[THUNDERSDAD]

Finally getting the chance to take a day with Thundersmom & getting on the water tomorrow.Good timing too. Were down to about 1 1/2 lbs. of gill in the freezer & not much more than that in cats.
Once word got around in the community we live in that we had catfish in the freezer, we gave a bunch away to a few different elderly neighbors.
Funny how something as simple as giving some fish to some older folks just puts a smile on their face & makes thier day.
Got to be careful when speaking of old folks anymore as were getting up there as well, but at least we can still get out & do what we love to do whereas the folks we give fish too just can't get out there anymore & wish they still could. It makes our day as well when we give it away to people who appreciate it as much as they do.


Anyway, enough about that.

We usually fish the north side & work our way twoards the south during the corse of the day, but from what we've been reading here, it sounds like the south side is the place to be.

We've got a few favorite spots we hit all the time & hopefully they'll still be productive for us again this season We are both basically creatures of habit & when we find spots that work, we tend to keep going back to the same locations, year after year.
It's like the old phrase "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" type thing.
We probably should venture out a bit & try new spots, but on that days when few fish are being caught, we pretty much always do well.

That being said, I hope I didn't just jinx us for tomorrow.

We'll try to let you all know how we do tomorrow, on thursday.

Sure will be great to be back on the lake again.
It's been a long, long winter.

 

[kyleh]

Personally enjoy the catfish. Before I heard about all of the chemical spill in the area I'd take home a few 3-4lbers out of their. Now the only lake I'll keep catfish from is Heideke.

Kyle

 

[THUNDERSDAD]

Did you ever look into that spill?
I believe was tritium (sp?)
If you fish any cooling lake, you open yourself up to potentially much worse than that.
I can see with my 3 eyes now though, that anything can happen in life.
Been to Heideke & actually never cared for it.
No place to tuck in & get out of the wind. Way overrated in my 2 minds.
We'll just keep going where we like it & the more that others don't, the better fishing for those of us that do.

P.S. Catfish aren't all there is in that lake, but they do grill up well.
Better still, you don't even need lighter fluid to cook them. ;-)

 

[FishinMatt]

I never take my boat out there, but usually pound it from shore to get the small cats that are so abundant. Judging from past reports, the guys that get the bigger cats seem to find the 40 foot + holes and work the ledges out of it. Not sure about eating them fish myself, but I suppose anything in moderation can't be too bad.

 

[kyleh]

Thunderstuck,

Please don't get me wrong, I'll still fish Braidwood on the cool side and right around the edges look for the larger cats. I caught one a few years back that was20+ lbs. I just won't eat anything out of Braidwood anymore.

Kyle

 

[THUNDERSDAD]

No Worries

kyleh, Just messen with ya here. No worries.
Fact is, you can't REALLY trust anywhere you catch fish from now-a-days.
We just know that we can go there & can CATCH fish rather than waste a day catching nothing. Thats why we like it there. It's all about the fun.
Weather we choose to eat them or not is another story entirely.
Ya think the food you buy at the store is any safer?
Do you eat beef from England?

Ever heard of ......Mad Cow?

Do ya eat Veggies from Calif.?

Ever heard of ........

Never mind, ya get the idea.

It's all about the joy of fishing' Pass it down from generation to generation....We Do.
Someday, they may not be able too.

 

[THUNDERSDAD]

By the way kyleh

Do you & yours eat the fish you take out of Hiedekie?
Just curious.

 

[kyleh]

I'll take home all legal size eyes and 3 or 4 cats every year. I don't target the cats there like I do at Braidwood or the Ottawa pool, K3 or the Fox river. The only other place I'll go around here to catch eyes is the IL or K3 and I throw them back.

You shold try and catch some 3-5" bluegills before you head out to Braidwood. Caught a few of my larger cats this way. Occasionally you'll get a LM Bass as well. Or scrap up some the shad that's all around that place and use that. I always have a tub of chicken liver when I fish there and a littel bit of cooked shrimp.

Kyle