Pool 14 Eyes

I’ve been fishing pool 14 the last couple weeks pretty hard, and found the big fish to be very cooperative, as well as a lot of 12-15″ fish. I’ve kept quiet on the bite due to the WAT tournament out of Albany on May 31st, did not want to spread too much info before the tourney.

As most of the tournament anglers found, the 20-27″ fish are out there in huge amounts, and biting incredibly well. I would guess somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 or 30 big fish made it to my boat in the last couple weeks, with a ton of “shorts” as well. It seems we have two or three great year classes prevelant on the pool, with the 15-20″ fish not as widespread. I managed to catch good numbers of “legals” as well, but they where mostly mixed in with the bigger protected fish. Not a bad situation at all in my book! Several fish in the 6-8 pound range where released quickly and in good shape. These fish are SO fat they look like footballs.
Most all presentations for me worked well. Slipping wings with the MinnKota with 3 ways and stick baits or crawlers, pitching jigs and bait or plastics to key spots on wings, casting cranks to wings and current breaks, dragging jigs in shallow wood and sand, and trolling cranks all put fish in the boat. The key for me was finding bait fish in a likely looking area, then putting a presentation to use that fit the water where the bait where holding. Finding the bait fish with electronics, on the surface, or witnessing fish feeding near the surface. Lots of fun to be had!
I planned to put up a report, but my camera with a ton of great pics took a swim and the I can’t get the pics to upload.
We also found a good bite going for northern pike and crappies, with at least one northern every day I was out, the biggest at 33″.

Whoa, John…sounds like you have been on fire. Good going man.

Love it, keep catching em’ and posting. I have contracted a nasty disease and can no longer fish, I really enjoy updates from waters I used to fish. Thanks again John

Sounds like you got them figured out John. I thank you for keeping the bite quiet before the WAT touney. I fished today for a few hours, you are right on the money about the slot fish . They are falling to many differnt methods. I caught fish pulling cranks , casting cranks and pitching jigs. Several overs and several unders, and only 1 keeper. It should only get better as we get further into June . Good luck out there.

I had some buddies in the tourney, who where on fish all day but could not catch any small enough to keep. One team weighed one fish, the other two. Both teams caught a mess of slot fish on Sunday. It’s rough for the tourney, but what a blast catching all these tanks!!!
Congrats to you and your father jigfan. Glad to see you guys put a pattern together and do us locals proud!!!

Good to read John
wish we could talk about slot fish up here…….hopefully soon!!

Your right John, this pool is on fire. Espcially for those fish over 20″. I hope the guys who fish this pool pay attention to the slot rule. If they get caught with a fish that is even 1/4″ over the line, it will cost them about 500 to 600 dollars. And if they are real law breakers it could cost them their boat,truck,and all of their equipment. The fishing on this pool is better now than it has been in many years and the DOC and DNR plan to keep it that way. Thanks to the help of Commonwealth Edison and conservation groups this pool will continue to produce great fishing. All we need is some help from fisherman and guys will no longer travel all the way up to pool 2 for monster fish. They can get them right here.

Sounds great. I have been catching a number of eyes on the short side, usually about a foot long. Going to fish pool 14 tomorrow. Would be great fun to get into some of the big ones and a few eater size for dinner.

…”She was bread in ole Kentucky but she is only a crumb up here”…..Curly….

John, Had a couple of FUN days with you and Tony. Thanks again for all your help. Things are going great on 14 as far as the slot working. You know your in for a “tough” day when all you can catch is 21-26 inch FAT fish. Its still hard to swallow that one of the best days you have on the Miss goes for not!!!! I know alot of people that would like to have that problem. I just cant beleve that prefishing we caught all the right fish, game day the hogs moved in.

I feel your pain John! I thought you where on schedule for a top five finish at least! The one thing that did surprise me is that only one “over 27” fish was weighed. With all the pigs being caught prefishing and tourney day, I would have thought more overs would have come to the scales.

