So I live on the kankakee river (which has every freshwater species known to man) but I can't seem to get any bites. There's a ton of fish and it's next to a broken dam which I've caught carp gar rockbass and a ton of other sun fish. PLEASE HELP 🙏      

I see nobody has responded yet so I can start the conversation.

 

What are you fishing for?

 

What baits are you currently using?

       I'm fishing for bass and I've used just about every lure in my inventory including musky lures  Spinner baits, inline Spinner, Texas rig,   Micro crank baits, spoons, Ned's, lip less crank bait, square bill crank bait, jerkbait, spook, buzz bait, and wopper plopper

How about a jig with a skirt and a trailer?  I catch a lot of bass on that set-up. Also if you are going to fish a jig fish it slow and I mean sloooowwwwww.

                                                  I've tried tht but probably  not that slow will try and get back to u.       ps any

color recommendations                                      

Next to a broken dam? So pretty good current? I would focus on only 2-3 lures. A crankbait, a Curlytail grub, and a fluke, provided the water isn't flowing so much to roll the fluke.

Even though fishing in a dam area sounds promising, knowing the seasonal patterns of the fish you are after will make you more successful than what baits to use. And, Rick Clunn once said something like this, to better understand bass, you must learn about the prey they eat. Now without looking up exactly how he said it, his point is that the predator/prey relationship is a huge factor in successful fishing. 
 With this said, there are sooooo many factors involved in catching fish. For instance,if the fish are spawning, they are not likely to be found in the fast water or interested in eating. Their top priority is to keep their family tree growing and slack water serves their needs during this phase. Summer through Fall, the water below a dam can be a fantastic place to fish. Here again, every cast must have a purpose. The fish will not be swimming around without purpose. In fact, they will most likely seek areas where the water is being blocked, creating an eddy or slack water. Take note as to where you cast, what the bait does upon retrieving it and if you catch one, analyze the spot. There is a reason why that fish was there. 
 Roland Martin wrote a book probably 50 years ago called 101 Bass Fishing Secrets. This book is still relevant today for anyone wanting to learn.  
 The information on the internet can be overwhelming so that’s why I mentioned the book. I say that it is imperative that you choose a species that you want to catch and, based on water temperature, learn what they should be doing. This should help you start getting closer to catching. 
Good luck in your journey. 

On 5/9/2025 at 12:38 PM, Jack15 said:

     So I live on the kankakee river (which has every freshwater species known to man) but I can't seem to get any bites. There's a ton of fish and it's next to a broken dam which I've caught carp gar rockbass and a ton of other sun fish. PLEASE HELP 🙏      

Are you wading, fishing from a boat or fishing from shore? The bass on the Kankakee are still in spawning mode, so things are going to be a bit slow at the moment. Have you been fishing in the state park? Use the hunting areas as a place to park and hike down to the water. You might have to do some bush whacking so wear long pants or waders to protect from ticks and thorns. Head over to the Warner bridge fisherman parking area on the north side of the river just west of the bridge. There is lots of shore access there too. If wading, use a wading staff and wear a life jacket. There are lots of ledges that you can step off of and be in over your head. It can be a dangerous place to wade with a pretty strong current. Look for weed edges break lines and eddies. The bass there find spots out of the fast water. It’s a big river with thousands of spots that hold bass, you’ll have to put in lots of time to learn where the bass are. I know a lot of guys who have put in thousands of hours on the “Kank” and they still come up empty at times.