THE KANKAKEE RIVER
A 14-pound walleye that has been the state record since 1961. An Illinois
record five-pound, 151/2-ounce smallmouth bass in 1974. A 20-pound, two-ounce
northern pike in 1983. It sounds like a fishing report from a hotspot
in northern Canada, but actually it's a list of trophy catches that have
come from the Kankakee River that flows through northeastern Illinois
and Will and Kankakee Counties before joining the Des Plaines River to
form the headwaters of the Illinois River.
The Kankakee also yielded a 42-pound carp in 1928 that still stands as
the largest officially recorded in Illinois waters. It's obvious that
fish grow fast in this fertile stream that also offers excellent channel
cat, rock bass and crappie fishing. Largemouth bass also are found there.
An angler can fish from a canoe or john boat, try his luck from shore
or he can wade the stream. Caution must be used, since there are sharp
dropoffs and deep holes in the river.
The Kankakee is predominantly a clear, shallow stream with gravel-rubble
riffles, sand-bottom pools and swampy marsh areas along the upper
portion. Larger pools are formed by dams at Momence, Kankakee and
Wilmington and by the Dresden Lock and Dam on the headwaters of
the Illinois. An aquatic resource of about 3,338 acres exists on
the Kankakee.
Originating near South Bend, Indiana, the Kankakee flows southwesterly
121 miles to Aroma Park before being joined by the Iroquois River,
its largest tributary. The Kankakee then flows north-westerly for
38 miles before gliding into the Illinois. |
|
Walleyes in the 10 to 11-pound class are taken annually from the Kankakee,
and fishing begins soon after ice departs in early spring. Rapid waters
below dams and the mouths of tributaries are good producers. Both artificial
and natural baits take these fish.
The best smallmouth action occurs in early spring and fall. Spinners,
crank baits, jigs and similar artificials are good on the spunky fish,
but minnows, worms, frogs and crayfish also can produce. Riffles, creek
mouths and fast water below dams are good for "bronzebacks."
Quieter areas, like backwaters of the Des Plaines Conservation Area along
the river, are good spots for largemouth bass. Quiet water also is a good
spot for northern pike which also are taken behind islands and ebb areas
formed by tributaries.
