Misty Green & Blue-Hole

Terry Smallmouth Hunter
Jun 20, 2015
2 min read

I'm stupid, but not as stupid as some of you might think.

With the rivers running high, and my arms aching for the fight of a fish, I decided to pump up my personal pontoon, Misty, and hike her for a mile across land to a little Kishwaukee River backwater area known as the Blue-Hole. I wasn't in a race, so I took my time, and a couple breaks along the way, and still made the mile hike in 40 minutes time.

Shoved off from port and started casting topwater as I made my way towards the deep water that surrounds the railroad bridge. The Blue-Hole has been over taken by a thick weed growth and made casting anything else other than a topwater very difficult. The water clarity was crystal clear as I quietly paddled my way using my kayak paddle.

I knew from past visits (from many years ago) that the Blue-Hole was weedy, and this is why I chose to leave the normal rowboat style oars at home and bring the kayak stick. Sometimes I surprise myself when I do smart things like that.

I couldn't find any action this side of the bridge or around the bridge. I thought for sure I would find some action at the bridge, but the only action I could muster was a locomotive as it passed by.

On the other side of the bridge there was an opened pocket of water between two weed beds. I parked Misty and myself in the pocket area and began to toss a Blaze Popper, and nailed a 12" pike on the first cast of the area.

Unfortunately about a second and a half before my camera timer triggered, the damn slimy thing jumped out of my grasp and back into the water, leaving me with this one and only CPR photo....

I kept casting the area and had many, many, many, chases, attacks, blowups, just all kinds of action, but could never get anything to hook up. Some of the splashes were quite huge. I had my fly rod with and probably should have gone after them with that, but I didn't. The next few hours saw no action and fatigue began to set in and I could see the sky in the west begin to grow dark.

Packed it all in and up and started the mile hike back to the car. I ran in to a couple hikers along the way. One on my hike to, and one on my hike from. Each hiker was kind of startled when they came upon me as I was dragging my boat behind me. With each passing I would just mumble "I ain't got nothing better to do."

Saw these that made me think of happier smallmouth fishing days, so I had to stop and snap a quick pic.....