I was wondering if anyone is near rend lake.. Or knew if you could get a boat in there pretty easy.. I have a cabin in buckner.. I was thinking about going down there... Just didnt want to get there and not be able to get the boat in... I have a 18 foot fish and ski... Its a little harder than these guys in jon boats... they put them things in everywhere ...haha I just didnt know if it is high like the rivers... Its hard to get my boat in the little wabash here in new haven.. I have get my truck in the water pretty deep... Any Info is appreciated...

Thanks!!!

Kyle

I was down there Sunday but didn't check the boat ramps. The ramps at the resort are usually not too bad even with high water.

Thanks... I dont remember the ramps i use.. theres 2different ones.. one was a free one.. because i didnt have cash.. and the last time i wrote a check for the parking lot it took like 3 or 4 months for them to cash it haha..

I havent decided if im going there or not.. i read a report that the catfish are biting.. They aint doing anything here in the little wabash or big wabash

The ramps at the state park are free while those in Corp of Engineer areas have a nominal fee. We have a pontoon and find that the one next to the Flagship boatel is the easiest one for us to launch from. I'm not sure how high the water level is on Rend right now.

Drove across Rend on I57 today. Place was full of Pelicans.

Well if helping sandbagging doesnt keep me home im headed to camp friday... And hopefully be on the rend saturday morning.. Does anyone know if anywhere around there is selling any kind of bait... My camp is in buckner .. So anywhere around there i can get bait..

There is a bait shop in benton. Its called g and s baitshop. Its on the outskirts of town on rt 37 north. Its at the last 4 way out of heading out of town

Whittington Shell off of Hwy 154 and Hwy 37. They sell minnows and other bait. Word is all Corps boat ramps are closed as they expect the lake to crest today. The free (state ramps) should still be open. One of your best bets would be the Gun creek ramp on north side of 154. Entrance is across from the artisan center on 154. Gonna try to launch there saturday.

I think the resort ramps are closed too. We buy our bait at the Whittington Shell station too. If you buy them at the resort they count out each minnow, they're not always as healthy, and they cost more. At the Whittington shell they scoop them so 1 dozen might be in reality 2 or 3 times that, depending on who's scooping.

Here's what was posted yesterday.

•Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park – Sailboat Harbor boat ramps and parking areas are closed. The bike trail has sections under water and is closed until further notice. The Rend Lake Resort will remain open but two of the three boatels will need to be closed because of parking lot flooding. All boat ramps at resort are currently closed as a safety measure. Three of the five loops of the Class A campground are closed because roads are under water. Boat Ramp located within the Class A Campground is closed and under water. The primitive tent camping area is closed until further notice due to water across sites. The County Line Picnic area is closed until further notice due to flooding. Rend Lake Stables horse riding concession closed September 30, 2010.

http://www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/Alerts.html#weather

Thanks Flatlander for posting this yesterday. Man, I thought we got socked with some rain around here, but it really got hit down there.

Just witnessed 3 boats launch at the resort an hour ago. The ramp right by the restaurant and tennis courts. Not sure if someone removed the gate or what about 10 rigs in the lot. Large bass boats don't seem to have a problem launching there.

Maybe they reopened it, which would be a good thing.

Headed there today....

Give us a report bobkyle2, both on lake conditions and how you do.

We fished under 2 different brides.. Just very shortly.. (we didnt pack our winter cloths with us haha) .. Then we fished right across from the jackie branch ramp for a little bit.. I had 1 very small bite... And my buddy had a pretty good bite that took the whole pole..(wasnt watching it and wasnt in a rod holder)..

It was pretty cold and wet.. I probably wouldnt have put in .. But ive been chaseing a bug in my boat since last summer .. Its been running weird...and i wanted to see if i had tracked it down this time ... And it ran perfect....

Hope to get back out there soon

Talked to a guy that had caught a few crappie... And he said there was a guy that had caught 30 keeper catfish...

We caught 5 channel cats, 2 of them pretty big, 5 crappies, and a yellow bass from the boat dock at the resort.

Fishkiller lost a spincast rod from the boat dock closest to the Flagship one year from a fish pulling it in. Since then we always wrap the line around something immovable when setting a rod down. The next spring we were back and someone had pulled the rod in and left it on the dock.

haha.. I have rod holders on the boat.. Theres like 3 right were he was sitting..I dont really like using them.. No one really does.. Luckily he didnt lose my new Abu Garcia's ... Or someone would have been swimming :O

Yep. Can't go losing the expensive rods. We've got a rod holder at each corner of our pontoon, but there was no way I wanted to be pulling that or taking it out with that wind.

There was a guy That was out in a pontoon.. With a Big tarp on it... I though they were broke down... I started over to see if he needed help... but i think they were throwing a casting net or somthing

We fished under 2 different brides..

