10-24-04 - Oak Creek was still LOW - not many fish!

I had the falls at Estabrook to myself...I wonder why...?

Lots of folks up at Kletzch!

Didn't catch his name, but this angler was ON FIRE!

One of many fish he tied into...it can be a battle to bring them in under strong currents.

10-24-04 - Fish everywhere and I'm still SKUNKED (unless you count Freshwater Golden Bonefish)

Waters Fished:Oak Creek, Milwaukee River
Fish Caught: 0, ok well 4 (CARP)
Outing Date: 10-24-04
Weather: Sunny
Air Temp: 66F
Water Temp: N/A
Water Level: Milwaukee around 225 cfs, Oak Creek around 7 cfs
Water Color: Oak Creek was Muddy, downstream Milwaukee was muddy, upstream clear
Fish Species: Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, CARP!
Pattern Fished: Eggs Eggs Eggs
Pattern Color: Threw the gamut
Fishing Quality: HMMMM

Yeah. HMM. Not sure how it all worked out this way...everyone was at different spots along the SE WI shore. I was getting phone calls from ALL the rivers; everyone was doing "OK" but no one was fantastic. Since I hadn't been up "north"; I kinda felt that's where I should go look on a Sunday Afternoon.

I first met up with Rich and Chief at Oak Creek...almost missed them there but saw they had parked further down the road...actually spotted them from up on the ridge as they plodded downstream, searching for fish. All they had found were a couple Coho.

They had spent time on the Milwaukee, but not at either major known barrier; why not?! I first stopped at Estabrook and fished the falls...one dark black king took my eggs and threw them just as quickly, and then for the next 2 or 3 hours not a single hit, fair or foul. All along I pretty much had the place to myself too. WHY?

Well, I ended up decided I'd go look at Kletzch, and of course, there was 20+ cars there. Many more fish actively trying to jump the falls, and I even saw a couple make it (here we come Grafton!).

I chatted for a bit with the guy you see at right (fighting a king). He was having a banner day. I started drifting upstream in the "crotch" of the falls; when he didn't come back to his spot I slid in. Just a note to the guy, who's name I didn't get...if you had wanted to come back to your spot by all means I THOUGHT you were going to..I didn't want to gack your spot!

Anyway, I ended up fishin' the same drift and hit maybe another 3 salmon fair, but lost them all. Also in that fray I had 4 CARP (the friendly angler at right helped me land one of them which was "borderline fair"). Didn't take pictures of them, but considering how the day ended up, I should have. They were the only fish I landed fair and I didn't land anything else! I could see cohos and kings all over the place, no steelies (despite the rampant reports of steelies at Kletzch, I have to say, based on what I witnessed, folks are confusing cohos as being steelies).

Man does it suck when you keep pounding the water to the very last minute of legal time, only to come back and tell everyone that all I have to show for my day is "Inland Freshwater Golden Bonefish". Oh, and HDS, I have to say, they SUCK on the fly rod...no way I'd give up spring steelies to go chase carp.

  MP