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Off The Beaten Pathby Kevin Patton
Hidden away in western Illinois amid a forest of deciduous and fern trees, in an area dubbed Forgottonia by its residents, lay Argyle Lake State Park. This 95-acre lake has received accolades during the past year from outdoor writers for having quality bluegill, crappie, bass, catfish, and saugeye fishing. Argyle is also included in the state rainbow trout stocking program. I decided to reacquaint myself with the lake, located seven miles west of Macomb, after more than 25 years since my last visit. Dee Dee Kumpf and I headed to the lake May 21, fully realizing that we had missed the major spawn of nearly every species. We launched at 9:00 a.m. after maneuvering a tricky, single-lane boat ramp and headed up the lake under trolling motor power because of the 10 h.p. outboard limit. We had crappie jigs, bass gear, and live bait rigs for our wax worms and minnows. The water temperature was 71 degrees and the water clarity was four to five feet.
The wind was about 5 mph, but the forecast called for a 15 mph breeze beginning before noon. Our plan was to bobber fish for bluegills and crappies and switch to bass fishing and minnows on bottom-bouncing rigs when the wind increased. Our first stop was the south side of a cove north and east of the dam where there are several downed trees, stumps, and weed growth down to about six feet. We drowned a few minnows and wax worms under slip bobbers and cast 1/16-ounce crappie jigs in two feet of water and deeper. There are areas of underwater brush to find here if you keep an eye on your depthfinder. We immediately started catching small bluegills and crappies, but had to wade through many 7 1/2 to 8 1/2-inch crappies to get an occasional 9-inch keeper. Before we left the cove, a couple of anglers told us about recently catching limits of 20-inch saugeyes, which is a stocked hybrid that is on the rise in Illinois, providing anglers with a tasty alternative from many area fisheries. But, "you should have been here last week," isn't what any angler wants to hear.
Our next stop was the main point located directly across from the dam to the north. The point separates a large cove from the main lake. The east side of the point has shoreline weeds five yards out and a steep drop-off to more than 20 feet of water. We drifted through the area a few times with minnows on Lindy rigs and Carolina-rigged lizards. Once we reached the tip of the point, we connected on bass with black and blue lizards, including one 15 1/2-inch keeper. The west side of the point has a more gradual drop to deep water, more weeds and cattails, and a couple of downed trees. Here we caught bluegills and crappies with our slip bobber rigs in three to six feet of water. When the wind increased, we followed the northeast shore of the main lake, casting lizards and medium-running crankbaits for bass but found no takers. We then moved to a sheltered cove on the west side of the lake and tied off to a downed tree, but only managed a few more small crappies. After leaving the cove, the largest one on the west side of the lake, we headed back toward the boat ramp. On the way we noticed that there are only a few shoreline fishing areas available, mostly near the boat ramp and dam, due to the steep banks and dense foliage surrounding the lake.
Between the cove and the ramp there are many downed-trees located on the west shore near deep water, so we stopped at several to feed more minnows to the starving crappies. We finished at 3 p.m. with bass up to 15 1/2 inches, 15-20 small bluegills, and at least 30 crappies. We caught few keepers, but were kept busy with lots of hungry fish. Fishing regulations are posted at the boat ramp and include a limit of two poles per person. Anglers are allowed 6 channel catfish per day; 25 bluegill or sunfish; 10 crappies that are at least 9-inches; and 3 walleyes or saugeyes 14-inches or longer. Individuals are allowed daily to keep one bass more than 15-inches and/or 5 bass less than 12-inches. All bass between 12-15 inches must be released.
Park Regulations Other park rules include a closing time of 10 p.m. and a policy that prohibits alcohol consumption between January 1 and June 1. The Visitors Center is located on the left side of the road to the boat ramp, but has limited hours. Contact them at 309-776-3422. The Deck II restaurant and bait shop is located in the same cove as the boat ramp. They can be reached at 309-776-4275. The bait shop part of the business is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. They sell live bait, but you should call ahead if you want minnows. Paddle boats, canoes, jon boats, and trolling motors are available for rent. The restaurant is open Friday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Saturday 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Sunday 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.; and Wednesday evenings for dinner. The park also contains a shaded campground that has showers, firewood, ice and vending machines. Picnic shelters, grills, playground equipment, as well as walking, horseback riding, and mountain bike trails are available. Directions to the Park Those driving to the lake from the north and east can turn right (west) off of U.S. Route 67 at the road to Spring Lake (N. 1500 Road), on the north edge of Macomb. You will find a bait shop 2.4 miles west of Route 67 on the left side of the road. Continue west from the bait shop another 4.7 miles to North Coal Road (E. 500 Street) and turn left (south). Drive 3.8 miles to the park entrance. Visitors can also reach the park by taking U.S. Route 67 into Macomb and turning west on Route 136. Take Route 136 West to Colchester and the park is two miles north of Colchester on Coal Road. Read more about the facility at the following links: |
