The ultimate fishing trip provides more than fish

SAVANNAH, IL - This great fall weather is a true gift.

And when it gets to be as mild as it has been these last few weeks, I get wanderlust, and the call of the open road brings new challenges and surprises at every turn.

I like to gauge the value of my excursions not just by the quality of the angling but also by the surrounding environs and its inhabitants.

Rivers are like magnets that draw me in to their locales much like bees finding a yard full of pollen-laden flowers. With about 400-miles of waterway to explore in Illinois, the Mississippi River continues to keep me spellbound.

Many of you know what I'm talking about when I state some of the best bluegill and crappie fishing in the Midwest can be gleaned from the waters of this great river. Add to the mix the wildlife that comes to its banks, and anyone with a smattering of talent can paint their own canvass.

Old Man River is a different entity way up in the far north country. Its headwaters in the Itasca State Park in northern Minnesota present a scene of purity and unfettered naturalness that thankfully has yet to be spoiled. One can walk across the rocks of this small stream and claim the land for the some imaginary kingdom.

But it's here in Illinois where locals along its shorelines continue to thrive by squeezing out a living by making sure there's some bounty to sell and put on the dinner table.

It was here where I found a little cove with bull rushes and a few dead-fall trees. Without a canoe or boat I wasn't able to reach what I believed to be a better hiding place for fish, so I flipped a small, weedless jig under a slip-float to a "garden" of tree branches. It wasn't more than 10 seconds before the float disappeared. A fat, 10-inch crappie fell for the ruse. I stayed there for an hour and caught almost two-dozen crappie and a few small bass. In the middle of this wonderful action, a mink and three offspring showed up to witness the commotion. I could almost hear Marlon Perkins narrating the scene.

I packed up the gear and headed a couple miles downstream. This locale was devoid of any trees, but it had plenty of eel grass and assorted weeds close to the sandy bank. The jig and float sailed to the outside weed edge. I twitched it several times and again it disappeared, and 14-inches of largemouth re-affirmed my actions of not bringing a boat along.

From behind I heard twigs cracking. I slowly turned and spotted a large white tail buck in full antler spread. We stared at each other for 30 seconds before I went back to fishing.

I didn't catch much more from this location, but it didn't matter. Once again I packed up and sauntered down the road to one more potential hot spot. This time I draped a nightcrawler on the jig and sent the float and bait a good 50-feet into the current.

I had to subsequently bring the rig closer in to shore and in to a slack-water pool. That's where the float did a couple of hops and then shot beneath the surface. A 2-pound sauger was my reward and with that final fish I promised myself I would return soon to this amazing "fish bowl" for some of the river's giant catfish and other great scenery.

angler88@att.net