Carp: The Illinois Manatee

I set the alarm early for Friday morning and was on the water at about 5.30 am. It was a great way to start the day. The birds were up, the sun was just starting to come over the trees, and the water was smooth. It was so peaceful on the Fox River. I put in at Lyons Park in Fox River Grove and headed north. This is the smoothest I have ever seen the water in this section. The last few times I have been out there, I was joined by boats or wind, so this was a nice surprise.

Around the second bend I was joined with a beaver paddling through the water. I was about 15 feet from him as we paddled north, side by side. Nature has a good way of dodging the camera. I was with the beaver for maybe a quarter mile and saw him the whole way....except when I pulled the camera out. Maybe he didn't want me to share our experience, you had to be there.

The fish were the ones that took the limelight on this trip. When I came into the big bend of the river just south of the public boat launch, the water was full of ripples. There were fish jumping everywhere. Bubbles and splashes surrounded the canoe. I could not see what type of fish were jumping, but there was no question that the active ones at the waters surface were carp. They were HUGE. I had a flash back of my Weeki Wachee Srings paddle with the manatees. This was the Illinois version of that paddle..lol.

I paddled about 3 1/2 hours before work Friday morning. It was a peaceful paddle and a great work out. This was also the furthest that I have made it in this section. Time seems to always be a factor for me. I dream of being able to get up and hit the river without having any time constraints. It will happen, but until then, I will take these mini escapes once in a while.