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Cory

Salmon Unlimited Member
Joined: 10:27am - Feb 12,03 Posts: 3365 Location: Villa Park
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 Posted: 05:51pm - Jan 13,07 |
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Was going back and forth about whether to hit the creeks today as I wasn’t too sure about driving conditions in the AM. Glad I made the decision to go.
Took Salmon Rookie (Doug) and headed for the bait shop on 20 and 249. We baited up and not long after our third arrived. Gypsy or Frank. I laid out a simple game plan about baits and presentations and off we went. We headed to an upper section of the Little Cal that has done well for me in the past. After laying out the hole for the guys we got set up and went at it.
I started with shrimp, but after several drifts without a bump and given the water and weather conditions I downsized to a #6 hook with a few waxies. It wasn’t long until I hooked up with a nice fish for a brief battle that ended with the fish spitting the hook back at me. Oh well that’s fishing.
Not too long after that I finally connected and stayed connected with a nice aerial display. This hen made several leaps and flips! What a great fight. Soon she was in the net for some pics
I continued to hit my section and walked down to see how Doug was doing. He had a swing and a miss and Frank hadn’t hooked up yet, but I knew he would! And wouldn’t ya know it I hear a “got one” from down the way and I head down there to net his fish. I asked “feel like a good one?” he says “not really” I told him, “Just wait” Well he got a surprise when that fish realized he was hooked! The gave him a great battle and Frank handled it like a champ!
Here is Frank’s first creek steelhead
After all the commotion was over it was back to fishing. I changed up to a 1/32oz pink hair jig with two waxies and my second drift I was into a big fish. A big fish that wanted to give another aerial display. After a few tail walks and jumps this girl came to the net and posed ever so gently with my jig in her mouth.
Doug was getting a little frustrated so I brought him down to my section and he worked it with all he had. He hooked up with a nice fish on a small Panther martin spinner, but the fish spit the hook half way thru the battle.
Frank had to head home, and he was grinning from ear to ear. Doug and I hit a couple other spots, but with nothing to show for it.
The creeks were running slightly fast, but had good clarity. It was a chilly 35deg out there, but damp and that bit right thru you.
I am glad that Frank and Doug were able to make it out today for some Chromer fun!
_________________ Boat name: Legend II
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skamslam

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 04:30pm - Jan 28,06 Posts: 394 Location: south suburbs
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 Posted: 06:37pm - Jan 13,07 |
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Jay

Support Staff
Joined: 05:29pm - Jan 15,04 Posts: 4952 Location: SW Florida, Smokercraft 192 Ultima,115 4 stroke Mercury.
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 Posted: 06:49pm - Jan 13,07 |
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Thats Awesome!!! 
_________________ People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.
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Gypsy

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 09:45am - Oct 25,04 Posts: 816 Location: Plainfield
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 Posted: 08:23pm - Jan 13,07 |
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Pretty darn good summary of the days events there Cory. Again gracias Amigo.
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Bear

Support Staff
Joined: 06:35pm - Feb 18,03 Posts: 4571
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 Posted: 09:14pm - Jan 13,07 |
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Very Nice Cory and Co.
_________________
Kevin
Ignorance and Apathy, I don't know and I don't Care. W.C. Fields
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Razzo

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 11:53am - Mar 27,04 Posts: 1347 Location: SW Florida
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 Posted: 09:29pm - Jan 13,07 |
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Way to go you guys! Nice report & pics. Frank, congrats on your first stream steelhead.
_________________ I am not against golf, since I cannot but suspect it keeps armies of the unworthy from discovering trout... ~Paul O'Neil
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walleyeman

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 06:08pm - Sep 12,06 Posts: 391 Location: Herscher, IL Ranger 620, Mercury 200 Optimax Pro XS, Mercury 15HP 4 Stroke Kicker
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 Posted: 09:59pm - Jan 13,07 |
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Great report and great pics
_________________ If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles. ~Doug Larson "Fishing is not a sport it is a way of life"
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hadley 1

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 08:05pm - Jun 21,05 Posts: 1747
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 Posted: 10:20pm - Jan 13,07 |
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Great job guys 
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Chas E.

Chitown Bird Dog
Joined: 12:43pm - Nov 17,05 Posts: 3125
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 Posted: 11:23pm - Jan 13,07 |
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Beautiful fish, Congrats!
Chas
_________________ Make no mistake between my personality and my attitude. My personality is who I am, my attitude depends on who you are... ;-)
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jmpruet

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 01:52pm - Aug 18,04 Posts: 504 Location: Portage Park
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 Posted: 12:46am - Jan 14,07 |
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Great fish!
Cory...you seem to be doing real well with the pink hair jigs and waxies eh?
That spot looks familiar ;-)
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wsj_outdoorsman

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 09:32pm - Feb 12,03 Posts: 7870 Location: Not quite over the hill, but has a breathtaking view from the lofty perch.
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 Posted: 09:09am - Jan 14,07 |
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Very nice report Cory
What rod/reel combo were you using?
_________________ If a man can't laugh at himself, He leaves the job to others.
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Cory

