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Smallmouth Bass, Muskies and Walleyes: The Fox River Trifecta
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- čas přidán 17. 08. 2024
- This week the Spot on Fishing crew heads to the Fox River. We'll show you what we like to call the Fox River Trifecta. A Smallmouth, a Muskie, and a Walleye. We are fishing in Montgomery IL but these techniques can be used on the Fox from it's start in Southeast Wisconsin to the rivers' exit in Ottawa IL.
Follow us on Twitter @SpotFishing
Like us on Facebook / tonysspotonfishing
that spot hundreds of times growing up it's awesome to see it again thanks I live down here in Florida now
Went to the dam last week. Not great fishing conditions right next to the dam and ended up fishing under the bridge right down from the dam and caught a 28" muskie. That was the only fish I caught that day. Solid spot for sure and can't wait to go back again once it warms up. @Spot on Fishing
+Tanner Nash Congrats on the Ski. On the other side of the bridge, is where we typically see congregations of smallies, not big one's but we get lucky to catch em. Montgomery is heavily pressured, and the bridge is one of the areas anglers typically leave alone. When fishing is tough on the river, we like the bridge.
You should do more fishing videos on the Fox River!!! Batavia, Geneva and Saint Charles dam would be great videos! Please make more, it's been a really long time!
Heavy fishing pressure on the Fox R, but remarkable fishery making a comeback after cleanup over decades...(I’m old enough to remember a different Fox R. and some sick fish being caught)..I get sad when I come across trash by left by careless folks. Been fishing the Fox R again.....This last Summer...one hole and a couple of fallen trees yielded crappie , bluegills, couple channel cats (about 3lbs), a 22inch and a 24inch smallie, many smallies in 1 or 2 lb range, a few 1/2 lb to 3/4 lb striped bass. Local teen said he landed both a tiger musky and a silver musky from the same bank and hole area over 10day interval. I caught several 5 to 8 lb carp on corn kernels fished on bottom when I tried ( out of curiosity on ultra light gear for fun). Saw many very large fish hit smaller fish and breach surface, just out of casting distance. I didn’t have waders, but I suspect as season progresses some of the older and fishermen weary fish just move out a bit...😂😂. Over the years of fishing, the more ya’ get out on any waters , the more ya’ learn about fish habits and structures, and the more incredible scenes of nature ya’ see...
super cool watching this man especially since I live in this area, you should put out more fox river content like in oswego and Montgomery, and what other baits you use to catch fish. Thank you. great video!!
+Ammar Usmani Oswego was planned last year, and we attempted to film. We picked a day shortly after the DNR was doing research and caused what we call a failed show. For the record, Oswego is one of our favorite places to fish, and were incredibly disappointed we were unable to share that with you guys last year. This year....fingers crossed.
THE FUN OF FISHING IS FINDING WHAT LURES TO USE OR WORK FOR YOU ON THAT GIVEN DAY .....................
What is the location for this spot ?
@@tonysspotonfishing Do you mind saying exactly where in Oswego that you go to fish the Fox? I've tried the area around Batavia several times and never caught a single fish. I've just struggled with this body of water but I'm convinced that it's in part because I'm not trying enough locations along the Fox. I really could use some help for my son and I.
@@christianduarte5719 if it’s the Montgomery Dam, I’m assuming by where the Pig Dog Pub is at, like right in front. I’m pretty sure.
Caught my first smallie here after watching your video. Awesome channel and happy fishin!
+droogie1991 Congrats on the first, and here's too many more in the future. Thanks for the comment.
We are going to head out there this morning. I hope we have as much luck as you did here!
***** Awesome! Let us know how you do!
loved the vid fished the fox for years
Tony, just ran across this segment, thanks for the tips
jim fang No problem, glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!
I love fishing there in the heart of winter for walleyes. Most of them are small but it's still fun to catch. Once in a while you catch a bigone
mikeydadfishingadventures For sure. We’ve filmed the night bite Walleye show out there about 2 or 3 years ago. It’s a lot of fun!
Nice video! I am going tomorrow to fish there.
Wow such great action!! id never need to fish another spot!
