Went down to the DuPage river tonight to give it a try. First time I’ve fished the river in literally 40 years! Never caught anything out of there except carp, got a 2 lb. smallie! My first smallie ever! I was thrilled beyond measure! Thank you so much for posting your videos, had I not watched this I’d have never tried.
DrFrankensteam That is awesome man! Congrats on that Smallie! Good fish! That river is a blast. It’s good all year long, but my favorite times are the Spring and Fall. Those fish really kick it into over drive. Mid to end of Sep through Nov is unreal out there and then again from March/April through the first part of June. Thanks so much for the nice comment. We love hearing stories like this!
Love the fact that you are banging them out in the rain. Most hang it up and head home. i'll fish the rain occasionally but can't say I've seen a whole lot of action when the rain is falling. Well done.
John Ballard Thanks! I love being out during the rain. Like you said it keeps a lot of anglers at home, so on highly pressured waters, I hope for the rain. But those cold rainy days, man it’s getting harder and harder to deal with those days. LOL!
I fished Hammel dam yesterday. I caught a largemouth and a rockbass on a jighead and a twister tail. A young man caught a large smallie also. Thanks Tony!
Was at Hammel below dam, McDowell and Warrenville Grove the last three weeks. Weedy as can be. Not one hit. Weedless, unweighted swinbaits, cranks and jigs got me zip. Any suggestions?
It’s hard with the high water and current. Best to let the river come back to normal. If the weeds are high we run a Zoom Super Fluke, Texas rigged on a 3/0 EWG hook, weightless and work it like a jerkbait. You’ll catch them. Usually run a blue/pearl color.
SubieDoobie It’s amazing how many great fishing opportunities we have around Chicagoland. Between various lakes, rivers, creeks and even ponds. One of the greatest Smallmouth fisheries in the world is Lake Michigan and it’s so rarely talked about, even after the Bassmaster Classic was held there in Chicago in 2000. We’ve definitely got some awesome opportunities. If you ever come back out this way, you’ll definitely have a few places to check out. We have 6 years worth of videos on our channel to browse through. If you have time, check some more shows out. You might be even more surprised about some of the locations we’ve been to. Thanks so much for watching! We truly appreciate it!
As I write this the Hammel Woods Dam is being removed. I think some rock structures will be left behind. Overall the ecology should improve fishing in Plainfield and Naperville as more fish can easily move North with this change.
Thanks Tony! Man I swear it feels like you can drop a line just about anywhere and catch fish! I drive past the DuPage River in Naperville everyday on my way to work and was thinking if it would be a good place to try for crappie?
Thank you for watching! The DuPage River is truly amazing. I know a lot of guys that fish that stretch in Naperville and do very well on the Smallmouth there. I know we find a lot of Crappies down in Hammel Woods in Shorewood. I don’t see why there wouldn’t be some Crappies in Naperville. I know they catch them pretty good in McDowell Grove on the border of Warrenville/Naperville. I’d say it’s definitely worth a shot. Small Jigs or float some Crappie minnows. You should catch them.
Jon Boll good to hear they’re being seen further north. Pretty common from Warrenville area and further south. As time goes on we should see the population continue to grow.
DrFrankensteam Absolutely, Hammel can be pretty good over the winter. Just down from the dam is a hump with a deeper wash out on the backside. Backside of the bridge pilings can be good. The deeper holes just past the bridge will hold fish all winter long. They don’t usually push up towards the face of the dam like they will in the Spring, but that whole stretch down from the dam is great water. Thanks for watching! Good luck!
KARNAGe_90k It has been tough with the current and high water lately. Fished it once a couple weeks ago. Had 3 muskies follow but couldn't get them to commit .
PlaneButcher It has been a weird Spring to say the least. Rain, wind and cool temps have made it tough. Hopefully this weather is stabilizing now and the fishing should pick up.
I’m wondering if all the rain we’ve gotten lately would change any tactics used for catching fish. I have the next 3 days off, but you know with all this rain I’m not sure if that changes anything.
DrFrankensteam yeah that water is gonna be pushing hard on the Dupage river. Should be some high water too. Just really makes it tough. About all you can do is throw a crankbait and hope for the best. Not the most ideal conditions. I do like that platform area at Hammel Woods when the water comes up though. I’d say that area is still worth a shot. But the majority of the river may be tough.
Jesus Idrovo Thanks so much! No those areas we fished and filmed on the river are both public areas. Hammel Woods in Shorewood and Warrenville Grove in Warrenville. Thanks for watching, we truly appreciate it!
Old school bassin A little slower but fish can still be caught on a crankbait. We also do very well with a jig and a Berkley Gulp Minnow in the real cold water months of Jan and Feb.
