 |
IL Fishing |
 |
Articles |
Fishing |
Free |
Events |
Photo |
Videos |
Fishing |
Prizes |
Weather |
Forums |
Fishing |
Tournament |
DNR News |
Site Map |
Home Page |
 |
Hosted By
 |
Central Illinois Fishing Prospectsby Kevin Patton If Saturday morning at the Elmwood All Outdoors Show was any indication, the new Central Illinois show was a huge success. The inaugural event was held the first weekend in March and crowds of outdoor enthusiasts attended to see dozens of displays, seminars, vendors, and enjoy a lunch of grilled pork chop and barbecue sandwiches. With a $5 admission fee (12 and younger were free), free parking, lots of door prizes and raffles, and plenty for the kids to do, the show was a bargain.
In addition, proceeds went to a good cause, benefiting the athletic programs and students of Elmwood High School. Scores of students, parents, and volunteers were on hand to make the show a success. One of the show seminars featured a trio of Illinois Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Biologists talking about area fishing prospects for the coming year. Ken Russell, Wayne Herndon, and Rob Hilsabeck each spoke about the lakes in their areas. Russell, in charge of lakes in a five-county area of Western Illinois, started the program by talking about Argyle Lake near Macomb. The 93-acres lake is surveyed twice each year, as are many other lakes under the IDNR jurisdiction. During spring, a netting survey targets crappies, saugeyes, and catfish. The fall electro-shocking survey is aimed at bass, bluegills, and crappies. A successful saugeye stocking program was started at the lake during 1992. Russell rates saugeyes and crappies as the best fishing opportunities. He noted that Argyle has crappies weighing up to 2 pounds, with a plentiful supply of 10 to 12-inch fish.
Spring Lake near Macomb is 277 acres and, like many state lakes, full of gizzard shad as a forage base. Hybrid stripers were stocked to control the shad and some have reached 22 pounds. Russell rates catfish as the best bet at Spring Lake. Stripers are not plentiful, but there are some nice ones. Trophy bass up to nine pounds are also in the lake. He added that the crappies are stunted, with lots of 7 to 7 1/2-inch fish. "We stock Lake Storey with walleyes, muskies, and catfish every year," said Russell. The best fishing at the 130-acres lake north of Galesburg is for crappies, muskies, and bass. Russell says the bass are are plentiful but small in size and there is an abundance of 8 to 8 1/2-inch crappies. Snake Den Hollow contains dozens of lakes that comprise about 2,500 acres of water. McMaster Lake is the largest, with flooded timber and depths to 70 feet. The water is very clear for Illinois, as you can see the lake bottom 15 to 20 feet deep. The best bets for fishing at McMaster are muskies up to 20 pounds and 50-inches long, black crappies 10 to 12 inches long, and walleyes. Bass, bluegills, and redear are poor in McMaster, but do thrive in other lakes on the property.
Wayne Herndon, Fisheries Biologist for Tazewell County and areas north of there, continued the rundown of area lakes. At South Spring Lake (near Manito) northern pike average 6 to 8 pounds, with fish up to 22 pounds. Herndon suggests fishing for them during early spring because after the water warms, they congregate in the spring-fed waterfowl refuge area and become inaccessible to anglers. "This should be a great year for 9 to 10-inch black crappies," said Herndon. In addition, there are many bass 3 to 5 pounds, trophy bass up to 8 1/2 pounds, and a good redear sunfish population. "North Spring Lake contains the largest number of adult muskies of any lake in the state," stated Herndon. Muskie catches of 6-10 fish per day are not uncommon and the lake has a tremendous number of muskies that measure 38-42 inches. The population of largemouth bass is excellent and crappies are good also. Northern pike in South Spring Lake and muskies in North Spring Lake are both netted during Spring to provide fish to the Jake Wolf Hatchery for reproduction. Each lake is managed separately for a variety of species.
Powerton Lake has undergone lots of changes and is hard to figure out, according to Herndon. Originally there was a decent population of largemouth bass and when they declined, smallmouths were successfully introduced. However, the smallmouth numbers have declined during the past three years. Currently, Herndon rates the largemouths as a better fishery than the smallmouths. White bass also once thrived at Powerton and have virtually disappeared. Herndon's top picks for the lake are hybrid stripers and catfish. Hybrid stripers are doing well, with 5 to 6 pound fish available, but the real trophies are the catfish. Channel, blue, and flathead catfish all thrive in the lake. Blue cats have a good density and there are fish heavier than 50 pounds. There are flatheads and channels of all sizes and flatheads up to 58 pounds. Herndon also mentioned that Eureka Lake has good northern pike, redear, and catfish populations and is excellent for largemouth bass. Rob Hilsabeck, who works on lakes mostly in Peoria, Fulton, Stark, and Carroll counties, concluded the seminar. Banner Marsh is 3,000 acres of strip mine lakes that contain crappies of all sizes, up to 2 1/2 pounds. Muskies are also doing well at Banner, but bluegills are small. "The largemouth bass population at Banner is as strong as it's ever been," said Hilsabeck, "despite heavy fishing pressure." He advised bass fisherman to try the main access area (Johnson Lake). Doube T Lake is a 64-acre strip mine lake northwest of Canton, with steep banks and 65 foot depths. There is little structure in the lake but when you find brush, crappies will probably be on it, according to Hilsabeck. It is managed as a trophy bass lake with a 21-inch limit. There are also a few muskies in the lake. Emiquon Nature Preserve is the new, highly touted lake northwest of Havana. Wet years have increased the lake to nearly 5,000 acres and it has been stocked with a variety of species since 2007. There is a very dense population of bass with most fish measuring 12-16 inches. "Catches of 100 bass per day are possible at Emiquon, said Hilsabeck." In response to audience questions, Wildlife Prairie State Park was recommended as a good place to take kids fishing. It was also mentioned that those interested in carp fishing will find fish 30 to 40 pounds at Lake Storey and Eureka Lake. There were many other informative seminars at the Elmwood All Outdoors Show, as well as an archery range, deer feeding station, and trout pond for kids. If you are looking for an enjoyable and low cost weekend outing, keep this show in mind next March. The show web site is located at: Elmwood All Outdoors Show |