I hear ya! The whole Montgomery stretch is great, does get a TON of fishing pressure.
Wow nice walleye!
Thank you! Gotta love the Fox! Thanks so much for watching and thanks for the comment, we sure do appreciate it.
I'm gonna go take my kids and I'm going to legit cry when we catch some premium quality fish!! Thank you!!
Nice fishing there
Cool! Thanks for the info-
scott s Anytime! Thanks for watching!
great video! thanks for tip ;)
Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting!
Ill be fishing the fox river at Montgomery Dam 2 or 3 during Spring Break (April 1 is the wednesday of that week.) Any tips to get a pike or a muskie. I've caught pike before, but I have never caught a Muskie. A live bait rig with a float or no float with 2-3 inch shiners for smallmouth to probably a 25 inch pike?
McHenry is another good place on the Fox...lots of white bass there as well.
+Midiman741 Hi, thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. McHenry is a very good spot. We've seen a few more White Bass around Montgomery over the last couple years as well. Great to see the numbers coming back through the river.
Tony
best fox river video. fish like that in s. elgin, elgin, dundee?
Richard Olivarez thanks so much! Glad you liked it! These type of baits will work just about anywhere on the Fox. Dams, current breaks, washouts, river channels and flats are the key areas to look for. The Smallies will be there!
I don't know if you still do these vids, but you missed the KING PREDITOR of the fox, the FLATHEAD CATFISH!!!!!!! You are fishing in the spot where I've caught 35-40 pounders. Have a good one: )
I live in Aurora and mostly fish catch and release in the neighborhood retention pond s for large mouth, never catch smallies. Used to catch smallies in Wisconsin northern lakes, smallies are more fun fight harder pound for pound, I love your channel ... Found it searching for places to catch smallies on the fox
Years ago I would catch some cats on the River in Aurora. But since finding your vid I want to give this spot a try usually barbless and release unless up north. I think I found it and some parking close to the dam. When is a good time for smallies there and is it deep there can I walk back and forth in the water there? Is that the only damn on the fox in Montgomery? Btw I use a original rapala floating minnow for the larger mouth and I catch allot. Would that work good there? Sorry about my ramble. Do you use a leader on that crank bait and if you could please recommend some lures for smallies at that dam I would appreciate it. Thanks I haven't been River fishing in years.
andrew crocher thanks so much for writing in. We apologize for the delay in replying. There are several dams on the Fox that are good for Smallmouth as well as other stretches of the river. Take a look at our Fox River Smallmouth show that we filmed in Oswego. The dams in St Charles, Geneva, Batavia and Yorkville are all pretty good dams for Smallmouth. This show was filmed at Montgomery and while it gets a lot of fishing pressure, it still produces fish. 1.5 Squarebill Crankbaits seem to be the best one to throw in the summer months. Shad and Craw patterns seem to be the best. Black and Chartreuse work well when the river gets churned up. They like the compact profile to those baits and they are good for bouncing off rock and other structure in the river without snagging as much. The one knocked rattle is what they seem to prefer most of the time but we have caught them on models with the bb size rattles as well as the silent ones. The high vibration of that Crankbait bouncing off the bottom is what triggers them to strike. There is a couple of deeper holes, closer to the east side in Montgomery, so you probably won’t want to wade it straight across the river. Outside of the dams, you’ll find Smallies on shallow flats out of the current, bridges and edges of the main river channel or in washouts (small areas where the current has made a small hole in the river bed). As always, be safe when wading and take your time. You never want to be in too deep of water. I think I got all of your questions covered. If you have more questions, we’re always happy to help! Good luck and let us know how you do!
this is a great channel!!!! im from Lockport il and fish a lot of the spots u do great videos!!
+don gross Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. New episodes are coming soon!
Tony
do u guys do any fishing at the lakes in cook, will , dupage counties?
+don gross +don gross We are working on obtaining the proper permits to film the dupage county lakes. Hopefully next year we can film out there. We will be releasing a show or two this season in Will Co. We will also be looking into doing more with Cook co next year as well. Lots of excellent fishing opertunities.