Salmon Unlimited Member
Joined: 10:27am - Feb 12,03 Posts: 3365 Location: Villa Park
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 Posted: 09:35am - Jan 14,07 |
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Quote: What rod/reel combo were you using?
I decided to try something a little differnet and I wanted to go to a 10'6" float rod. I didn't want to drop a huge dime on one yet so I picked up a nice Granger by Eagle claw for about $45. It is 10'6" Medium action. It has a soft tip, but alot of backbone. I reallly like it. As far as the reel it is an Okuma and it performs very nicely. Nice smooth drag and line take up. No problems with line twist.
Thanks guys for all your positive comments.
Thanks Frank for letting me get you out there and being patient. The look on your face when you saw that buck come to the surface was priceless!
I thought you were going to have to change your shorts!
_________________ Boat name: Legend II
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zimusky

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 01:05am - Jan 7,07 Posts: 91
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 Posted: 05:07pm - Jan 14,07 |
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Hey someone took a pic, said where was, and we saw it. That's what I like! Da Bears!
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OBX Fisherman

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 12:53pm - Jan 10,06 Posts: 1602
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 Posted: 05:21pm - Jan 14,07 |
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Cory wrote: Quote: What rod/reel combo were you using? As far as the reel it is an Okuma and it performs very nicely. Nice smooth drag and line take up. No problems with line twist. Thanks guys for all your positive comments.
I feesh Okuma reels exclusively. I Started feeshing them in Saltwater and fell in love with them. Lots of bang for the buck. I would hate for my wife to know what "WE" have spent on Okuma Products, but that is another topic for another day
Reech
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MCSTEEL

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 08:45pm - Apr 10,06 Posts: 96 Location: M.C. Indiana
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 Posted: 07:44pm - Jan 15,07 |
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Now thats what I call a very good report. Good job!!!
_________________ "HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOUR PRESENTATION"
><(((">
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Cory

Salmon Unlimited Member
Joined: 10:27am - Feb 12,03 Posts: 3365 Location: Villa Park
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 Posted: 08:49pm - Jan 15,07 |
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Thanks! We had an enjoyable day. The weather was nice and the fish were cooperative. I was able to hone a few presentations and put some others on fish.
I hope to do it again soon, but flows aren't looking so great.
_________________ Boat name: Legend II
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jawjack

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 07:42pm - Jan 11,07 Posts: 27
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 Posted: 08:20pm - Jan 16,07 |
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Cory,
nice pics and report. we did well on saturday also. Keep on hookin`
>JJ<
_________________ "LEAVE AREA CLEANER THAN HOW YOU FOUND IT"
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Cory

Salmon Unlimited Member
Joined: 10:27am - Feb 12,03 Posts: 3365 Location: Villa Park
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 Posted: 08:39pm - Jan 16,07 |
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Yes you did, I saw those pics. That one buck sure had a bright stripe!
Great job!
_________________ Boat name: Legend II
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fishinnstudyin

Chitown-Angler
Joined: 10:54pm - Jan 9,07 Posts: 143 Location: Chicago, IL
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 Posted: 11:27am - Jan 24,07 |
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hi, i read your great post on fishing the little cal? what is the full name of this river/creek b/c I'd like to go fly fishing here. also, you dont have to tell me your secret holes but could you give me a general idea of a point where I can start wading in this river???
thanks,
John
btw.. you wrote several hints on how you fished for steelhead/salmon.. I decided to make this my salmon rod setup, I bought a new Okuma Metaloid 30 for about $35 dollars and I decided to put 10 yards mono backing so braid wouldnt slip, a 2nd 15 lb braid backing of 150 yards, and about 80-100 yards of 10-12 lb mono.. My reel can only hold about 120-140 yards of 12 lb mono, so with the braid as backing I could add a lot more line into my reel b/c of the 4 lb mono test size the 15 lb line has... tell me what you think about this? would it work?
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Tom

Salmon Unlimited Member
Joined: 10:35am - Feb 11,03 Posts: 8620 Location: Naperville
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 Posted: 11:47am - Jan 24,07 |
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fishinnstudyin wrote: hi, i read your great post on fishing the little cal? what is the full name of this river/creek b/c I'd like to go fly fishing here. also, you dont have to tell me your secret holes but could you give me a general idea of a point where I can start wading in this river???
thanks,
John
btw.. you wrote several hints on how you fished for steelhead/salmon.. I decided to make this my salmon rod setup, I bought a new Okuma Metaloid 30 for about $35 dollars and I decided to put 10 yards mono backing so braid wouldnt slip, a 2nd 15 lb braid backing of 150 yards, and about 80-100 yards of 10-12 lb mono.. My reel can only hold about 120-140 yards of 12 lb mono, so with the braid as backing I could add a lot more line into my reel b/c of the 4 lb mono test size the 15 lb line has... tell me what you think about this? would it work?
Here are the maps from our Chitown links icon above, for the Little Calumet, Salt, and Trail creek.
http://www.chitown-angler.com/1tackle/maps/littlecal-salt.gif
http://www.chitown-angler.com/1tackle/maps/trailcm.gif
If you check the Indiana DNR site, they will show you public access areas for all three creeks. Your best bet is to grab the maps and do some searching. There are some places that are not marked as public access, but can be reach with a little walking in the creeks, and those are some of the most scenic and productive waters around. Do some searching, that is part of the enjoyment in catching these fish. I am not at liberty to share the spot that Cory is fishing. That's his call.
As far as your line set up. If your fish takes out 100 yards of your 10 to 12 lb mono, he most likely is going to break you off. There are too many obstructions for him to take advantage of, with that much line out. A long rod, say 9 feet or so, and 8lb test on your reel would serve you well.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck,
Tom
_________________ I've got to stop wishin'. Gota go fishin'...
Twin Fins
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