I'm not sure if posting about yet another skunk outing is helpful to anyone unless it helps warn them off a particular body of water.
I made an early morning outing to Potawatomi on Sunday. I like to support local brick and mortar businesses so I picked up a few items from Fish Tech in Morton Grove last week. Among them was a 1/4 oz buzzbait that Fish Tech told me is made in Antioch, IL (Rowdy Buzz Lures).
I got to Potawatomi about 6:30 am, slight wind with occasional gusts from the north/northwest, but it died down after a half hour or so and conditions remained fairly glassy. There's also a lot of tree cover so certain portions of the lake remained glassy even when the wind was blowing. I started off with the 1/4 Rowdy Buzz, white/chartreuse skirt. I approached the bank as quietly as I could and made my first casts parallel to the shallows at left and right just like they show on all those great YouTube videos I watch! :lol: I didn't catch anything, but I loved the way this lure cast and operated. The 1/4 oz size is a nice mid-range lure that's not as small and quiet as a Pond Magic, but not as large and noisy as a KVD Strike King. I spent an hour working my way around the entire lake so if nothing else I got plenty of casting practice. I worked close to any lay downs or sunken brush I came across. It looked like a gill made a half-hearted pass at the buzzbait but that was the closest I ever got to any action. I also started using a San Diego jam knot as an alternative to a Clinch or Palomar. Fairly easy to tie and it seemed to hold well.
On my way around the east end, I came across a guy who was still fishing. He had a lot to say about a certain group of people that he said keep absolutely everything that they pull out of the lake and who, according to him, sometimes even use nets. I'll leave it at that.
I'm not sure if it's stonewort or some other type of fine algae, but the bottom is thick with it. I switched to a ned rig but kept ending up with an algae trailer after the first bump off the bottom. I switched to a Texas rigged watermelon senko with a bullet head and a red bead (one of my go-to stickbaits) and still ended up dragging a ton of algae. So I tried swimming it to keep it above the weeds and algae. I finally switched to a spinnerbait and tried to keep it just above the algae. The visibility at Potawatomi is pretty far. I could see the flash of the willow blade under the surface from 30 ft away. All in all, I probably spent close to 2-1/2 to 3 hours working it. It's a shame such a nice looking little pond hasn't been giving up any fish.
I'm still keeping my fishing stoke going, though, and I will not give up. I'm fishing more now (and hopefully fishing smarter) than I have in a few years. I used to get down after a skunk, but I still approach every cast with confidence and believe that eventually, somewhere, I'm going to tie into a bass again. I know this isn't the best time of the year for fishing.
On my way out I noticed an opening in the trees that led to the DPR and I realized Dam #1 is right in the same area. I plan to check that out in the near future. I don't now if shore fishing is any good along that stretch but I'd like to find out. I've never spent much time fall or winter fishing, but I intend to so so this year.
Lake Potawatomi 7-12-20 - 3 by Steve, on Flickr
Lake Potawatomi 7-12-20 - 1 by Steve, on Flickr
Antioch IL buzz bait by Steve, on Flickr
Lake Potawatomi 7-12-20 - 2 by Steve, on Flickr
I made an early morning outing to Potawatomi on Sunday. I like to support local brick and mortar businesses so I picked up a few items from Fish Tech in Morton Grove last week. Among them was a 1/4 oz buzzbait that Fish Tech told me is made in Antioch, IL (Rowdy Buzz Lures).
I got to Potawatomi about 6:30 am, slight wind with occasional gusts from the north/northwest, but it died down after a half hour or so and conditions remained fairly glassy. There's also a lot of tree cover so certain portions of the lake remained glassy even when the wind was blowing. I started off with the 1/4 Rowdy Buzz, white/chartreuse skirt. I approached the bank as quietly as I could and made my first casts parallel to the shallows at left and right just like they show on all those great YouTube videos I watch! :lol: I didn't catch anything, but I loved the way this lure cast and operated. The 1/4 oz size is a nice mid-range lure that's not as small and quiet as a Pond Magic, but not as large and noisy as a KVD Strike King. I spent an hour working my way around the entire lake so if nothing else I got plenty of casting practice. I worked close to any lay downs or sunken brush I came across. It looked like a gill made a half-hearted pass at the buzzbait but that was the closest I ever got to any action. I also started using a San Diego jam knot as an alternative to a Clinch or Palomar. Fairly easy to tie and it seemed to hold well.
On my way around the east end, I came across a guy who was still fishing. He had a lot to say about a certain group of people that he said keep absolutely everything that they pull out of the lake and who, according to him, sometimes even use nets. I'll leave it at that.
I'm not sure if it's stonewort or some other type of fine algae, but the bottom is thick with it. I switched to a ned rig but kept ending up with an algae trailer after the first bump off the bottom. I switched to a Texas rigged watermelon senko with a bullet head and a red bead (one of my go-to stickbaits) and still ended up dragging a ton of algae. So I tried swimming it to keep it above the weeds and algae. I finally switched to a spinnerbait and tried to keep it just above the algae. The visibility at Potawatomi is pretty far. I could see the flash of the willow blade under the surface from 30 ft away. All in all, I probably spent close to 2-1/2 to 3 hours working it. It's a shame such a nice looking little pond hasn't been giving up any fish.
I'm still keeping my fishing stoke going, though, and I will not give up. I'm fishing more now (and hopefully fishing smarter) than I have in a few years. I used to get down after a skunk, but I still approach every cast with confidence and believe that eventually, somewhere, I'm going to tie into a bass again. I know this isn't the best time of the year for fishing.
On my way out I noticed an opening in the trees that led to the DPR and I realized Dam #1 is right in the same area. I plan to check that out in the near future. I don't now if shore fishing is any good along that stretch but I'd like to find out. I've never spent much time fall or winter fishing, but I intend to so so this year.
Lake Potawatomi 7-12-20 - 3 by Steve, on Flickr
Lake Potawatomi 7-12-20 - 1 by Steve, on Flickr
Antioch IL buzz bait by Steve, on Flickr
Lake Potawatomi 7-12-20 - 2 by Steve, on Flickr