Cold spell and Rend

[sioutdoors]

any news after the cold spell hit, shurely they have a bit of lock jaw around rend

[CarpPoop]

Alot of water came in with all the rain and snow the last couple of weeks. All the main creek arms are muddy. I saw a boat up in Gun Creek this morning breaking through some thin ice. I have no idea what in the world those guys were doing. Perhaps hunting? I dont know. Im not even sure its bird season. I dont hunt. They had a giant orange balloon looking thing behind their boat tied to a tree. I would guess anything caught would be off main lake stucture where the water is a bit cleaner. But it is awfully cold and windy. Not a good thing for Rend.

[sioutdoors]

hey thanks for the info. going tomorrow south of the sail boat harbor on a deep drop off to a creek chanel with stumps in 5 to 7 feet of water above the creek. hope to catch at least one

[sioutdoors]

cold windy and no fish. didn't stay long (hour or so) i have no patience this time of year

[crappieken]

I walked the bank for an hour over at Lake Shelbyville yesterday afternoon and didn't get a bite. I saw one boat out on the lake. Wind was blowing straight into my face. I hate the wind.

[fish21759]

Hey Ken
Where did you fish at yesterday ? I went yesterday and put in at Eagle Creek . fished the Findley Marina area and didn't get a bite . Went up to Coal Shaft and only had one hit. Left there and went back towards Eagle and stopped at the high bank just before Eagle and caught several shorts in 18 to 20 feet of water about 10 to 12 feet deep After that I just went and located brush piles and deeper laydowns . Just before I came in I fished around the ramp area of Eagle and caught several shorts there . No keepers today just a lot of practice . Water temps up north was 35 degrees and down by Eagle it was 37 degrees .

See ya Kevin

[CarpPoop]

Its snowing in Southern Illinois this afternoon. I went over the hwy 37 bridge this morning at Rend Lake and once again saw the same boat in gun creek idling around through ice! These guys have me baffled. They arent fishing....the fish dont go up that far into gun creek until late March or April anyway. I have seen them now about 4 times in the same area. They always have this big bright orange bouy either floating or tied to a tree and they are just motoring around. I dont get it. What would these guys be doing?? And why are they always in the company of a giant orange ball??? This morning i watched them and they were throwing this big rooster tail up behind the boat...yet they were barely moving. Maybe these are DOC guys? But if so what in the world is so important you would be out in snow and ice just to motor around a big orange floating bouy in the high muddy waters of gun creek?? Anyone have a guess?

[sioutdoors]

i think they commercial fish this time of year but dont know why they would be there

[Crappie Xtreme]

Those guys you are refering to in the boats with the bouy behind the boat are commercial fisherman. They run their motors around trying to scare the fish into nets they are pulling. A lot of these guys are jerks. I fish in rend several times a week and a lot of times I fish in a no wake zone and they come by like they own the lake. Pisses me off and I let them know. Always helps to know the CPO'S that work the lake.

[CarpPoop]

Thats interesting. I wander what happens to the crappie and largemouth that get into those nets!??? Any large net with guys running around it trying to scare fish into it really makes me wander...especially if you have had experiences with them being less than kind. I know its probably illegal for them to net game fish but i wander if its within the realm of possibility that some cheat a little? Who knows.