After re-provisioning, turning in the rental car and cleaning the boat, we were off once again on "our Adventure."
The next morning we waited two + hours to lock through at the Peoria Lock. As time passed, several more pleasure boats arrived. Later two other boats and Crazy Eights anchored behind Quiver Island. I'll point out that the IL River is commercial, with few facilities for cruisers. Our chosen anchorage was next to a coal loading dock. The bottom of the river was mud and the banks weren't much better. Finding an "appropriate" area to land the dinghy so Mr. Reggie could go ashore was no easy feat! Getting in and out of the dinghy was even better - it's a good thing that I saved those high boots from our sailing days to keep my feet dry!
When taking Reggie ashore there were a couple of pretty large fish that jumped out of the water right next to us. Wow! Did you see that? Well, on our way back, all of a sudden we had one of them jump right INTO the dinghy - yeh! He was all bloody; flopping every which way. Yikes! Where did he come from? How to get rid of him! This is no FISH STORY - this guy was 24+ inches! After several attempts, Rich successfully grabbed the tail & flipped him back in the water. We assume that he had hit the motor prop on his way in & bloodied himself and our dinghy. What a mess!
I vaguely remembered reading something about jumping fish. Well, it seems that Asian Silver Carp are REALLY quite the problem. Catfish aqua-farmers on the lower Mississippi originally introduced the carp into local waters to feed on algae and other surface plants in the 1970's - another good idea, gone bad. This invasive species has managed to work it's way up the Mississippi River and into the Illinois River, now posing a risk to the Great Lakes. Their real threat is their rapid rate of reproduction and size. They can reach 100 pounds and 4 feet long! They're big eaters and threaten the Great Lakes Ecosystem and anywhere else they can be found. Measures are in place to keep them from entering Lake Michigan. Read more at: http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/invasive/asiancarp/
The carp become agitated, or excited (not sure which!) by the motors and they jump towards the noise. It's not uncommon to see them jump 6 feet in the air. The local fisherman actually wear helmets and other protective gear and carry baseball bats when they go out fishing!
If your calendar is clear for he first weekend in Aug next year, we can provide you information on the Redneck Fishing Tournament in Bath, IL. The locals tell us this is quite the event - people drive for miles around just to watch! This year more than 3,400 carp were caught in one day - double from the year before. The rules are interesting - The winner is the boat with the most carp in the boat at the end of the 3 hour contest. The only gear allowed are hand-held dip nets. Protective head gear, baseball bats and rain gear (for slime protection) are optional!
Anyway, our personal experience with Asian silver carp made for some interesting conversation over a glass of wine with our fellow Loopers that evening!
After some "fun" anchor drill the next morning, we left the anchorage before they began moving the big barges around or worse yet, filling them with coal. We headed for our next "picturesque" accommodation. We tied up to a barge called Logsdon Tug in Beardstown, IL, sharing the big barge with several other Looper boats and a couple of tows. Hey, things are improving! After climbing the steep steel stairs that are open (don't look down!), we walked to town and had lunch with friends on Great Escape, whom we'd met way back in Oswego, NY, and then again along the way in Manitowoc, WI. It was fun to catch up and compare adventures!
By the way, they travel with a yellow lab. They were in the anchorage with us the night before. They have to use the dinghy hoist to hoist their doggie into/out of the dinghy. We thought that was pretty ingenious! It still amazes us how many Loopers travel with pets.
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