Area -CVM/SW
Wade/Float - Wade
Water Level -5.90ft/2.04ft
CFS - NA
Water Temp -76+
Clarity - Clear 3+ feet
Fly/Spin -Spin
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We had a large group (11) of smallmouth chasers meet up at the Cherry Valley Cafe for a bit of smallmouth talk while stuffing our faces with coffee and morning chow before heading out in search of the mighty Kishwaukee River smallmouth bass.
We split up into 3 different groups and went our separate ways.
The group that I led consisted of myself and a pair of Jims', Jim 71 and Dry Jim. We started out just down-stream of the confluence and both Jim and Jim connected on smallmouth pretty quickly. We made our way up-stream on the north branch picking up a few smallies and a walleye or two along the way until Jim 71 (years of age) decided that he wanted to go for a swim while wearing his waders.
It didn't take Jim 71, long to realize that once waders fill with water, you then belong to the river and no matter how hard you try the current will own you and pull you down and treat you like a little bug swirling around the drain plug in your bathroom sink helplessly splashing it's little arms and legs fighting to survive. Like my father did to me many years ago, I reached out my arm and grasped Jim's forearm, he grasped mine, and I pulled him to safety. We started as a group of 3 and by God we are going to finish as a group of 3. We all took a moment and shook the icky scary feeling off our shoulders and then made our way back to the cars where Jim 71 emptied the water out of his waders and grabbed another rod to replace the one lost while fighting to keep his head above water. Sound pretty freaking scary?
It is! One of the reasons I don't wear waders.
Jim recovered well and we continued fishing up the south branch whitch has slower and shallower water. Jim 71 ended the day with about 11 smallmouth a two or three walleyes, Dry Jim ended the day with 8 smallmouth and a walleye, and I came in with 1 smallmouth to avoid the skunk but was happy to return with the two Jims I started off with.
We all survived so I guess we all came out winners.
Pics of the day...