I also wonder how many of those mid 20’s fish will have the genetics to make it to REAL pig status in the future. I’ve caught more 27-28″ fish in the last couple years than the total for all my years of fishing before the slot, but still wonder how many 30″ plus fish we’ll be seeing in the future.

For those of you who do not know, John has put some face to face pressure on the director of the Illinois DNR to keep the slot in effect after the trial period.

BigMuddy, I agree we owe a lot of the great improvement in our fishery to Com Ed for the stocking program here and on pool 13. I was enlisted to help in a survey of my catches to document how many have the “brands” of stocked fish, but I have not fished enough over the past 18 months or so to be of much use, although I do see a good number of fish with the brand, I don’t know what percentage of fish I catch are stocked. I do know I’ve had days where 20-30% of the fish I catch are stocked, then other periods where I see very few. We have a member here who is a biologist on the team at Com Ed. haasjj is his handle. We need to give him great props as well!

Here are the stocking totals he sent me for the 2007 season.

Pool 14 155K+ w/32.2% left brand

Pool 13 50K+ w/100% right brand

Pool 12 14K w/100% double left brand

Rock River 16K no brand (Byron/Oregon Area

One other thing I forgot to mention, that I feel is very important. With the attention our slot protected pools are getting here as well as through other venues, and the ever increasing quality of the fishery, it is of the uttmost importance that we practice ethical catch and release. Take a pig pic, then get the fish back in the water, revived and on their way as quickly as possible.
Not only the slot fish, but all fish except for the few that may go home for the pan, need to be treated carefully. We have a newly found treasure here, but it’s successful continuation is tenuosly in the hands of the anglers who enjoy these waters. The days of taking limits home for the pan on a regular basis could return and seriously jepordize the fishery in short order. Let ’em go and let ’em grow!

John, I realize it very hard for someone who catches a 26″ fish, and for them it might be the biggest fish that they have ever caught, to release it. I also have no problem with someone keeping a 27″ to 30″ fish to put on the wall. The problem that I have is with the guys who take what ever they can, when ever they can. You see it alot in the fall up at the dams. Thanks to the advent of the cell phone, you can take down their boat numbers and call the DOC Tip Line. TIP or Turn In a Poacher is a good program if the DOC follows through. As for the brand marks on the fish, they are fairly easy to spot on the smaller fish but I have alot of trouble spotting them on the big ones.Does it fade over time? I wouldn’t think so. I have also heard that when a Walleye reaches the 6 to 10 lb. range that she has survived alot of the bad things in the river that can harm her and she passes along those those resistences to her eggs. Kind of like when we biuld up an immunity to a virus. So the potential is there for the fishing to get better and better. I like whats happening with the Walleyes. I just hope nothing happens to screw it up. See you on the river.

I carry the hot line number as well as the cell phone number for Mr Witt, the US Fish and Wildlife offficer for this district. I see him on the water quite often. He’s a heck of a great guy doing an often thankless job, and he does it well!
I agree with the assessment that the big eyes have made it through the dangers of growing up on the river, I just wonder how many actually have the genetics to make it to the 30″ plus size. I truely believe some females stop growing much smaller, just like any other species. I saw something really rare this spring, when I caught a 26″, 6-7 pound fish that was milting all over the boat. I had no idea males got that big. That one recieved extra special care before releasing, as those genetics had to be flat out spectacular!
At any rate, it is an interesting question that I can’t wait to find the answer to.
I have no problem with someone keeping a bif fish for the wall, but it does bother me that there are some out there who take those fish home to eat. That is just not very good stewardship in my mind. I’ve seen it too much already. I’ve fished this area almost exclusively for walleyes the past 12 years or so, and have only caught two over 30″ fish in all that time, with many 27-28″ ers in there. Early on I always said an over 30″ fish or a 10 pounder, I would keep for the wall. I’ve now caught a dozen or so fish in the 10 pound range, but I personally prefer several good photos and a careful release to keep those genetics in the pool. Once again, I think keeping one for mounting is just fine, but the pictures and if taken measurements can get you a very fine replica made also, while the fish swims to continue reproducing. The replicas I’ve seen look as least as “real” as most of the actual mounts I’ve seen, and are much easier to care for as well.
I’ve got a couple really good “big fish” spots that I fish only when I’m alone or with a few select people, and in those spots I’ve actually shook off the biggest walleye I’ve ever had on because a “pro” prefishing for the FLW championship a few years back was close bye and watching. This fish was easily 32″, if not more, but that “spot” is only about the size of two boats, and I would rather keep it than have that sow in the boat.
If it where not for this awesome site, I would never be catching the numbers or quality of fish that I have the last several years. To learn what I have learned here through trial and error would take several lifetimes! Along with the sharing of knowledge, I like to keep emphasizing the need to take good care of our fishery by ethical, stewardly fishing practices.
Hope to see you on the water! I am in a Starcraft 196, Blue and white with a Merc and Nissan hanging off the back. If you see me, stop and say hello!

