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Posts: 1283
| Well Im excited to hear about this. This is the 3rd decent muskie caught recently I have seen come out of the Des Plains river in Cook Co IL. 25 yrs ago you were lucky to see anything but carp.
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Posts: 1283
| Couple more from there
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Posts: 411
Location: Waconia,MN | Not going too be many more if people keep holding them like that.(the one in the first pic)
Edited by muskie tamer 2/18/2015 6:00 PM
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Posts: 1283
| These are not muskie fishermen, but they have been educated since and all claim to have swam away great |
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Posts: 344
Location: Western U.P. | Years ago, people used to joke about fish with 3 eyes swimming in the Des Plaines River because it was so polluted. My In-laws live by it in the Western suburbs, and now people are catching Walleyes there (and they don't have 3 eyes). That is awesome that it is cleaned up enough to support game fish... especially Muskies. Would have never thought I'd see a Musky caught in that river. Good job.
Edited by Cedar 2/18/2015 6:22 PM
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Posts: 228
| Used to fish there many years ago. Like you said, mostly carp! |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | are those Bussee escapees I presume? |
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Posts: 20190
Location: oswego, il | I would assume busse but fish could go from the fox, up the Illinois to the des plaines. Having said that no documented fish in the Kankakee. |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | Time for you guys to start trolling the Des Plaines. Based on the width of the river, you ought to be able to get a 6 line spread plus one in the prop wash. |
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Posts: 574
Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI | There was a fishing club in Riverside that was doing "private" stocking of the Des Plaines for a long time before anyone else caught on. They were putting in LMB, SMB, Walleyes, Northerns, and Muskies and had quite the fishery. Plus the Busse fish going over the dam and into Salt Creek. |
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Posts: 1283
| My best guess is Busse escapies. Possible they came from the north and escaped during flooding of some stocked lakes in Lake Co that are on the river. Or else like Ken said a club may have put them there but it would have had to be somewhat recent. Anyways where they a caught is a long way from any lake that has muskies. That entire river is loaded with pike now LMB are coming back, a eye here or there and the occasional smb. Pretty awesome for a tiny river that runs right through Chicago. |
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Posts: 1283
| dfkiii - 2/19/2015 7:37 AM
Time for you guys to start trolling the Des Plaines. Based on the width of the river, you ought to be able to get a 6 line spread plus one in the prop wash.
Once it gets warmer I will take a float in my kayak! |
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Posts: 20190
Location: oswego, il | They stocked those fish with DNR approval even muskies? Stocking muskies is the biggest obstacle we have in our club! |
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Posts: 574
Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI | Actually, the club stocked the Des Plaines without DNR approval. Once it came out the club was chastised for doing it. As far as I know, they do now work with the DNR, but no longer stock muskies, mostly just walleye. The muskies showing up down in Riverside that come down Salt Creek were stocked by the DNR in Busse and go over the dam. The Salt meets the Des Plaines at Riverside. |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | achotrod - 2/19/2015 10:27 AM
dfkiii - 2/19/2015 7:37 AM
Time for you guys to start trolling the Des Plaines. Based on the width of the river, you ought to be able to get a 6 line spread plus one in the prop wash.
Once it gets warmer I will take a float in my kayak!
A row (paddle) troller ! I'm impressed. |
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Posts: 1983
| funny how these fish are attracted to current and like to get into rivers, lots of incidental catches in Iowa rivers as well (Des Moines,Cedar, Iowa, Wapsi, Shellrock, just to name a few) Many times they are 50-100 miles from the nearest muskie lake and would have to travel several rivers to get there? Too bad there are not unlimited DNR funds - if they want to be in the rivers lets just stock them  |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | that was kind of the issue with stocking Bussee,,,good in theory, but the fish have a big escape route and once they get out they can spread out so easily and make the stocking efforts futile before long |
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Posts: 574
Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI | The Busse stocking is a success! Some really nice fish are showing up in the lake too not just the creek! |
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Posts: 43
Location: Chicago | I catch tons of pike out of the Des Plaines....love it! |
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Posts: 68
| The upper reaches have/had quite the sauger population as well. A few years ago they were averaging almost double the electro catch rates as below the starved rock pool. These numbers have dropped recently but there are still plenty in there. The last two years have been pretty good for smb as well. Starting to average just as many smallies as pike each trip. There are walleye but most came from busse. They stocked sauger not walleye around riverside and isle la cache. The river also has a very good population of crappie. We net yoy bluegill in the 2" range and rig then under floats. Not uncommon to catch two dozen fish over 12" in a few hours. |
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Posts: 1283
| Lots of fish in Busse also. I havent heard of anything above 40 being caught but the DNR shocked up 44. |
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Posts: 72
| A quick pic of a thirty some incher in a vertical pose isn't going to kill the fish |
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Posts: 305
Location: Illinois | So cool to see musky on the DP. River. I have caught pike, carp, walleye, largemouth, smallmouth, catfish, bluegill, rock bass and a lot of nice crappies out of the DP. I have also had to fend off more than one weirdo while fishing, including a man in full makeup who witnessed my PB pike from the river.I did not ask for a photo. |
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Posts: 688
Location: Already Gone | Glitter too? Lol... this post had me rolling. Thanks HJ.
In my younger days, I used to float the DP in a 12 ft. jon in November for ducks.
Did well, but I could have ended in jail.
Edited by Mark Hoerich 2/20/2015 7:18 PM
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Posts: 1283
| Lol Yeah there are some pretty creepy FP areas on the river. Heres a nice DPR eye that made the cover of a local mag.
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Posts: 68
| We still hunt it from cook down to Romeoville and do pretty good. Most guys don't have the equipment to get to the better areas. I've got a longtail and it still takes a little more than an hour each way. You don't need to worry about getting arrested if you know what sections are ok to hunt. Lots of weirdos by the launch but luckily the pd makes a pass by at least once every hour so it weeds through most of the undesirables.
I believe that is Adam on the cover. He has probably caught more big walleye from the desplaines and salt creek than anyone around |
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Posts: 68
| Andrew not Adam. He's published quite a bit and has his own blog |
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Posts: 1283
| His name is Markus. Aux on other sites. |
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Posts: 68
| Ok I know who you are talking about. I read a lot of his posts on wcf, dude catches some nice pike on the river that's for sure! |
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Posts: 1283
| Thats him. |
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Posts: 180
| I live 10 minutes from the Des Plains, La Grange road any tips about shore fishing for pike or muskie ? |
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Posts: 305
Location: Illinois | For pike Rapalas and Rattlin Rogues work as does a Jig and plastic. Go with the floating models on the minnow baits. Keep your head on a swivel. |
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Posts: 68
| We do pretty well on the small double blades sims inlines or most double willow spinners. Minnow baits work well but we tend to throw baits like the 1.5 or 2.5 KVD square bills as they tend to get snagged less. If you use minute baits use floaters instead of suspending so you have a better chance of saving your baits. I run a17' mod v the entire length of the river and normally float the boat perpendicular to the current and drag some floats with bluegill unless we are targeting structure. |
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Posts: 43
Location: Chicago | Past few season, I've also caught some decent smallmouths....the river is certainly getting better and better. |
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