Swan Lake

carptracker · 06-12-2008, 08:18 AM

I don't know if it is legal to bowfish on the refuge or not, but the FWS folks just told me that there is a huge school of really big bigheads stacked up at the gate to swan lake where the flood waters are pouring into the lake. Sounds like if you can get there, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Conditions are bound to change rapidly, so don't count on this situation to last long.

HNI_Christine · 06-12-2008, 09:44 AM

Thanks for the info Duane! I know right where that is.

I'm not sure we're close to seeing the end of these floodwaters tho'. [

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carpoon · 06-12-2008, 09:57 PM

was there tonight, only shot 3, seen several fins but you had to be lightning fast to get a shot off. going back in the morning if it's not storming but by the weekend i think the water will be over the road.

suckersticker · 06-12-2008, 09:59 PM

where is swan lake?

carpoon · 06-12-2008, 10:03 PM

just across the brussels ferry in calhoun co.

carpoon · 06-13-2008, 09:35 AM

6/13 lake has equilized with the river so no fish at the stoplogs. usfws are closing the gates leading back to swan due to high water. common's are spawning heavy in the flooded fields right off the highway leading to the back side of swan. water is less than knee deep right now but is rising slowly. would make for a good shoot tonight if the weather lets up.

carptracker · 06-14-2008, 12:52 PM

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of - I figured if the water stopped or slowed flowing over the stoplogs the fish would stop or slow too. If you can figure out when this is likely to be happening, it will probably be repeatable though. When the water flows in or out of the lake rapidly, and there are enough stoplogs in to make swimming right in or out of the lake difficult, the bigheads will be stacking up like cordwood on the downstream side of the logs. Probably some bigmouth buffs mixed in.

Suckersticker - Swan lake is at the FWS refuge kind between the Illinois River and the Missouri River. It opens onto the Illinois River. You can see Swan Lake on Google earth. If you type in "Swan Lake" in Google Earth, it will zoom into a spot on the East side of the Illinois (I guess there might be a town by that name??). Swan Lake is across the river on the W side. You can see the outlet we are talking about on Google earth.

Fishhunter · 06-14-2008, 06:18 PM

sshhhhhhhh