When I walked out the door I had every intention of going out to a couple of creeks to start testing the water.
Got to the first creek to find a couple of cars parked there. Wandered onto the abandoned bridge to survey the water. Unlike the river it was in perfect condition; crystal clear, excellent level, but devoid of life. Not a thing seen in the water.
One of the anglers came back and we struck up a conversation. He saw and caught nothing and then asked my name. Winds up he reads here and he recognized me, not by my stunning good looks, but the cigar.
Not sure that’s a good thing.
The other angler shows up, more conversation with nothing to show for fishing efforts.
Two other anglers pull up and get out of their car. One looks familiar and I ask his name. Winds up it’s someone I used to run into on the creeks all the time, but it’s been a good decade since I saw him last. I mention that to him and say… “I assumed you got married, had kids or were dead.”
“Got the first two right at least.”
More conversation, then time to move on.
At the next creek I hesitated and went walking around before deciding if I wanted to go fishing. Couple of different bug hatches going on, but like the first creek, not a single thing seen in the water. I stood around mesmerizing myself with flowing water and tried to capture the why of it all.
Back at the car, still debating, the bugs must have liked the warmth of my car. They were in mating position and covered it pretty well.
Another angler shows up and a conversation starts. We had met at this same spot a couple of years ago. He was heading where I was thinking of going and he had been out there a couple of times so far this year. Barren water. I decide to wait another week or two and try again. A walk in the woods would be time better spent.
At a nearby big forest preserve, a hike through an area I haven’t done in a few years.
Sometimes I take pictures of the things that trip me.
The hike took me to still another creek that as far as I know has no name.
This is a tiny little creek, shallow enough to walk through in most parts without getting your ankles wet. Neck down stretches that you can jump over and every now and then a deeper pool. Deep being relative and barely knee deep.
And yet, in these little pools, signs of life that weren’t in it’s bigger cousins.
Since my plans had changed I decided to stay out till sunset to see if it was worth capturing. It was looking like the clouds were getting blown out of the area with nothing but blue skies. Not enough to make for an interesting sunset.
So I went home.
An hour or so later I was proven wrong. Enough clouds had stuck around on the south edge of the sun to make the sky interesting, nothing but blue skies on the north edge of the sun.
No time to hop into the car and go someplace with a vista view. Just enough time to walk down the street in this neighborhood full of light manufacturing and railroad tracks and see if I could get something interesting out of it all.
Not what I prefer, but it will do in a pinch.
RK Henderson
22 Mar 2015What are those minnows?
Ken G
22 Mar 2015There were some in these little pools Robin that easily were 6 inches long. I know those would be creek chubs.
I’m terrible at identifying all the other little fish we call minnows. This is a spring creek where the others aren’t. I’m sure it’s a little warmer now because of that, which would explain why they were there.
RK Henderson
22 Mar 2015No problem for the ID. I’ve been struggling for years to identify some of ours. Perfect storm of incredible variation in species and subspecies; general neglect of the North Coast in guidebooks; and a lack of interest from publishers, who tend to focus on big fish.
I do know that you have a lot of little fish back there, and many of them are really interesting. I lived in Kentucky when I was little, and I remember the colourful minnows in the creek. I especially liked madtoms, and something that was shiny blue-green on the back with a bright slash of red behind the gills; looked like a tropical aquarium fish.
Here we have about four little freshwater fish, and none of them are very exciting. (Our signature minnow, the Olympic mudminnow, about sums it up.)
Robin
Rusty Ring: Reflections of an Old-Timey Hermit
Ken G
22 Mar 2015I’ve tried reading up on the minnow species, but as quickly as I read about them, I forget. Too many for my little brain.
There is one cool one on the creeks that builds it’s own little riffles to spawn behind. They’re more like little mounds. I’ve sat and watched them pick up little rocks and move them to the pile. Now I’ll have to go look that one up.
Richard Velders
22 Mar 2015I was going to wander to the same creek today. Looks like waiting is good. Little creek looks like the one across the Fox from me at Hoover. I had a chance, a while back to cross the ice and hike up the creek seeing iced waterfalls. Will send pics later. I’m only about 4 qts low on fishing. Tough winter on the Illinois. Sunset in commerce still beautiful. Your pics are always special. Dick
Ken G
22 Mar 2015Thanks Dick and I sent you an email. I was on the west end of Hoover, no parking areas out that way so it gets less traffic. I’ve been unusually patient this winter, but the wife recently pointed out that I’m getting buggy. I think it’s the twitching in my right eye that gives it away.
You’re braver than I if you walked across the river to get there. Ice with water under it makes me extremely nervous. That’s when both my eyes start twitching.
I’ll take any kind of sunset when it comes right down to it. This one reminds me of the old neighborhood in Chicago while growing up. Would sit in the window and watch the sun set over the neighborhood. Guess I’ve been watching them regularly for a long time.
walt
22 Mar 2015The signs of spring are definitely more obvious where you are than here. A woodland hike is rewarding even if the fishing is on hold. Around here, the light is good but ice lingers on. A slow release of winter is probably a good thing, but it’s starting to feel as though the Northeast, and maybe parts of Europe, will become the next sub-Arctic region.
Ken G
22 Mar 2015I’ve been watching the snow patterns out your way Walt. You and Quill Gordon have been getting pounded. They say we had a normal snowfall, but it didn’t really feel like it. The bulk of it came all on one day, the rest have all been minor, but I guess they add up.
This time of year I love wandering the woods. Easier to walk through and you never know what you’ll find trying to grow.
Andy
22 Mar 2015Nice to finally meet you out on our creeks.Thanks for the tips,hopefully we’ll have better fishing reports the next time we cross paths. Keep the cigar so I can spot you again.
Ken G
23 Mar 2015It was good meeting you Andy. I was glad I ran into you so I didn’t waste too much time pounding sterile water. Two more weeks and I think the switch will be thrown. Don’t forget to check out those Producto plastics, they call them Spring Grubs on their site. The other colors that work out there are smoke, junebug/chartreuse and pumpkin seed/chartreuse. You’ll notice those colors match minnows, baby bluegills and crayfish. Which is why they work. Even on catfish…
Justin Carf
23 Mar 2015I wish I were smart enough to hike and converse rather than fish every time, even if I’m told the fishing is not good. I’m stubborn like that. I, too, am often memorized by the flows of water. The fact that it’s constantly flowing really just rattles my mind.
Ken G
23 Mar 2015It comes with age Justin. When you know the fish aren’t going to be there, you find better things to do. Took a few years, but I learned.
Ponds don’t have the same affect, they’re more calming. Moving water is hypnotizing and at the same time stimulates the brain. Take naps next to ponds and think things through next to flowing water. Seems to work.