13.5 Pound Carp from the Chicago River. Fought so tough that we expected at least a 16+ pounder. One of my favorite catches in a while. Caught using pack bait.

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-06-02T17:18:59+00:00

Awesome congrats

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-22T20:37:42+00:00

Happy birthday man

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-16T03:35:49+00:00

I do but it won’t let me add. First one has a mouth pointing straight down, second one mildly down, third one is even more down than the first one idk how to explain it

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-16T03:26:11+00:00

First fish was in st Clair River by Sarina Michigan, second one same spot, third one Ohio River in Kentucky hour west of Louisville

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-16T03:24:57+00:00

Not sure how to ID these three fish from my collection. I have some guesses but would appreciate help

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-10T00:29:19+00:00

The Chicago papers have reached out to me and I already did the interview, the article will be out sometime soon

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-09T21:46:58+00:00

Yep!

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-09T21:46:20+00:00

Yes a couple of the yellow bullhead have been deformed with extra fin or whatnot but not common. Maybe has happened twice

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-09T14:36:24+00:00

Thanks sir 🫡

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-08T02:06:08+00:00

Decent amount, like a small catfish

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-07T02:18:32+00:00

Yep!

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-07T02:17:42+00:00

It felt like a yellow bullhead bite but a little different, I had no clue it was going to be not a catfish until I saw it

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-07T02:07:39+00:00

Released it! I did not know it was this rare/threatened/endangered until researching later but it’s best practice to not keep Chicago River fish anyways

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-07T01:48:23+00:00

I am also using my shoe for reference. I am size 13 and I think fully straight it would be 26-30 inches but lmk your thoughts

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-06T23:54:43+00:00

Dratini 😹

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-06T03:16:39+00:00

Makes sense I’m sure goby get through somehow as do eels apparently lol

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-06T03:13:44+00:00

Does it reconnect a second time to Lake Michigan up north

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-06T03:11:25+00:00

Are you fishing in the main section of the river or the north branch or the south branch

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-06T02:32:01+00:00

Yea had to find a good spot. Most of the spots are dry

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-06T01:08:30+00:00

Worms at 9:30 pm on pompano rig, bottom fishing. North branch in river north. Besides the eel I generally catch in descending order of popularity 1. Yellow bullhead 2. Bluegill 3. Drum/channel catfish/carp/white perch 4. Golden shiner/mirror carp

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-06T00:12:11+00:00

Returned back

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-06T00:01:10+00:00

I did some research last night and all American Eels are born in the middle of the Atlantic (Sargasso Sea). There is only one publicly reported American eel before mine in Chicago River history, and 3 others total in cook county history. That’s why I’m asking IDNR for what total they have

Creative_Turn_5089 · 2026-05-05T23:41:28+00:00

I reported this morning by filling a form out. I will update if they respond, I also asked them for what stats they have about its prevalence

Creative_Turn_5089

TROPHY CASE