8-11-04 - Leaving Bass Pro in Gurnee and I caught a glimpse of this rainbow...looks like it ends at Kenosha Harbor!

The Pike River was "normal" but still turbid from the rains earlier.

What is this? The Shocking crew is running the shore.

Honestly looks like some strange waterborne UFO.

What are they doing?

I could barely keep up...they were moving along easily at walking pace.

I guess the rule is you better have your lines out of the water...honestly anglers had little warning.

No answers as to what they were out shocking for.

Ken lands a FAT Kenosha Harbor Brown Trout.

Ken's efforts are rewarded with a well deserved catch.

Matt's buddy Joe has one on.

COME ON, get that fish in already!

8-11-04 - Fried Pike & KFC (Ken Follensbee Catches)

Waters Fished: Pike River, Lake Michigan (Kenosha Harbor)
Fish Caught: 0 personally
Outing Date: 8-11-04
Weather: Winds out of the west
Air Temp: 60's
Water Temp: Didn't take it on the pike but it's assuredly warm. Kenosha was around 60F - Dropped CONSIDERABLY
Water Level: Normal
Water Color: Pike muddy, visibility 1 1/2 foot. Kenosha Harbor murky 1-2' vis.
Fish Species: Brown Trout
Pattern Fished: Kastmasters
Pattern Color: Kastmasters in silver/blue
Fishing Quality: Slow but worth the wait

It started as a good plan that only got better and better. Left the office and traffic, for once, was MORE than cooperative...FAT was out and about too, there had been rain the night before, this was time to check on a few things.

We met up at Bass Pro; I picked up some fall essentials NOW while they're still in stock, restocked my harbor box and we were off, back to WI!

So mix in some valuable scouting with a bit of truly optimistic hope and it will drive you to the tribs ANYTIME there's a rain! We booked on over to the closest trib despite the news that the Pike had not risen according to the USGS servers.

Well, maybe it rose and maybe it didn't...it's often hard to tell when the water is off color and you're looking at the slack spots. I relined my harbor rod while FAT went down...the only aquatic life spotted was a MONSTER snapping turtle!

Relined, and Rich back up from downstream, he didn't find anything fish wise. His thought? Split up and double our odds...his last stop of the night would be the Root. If there was something going on, he'd call. I'd head over to Kenosha Harbor...if there was action going on Rich said he'd prefer NOT to know...otherwise you know FAT he'd be out ALL NIGHT chasin' willing biters.

I got to Kenosha Harbor around 8:45 pm and found someone I didn't know sitting on the best spot..he knew why he was there and so did I. Thankfully he was very friendly; thanks Mike for letting me join you out there...it was great spending the evening with you on the harbor!

Matt #37 showed up (Matt we need a better nickname than the one I'm currently using for you); his buddy Joe came with. Shortly thereafter Ken Follensbee showed up too! So now the crew was out enmasse to try to turn our luck on the harbor browns.

We all made sure we were putting out different offerings...heck for a while I even tossed some glow in the dark trolling spoons (they don't cast far but they flutter really nicely). NOTHING was going on fish wise...for 2 hours we just cast and cast and cast.

The HIGHLIGHT of the evening during all this casting was the strange boat we first noticed motoring in on the far side of the harbor. It was all lit up and going slow, staying very close to the shore. WEIRD.

Soon we realized it was coming towards us....and in only a minute it was right up on us. I guess, for some strange reason, they were SHOCKING in the harbor. Two big booms came off the front of the boat with several electrodes dangling in the water. Two guys stood on the bow with nets, while a third drove.

I didn't see ANY fish come up. All attempts to try to find out what they were doing went unanswered...I'm going to assume it was because they couldn't hear us. Anyway, I ran up and down the harbor sidewalk shooting as many pictures as I could of this freakish encounter. Wild.

11:00 rolled around and I'm getting a bit tired. I cast out far and twitched my spoon...this 6lb smoke Fireline is the sh*t...man it just goes and goes and goes. As my spoon fluttered down I could actually feel what was going on, and it happened.

TAP TAP and I reared back to set the hook. Immediately a huge fish burst out of the water in the distance...from this far away I'm going to say a 30" brown...could've been more or less but definitely a brown, definitely big, definitely kyped. I know what you all are thinking, but after being out in this light for 2 hours your eyes adjust quite well...the camera can't keep up.

By the time the fish landed everyone is asking "is that your fish"..."do you have it on"....I'm reeling furiously hoping that maybe my line is limp because the fish is running towards me, not because it has come off. All too soon my fears are confirmed...this was a one hook wonder.

I announced that I could now leave, I've hooked my fish for the night. I put in a few more casts but was thinking it was time to go....then again wait why had I just hooked one now and not two hours ago despite the fact that the water had been boiling consistently with active fish all evening?

Ken was around the bend and shouted "I can go home now!" I dropped my gear and ran over to find Ken with his rod throbbing with the weight of an angry fish. Back up to get the net and back down to help Ken. He did it like a pro and brought in a NICE brown.

Meanwhile Mike had a missed fish, and no sooner had we finished up shooting Ken's when Joe hooked up! SWEET! Looks like the bite is on!

Unfortunately Joe's fish came in foul...go figure...back to the tail-swatting browns I guess. I had to work in the morning, it was getting late, time to pack it up and drive home...at 11:45 PM.

I'll be back and it's only going to get better down the road!

  MP