Saint Patrick's Day in Chicago : The Green Chicago River

For those of you not able to get a glimpse of the Chicago River this weekend I bring you some photographs from a unique vantage point. My work brought me up onto the 28th floor of a downtown high-rise on the river where we photographed for the day. I snapped some images of the river and the spot that the river meets the channel, making for an interesting break line where the green water met the discolored North Shore Channel-Chicago River water.

A view of the Merchandise Mart and the green River.

A view of the spot the stain hits fresh water.

Looking back at 333 East Wacker with the Chicago River in the foreground, shot from in front of the Holiday Inn.

In Steelhead news, fish have pushed into Wisconsin tributaries and persistent anglers are buttoning fish. Look for warm ups this week to really get things going.

Enjoy the photographs and happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Wisconsin Tributaries Stabilizing, Expect Steelhead Soon

With a week of warm weather dumping thousands of gallons of water into the tributaries of Lake Michigan the flows have skyrocketed and water temperatures have warmed up.

This influx of water should directly correlate to numbers of fish pushing their way up from lake Michigan deep upstream.

Flows seem to have topped out and hopefully will recede over the next 5 days or so, when the flows get back down under 300 cubic feet per second and conditions have some stability we will be able to get out there and dance with Steelhead in some of the best river fishing of the year.

Keep checking in for more forecasts and conditions, I'll do my best to keep you updated.

Root River Steelhead Report : Early March 2010

Finally, it is here. I got up to Racine and onto the Root by sunrise this past Sunday to do a little breaking in of my new St. Croix 8 weight accompanied by my Hatch 7+. This morning was fruitful in sun, scenery, and isolation on the water. I did not manage to tango with any Steelhead though. I think I may have been too ambitious as I got after some deep runs that I hoped would be holding early steelhead jockying for position on the beds just upstream. I should have stuck to slow drifting through the deepest of holes... but that just isn't my style.

Photographs are forthcoming but I'm on lunch at work at the moment and don't have the files here.

I took a ride to a spot downstream where I met some friends to do some ice fishing on the deep slow areas of the river directly preceding the harbor. The action was steady, although landed fish were few. Here is a photo of Keith and I with the first Steelhead of the season from the Root River. Thanks to Dan for the photo from his cell phone we snapped just before releasing this chrome male Steelhead.


Steelhead are staging in Lake Michigan and in Harbors directly below our tributaries now. We should expect to see substantial pushes of fish into the systems over the next week as air temps flirt with fifty all week and ice thins as meltoff exudes from the banks. Next weekend is a good bet for getting your first river Steelhead of the year.

The Thaw Begins in Wisconsin

This is what we have been waiting for. Steelheaders and Brown Trout seekers grab your rod and get those leaders tied on. Its time to chase some Steelhead. The Root River is coming around, with the Milwaukee, and Oak Creek following suit.

Note the daily rise and fall as snow-melt trickles into the river.

It may be Early Season Trout Opener in Wisconsin...

But this weekend... the lakefront and the tributaries are likely the place to be with weather like this:

You'll find me out with my nose as close to the water as I can get it. You can expect full reports and photos to make up for nearly a month of radio silence. Thanks for sticking around. Life moves faster than it should sometimes and time on the water is hard to come by when the only water I see is in a glass on my desk.

See you out there (in the sun).

-GLA

Images From Great Lakes Angler

I apologize to you, my readers, for lack of new substance once again. Work is keeping me very busy at the moment and it looks like before this week is done I will clock somewhere near 70-80 hours. I had a free day last weekend and spent it behind the lens of a camera. Here is one of the images from the shoot. There are loads more that have yet to be sorted yet, but until they are sorted here is at least something to show you I'm still out there.

We spent close to an hour waiting for a break in the clouds to make this beauty glow like she does in this frame. Enjoy.

A February Packed With Everything But Fishing

Friends, I'm only able to snap out a couple of sentences before hitting the pillow. I'm in California shooting a series of jobs for an design firm here in L.A. and have been working long hours. I may have a few hours to spare later this week and if I do I promise to bring you photographs from the ocean.

Until then... Catch one for me!

Lake Michigan Ice and West Winds

Recently I posted photographs of a few miles of shore ice attached to Illinois as I flew over it toward New York.

The recent west winds have broken off the entire shoreline and sent it out toward Michigan. I checked out the satellite photos today and found these gems.

Here you can see the ice breaking from the shore.

Lake Michigan

White House Summit to Discuss Asian Carp Crisis

From the Toledo Blade

Article published February 01, 2010
White House to host Asian carp talks
BLADE STAFF
The Obama Administration said it will host a White House summit on Feb. 8 to discuss the Asian carp crisis with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn. The 2:30 p.m. meeting, which the administration has closed to the public, will include Nancy Sutley, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The participants are trying to settle on how to keep the voracious carp from destroying the Great Lakes fishery, valued at $7 billion. The greatest potential value of controlling the carp is in western Lake Erie, the most biologically productive part of the Great Lakes. Lake Erie holds more fish than the other four Great Lakes combined. Officials have been hoping to diversify the region's sagging economy by promoting fishing - especially in Lake Erie's western basin. DNA evidence shows Asian carp, nonnatives introduced to North America via Arkansas fish hatcheries, have breached a $9 million electrical barrier the Corps built southwest of Chicago in hopes of keeping the fish from reaching Lake Michigan. They have been swimming up the Mississippi River for years.

Michigan is one of the nation's leaders in registered boaters. It has more Great Lakes shoreline than any other state.

Ms. Granholm and Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, with support from Ohio and other Great Lakes states, have sought to have two locks between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi closed at least temporarily to keep the invasive fish out. Illinois officials have resisted, citing a loss of shipping revenue. The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to hear a case Mr. Cox filed against the state of Illinois, saying he should have filed it against the Corps. - Tom Henry

Vintage Great Lakes Angler : Aluminum Boat

From the Life Archive.

I've made it Black and White day here in the Great Lakes Angler's Studio. Monotone for February First.

This photo reminds me of many of the boats I've used on small Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota and brings back memories of hot aluminum seats, creaking oars, and soft boat cushions.