Yesterday's catch...

[conty1]

Went to Starved Rock State Park and fished the Illinois River for a few hours. Mostly just ledgering and sitting on a chair and drinking beer! Lost 2 'big ones' but, at the end of the day, the tally seemed fair!

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n246 ... 0_4679.jpg
(For perspective, the smallest one is about a pound)

Cheers,
Amit

[shooter]

beautiful!!
Tasty as well?

well done.
bro can you plz identify the fish.

[conty1]

beautiful!!
Tasty as well?

well done.
bro can you plz identify the fish.

Very Tasty! When you 'catch' something, it automatically tastes better

The fish on the extreme right is a cat... a Channel Catfish. All others are 'drums'.... aka... 'sheepshead'.

[Mack The Knife]

That's a good bag, Amit. What bait and tackle were you using?

Do you have pictures of the location and the surrounding areas?

Mack The Knife

P.S.: What is the bag limit for these fish?

[conty1]

That's a good bag, Amit. What bait and tackle were you using?

Do you have pictures of the location and the surrounding areas?

Mack The Knife

P.S.: What is the bag limit for these fish?

I was using a couple of different rods... 3 actually. My fav is a Shakespeare Ugly Stick/ Spider spinning reel combo. The other two are other Shakespeare rods with generic reels. I do have a 20lb test Stren line on all these though. I know... you're probably saying 'overkill' but there are a lot of Carp and giant cats in Illinois waters and I just like to keep my tackle ready for a good fight.

I dont have any other pictures from the location... left the camera at home D'oh! Next time maybe

Now bag limit is an interesting point. Most places I go, the bag limits are posted. But the Illinois DNR is pretty generous about these. And plus I was with my dad and uncle so I know we would never reach our 'cumulative' bag limit. In other words, I don't know what the bag limit is for these fish
Ignorance is bliss!!

Cheers,
Amit

[Mack The Knife]

Never heard of a Spider spinning reel.

I use 20 lb braid and mono as well but in my case it isn't just the possibility of latching onto a biggish one that dictates this. Since I am basically a C&R type, I don't want to prolong the fight unnecessarily and I also have to keep the underwater terrain in mind. I have had 20lb mono frayed by 4 or 5 kg mahseer and seen 30lb braid being snapped in the blink of an eye, repeatedly. So the last thing I want is the fish swimming off with a hook in its mouth or worse still a treble stapling its mouth shut.

Have you caught any of those big carps and cats? Would love to see some pics if you have them.

I read a couple of American fishing forums and the impression I get is that the authorities are very strict about seasons and bag limits. Be careful on that score.

What bait did you use for the drum and cat?

[TenX]

Nice catch

[HSharief]

Nice catch Amit. Hey, any plans for our annual IFG fishing/hunting trip. I know I ditched you last year for fishing but we should do hunting.

[kanwar76]

Hey Good Catch Amit,

Good to know that you are still taking time out for the sport. I hope we can hunt together again like last time.

-Inder

[conty1]

Never heard of a Spider spinning reel.

I use 20 lb braid and mono as well but in my case it isn't just the possibility of latching onto a biggish one that dictates this. Since I am basically a C&R type, I don't want to prolong the fight unnecessarily and I also have to keep the underwater terrain in mind. I have had 20lb mono frayed by 4 or 5 kg mahseer and seen 30lb braid being snapped in the blink of an eye, repeatedly. So the last thing I want is the fish swimming off with a hook in its mouth or worse still a treble stapling its mouth shut.

Have you caught any of those big carps and cats? Would love to see some pics if you have them.

I read a couple of American fishing forums and the impression I get is that the authorities are very strict about seasons and bag limits. Be careful on that score.

What bait did you use for the drum and cat?

I bought the spider reel a few years ago. I think it might be discontinued because I checked Berkley's site for details but couldnt find anything.

C&R is not my game Unless the fish is below the catchable size, I usually keep it. I haven't done nearly enough fishing this year ... thanks to the new business venture. But I have caught a lot of carps previous years. CORN works like a charm for these critters. Take a #8 hook and skewer 4 kernels through it to completely hide it. No sinker. You will only be able to cast the line out about 10 feet but thats ok. Let the sucker run off with the hook for a lill bit before you begin reeling!!

Now that I've decided to close the restaurant on Mondays, I will have some more time for fishing. I'm going to Lake Michigan next monday. Let me see how that works. Although I am not too hopeful, coz its more of a beach trip. I'm just going to sneak in the fishing rods while the wife is looking away.

I usually use night crawlers for ledgering. All the fish in the picture were caught on crawlers. I have also used leeches and live minnows. But night crawlers are readily available and they survive in the fridge so storage is better too! When I dont have any live bait, I will just take some hot dogs or sausages. Catfish will eat almost anything. Among fakers, I use power bait a lot. I have had a lot of success with these on trouts.

Cheers,
Amit

[conty1]

Nice catch Amit. Hey, any plans for our annual IFG fishing/hunting trip. I know I ditched you last year for fishing but we should do hunting.

Hey Good Catch Amit,

Good to know that you are still taking time out for the sport. I hope we can hunt together again like last time.

-Inder

I am thinking about a one day Dove hunt early season. Most likely next month. This will be somewhere in central Illinois. Are you guys in?

- Amit

[kanwar76]

Nice catch Amit. Hey, any plans for our annual IFG fishing/hunting trip. I know I ditched you last year for fishing but we should do hunting.

Hey Good Catch Amit,

Good to know that you are still taking time out for the sport. I hope we can hunt together again like last time.

-Inder

I am thinking about a one day Dove hunt early season. Most likely next month. This will be somewhere in central Illinois. Are you guys in?

- Amit

Yep, I am in.. provided somebody is ready to pay for my ticket

On a serious note I am trying to be there in winters so lets see, will keep you updated.

-Inder

[perazzi]

Good going Amit , also keep us posted on the hunting escapades starting wth the doves !!!

Cheers Rohit.

[conty1]

Here's a Carp caught last Monday.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n246 ... C-0159.jpg

As always with these giants, the fight was the best part... about 12 minutes in all!

Cheers,
Amit

[Mack The Knife]

That's a fine looking fish. Any idea what type of carp it is?