Clout Coop If the weeds are still up pretty high, a texas rigged fluke or super fluke is the best bait to throw. On weed edges or deeper holes a jig and grub or Squarebill crankbait will work great. Sorry it took a bit to respond. Hope you caught some fish! Let us know how you do!
Daddy Rich There is a lot of good water in Shorewood. Anywhere you find a deeper hole, may even be just a foot or so deeper then the rest of that stretch, or any current breaks or the back side of bends in the river, you’ll find Smallies.
Burial Brigade Videos For sure, the Dupage River is a heck of a fishery. There’s a lot of good water to fish, we barely scratched the surface in this show. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
Hey bro! Watching these vids 3 yrs later and I just went fishing my first time at the DuPage river dam! I caught 6 smallies thanks to your advice!
Adri Waydri that is awesome man! Love hearing good reports like that! Thanks for watching and thanks for the report.
Your videos have helped me tremendously fishing the Fox and Duper for smallmouth. Thanks!!
Johnny Jannotti Awesome! Thank you for watching and thanks for the comment
I grew up and still live on the dupage river absolutely love this video even though I'm damn near a decade late😅
Went down to the DuPage river tonight to give it a try. First time I’ve fished the river in literally 40 years! Never caught anything out of there except carp, got a 2 lb. smallie! My first smallie ever! I was thrilled beyond measure! Thank you so much for posting your videos, had I not watched this I’d have never tried.
DrFrankensteam That is awesome man! Congrats on that Smallie! Good fish! That river is a blast. It’s good all year long, but my favorite times are the Spring and Fall. Those fish really kick it into over drive. Mid to end of Sep through Nov is unreal out there and then again from March/April through the first part of June. Thanks so much for the nice comment. We love hearing stories like this!
Love the fact that you are banging them out in the rain. Most hang it up and head home. i'll fish the rain occasionally but can't say I've seen a whole lot of action when the rain is falling. Well done.
John Ballard Thanks! I love being out during the rain. Like you said it keeps a lot of anglers at home, so on highly pressured waters, I hope for the rain. But those cold rainy days, man it’s getting harder and harder to deal with those days. LOL!
I fished Hammel dam yesterday. I caught a largemouth and a rockbass on a jighead and a twister tail. A young man caught a large smallie also. Thanks Tony!
Paul Collum That's awesome! We have caught a few largemouths down there recently. It is a phenomenal fishery. Thanks for the report.
Glad to see you're back!
Rod Belding Thanks! Very glad to be back. Looking forward to a great season.
I've been waiting for you return! Glad to have you back. Looking forward to this season!
David Vaci Thank you! It's great to be back. Looking forward to an awesome season this year! Thanks for watching!
great to see you back! good fishing.
Gus Wojo Great to be back! We've got a lot of big plans this year.
Awesome! Maybe I'll see you on the water sometime
Gus Wojo Yeah maybe, we'll be all over the place this season.
yey you're back!
John Joman Oh yeah man! Great to be back! Thanks for watching!
Was at Hammel below dam, McDowell and Warrenville Grove the last three weeks. Weedy as can be. Not one hit. Weedless, unweighted swinbaits, cranks and jigs got me zip. Any suggestions?
It’s hard with the high water and current. Best to let the river come back to normal. If the weeds are high we run a Zoom Super Fluke, Texas rigged on a 3/0 EWG hook, weightless and work it like a jerkbait. You’ll catch them. Usually run a blue/pearl color.
@@tonysspotonfishing Thanks Tony. I'll follow your advice . Great vids. Keep up the good work.
I grew up in warrenville but didnt get into fishing until moving to oregon. Never knew smallmouth were right around the corner
SubieDoobie It’s amazing how many great fishing opportunities we have around Chicagoland. Between various lakes, rivers, creeks and even ponds. One of the greatest Smallmouth fisheries in the world is Lake Michigan and it’s so rarely talked about, even after the Bassmaster Classic was held there in Chicago in 2000. We’ve definitely got some awesome opportunities. If you ever come back out this way, you’ll definitely have a few places to check out. We have 6 years worth of videos on our channel to browse through. If you have time, check some more shows out. You might be even more surprised about some of the locations we’ve been to. Thanks so much for watching! We truly appreciate it!
As I write this the Hammel Woods Dam is being removed. I think some rock structures will be left behind. Overall the ecology should improve fishing in Plainfield and Naperville as more fish can easily move North with this change.
Dig the video. There's a lot of fun to be had on the duper, I haven't made it south of McDowell yet, though. Cheers!
DrtyNeedlz77 For sure, it is a blast fishing the Duper. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment!
Thanks Tony! Man I swear it feels like you can drop a line just about anywhere and catch fish! I drive past the DuPage River in Naperville everyday on my way to work and was thinking if it would be a good place to try for crappie?
