9-27-03 - Jim K. (aka MS2, Muskieslayer V 2.0 etc...) and his family got in a little pre-BBQ fishin on the Root!

The largest fish landed during the BBQ on the Root, a nice teeney rock bass!

How many anglers & CIA grads are need to start the coals? At least 4-6!

Oak Creek was obviously up a good 3-4" but still NO FISH!

9-27-03 - MP's BBQ!

Waters Fished: Root River, Oak Creek
Fish Caught: NO SALMON LANDED!
Outing Date: 9-27-03
Weather: cloudy and windy
Air Temp: Cool, seemed to be 50's max
Water Temp: Didn't take it
Water Level: extremely low on both
Water Color: very stained and slightly muddy on both
Fish Species: Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, Rock Bass, Largemouth Bass?!?!
Pattern Fished: Mostly Wolley Buggers
Pattern Color: Red & Black Wolley Bugger worked best today
Fishing Quality: TOTAL CRAP! (I didn't even fish!)

So today was BBQ Day! It was looking totally horrible..cold and windy. I spent the morning getting things prepared and we got to the Root shortly before 12:00 pm. Jim K. and family were already there...the fishing was tough downstream to say the least. Jim pulled a rockbass and later, what was determined to be a very small LARGEMOUTH.

Well, we all enjoyed the dawgs, smoked salmon, potato salad, chocolate chip cookies, jay's potato chips and more! Many of my buddies made it including Brennon from all the way up in MN and my buddy Dan who came all the way in from Southwest Missouri State! Bart & Jacek headed up to the Milwaukee and landed a few, Jim + Family and Brennon hit the Pike (no major luck there). My bro and Phil worked upstream in the crowds just below the wier...hooked into a couple fair but were without net...no fish landed! A couple steelhead were sighted (nice!). While we sat and ate, and talked, we counted only TWO chinooks moving upstream by our BBQ location.

Well, after all this, I decided that once again it'd be time to look at some new river for the boys, and we headed to Oak Creek. The water level had clearly been up earlier in the day as noted by the still-wet-rocks with high water marks 3-4" above the current water level. However, there were NO FISH ANYWHERE! We walked the entire river and saw NOTHING. This is like the fourth time Oak Creek has bumped and yet still NO FISH?! Oh well, at least we had a nice little nature hike to end our weekend!

  MP