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Put This On Your "To Do" Listby Kevin Patton
The opening of Emiquon Preserve this year, south of Lewiston, has created a buzz among Illinois bass anglers that has not been heard since the opening of Hennepin and Hooper lakes a few years ago. Dee Dee Kumpf and I headed south Sept. 29 to see what all the fuss was about. After a stop at nearby Dickson Mounds Museum for the mandatory fishing permits, we were surprised to arrive at the lake and see only one fisherman ....and he was leaving. We knew we were at the right lake, but wondered if we had missed the boat launch. Why would a place that generated stories of 100-fish days be deserted? It was soon apparent why we were the only boat on the lake for a few hours- too much wind. There was a brisk north wind at 15-20 mph, which made this trolling-motor-only lake (no outboards are even allowed on boats) very difficult to navigate. Emiquon is wide, flat, and unsheltered, so pick your fishing days carefully.
We were fortunate enough to have a boat from Watkins Marine that fit our needs perfectly for fishing Emiquon on a windy day. The lake is less than 10-feet deep in most areas and full of various kinds of vegetation, such as pond weed, coontail, hydrilla, and duck weed. It reminds me of Spring Lake South near Manito without the lily pads. Emiquon is much larger at nearly 4,300 acres of water, but anglers are only allowed to fish approximately 1,500 acres of the lake. We also noticed that there are varying water clarities, depending on your location on the lake. It seemed the farther we ventured from the west shore, the murkier the water became. Day 1 We headed north into the wind, following the matted weedline on the west side of the lake. The surface water temperature was 65 degrees. When a 12-inch bass took a blue/yellow, shallow-running crankbait near the boat ramp, our fishing prospects seemed good on this sunny, post-front day.
That proved to be somewhat of a fluke, as we only caught a few, scattered bass on fast-moving bait such as crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and topwater lures. A black Moss Boss and black/blue spinnerbait caught a few of those bass. It wasn't until we slowed down with weightless, wacky-rigged Senkos and Texas-rigged lizards that we caught fish more consistently. Several bass bit a 7-inch, electric grape Berkley Power Worm and a 4-inch, black/blue fleck Crazy Legs Chigger Craw. A 5-inch, black/blue fleck Senko caught our largest bass that measured 16-inches. Texas-rigged, black Zoom lizards caught the most bass. The majority of our fish were caught near flooded brush or in weeds along the edge of the 14-foot ditch that runs north and south for most of the lake. Conservancy personnel state that the lake contains 16 miles of ditches that are up to 20 feet deep. We fought the wind for 5 1/2 hours, caught 25 bass, and headed home to get ready for the next day. Day 2 Wednesday was a totally different day wind-wise and the word was out. Despite getting to the lake two hours earlier than the previous day, the parking lot had ten cars and would have 15 or more during most of the day.
The ditch that had produced many of our fish on day one was where the majority of fishermen spent their day on Wednesday. It is lined on both sides with areas of weeds and brush in 6-8 feet of water. Despite the increased fishing pressure, the fish were turned on. We saw a number of anglers land bass on fast-moving baits, such as crankbaits, but we stuck with the slower presentations that had produced the previous day. Lizard colors that caught fish were black, pumpkin pepper, and especially blue flash and black with a red tail. It didn't seem to matter what brand of soft-plastic jerkbait we threw, as long as it was a combination of black and blue. A black/blue laminate Yum Dinger and Black Magic black/blue swirl did particularly well. We spend nearly the entire day fishing both sides of the ditch in the weed growth and ended up with 60 bass in 6 1/2 hours of fishing. The two days proved that Emiquon is THE place to be for avid bass anglers and you should put this lake on your "To Do" list for next year. Regulations Fish limits are as follows: largemouth bass- 1 fish daily, minimum of 18 inches; crappie- 25 fish daily that are at least 9 inches in length; 6 channel catfish daily with no length limit; 25 bluegills or sunfish (Lepomis) with no length limit; and 6 walleyes that are a minimum of 14 inches.
Hours are sunrise to sunset and minors must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older. The lake does have off-limit areas that are marked by orange buoys. Fishing and boating are only allowed on the west half of the lake. Only pole and line fishing (2 per person) is allowed. A lot of things are prohibited at Emiquon, including outboard motors, swimming, pets, alcohol, tournaments, belly boats, live bait except for worms, fish cleaning, camping, bow fishing, wading, and fishing from shore. There are currently no restroom facilities at the lake and only a gravel boat ramp. Bids are now being accepted for work at Emiquon that will provide an improved ramp and parking, a canoe launch area, boardwalk into the lake, and an observation deck. All state licensing requirements apply at Emiquon. A copy of the regulations can be obtained when you get your permit at Dickson Mounds Museum, which is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Watkins Marine has a full line of Tracker and Nitro boats that can be rigged for any fishing situation, including Emiquon. Stop and see them at 13950 IL Route 29 south of Pekin, call them at 800-397-BOAT, or visit their web site at: www.watkinsmarine.com Peoria Journal Star outdoor writer Jeff Lampe has written about Emiquon numerous times. An index of his articles for www.prairiestateoutdoors.com can be seen by typing "Emiquon" into the site search engine at: www.prairiestateoutdoors.com To learn more about the Emiquon Nature Conservancy and National Wildlife Refuge, call 309-547-2730 or visit these web sites: |
