Good video on small river. I like your in depth of cover that you explain and how fish use that along with the current on that cover. I don't know how many people will grasp how important that is, GOOD JOB. I enjoy watching you stuff!
My number one goal in most videos is to be helpful in some way and I'm glad I was able to get a few insightful bits in there for you. Thanks for your support and feedback!
Season after season, your fishing, coaching and production skills continue to improve! Thanks for your valuable help as I pursue the river smallies here in the mountains of NC!
You bass guys and your hooksets lol. I love it you keep me smiling every time. Really good video thanks. Saw a few flathead spots bring some creek chubs with you next time.
If you don't set the hook, you may not get to look! 😉 It's in my DNA at this point I think haha. Thanks for tuning in. I would love to pull a massive flathead out of there.
Thats used to be my favorite part of the river . Big smb big spots and lmb. Up a lil farther the ol tordown bridge thats been holding good fish also. Glad u posted this not alot of people have seen this part of the river . I am a local to the area appreciate u trying to be low key.
That's a great point about soft-bottom areas and their production. I subscribed to that school of thought and found myself frequently skipping over areas like this. That said, I've fished for skinny water smallmouth for a LONG time, and I started picking apart areas like that more this year, especially those holding some type of structure, and I've consistently found some tanks. Smallmouth (and bass in general) are funny that way. Just when you thought you had figured most of them out, there's always a few surprises! Appreciate the video, your knowledge and the ode to gar. I've caught quite a few spotted gar and they are an incredibly cool fish. Cheers and it's nice to see someone out there also grinding rivers!
I agree. Certain times of the year, I will take the time to break them down too. It's not a rule to skip them. As you've found, there will usually be some fish hanging around and that's probably due to those deeper areas holding bait most if not all of the year. If there are other predators there, there's most likely some smallies hanging around! Spotted gar are pretty hard to find around here but they're on my list! Would love to catch one!
As always, the in-depth explanations about what to look for and how to fish certain areas are very much appreciated. And I second the sentiments about gar: they are super cool fish, a ton of fun to catch, and valuable to the ecosystems they live in. Also, please keep exploring Central Illinois! There are some cool places to fish in that area!
Not fished this particularl river one but years and years ( mid 70’s) ago fished the Mazon creek and Kankakee rivers fairly regularly. Long since moved eastward and haven’t fished much in years.
Spotted bass have a rough patch on their tongues, definitely looked like one. They’re in southern Illinois, pretty cool to find one in central Illinois
Just subscribed and I like the presentation. I've been wading about 30 years now and keep striving to learn. I hear the seasonal cicadas singing away. Great explanation, read on the water and bait choices. The 19 inch smallmouth is a tank most anywhere but our IL fish are built differently good. The river largemouth was a nice bonus. Blessings brother
Thanks for the support! I agree, that fish is a good one in most of our streams. They feel even better this time of year when you're also likely to catch numerous smalls.
you are differently an experienced river fisherman. Good luck and keep it up , be careful current can really get you trouble if you are not watching water.
@@RivermanTV- I got knocked out of my jet boat once in high water with heavy current and it really scared me! was able to hang onto my boat and climb back into it but will never forget that one!!
Interesting. We wanted to fish that river around that time (If I heard you correctly) but the website suggested it was too low, so we headed elsewhere. Our river was 2.5' average, caught one a little shorter than yours, behind a large solitary rock midstream. Now I have a better understanding of that area you were at- Thank you=-👍
You're welcome! What website are you referring to? If you wanted to wade, you'd be able to access a lot of water. Floating downstream in a kayak is also a piece of cake in the area I was in at that level.
I was fishing a river a few days ago for catfish using shrimp and couldn't keep the gar off my line! One was about 4 foot long and took me and the kayak for a ride😅. All were released unharmed.
I kayaked up the river to a sand bar across from a bend with submerged timber and fished all night last night. Fishing with live and cut bluegill, I think the gar killed all my live bait. No catfish, only landed two gar fish, but they kept me busy all night!
