9-21-05 - Upstream on the Pike it was gorgeous, and there was actually a fish or two around!

Right where I spotted the salmon, my line went tight. This ain't no salmon, but look at the size of that CHUB!

The evening festivities are already starting down at the Pike River Mouth.

Yes, despite a flow of 10 CFS, the Pike's mouth is open and flowing.

Kenosha Harbor, around 7:00 PM.

9-21-05 - First day of Autumn

Waters Fished: Pike River, Lake Michigan (Pike River Mouth & Kenosha Harbor)
Fish Caught: 0
Outing Date: 9-21-05
Weather: Sunny
Air Temp: 80's
Water Temp: Pike River 70F, Lake Michigan 68F
Water Level: Pike - 10 CFS, Lake Michigan Normal
Water Color: Pike, gray, visibility 6". Lakeshore Turbid, visibility 6". Kenosha Harbor cloudy, visibility 1' maybe?
Fish Species: King Salmon, Coho Salmon, Brown Trout
Pattern Fished: Eggs, Egg Sucking Leech, Flying Bunny, Clouser Minnow, Plugs, Kastmasters etc...
Pattern Color: I stuck with classic colors like Chartreuse, Silver, Black - stuff that shows up in dirty water.
Fishing Quality: dismal

So I had today relatively free after finishing up a slew of recent reports. I figure I owe you all a good, current, LOCAL report, so this one's hot off the press only hours after calling it a day. It's the first day of Autumn, barely 2 weeks left before nightfishing season ends and already the buzz is in my email that there are fish to be had.

Knowing I have to start A NEW JOB tomorrow AM, I wasn't able to cut it to drive to the big Mil. for fish, although arguably that would have been a better bet. Instead, I headed for good 'ole Kenosha!

It started around 4:00 PM upstream on the Pike. A LOT of hiking was accomplished. A LOT of HOT, SWEATY HIKING. The effort paid off with ONE good chance at a fish...I barely caught a glimpse of it at first. As I crept down the bank, a woman walking two dogs (who were really more content to splash in the river) passed by. I watched the silver fish, it's form barely visible. As I stared, the form simply vaporized, heck it simply dissolved into the water before me. Not a trace, no hint of movement. The fish simply disappeared! I tried the spot for a bit, even got a tug, CHUB.

I worked many consistent holes briefly, giving each of them a fair shot before heading downstream. There I found two young guys out with ANTIQUE gear...so antique it still had black nylon braid line on it. I did sight a fish, a DEFINITE King, tinged green but still pretty fresh. I tried some ESLs, Speys, buggers, and even got a chase on an Egg Sucking Yarn. Never did get a take, and once the kids started throwing rocks in my general direction I figured I should keep moving.

On down through the detours to the mouth of the Pike River on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. It was already starting to take on the party atmosphere. Back inland the wind appeared to be ever so faintly from the west but here on shore, there was a strong southeast wind that was kicking up some fairly sizable waves.

I cast spoons and tried flies in the lagoon to no avail. I DID get to see a fresh silver Coho on a stringer, so they're around too. A couple King corpses rounded out the "FISH" sighted.

In a final last ditch effort, I ran for the harbor. Not much going on here either. Occasionally a king or a brown would jump clear out of the water, but there wasn't much other action to be had. Around 7:30 PM I had to start heading back for Chicago...I have an EARLY morning!

  MP