In response to the brand question. I have a 12.1 lb fish mounted that has a very distinct brand on it’s side. I do not think they go away as the get older they just get stretched out a little. I have noticed that the 25 to 26 inchers I’ve be getting lately are very beat up looking . Lots of sores and beat up fins. I have talked to a few comercial fisherman that have got alot of walleyes in the nets this year. One guy told me he had 14 big eyes in one net and one taped 31 inches . Most of these fish were dead.I know these guys are trying to make a living , but I think the really big fish fall victim to the nets. The little fish can swim through, but the hawgs get stuck. I just hate to see them get wasted this way. I do have a prediction that the state record will fall within two years and it will come out of Pools 13 or 14. I just hope a IDO member gets it because ,I want to see the pictures.

hey john , just cause i like ya , I will go sit on that big fish spot and make sure no body fishes there, just give me an exact location

I’ll narrow it down for you Todd….. it’s between the red cans and shore, on pool 14.

I agree whole heartedly on the commercial nets being a major problem jigfan. I have heard many similar stories from the commercial guys over the years. I think the nets may be the biggest single detractor keeping our local waters from becoming as terrific as several of the upper pools where netting isn’t a problem. I know a couple of net guys that are very conscienscious and careful, others who I am sure break the rules and laws by leaving nets too long, not releasing game fish, or not being careful to release them soon enough. It truly is a terrible waste!

Fished pool 14 yesterday. I hooked into a big fish. Thought I’d caught a big walleye. The fight was on for about 10 minutes. Got the fish to the boat and it was a big carp that was snagged in the side. Easily went 10lbs, lots of fun. Did catch 2 walleyes in the slot limit, 16 to 17 inches. Caught some short that will grow for another day. Kept the two for the pan. Still looking to catch a big one for a photo and quick release.

Did talk to guy at the boat ramp that said he keeps all fish he catches. I responded by…be careful and it is a good idea to follow the rules about size and possession limits. Well the visit was quickly over with the wave of his hand, with the parting words, maybe I’ll see ya out here again…. Yup I’ll keep an eye out for this guy.

John , If I see you out there I’d like to stop and talk. Maybe I can get you to loosen up about that big fish spot! I have a light brown XPRESS with a 150 Johnson on the back. Seems we have alot in common about keeping this pool healthy. I think JIGFAN was right, your going to see some real trophies come out of this pool, like the 14lber on display at R&R. That’s one HOG Walleye.

Made it out Saturday morning for a few hours and late morning Sunday. Caught a 21.5, 22.5 and a 23 along with one 15 inch eater, a bunch of cats, a few sheepies, and one gar. Yesterday was really a beautiful day to be on the river, once the weather cleared off. Wife and I both have all week off, so hopefully I can talk her into a couple days back out there. I couldn’t get anything to go on cranks this weekend, but I only was pitching them to wings. Caught most fish on a crawler harness with a couple red beads, or on a harness with a blade.