Tony
man tony. you make fishing the dam look so easy hahaha. Doing any walleye fishing this winter at the Montgomery Dam to beat the cabin fever? Haha.
Oh I've had my days where I have struggled out there too! More then I'd like to admit. We fished Montgomery just before Christmas and caught a few eyes. Haven't had time to get out there since.
Hahaha the Fox river can be so challenging yet so rewarding sometimes. I went out their right before everything started to freeze over I did catch a walleye but I fished by the channel that pushes water out that big giant one with the metal tubes surrounding it and they were hundreds of shad 8-12" they were enormous. they were so big they were actually biting my 1/16 Bucktail. I caught about 20 and saved them for catfish bait, I bought a couple 6 inch flat sticks like you recommend and hopefully I'll catch my first musky, I've been hitting the dam quite frequently so I'll let you know if I hook into anything thanks Tony!!!!
You're welcome! Good luck and let us know how you do.
@Outdoors111 222 Pike aren't there in the numbers they used to be. We will catch them on occasion here and there. Not enough numbers these days to strictly target Pike in the Fox, at least not at Montgomery.
The Muskies should be going pretty good around those first few days of April. We throw actual Muskie baits for them. 6in Jakes or a 6in Grandma. We've done very well with the Storm 6in Flat Stick as well. However as you see in this show, Muskies will hit smaller baits.
While we have caught Muskies on our Bass and Walleye baits on accident while fishing bass or eyes, it's not the best choice to target Muskies with. Here's why. First, the hooks are not made for Muskies. The gaps aren't big enough. Many times we may hook them on a smaller bait but we don't always land them. Secondly, those baits being as small as they are don't always work well with a leader. The leader would take away the action of the baits. Not running a leader, we run the risk of Muskie engulfing that small bait and biting through the line. The biggest reason is to fight a Muskie on light gear can over stress the fish. Part of the reason we use heavy Muskie gear is not only to throw the big baits but to also fight and land the fish as quick as possible! Now, if we hook them accidentally on Bass gear we want to try to land them as quick as we can while also not breaking a lure off and leaving it in the fish.
I'm sure you'll see us around Montgomery. End of March and first part of April can be AWESOME down there!
Thanks so much for the info! BTW: At Shabbona, you can easily target good sized channels by the earthen dam with night crawlers/leeches/minnows/chicken livers. Do you fish walleye at Shabbona too?
Outdoors111 222 every once in a while we'll fish Walleyes out there. We do pretty well vertically jigging the walleyes and do really well fishing a minnow or a leach under a slip bobber on the deep weed edges.
@Outdoors111 222 with being on the sideline with neck surgery I haven't been to Montgomery lately. However our editor and producer of the show, Mike, was at Montgomery today. Still some ice but very fishable. He caught a small Muskie today.
Tony
God is great! Have a blessed day everyone, God loves you
Hi, I was just wondering what's the address here and the name of place so I can take my family for fishing ? Thanks in advance nice catch btw
+imTUTER This is no the Fox River in Montgomery Illinois. If you're unfamiliar with the area, put riverside cemetery into google maps and you won't be able to miss it.
To this day you can go to Montgomery and catch the fox river trifecta
Hi Tony,
First of all, your show is awesome and very informative. This weekend is the first time I am going out fishing in US. I am originally from Brazil but my wife is from Iowa. I am buying our Illinois Fishing Licenses today. As I know nothing about fishing in this country and especially within the Chicagoland area, which is where we live now, your videos and more specifically this one gave us all the resources we were looking for. However could you tell me the specific name of that bait and where I can find it in the Montgomery and/or Aurora area? I have to buy those before our fishing outing tomorrow and I don't want to mess around to much.
Thanks again for your help!
Diogenes Oliveira Hello, and thanks for the compliment and thanks for watching. The bait we were using in this show is the Rapala Clacking Crank. They are getting harder and harder to find as most shops in the area have stopped carrying this bait. However you can find them at Gander Mountain in Joliet or you can order them online at basspro.com and Greg over at the Fishing Conection in Tinly Park can order them as well. If you need the baits right away I'd check out Gander, otherwise they have to be ordered online. A couple other great baits out ther is the Rapala X-Rap Shad in the shallow diver and the Rapala Husky Jerks work great too! They can be found at about every tackle shop in the area. Let us know how you do fishing and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
Tony
that's were i go fishing at.
