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1st outting at NSC @ Foster dam

2K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  edai2000 
#1 ·
This is my first outting (and first report on WCF) on the river. I was out there from 5:50pm to 7pm this afternoon with a friend casting texas rigged senkos & yum dingers from the designated fishing area of the river walk (just south of the dam on the west bank)--hoping for some large mouths. Despite getting completely skunked and loosing about four sets of texas rigged senkos and dingers in the large branches(?) that have fallen into the river, it was still a fun and relaxing outting nonetheless. I definitely didn't find where the drop off spots are from where I was casting.

The weather was awesome though, with very little winds. I am looking forward to fishing the river again tomorrow morning, maybe from a different area. Anyone going to be out there? Would be really cool to meet some new WCF friends.

-Eric
 
#2 ·
Eric... that spot you fished is a bitch to fish. Yes, the entire area is beautiful, but fishing from that wall will get you snagged, snagged, snagged.

The best spots are just on the north side of the dam (you have to do some climbing to get there), or the east shore, which requires getting under the fence.

The best time to fish Foster is weekdays when few others are out there and you can get a spot under the dam (north side). However... the entire area DOES hold fish. I can get frustrating, though.
 
#3 ·
Hi Eric. I hope the snags didn't discourage you too much. It's completely unavoidable fishing the Foster area until one learns where (and how deep) the potential snags are. Most people fishing that wall are going for carp, but I sometimes see people catch LM bass from there using crankbaits or tandem spinners, though I'm sure a lot of those lures are lost as well. My rule of thumb fishing this spot is to not throw anything too expensive on the end of my line :wink:
 
#4 ·
Although I am still new at this river fishing, it'll probably take a lot more than catching zippo a dozen times to discourage me from going out there again. So, no worries. I actually went out to the NSC again this morning, but farther up north. I did a bunch of recon work around the Lincoln Ave bridge, the Touhy bridge, the howard bridge and the Oakton St canoe launch dock. I ended up sticking with the last location since that was the only one I was sure wouldn't be considered tresspassing. It was sunny w/ a small breeze coming from the NE, but I didn't get a single nibble during the 1 hour I was there. Tons of weeds at the bottom, but at least no trees this time to snag onto. Any one ever fish off of that launch dock?
 
#6 ·
The water from Oakton Street north is very funky/cloudy. I have caught a bass under the Dempster bridge so they are certainly in there. Give the area around Howard Street a try - under the bridge, outfall 105, and at the plant discharge.
 
#7 ·
Thanks, Jay. I actually remember seeing that outlet right under the Howard bridge, but wasn't sure what is was (it wasn't flowing Saturday morning). Now that you mentioned it, I realize that is the odorous outfall 105 mentioned in previous posts. Do you know if parking is allowed on small dirt area on the NE corner of McCormick and Howard? It only fits about 4 cars. I parked there for about 5 minutes when I was scoping the area out, but wasn't sure if it's kosher.
 
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