The Search is over!

I was really itching to get out after spending some time with fellow smallmouthmen at the ISA NW Region Pizza Party on Saturday, March 25th.

Today, Sunday, looked to be a better day to get out and look for that first smallmouth of the season.

The air temp was suppose to reach into the mid-60's and I spent the morning watching the Rock River

water temp gage looking for a time when the temp would start to go up.

The water temp held at 45.32 degrees for

most of the morning hours. At 10:15am I started to see the gage work it's way up. It was shortly after 11am. when that info showed up on the USGS site. I jumped in my bass van and headed out.

I decided to wade Kilbuck. I stepped foot in water just about 12pm.

Worked my way up-stream casting a tube. Could not find a bite to save my life.

I made my way to the area that I wanted to focus on. I made a cast up-stream and ran the tube in a little channel along the edge of a sandbar drop-off. I had a real nice hit, set the hook, and fought the fish until it came to the surface and shook itself off. Dang!

Looked big and kind of thought it looked like a catfish, or a big smallmouth.

Tossed back out and got another hit, hook set, and landed a nice fighting 13 incher for my first smallie of the year. Sweet! Seems like I found them.

Tossed back out and let it set for a few seconds, gave a twitch and it already felt heavy, set the hook. Fish on!

Now everything kind of turns into a blur.

Once I thumbed the smallmouth I knew.

20.5 inches. A true BRUTUS.

The search is over.

(and now I'm going to retire to the back patio for a big fat cigar and a bottle of champagne)

I have waited for this day for as long as I can remember. Years, no decades, of wading the Kishwaukee River and it's tributaries in search of that trophy smallmouth, a big fat 20 incher, a BRUTUS as I like to call them. To catch this smallmouth in Kilbuck Creek, a tributary to the Kish, makes this day that much more special. I have always thought that Kilbuck was special. Even up to this date of March 26, 2017, Kilbuck has always rewarded me with my Personal Best (PB) smallies. Fellow ISA members have always told me that the river and creek Gods will reward me some day for putting all the care and effort I do into trying to stop the staining that occurs in Kilbuck Creek.

The creek was running pretty much clear on this day with just a very slight stain from the light rain we received the day before. The staining in Kilbuck needs to stop. I grew up fishing this creek and have always known that it can hold big, special fish. Future generations should be able to enjoy the waters of Kilbuck Creek. This BRUTUS shows what Kilbuck is capable of if we take care of it. If the stainings continue these type of large fish will not return to it's clear running waters to spawn.

A 20 inch smallmouth is a trophy smallmouth no matter what body of water it comes from.

Smallmouth Hunter, Searching for BRUTUS, MISSION COMPLETE! 3/26/17