Another tough day battling the wind...

[Fishaholic]

OK, so I realize that today wasn't the best choice for a day to hit the ditches, but this being my only day off available for doing so I went anyway. The wind was out of the South and pretty steady at around 25-30 mph and long gusts around 40 mph...it was all I could do just to brace myself against the wind, muchless cast my offerings with any true accuracy.

I started out fishing the Hodge, no activity registered there at all. There was quite a bit of debris in the water and the upper layer was quite turbid - probably due to the fact that the access for the Hodge is in a wide open area. I threw everything but the kitchen sink, but to no avail...so, I jumped in my van and headed out to my "honey hole". After today's outing, I may have to rename my "honey hole" to "skunk hole", LOL...however, I'm pretty stubborn and refused to give up.

I jumped into my van and headed out to a deep hole I knew about, trying to determine if they were just honkered down and not moving...nope, nothing there either...Undaunted, I jumped in my van and headed to an area known to hold a lot of panfish, hoping to at least save myself from being skunked...there have been some really nice bass caught in this area too, so I started out with my Johnson Silver Minnow with a Culprit trailer - nothing; pulled out my Bettencourt Jointed Rodent - nothing; then came the spinners and the T-rigged shakey worms - nothing. HMMM? This is getting serious, so I pull out my "toy" rod loaded ;with 2lb. test Berkley XL Clear and tie on a 1/32 ounce Xmas pattern jig with a plastic body - I got a few hits and some small gills, but no serious hits or takers...but at least there was some action! I pulled out all the stops when I changed my bait to a 1/124 oz. Gitzit, which was extremely difficult to cast in the wind, but on the few casts that made it out to where the current broke, I was rewarded with some chunky gills...several between 9 - 11 inches; when I didn't manage to cast the offering to the break I still was getting bit, but they were all dinky green sunfish or pumpkinseeds.

Not much in the way of wildlife activity to observe on this outing, most of the birds were staying on the ground, or very near it, with exception of the turkey vultures who were have a good time of it.

...all in all, it was still a fine day down by the Kankakee!

[deathb4disco]

so I started out with my Johnson Silver Minnow with a Culprit trailer - nothing; pulled out my Bettencourt Jointed Rodent - nothing; then came the spinners and the T-rigged shakey worms - nothing. HMMM? This is getting serious, so I pull out my "toy" rod loaded ;with 2lb. test Berkley XL Clear and tie on a 1/32 ounce Xmas pattern jig with a plastic body - I got a few hits and some small gills, but no serious hits or takers...but at least there was some action! I pulled out all the stops when I changed my bait to a 1/124 oz. Gitzit

No live bait? That's my ace in the hole.

[Fishaholic]

If at all possible, I never use live bait...I prefer to use strictly artificials.

[GCD]

You should try a 1/16 oz. Roostertail in Whitecoachdog pattern for those picky 'Gills, I like to put a little Crawfish flavored attractant on the dressed treble.