What's the location for this spot
Tony, are you still fishing?
Hey tony, does that area get crowded?
Rob Simpson yes it does. especially on weekends and weekday evenings. early morning is best shot to beat the crowds.
Tony,
Is the fox fishable at Montgomery? My cousin was debating whether to go to montrose or to montgomery. Your opinion?
Nice video! Good tips and tricks for the Fox. I see your in the west side of the river. Is there parking over there?
Paul Eastman Thanks for the complement. Yes there is plenty of parking on the west side of the river at Montgomery. From even with the dam to the park were the rest rooms are located.
Cool thanks. I'll be sure to check it out soon. Do you have a spot on Facebook page or something? And I could share my trophies with you and your fans?
Paul Eastman yes we sure do. We are on Facebook just search for Spot On Fishing and we are also on Twitter @SpotFishing.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that second small mouth appeared to be hooked on the back of the head? No mention of the non legal catch of that one...
Moosch it's only non legal if you are trying to catch fish by snagging them, every fisherman snags a fish once in a while
Oh I couldn't agree more, wasn't at all attempting to be a stick in the mud. I have definitely been in the position of foul hooking a fish. I just found it surprising that he didn't make mention that it was an accidental snag. Also, my use of non legal wasn't in attempt of literal interpretation, I used to fish tournaments where that would be a non legal catch, just a term I haven't ditched yet, it was just poor use on my end. Happy hooking!
Wow, I like how respectful you were with that response. Most people would not respond the politely. Good luck fishing, my friend.
Very nice video👍my question is how the hell you guys made it to the middle of the river??🤔😅
The water at Montgomery Dam isn't very deep. The river channel is the deepest, however, the middle of the river is not that. It is easier to enter the water on the West bank, and walk out to the rock bar so you may face the front of the dam. Depending on currents, that can be tricky, and as always, take your time and use common sense. There are big boulders around that area as well. Other than that it's easy. We always suggest having at least one other person with you, while wading a river for the first time.
Hi! I just bought the rapala dt crankbait and I was wondering if this would work for all three species of fish shown in the video. If not, what would you recommend? Thanks!
The rapala dt series will work for smallies and even a Muskie. It may be to fat bodied of a bait for the walleyes. The shallow diving dt is what you'd want. Nothing that dives deeper then 2-3 feet. In the show we run the Rapala Clacking Crank in the shallow diver. Max diving depth is 3 feet. That is the hot bait. X-rap shads in the shallow diver work well too. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
hey, any tips on walleye for mid fall fishing the fox? I'm heading up soon
The same type of crankbaits work well all fall and even winter long. X-rap shad (shallow diver) x-rap minnow baits, Clackin' Crank and Husky Jerks. Also a jig and grub (1/8oz head 3 inch grub) or jig and gulp alive minnow works well too!
Have you ever fished the north aurora dam? Have you had any luck? Also, what is the best time to fish for muskies or pike in the fox? Thanks
I have not personally fished North Aurora on the Fox. I've fished Yorkville, Oswego, Montgomery, Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles. I've heard many great reports about the North Aurora area. As far as Muskies go, Spring and Fall are the best. The summer months, the water just gets to warm and it is not safe to fish Muskies on the river. Water temps in the upper 70's and low 80's result in dead Muskies after a release. We lose July and Aug out there but it's much safer for the fishery. We have caught a lot of Muskies over the winter too. It's not hot and heavy but being in current all the time those fish have to eat more during the winter then lake Muskies. But Spring and Fall are the peak period on the Fox for Muskies.
+Spot on Fishing Thanks so much for answering my question. You inspired me to start fishing again and I had some great results this week on the fox. Thanks so much
You're welcome! Thank you for watching. The Fox is an awesome fishery!
hi Tony i was just wondering what the weather was like before u went because i have been there twice now with in the last month both time s the water was very strong currents and very murky and brown (also wana no if this condition effects lures at all?) i tried lure fishing both times and got no luck at all on catching anything mostly just snagging rocks... Thanks
OutDoor Addiction Hi, thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. We had stable weather for about a week when we filmed this show. We had a storm coming in that afternoon.