@RivermanTV- I did this same float yesterday (not because of your video, I've had this trip planned for a while), only caught 1 tiny spot but Holy cow the smallmouth were on fire. We probably caught over 80 between 3 of us. Lots of solid size ones too.
@EngineeringHooksets glad y'all had a good day. The recent cool down had em fired up in MN too. Water temps were down 8 or so degrees and flows were good from recent rains. I don't know if IL got rain but I imagine the bite would continue to be good with a little bump in level.
Love the content! You ever come across a river where all you catch is 12-14 in fish maybe a 15 ever fish is 1-2 lbs …..I can’t seem to get any fish in that 18 in range any ideas? It’s the Delaware river in New York . The fishing is excellent just nuthin in the omg big size range
Absolutely. There is a river here in IL that I've fished that is just like that. Unfortunately with those rivers, I think it is a population and ecosystem issue but I can't say for certain. The only thing I can do in a place like that is grind, grind, grind to find those unicorns. Because there are so many smalls, I usually find them in a more isolated spot that is small enough to just hold one hunting fish instead of a pack of five small ones.
Got me wondering where you are too. Pretty sure you did the "bass trifecta" - LMB, SMB, and spot. Be looking to target some spots later this summer. Thanks for the gar love. They get no respect....really sad.
I never expected to run into a spot. The next day I caught one in the Wabash so it made sense, but I didn't even know that they were there either. Shoot me an email if you want to discuss that area in the video.
@@RivermanTV-they’re terrible this year. Im from chicago but my family has a small cabin 40 min from the dells right on the wisco river. These last few months just going from the car to the cabin you get swarmed
@@dohman76 sorry. I worded that wrong. There is the Vermilion River and it’s north flowing. Then there’s the Middle Fork Vermilion and it flows south. He’s south. He’s on the Middle Fork Vermilion. South of 74. You are where the river flows north from Ford county near Roberts to the Illinois river. Roberts south flows to the Wabash River. He’s about 90 miles southeast of Pontiac.
Love the speech about the Gar! Totally agree. Killing ANYTHING for no reason is completely bone headed.
Preach!
More UA-cam folks need to be addressing the nonsense people believe.
Indian creek into the vermillion...fun section when i was younger.
Good video on small river. I like your in depth of cover that you explain and how fish use that along with the current on that cover. I don't know how many people will grasp how important that is, GOOD JOB. I enjoy watching you stuff!
My number one goal in most videos is to be helpful in some way and I'm glad I was able to get a few insightful bits in there for you. Thanks for your support and feedback!
Season after season, your fishing, coaching and production skills continue to improve! Thanks for your valuable help as I pursue the river smallies here in the mountains of NC!
You're welcome! I appreciate the positive feedback and support.
You bass guys and your hooksets lol. I love it you keep me smiling every time. Really good video thanks. Saw a few flathead spots bring some creek chubs with you next time.
If you don't set the hook, you may not get to look! 😉 It's in my DNA at this point I think haha. Thanks for tuning in. I would love to pull a massive flathead out of there.
Thats used to be my favorite part of the river . Big smb big spots and lmb. Up a lil farther the ol tordown bridge thats been holding good fish also. Glad u posted this not alot of people have seen this part of the river . I am a local to the area appreciate u trying to be low key.
I grew up down there but in those days I spent more time on other rivers and didn't have the knowledge/access to information to send it out there.
Great video, cool looking river. Cool gar, wish we got to see the cat he exploded for the plopper. Nice 19 incher as well. New subscriber here
I really wanted to land the cat. What a heartbreaking loss! Thanks 👊
Great video, i was vorn and raised in Illinois and yea even the smaller bodies of water hold their secrets and good fishing, thanks for sharing
That's a great point about soft-bottom areas and their production. I subscribed to that school of thought and found myself frequently skipping over areas like this. That said, I've fished for skinny water smallmouth for a LONG time, and I started picking apart areas like that more this year, especially those holding some type of structure, and I've consistently found some tanks. Smallmouth (and bass in general) are funny that way. Just when you thought you had figured most of them out, there's always a few surprises!
