Although I’ve neglected these types of waters for nearly a decade, there’s something special about spillways and streams. Many good memories and many good fish courtesy of a simple dew worm, a “secret” doughball or a can of corn. It really doesn’t get much more basic than tossing in one of those baits, waiting for a tug and pondering what is on the end of the line as you set the hook.

Twenty five years ago this week I was able to cover both spillway and stream fishing over the course of just a few days. A handful of fellow fishermen (Dad, Brent and Mark “Geek” Junk) joined up to take a shot at a couple legendary fishing holes known as “Pat’s Creek” (Henderson County, IL) and “The Spillway” (Lake Bracken). Below is a slideshow of the photos that served to document those enjoyable adventures.

The crazy thing is that all of these years later I have plenty of moving water up here in the Quad Cities worth visiting. If I could just put down those bass rods…

Talk to you later. Troy