The river will be high with strong currents after all the rain we have had. When the current has that much push I tend to fish the west side of Montgomery. There are more current breaks. With the water being higher fish will hold closer to the bank at times. Try shallow diving Crankbaits with rattles and brighter colors or gold. And most Important, use extreme caution if trying to wade the river during high water and fast currents. No fish is worth risking your life over.
Keep an eye on the weather, both local and to the north as any rain along the river north or up on the Fox Chain will effect the river conditions.
Tony
Spot on Fishing Thanks alot tony i will keep that in mind and diffidently try west side!
The address please
Hey spot on waddup
I wanna catch a muskie on the fox this year
Would be this be a good place for catfish on the Fox ? Do you know a better spot for cats
The Montgomery area does hold some cats, but it gets a tremendous amount of fishing pressure from fellow cat anglers. St. Charles, Geneva, Aurora And Yorkville have been consistently producing cats and some big ones too! Thanks for watching!
whats that red crank bait you are using? hey its me, I seen you in my dr,s office last week.
Paul Collum That would be the Rapala Clacking Crank. Best crankbait for the Fox River.
What is the location for this spot?
What kind of line do you use if you dont mind me asking?
Hey, sorry for the late reply. Every once in a while a comment slips through the cracks on us. Mostly I run P-Line CX in either 8lb or 10lb test in the moss green or low vis green (which ever you’d like to call it) color. It’s a fluorocarbon coated mono and clear mono is not really clear like with a pure fluorocarbon line, it’s actually white in color. The low vis green in mono is a translucent line and light passes through it easier, making it less visible. Being a Fluoro coated line it cuts down on any light refraction of the mono. When the river dirties up a little we’ll switch to Braid. Anytime you are specifically targeting Muskies you should run braided line. In full truth, we didn’t set out to actually catch the “Fox River Trifecta” this day we filmed. We were primarily targeting Smallies and Walleyes. It was after we hooked and lost the Muskie we had an idea to change the name of the show. Thanks so much for watching! Again, our apologies for the delayed reply!
I just moved to St Charles and want to start gearing up for the Fox. Grew up on the Little and Big Rock Creek wading and like active fishing. Any recommendations for me other than that Montgomery dam since I live in St Charles by Kirk rd. I hear about this dam all the time so I guess I need to strengthen up my gear?
@Spot On Fishing
+Jarred Boyer hi my name....is.. Wojtek do you know...any...goooddddd..spots..for....catfish
+Wojciech Siwik the fox river in Plano, IL by the Boy Scout camp on River Road. Not a cat fisherman but the fox has plenty of cats by any of the creek mouths
+Wojciech Siwik Geneva Montgomery And Yorkville dams as well
can I go with you in may if you don't mind I'm a be generated
Tony, I go to Aurora University and I'm looking for some good places to fish for large mouth or anything else. I do not have a boat or anything, so I'm restricted to shore fishing and wading. Any suggestions??
@Outdoors111 222
We have been shocked how many largemouth we catch in the Fox River, especially over the last couple years. I would not say the numbers are good enough to specifically target them but they are there and the population is growing. Aside from subdivision ponds, lake Patterson in Aurora does have some shore opportunities for bass fishing. Also Whalon lake in Bolingbrook. We have caught bass shore bound in a couple of the DuPage co forest preserve lakes. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
How do you not get snagged with the rapala clackin crank in the dam?
Snags do happen at the fox. Not just the dam area. Running a good moni like P-line CX helps and also a lighter braid at times can help. I only run braid when the water dirties up a bit. When she is gin clear the fish get line shy quick. When you hang up, don't set the hook on snags. Tighten the line and point the rod tip straight at the snag and gently pull straight back. Keeping the rod horizontal so as to not load the rod. Most of the time it'll pop out. But I have lost a few cranks over the years. It happens. Wadding helps cut down a lot on snags as well.
