Any of you night fish the Il. river backwaters?

[seanf]

Well, archery season is over and I am chompin at the bit to get out on the river backwaters and start fishing. Bought my son his first ams reel for Christmas and am looking forward to him out shooting with me again this year. ( last couple years he has had the hand wrap model).
Last year was the second year for us to hit the water in the boat after quite a few years shooting from the bank. We did awesome in the daylight. Especially with the long period of high water. Wondered if the murky water of the Il. River makes for tough night fishing? Two years ago we went out with a hand spot light and the bugs were so bad we couldn't even keep the light on. I have heard that the later you go, the less the bugs are. However I am a early morning person , not a night person. Any of you take your gennies out at night on Il River backwaters? Too murky? Is it tougher than the daytime?

[carpsniper]

Hey Sean, Congrats on the new reel! I'm sure he will really like it. Just a reminder, make sure the arrows have safety slides on them.

We've tried fishing at night near where we met up with you last year. I would have to say that we've had much better luck during the day. This is just backwards of most of the lakes we fish. I don't know why.

quote: "I have heard that the later you go, the less the bugs are."
The river is one of the very worst places for bugs. On a lake, the bugs will just disappear at around 11pm. ??? The river is different. Many times, they will also go away about that time. But there have been nights where they never left.
Another reason I'm not that fond of the river.
Being on a boat compared to being on shore will change how the bugs are. You will have way more bugs standing on shore. Plus with the boat, just fire up the outboard and head across the water. You will also notice that there are fewer bugs out away from shore than when you're running the bank.

Best of luck in 2011. If you see the grinnel spawning over there, let me know. I've always wanted to see it.

[seanf]

Thanks for the input. We did manage a couple of dogfish last year. Didn't notice any particular spawning activity. We shot many species in the daytime last year that night fishing wasn't necessary. The time we went out at night i saw only one fish, but in the daylight fish were everywhere. Probably not interested in a longer drive in order to fish a clear lake at night.
Might see you in Elmwood.