Appreciate the video, your knowledge and the ode to gar. I've caught quite a few spotted gar and they are an incredibly cool fish. Cheers and it's nice to see someone out there also grinding rivers!
I agree. Certain times of the year, I will take the time to break them down too. It's not a rule to skip them. As you've found, there will usually be some fish hanging around and that's probably due to those deeper areas holding bait most if not all of the year. If there are other predators there, there's most likely some smallies hanging around!
Spotted gar are pretty hard to find around here but they're on my list! Would love to catch one!
Looks like a great day. Had the river to yourself and you got good variety. Great smallie
Im from illinois. For those wondering what river that is it is most definitely the amazon river. Youre welcome.
Wrong continent, my guy 🙃
Auto correct? I think he meant to say Mazon River.
@@DruFishing probably. Haven't been to the Mazon in a couple years. It's definitely worth a visit.
As always, the in-depth explanations about what to look for and how to fish certain areas are very much appreciated. And I second the sentiments about gar: they are super cool fish, a ton of fun to catch, and valuable to the ecosystems they live in. Also, please keep exploring Central Illinois! There are some cool places to fish in that area!
Thanks as always for your feedback and gar love! I've got some water to cover still in central IL, don't worry...
Cool to see a fellow lefty-baitcaster user. :)
Everyone else is doing it wrong
Not fished this particularl river one but years and years ( mid 70’s) ago fished the Mazon creek and Kankakee rivers fairly regularly. Long since moved eastward and haven’t fished much in years.
The Mazon is a beautiful stream! Unfortunately some landowners now try to police access to it like they own the whole river.
Spotted bass have a rough patch on their tongues, definitely looked like one. They’re in southern Illinois, pretty cool to find one in central Illinois
That’s a spot!
I thought so but I honestly had no idea they'd made it that far up north
Just subscribed and I like the presentation. I've been wading about 30 years now and keep striving to learn. I hear the seasonal cicadas singing away. Great explanation, read on the water and bait choices. The 19 inch smallmouth is a tank most anywhere but our IL fish are built differently good. The river largemouth was a nice bonus. Blessings brother
Thanks for the support! I agree, that fish is a good one in most of our streams. They feel even better this time of year when you're also likely to catch numerous smalls.
Care to share what river and tributary this is? Otherwise, I really appreciate the video and explanation of how you fished that area!
Vermilion River
Has to be the Wabash or maybe the Sangamon. It could be the Kaskaskia. But that river is more Southern Illinois.
@@Navyuncle I’m 99% sure it is not the sangamon. Smallmouths are far and spots are nonexistent. At least I’ve never heard of one.
@@Navyuncle Actually bass of any kind are rare on the sangamon.
I live in central illinois and fish the kaskaskia all the time. It’s in central illinois.
Looks a lot like the vermilion river 😎
I used to do great in the vermillion around fairbury Illinois. Spotted bass...crappie.
you are differently an experienced river fisherman. Good luck and keep it up , be careful current can really get you trouble if you are not watching water.
I always fear the river. That's why you see a life jacket.
@@RivermanTV- I got knocked out of my jet boat once in high water with heavy current and it really scared me! was able to hang onto my boat and climb back into it but will never forget that one!!
@@jeffburkett-tv9mc it's pretty humbling when something goes wrong like that
Interesting. We wanted to fish that river around that time (If I heard you correctly) but the website suggested it was too low, so we headed elsewhere. Our river was 2.5' average, caught one a little shorter than yours, behind a large solitary rock midstream. Now I have a better understanding of that area you were at- Thank you=-👍
You're welcome! What website are you referring to? If you wanted to wade, you'd be able to access a lot of water. Floating downstream in a kayak is also a piece of cake in the area I was in at that level.
I was fishing a river a few days ago for catfish using shrimp and couldn't keep the gar off my line! One was about 4 foot long and took me and the kayak for a ride😅. All were released unharmed.