Tony were you been miss the vids man
We will be back this Spring with all new episodes. Been down and out last couple of months recovering from Shoulder surgery! Thanks for checking in on us!
what do you use for bait
Rapala Clacking Crank shallow diver
Was this spring or summer
daniel gomes that was filmed summer of 2014.
Can people still wade the Yorkville Dam?
Gus Wojo Absolutely, we wade Yorkville all the time. Now, currently the river is still a little flooded from the snow, rain and melt we had. Current is still is a tad high as well. Once it calms down wading the Yorkville dam area will be safe again. We still catch quite a few Muskies, Smallmouth and Walleyes from Yorkville every year. Great area of the river. To fish the face of the dam it is best to enter the river closer to the dam. To fish just south of the dam, like the island and bridge, it is best to enter south of the white water area and walk up just west of that heavier current. Thanks so much for watching! Good luck fishing!
@@tonysspotonfishing thank you for the quick and very informative reply! Merry Christmas to you and your family
Gus Wojo You’re welcome my friend. Merry Christmas to you and your family as well.
you ever fish as far up as Carpentersville or Algonquin? Tips?
+slowfaller The spots on the river I fish the most are St. Charles, Geneva, North Aurora, Batavia, Aurora, Montgomery, Oswego and Yorkville. Any areas you can find dams up that way or any areas with structure near the main channel that causes slack water or ambush points for the fish are good areas to target. Shallow diving cranks with square bills that deflect off structure are good bets.
Tony
So a buddy and I fished the dundee area and we got about 16 small mouth in the boat and my buddy caught a 10 lb flathead and a 3.21 walleye, all released. Great day in the river!
That's an awesome day for sure! Love fishing smallies!
What's the name of the lure. I can't find one the same as yours.
Rapala Clackin Crank. It's very hard to find because when they debuted a few years back, they really didn't get purchased. We said, let's try these, and boom, fell in love with them instantly. We order them through Fishing Connection in Tinley Park Illinois.
What is the exact name of that red eyed crank bait?
Rapala Clackin Crank
Rusty craw is the color. The shallow diver size 53. Fishing Connection in Tinley Park can get these baits for you. They are hard to find at most shops.
If you are targeting pike and Muskie only then it's a whole different ball game. Heavy tackle and much bigger baits. While we do catch them on bass and walleye baits to strictly target them with the highest percentage of catching them we have to use real Muskie gear. This time of year in the morning and evening we throw big top waters like the Mammoth Lures Runt Rager and a lot of bucktails like the Muskie Attacker Frenchie model and cable models. Shallow diving Muskie cranks work well too, like the Jake, Grandma, Flat Stick and Whack Job.
Great river definitely not a hidden gem tho
Where is this spot like the zip code/address so I know if I'm going to the right spot
KmanRandomness this stretch of the Fox River is in Montgomery IL. The best areas to fish are from the dam to Mill st bridge. Parking is available on River Rd (east side) or River St (west side)
Spot on Fishing Thanks!
What Dam?
Never caught a fish here I’m mad
NEVER LIFT OUT USING THE LINE EITHER , STUDY DULUTH NEWS TRIBUNE ARTICLE
New research shows walleyes DIE after being handled that way, SERIOUS. NEVER HOLD BY GILLS OR THROW EM BACK, EVER
Jerry Anderson We have never ready such an article or heard of any research of such studies. We would be interested in seeing this research you are speaking of.
THAT FISH YOU RELEASED WAS OUT AND WILL DIE, OUT THE WATER TOO LONG AND HELD WRONG, GET WITH IT PLEASE
Jerry Anderson The Walleye was out of the water for exactly one minute. The fish left the water at the 5:03 mark and returned to the water at 6:03. General rule of thumb is indeed 26-36 seconds out of the water. Given the cooler water temps and higher oxygenation levels of the river the fish was plenty safe. One thing that Spot On Fishing’s production team at Blue Brian Michaels Entertainment, as well as Tony himself, pride ourselves on is conservation and preservation of our fish in not only the Chicagoland area but also any body of water.
I know you foul hooked that Muskie on purpose >:-(
👎