River/stream/creek fishing

[tyrius.]

So, how big does a river/creek/stream need to be for you to look at it and say "there's gotta be some good fish swimmin in there"?

There's a couple of areas on my drive home that I could stop and do a little "river" fishing but don't know if it is even worth getting out of the car.

[roadwarrior]

Well, one criteria is that it never dries up completely. There needs to be some flow throughout the year and over time.

[tyrius.]

Well, one criteria is that it never dries up completely. There needs to be some flow throughout the year and over time.

It definately meets that one.  It's probably close to 10 feet wide in most areas, I really have no idea how deep, but like all running water I'm sure this varies significantly along it's length.  

The reason I put river/stream/creek is that I don't really know what the real criteria is for each.  Kind of like the difference between a pond and a lake.  It's called a "branch" of a river (East Branch of the DuPage River).

[ewokmonsta720]

    The DuPage River, a tributary of the Des Plaines River. The East Branch rises in Bloomingdale, Illinois and flows south through Glendale Heights, Glen Ellyn, Lisle, Woodridge and parts of Naperville and Bolingbrook before joining the main river and continuing south.

    The river has no real significant history other than the fact its named after a French trader who settled on the river.

Since the river flows from Rush Lake you would be able to catch bass, sunfish, channel cat, crappie, bluegill, carp and horned pout. There is a 1.6 mile shoreline along the East Branch that is a popular fishing spot. The East Branch is protected and flows through the East Branch Forest Preserve located between Glen Ellyn Rd. and Rte. 53. I don't believe they stock this river with trout. Maybe with bass to control mosquitos. You could probably "noodle" some channel cat out.

[VekolBass]

I've caught bass out of creeks that you could walk across without getting your knees wet. These are often overlooked by a lot of guys, so the fish can be somewhat "dumb." They also can be very educational if they are clear--you can see how fish behave to an artificial offering. Remember what you see, because the same thing may be happening when you're fishing larger water with less visibility.

Two suggestions. First, the fish may not know the catalogue number of every lure in the BPS catalogue, but they will disappear and not come back if you spook them. Stay back from the edge of the stream, and avoid having your shadow fall over the water. Don't stomp around either. Second, Senkos.

Oh yeah, polarized sun glasses.

[ewokmonsta720]

Two suggestions. First, the fish may not know the catalogue number of every lure in the BPS catalogue, but they will disappear and not come back if you spook them. Stay back from the edge of the stream, and avoid having your shadow fall over the water. Don't stomp around either. Second, Senkos.

Oh yeah, polarized sun glasses.

[VekolBass]

Ewokmonsta,

You mention the DesPlaines River. Is it still as polluted as it was back in the 1960's or have they managed to clean it up. Back then nothing lived in it, at least down in the Chicago suburbs where I lived as a young kid. As far as the comparison between bass and trout intelligence, I can't really say. The trout I've caught actually have seemed less intelligent than bass, but that is likely because they were stockers.