What did their husbands have to say about it?:D

What did their husbands have to say about it?:D

Hahaha Nice!... I seen that a few mins ago and was going to fix it.. And then the dinner bell rung .. And the food was warm... I havent ate warm food in a few days.. I thought i had some good stuff at my cabin so i didnt bring and food.. All i had there was bologna and cheese... It got old quick With the cold winds and rains

Too bad they don't let you cook in those cabins.

Ahaha.. I have a camp in buckner.. Is where i stay at.. But i had no cookable food.. I guess i could have fried some bologna lol.... Or fish.. If i would have ever caught any...

Well now you know where they're biting.

I wish i would have stayed up there last night... I had planned on going fishing On the little wabash today.. But the river is just moving to much

bobkyle2, these are the crappies and yellow bass we caught at Rend Lake yesterday.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/229501_10150187320682512_702132511_6790776_4731062 _n.jpg

Sorry I couldn't get a picture of them earlier. :D

Hahahaha... Nice... I hope you didnt catch them like that?... Did you keep them or throw them back ;)

We kept them. Fishkiller just finished cooking all the catfish fillets. You can guess what I'll be eating tomorrow.

Haha.. I aint cooked any Catfish in a few months... My freezer is loaded down still from last year..

I've still got some from last year too, but why dig them out and have to freeze these instead of just cooking these while they're fresh. I've got a nice platter of catfish fillets now. Not battered, but pan fried with some seasoning my wife likes to put on fish.

Do you fish at rend very much... I'm probably going to start fishing there as much as i can afford too... I live about an hour and 10 mins from there(i think thats what it took us to get home)... We usually go up on Friday and stay till Sunday evening..

Ive only actually been a hand full of times... And every time the weather has tried to kill me there... Ive had a sinus infection and ear aches every since i got home ....

We live about 90 minutes from there, but that's our favorite place to fish. For those sinuses, my doc recommended a good saline flush either with a neti pot or those saline sprayers they sell with the nasal sprays.

Crappie fishing on Rend has been great this year. Hopefully this cool spell drags out the spawn a little longer.

3 of the 4 crappies we caught Saturday still had roe so it may be stretching it out bdw. That should also mean a good crop of crappies next year.

Thinking about heading there tomorow.. Havent really decided yet.. I hate dragging the boat all the way there.. And i cannot stand to fish off the bank lol.. I got to work sunday so it would just be there and back... I havent had any luck on the rivers here .. So im wanting to get on the rend where i might have a chance

Where would you be hauling if from bobkyle2? We live in Fairview Heights so we have to drag ours almost 90 miles each way. We don't do it often, especially when gas prices are this high.

Well i didnt make it down there... Had some boat problems... I guess ive been having the problem since ive got the boat... Its leaked bits of oil out of the spark plug holes..2 holes on one side... It always looked like the spark plug leaking... (ive only had the boat since august)... The plugs always seem to have oil on them.. I couldnt figure out why...I thought it was the plugs.. I never thought to look at the threads.. They always seem great.. And always tightend up great... Well it started running weird so i pulled the plugs out and when i did the threads just crumbled into my hand... So i should get my new head should be here today.. But i cannot find any shop that has head gaskets..

I would love to be there this weekend but i dont think im going to be able to find gaskets without ordering them :(

I live in New haven Ill..... Just about 15 mins from MT.Vernon Indiana.. And about 30 mins from Sturgis KY.... I think its around 78 miles to my camp (thats in buckner..)

Bummer. Did you look into ordering the gasket online and just having it delivered to you?

Well... Its looking like i might be down for the count... When i pulled the head off... I found that i have a cylinder that had ran too lean.. and looks like its close to being burnt down... Im going to have to pull the other head and check it out also... It sucks i dont have the cash to buy a new power head.. or get this thing over hauled...

Im going to try to find someone that can help me rebuild it... Or save some cash for a few years to afford to have it rebuilt lol...It sucks as i just heard the cats are biting pretty well down that way..

I have heard i can put in just new pistons and be fine... The side i pulled the head off of... The cylinders are perfect... just got top piston has been almost mutilated.. I will post a few pics

http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx163/bobkyle2/Mobile%20Uploads/0604011829.jpg
http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx163/bobkyle2/Mobile%20Uploads/0604011830.jpg

^^ That is the bad cylinder

http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx163/bobkyle2/Mobile%20Uploads/0604011829a.jpg
http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx163/bobkyle2/Mobile%20Uploads/0604011829b.jpg

^ Other 2 cylinders look fine..


All the cylinder walls still have the hash marks.. So thats good...

Ive just never opend up a outboard motor... Rebuilt a few 2stroke dirtbikes and small block chevys and big block chevys...


Mercury 150 ....1984 model....carb'ed...... A dang kinked fuel line did all this :(