A mistake on the Kankakee River Fishing Derby’s Web site Saturday erroneously credited Joe Catona of Momence with a whopping record-breaking bass.
Catona’s largemouth bass turned out to be 2 pounds, 11 ounces, about 18 pounds less than what the derby’s Big Board reported at 6:20 p.m. Saturday. The error unfortunately made its way into The Daily Journal’s derby report on Sunday.
When the miscue was corrected Jeff Dummer of Kankakee regained his top spot on the largemouth board with a 4 pound, 3 ounce entry.
Kevin Ballard of Kankakee won $100 in Saturday’s Derby Dollar contest with a 2 pound, 12 ounce largmouth for the second spot on the Big Board. Catona for now holds third place.
Dummer also claims the best northern pike at 11 pound, 9 ounces. Other leaders as of Sunday evening include a 12 pounds, 2 ounces catfish by Darrell Powers of Bradley; Jason Kelly of Kankakee with a 2 pound, 15 ounce smallmouth bass and Kyle Lund of Kankakee with a 13 ounce rock bass. Kelly also is the likely winner of Sunday’s Derby Dollar cash on smallmouth bass.
A total of $1,900 in tagged fish cash have been claimed by five anglers since the derby began Friday.
On Saturday Darrell Benoit of Bourbonnais and Joe Catona of Kankakee each won $500 on derby tags. Benoit, who also holds the top spot on the walleye board, landed a fish named “Hanibal” sponsored by Tile Works and More. Catona caught a smallmouth named “Hammerhead” sponsored by the Carpenters Local 496.
Monday featured dollar day is rock bass as the contest continues to build steam. A total of 112 tagged fish remain to be found before the derby ends on July 6.
Puzzled by some of the daily clues offered for the Kankakee River Fishing Derby?
Don’t panic, they are easier to understand than you think; it just takes knowing a bit about local fishing jargon and place names.
Here’s some samples from Friday’s clues:
Little Trader said “It’s a glory-ful day where I’m at.” TRANSLATION: “Trader, a tagged fish worth $500 in merchandise from the Kankakee River Trading Post at Altorf, can be found in the river somewhere near Glorydale Resort east of Momence.
Neon the farmer yelled “get that cat out of my chicken coop.” TRANSLATION: This one’s a bit tougher but some parts are easier than others. Neon is a catfish worth $1,000 cash from Key City Signs, Ltd. Look for it around a chicken farm. One of the best known chicken farms used to be near the Kankakee River State Park at Deselm Road.
McBreakfast makes a little money on the side selling Avon products. TRANSLATION: Look for McBreakfast, worth $500 in merchandise from the McDonalds of Kankakee County and Peotone, east of Kankakee near the Illinois Route 17 bridge. The area there to Aroma Park used to be known as Avon.
Even know where to look doesn’t guarantee catching a prize tag but it does make the hunt that much more fun.
Good luck and good fishing.
A threat of storms may slow, but won’t stop, die-hard fishmen on the opening weekend of the Kankakee River Fishing Derby.
Most veteran anglers who know that bad weather can sometimes bring on good fishing.
Rain means runoff will stir up the water creating a murky “coffee-and-cream” color.
“I normally go to something that pushes the water in murky conditions,” said veteran angler Norm Minas of Bourbonnais. That means using bigger blades on spinner baits or wider bodied crankbaits.
Other turbid water tricks include using scents, stinkbaits or live baits to lure a bite.
“Keep a good rain suit handy and forget the inexpensive ponchos,” advises Kathy Magers, an equipment writer for Bass Resource.com.
The first weekend normally sets the pace for leaders on the derby’s Big Board contest as anglers start staking claims to one of the coveted Master Angler trophies offered in eight gamefish divisions.
Here are the links for the latest derby updates:
Click HERE for the Kankakee River Fishing Derby Web site
Click HERE for on-line updates from The Daily Journal
Rain and lightning did not stop volunteers from working in soggy conditions to gather fish for Friday’s opening of the Kankakee River Fishing Derby.
Nearly 20 local helpers joined with state fisheries biologists to collect 136 potential prize fish from the river between the
By the time you read this blog the best 117 fish will be tagged and released, ready for the 10-day event to begin.
Horseback riding is at long last returning to the shuttered State Park Riding Stables along Deselm Road just north of the Kankakee River State Park.
But don’t expect a lot of information about the equine facility from Department of Natural Resources bureaucrats in Springfield.
After months of wrangling with state officials 4-H Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See has finally won approval to manage the empty stable for the next five years.
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The countdown to the Kankakee River Fishing Derby has begun.
In fact the very first winner will be named tonight when derby officials draw the name of the “Early Bird” registrant. That individual will win $100 cash just for entering this year’s contest.
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Efforts to replace natural wetlands with man-made creations — “mitigation” to use the term tossed around by most developers — may not be all its cracked up to be according to new research from the University of Illinois.
New research has found a disturbing trend since 1989 when Congress enacted the “No Net Loss” concept of wetlands mitigation that allows developers to replace wetlands that are disturbed by new construction. Often such loss is “mitigated” at greater than a one-to-one ratio.
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Stormy weather this weekend will likely keep water levels unseasonably high along the Kankakee River .
The river level has dropped slightly is recent days. Additional rainfall across the upper Kankakee River basin could reverse that trend. The river’s flow has remain above normal since late last year.
Rainfall has also resulted For the fifth time this year, the monthly statewide precipitation has been above average, resulting in the third wettest January-May since 1895, according to the Illinois State Water Survey.
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Volunteers are needed to help organize this year’s Women in the Outdoors event at the South Wilmington Sportsmans Club.
“Our meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. on June 24 at Ray’s Ranch House in Essex,” said Beth Gates, one of the coordinators for the Sept. 14 program. The meeting is open to all who are interested in helping plan workshop topics.
Women in the Outdoors, hosted by the National Wild Turkey Federation, teaches outdoors skills to those 14 and older. Activities include fly fishing, outdoor cooking, shotgunning and nature crafts.
For more information call Beth Gates at (815) 939-7907 or Liz Verondon, at (815) 634-0271.
Researchers from Purdue University are pondering the disappearance of one of the smallest creatures in the Great Lakes.
It’s a tiny shrimplike creature call Diporeia, a major food source for whitefish, salmon, trout and lake walleye.
It’s disappearance threatens the Lake’s ecosystem as well as a $4 billion sport fishing industry according to Purdue researcher Marisol Sepúlveda.
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