friend brought this Aussie couple along one day, the fishing was poor so we decided just to bottom fish. We where pulling out mudsharks/dogfish regularly and continued to do so as the Aussie thought it was great to be "shark fishing". The gal at one point is lowering her 'buzz-bomb' when the reel starts a screaming. "That's no shark", I said. After about a half an hour she pulled out a 20# spring Salmon ( you might call them Kings). She was so happy that she cried, it had been a very long time since she used to fish with her father regularly, although they caught nothing. She immediately had to have a picture to send to her dad.

 

[Pez68]

which is anywhere along the Kankakee State Park. Man it flys by there. But like Pez said there are certain parts you can wade. Even on the kootenia if your not dumb there are places you can wade. If your dumb, they find you in Idaho. On the Kankakee if your dumb they find you bubbling at the damn.



Always better to have a boat!



Ice fishing on any number of the Mississippi Pools near the damns is often funny. Those cheese heads will sit right at the edge of the ice 100ft from the wide open locks. One slip or crack in the ice and they'll find you near the next lock/pool.

I actually misunderstood what he said. Most of the Kankakee IS wadable, actually. There's just a few areas that get deep that you can't. I've waded it quite a bit, and it may surprise you, but most of the river is no more than a couple feet deep. There are only a few stretches where you can actually put a boat in and not have to worry about destroying it. For the most part, the water is knee deep. When the flows are normal, that is. I've waded quite a bit in the state park. Just have to know the right areas and be able to read the water.

On the note of the lad that drowned, no the river was not particularly high, he and his friends just made a bad judgement call thinking that they could cross to a sandbar. It was not even him that fell first. Another one of the group slipped and he managed to save him but lost his life in the effort.



Hip waders are awful for this, I use full waders and tie tight belt around my waist to keep the water from filling the legs if I happen to fall.

Man, that sucks. Hip waders are absolutely terrible. I would never wear them, and I always have a wading belt on my waders.Worst case, if they DO fill up, I unclip them fast and get the hell out of them.

 

[R K]

There are people that swim in and around the state park but you must go around the damn in bird park. My wifes best friends husband owns a canoe service and has been guiding for 30 years. You can wade in almost any river if you do it wisely and know what you are doing.



Not sure on the Kootenia, I still don't think I'd do it. Although my dad does when hes fucking with the fire supression pipes. I think he's fucking nuts.



And yes the Kanakee is very shallow in a lot of places. There are also places it's very deep and has underground Caverns. My wife will tell you a story about a friend of hers that fell out of the boat and never came up. It's a very dangerous river.

 

[Pez68]

There are people that swim in and around the state park but you must go around the damn in bird park. My wifes best friends husband owns a canoe service and has been guiding for 30 years. You can wade in almost any river if you do it wisely and know what you are doing.



Not sure on the Kootenia, I still don't think I'd do it. Although my dad does when hes fucking with the fire supression pipes. I think he's fucking nuts.



And yes the Kanakee is very shallow in a lot of places. There are also places it's very deep and has underground Caverns. My wife will tell you a story about a friend of hers that fell out of the boat and never came up. It's a very dangerous river.

Yep. It's very dangerous. However, all moving water is dangerous if you aren't careful, and do something stupid. Look at all the people that drown in Lake Michigan swimming where there are dangerous rip tides. A lot of the fatalities on the river are something you can see coming a mile away. Idiots jumping into the water by the dam and swimming, kids in the water where they damn well shouldn't be, people in the river when it is raging high, kayakers looking for some "white water', people trying to cross the river in a spot they absolutely shouldn't, etc. Common sense will go a long way to keeping you safe, but accidents do happen. Just try and be prepared.

 

[MassHavoc]

I think you two need to **** already... The tension is killing everyone.

 

[R K]

Jealous ****** bag!

 

[Pez68]

Did I miss something? What tension? Just having a discussion.