Thank you for watching! The DuPage River is truly amazing. I know a lot of guys that fish that stretch in Naperville and do very well on the Smallmouth there. I know we find a lot of Crappies down in Hammel Woods in Shorewood. I don’t see why there wouldn’t be some Crappies in Naperville. I know they catch them pretty good in McDowell Grove on the border of Warrenville/Naperville. I’d say it’s definitely worth a shot. Small Jigs or float some Crappie minnows. You should catch them.
I caught crappie in the river in Naperville before.. rare but they are in that area
Jon Boll good to hear they’re being seen further north. Pretty common from Warrenville area and further south. As time goes on we should see the population continue to grow.
What time of the year is this. Any luck this time of the year
Good stuff Tony!
Ding Dong Ditch Thanks for watching. Glad you liked it.
Is Hammell woods any good this time of year? My favorite ponds are now frozen over! Was thinking of giving it a go soon...
DrFrankensteam Absolutely, Hammel can be pretty good over the winter. Just down from the dam is a hump with a deeper wash out on the backside. Backside of the bridge pilings can be good. The deeper holes just past the bridge will hold fish all winter long. They don’t usually push up towards the face of the dam like they will in the Spring, but that whole stretch down from the dam is great water. Thanks for watching! Good luck!
Great smallies! Have you had any muskie action on fox yet this year?
KARNAGe_90k It has been tough with the current and high water lately. Fished it once a couple weeks ago. Had 3 muskies follow but couldn't get them to commit .
Spot on Fishing wow i can't even get a fish in general to follow
PlaneButcher It has been a weird Spring to say the least. Rain, wind and cool temps have made it tough. Hopefully this weather is stabilizing now and the fishing should pick up.
Like 9 nice catch brother
I’m wondering if all the rain we’ve gotten lately would change any tactics used for catching fish. I have the next 3 days off, but you know with all this rain I’m not sure if that changes anything.
DrFrankensteam yeah that water is gonna be pushing hard on the Dupage river. Should be some high water too. Just really makes it tough. About all you can do is throw a crankbait and hope for the best. Not the most ideal conditions. I do like that platform area at Hammel Woods when the water comes up though. I’d say that area is still worth a shot. But the majority of the river may be tough.
welcome back!
Brian Johnson Feels great to be back! Thanks for watching!
what rod do you use for fishing these crankbaits on the rivers?
Could I get the model and color of the squarebill you were using?
benito_castle Rapala Clacking Crank shallow diver in Helsinki Shad color.
Great video! Is this private spot??
Jesus Idrovo Thanks so much! No those areas we fished and filmed on the river are both public areas. Hammel Woods in Shorewood and Warrenville Grove in Warrenville. Thanks for watching, we truly appreciate it!
Spot on Fishing thank you!
Awesome! I live right on the dupage. Never even thought to throw a crankbait. How is it during Jan. And feb.?
Old school bassin A little slower but fish can still be caught on a crankbait. We also do very well with a jig and a Berkley Gulp Minnow in the real cold water months of Jan and Feb.
Spot on Fishing thanks for the reply. Its supposed to be nice again on Friday. I'll try that spot. Great show!
Old school bassin Good luck to you and let us know how you do! Happy to hear you like the show!
I'm going to dupage right now to see if I can catch some smallies cause the salmon haven't been that great. Any quick tips you can give me?
Clout Coop If the weeds are still up pretty high, a texas rigged fluke or super fluke is the best bait to throw. On weed edges or deeper holes a jig and grub or Squarebill crankbait will work great. Sorry it took a bit to respond. Hope you caught some fish! Let us know how you do!
I fell on a rock once at that warren grove spot and had a half in deep hole in my knee but the fishing was too good to leave
I usually float this river in an inner tube near Shorewood. Lol
Daddy Rich There is a lot of good water in Shorewood. Anywhere you find a deeper hole, may even be just a foot or so deeper then the rest of that stretch, or any current breaks or the back side of bends in the river, you’ll find Smallies.
What time of year was this?
Bill Kohler This one was filmed in early April of 2017
I am in Shorewood and had no idea there were hogs like that in the Mighty Dupe
otto skorzeny Ànd there are even bigger Smallmouth in there then we caught on film. Amazing fishery!
that's not the east branch that's the main branch
dan ford I didn't even catch my miss wording until you brought it up. Thanks for catching that! And thank you for watching!
I’m moving up by the dupage
Burial Brigade Videos For sure, the Dupage River is a heck of a fishery. There’s a lot of good water to fish, we barely scratched the surface in this show. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
What is the address ,I want to get some fun
We fished Warrenville Grove in Warrenville and Hammel Woods in Shorewood for this show. Both great spots.