I gave Blackwell a second chance.

I wanted to go fishing again and try my luck at some Rainbow Trout. Saturday turned out to be a nice day. I finished my yardwork, which was satisfying, and decided if I wanted to fish for rainbow’s, I had only a few choices. Blackwell Forest Preserve/Silver Lake and two other lakes in Dupage County are stocked with rainbow. Blackwell is close by, so I decided to give it another shot

Prepping for a paddle with extra gear for fishing takes noticeably longer, naturally. This was my second time out, so I got a better feel. I’m sure it will become shorter and easier the more I go. I can see, though, where I may begin having difficulty keeping a line designating my kayak-fishing trips from my kayak-paddling trips. Particularly when others are along for an outting. No one who’s out for a paddle wants to sit in a single spot watching someone fish.

I was out by myself and really enjoyed the outdoor solitude. I was as alone as one could be considering where I was. There was a guy fishing from a nice bass boat – trolling motor, raised swivel chair, the whole schmere. He also had eyes well trained on his depth and/or fish finder while he seemed to briskly and blindly weave around the lake, searching for the fish cribs that are clearly marked on the forest preserve maps of the lake. I ignored it and kept fishing.

Well, the it turned out to be chilly on the lake, but my tenacity paid off. I caught a small-ish (6″) green sunfish. I thought it was a smallmouth bass, but after checking the stock reports, learned there are no smallmouth bass in the lake. The closest thing to it was the sunfish. I put him back and kept trying for the trout. No luck. It was getting late and I decided that the day was a success and I could finish with a feeling of accomplishment, having caught something, at least. I have no picture of what I caught, but it was not a keeper anyway, so believe it or not.