Crazy! Never heard of them going after shrimp
I kayaked up the river to a sand bar across from a bend with submerged timber and fished all night last night. Fishing with live and cut bluegill, I think the gar killed all my live bait. No catfish, only landed two gar fish, but they kept me busy all night!
Grew up in Springfield, IL. Fished a number of rivers in that region. So no need to be secretive about it!!
No secrets here. It's in the comments!
Sick float, man! That's totally a spotted bass, they're in that river
I was ignorant of this up to that moment 😅. It made sense when I caught another one in the Wabash the next day.
@RivermanTV- I did this same float yesterday (not because of your video, I've had this trip planned for a while), only caught 1 tiny spot but Holy cow the smallmouth were on fire. We probably caught over 80 between 3 of us. Lots of solid size ones too.
@EngineeringHooksets glad y'all had a good day. The recent cool down had em fired up in MN too. Water temps were down 8 or so degrees and flows were good from recent rains. I don't know if IL got rain but I imagine the bite would continue to be good with a little bump in level.
good video riverman! looking forward to some more car videos too!
Coming at ya in the near future
Great info. Thanks for the share
You're welcome. Thanks for stopping by 👊
Yup. Spotted bass.
Fun stuff. We have to collab 😎✌️🎣 Happy Fishing 🎣
Cheers !!
🍻
Love the content! You ever come across a river where all you catch is 12-14 in fish maybe a 15 ever fish is 1-2 lbs …..I can’t seem to get any fish in that 18 in range any ideas? It’s the Delaware river in New York . The fishing is excellent just nuthin in the omg big size range
Absolutely. There is a river here in IL that I've fished that is just like that. Unfortunately with those rivers, I think it is a population and ecosystem issue but I can't say for certain. The only thing I can do in a place like that is grind, grind, grind to find those unicorns. Because there are so many smalls, I usually find them in a more isolated spot that is small enough to just hold one hunting fish instead of a pack of five small ones.
Got me wondering where you are too. Pretty sure you did the "bass trifecta" - LMB, SMB, and spot. Be looking to target some spots later this summer. Thanks for the gar love. They get no respect....really sad.
I never expected to run into a spot. The next day I caught one in the Wabash so it made sense, but I didn't even know that they were there either. Shoot me an email if you want to discuss that area in the video.
what kind of trolling motor are you using that is small enough in profile to fish that small tributary?
I've got the older version of this motor: newportvessels.rfrl.co/jvn6x
Just found this video. Very nice! What is the popper you were using with the spinning rod?
Thanks! I didn't have any poppers on. On my spinning rod, I was using a weighted wacky rig.
@@RivermanTV-it looked like you got some bites on a topwater. Thx though. Very good video!
What kayak are you using by chance?
Crescent Shoalie
Sangamon River?
What river ?
When will we get brushless kayak motors 🤦♂️
Already here! newportvessels.rfrl.co/jvn6x
@@RivermanTV- sheeeesh spendy but probably a dream to use
Oh, those lovely mosquitoes
I'm in Wisconsin now and they're eating me alive 🫠
@@RivermanTV-they’re terrible this year. Im from chicago but my family has a small cabin 40 min from the dells right on the wisco river. These last few months just going from the car to the cabin you get swarmed
What river are you on? I'm from central Illinois. Subscribed to you now too.
Vermilion River in this video.
@@RivermanTV- nice. I fish the vermillion, but I would have to assume I am farther south then you are. I am in the pontiac area.
@@dohman76he’s not fishing the same vermilion. Think lake vermilion (Danville)
@@Scarfaceoutdoors the vermillion river is the vermillion river.
@@dohman76 sorry. I worded that wrong. There is the Vermilion River and it’s north flowing. Then there’s the Middle Fork Vermilion and it flows south. He’s south. He’s on the Middle Fork Vermilion. South of 74. You are where the river flows north from Ford county near Roberts to the Illinois river. Roberts south flows to the Wabash River. He’s about 90 miles southeast of Pontiac.
This the Macinaw or sangamon?
Nope. I'll give you one more try 😉
(Vermilion)
What was the name of the river in central Illinois?
Vermilion