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A Good Source for Fishing Infoby Kevin Patton Jeff Lampe informed and entertained a group of anglers at the Washington Public Library May 23 with a variety of fishing tips, advice about fishing area waters, and stories about his experiences as an outdoor writer for the Peoria Journal Star. Lampe immediately got the crowd's attention by mentioning a monster bluegill weighing 1.98 pounds that was caught recently by an East Peoria man while fishing in Knox County. He added that bluegills are currently on spawning beds in areas lakes, including many strip mine lakes that typically have impressive panfish.
Characters Welcome "I try to find people who are interesting to write about and older guys have stories to tell," said Lampe. "I try to find characters," he added. One example is a father-son duo from London Mills known for their "hogging" skills (also known as "noodling" and "grabling") along the Spoon River. Virgil Williamson and his son Richie, whom Lampe described as a "human muskrat," weren't afraid to get right in there with snakes and other critters when using only their bare hands to catch catfish and carp. Lampe recalled stories about an 85-pound blue catfish that was mounted and is hanging in a tavern called The Rivers Edge in Browning and an exciting jet-boat ride up the Vermillion River with catfish guide Tim Scott. He also advised the audience to get on the Illinois River and enjoy the aerial display of Asian Carp. "Asian Carp are an invasive species and a menace, but it is fantastic to see them jumping," said Lampe, "and June should be a good month for this." People are coming to Central Illinois from around the country to shoot Asian Carp from a boat with a bow and arrow. Lampe announced that ESPN 2 will film an episode of "Get Wild with Cindy Garrison" on the Illinois River this summer. It is now legal to snag Asian Carp below the Peoria Lock and Dam, within 300 yards south of the Lock. All you need for this type of fishing is a treble hook and a weight. "The Pekin side of the river is the best and the closer you get to the Lock, the better the fishing," he said. Commercial fishermen are finding some markets for Asian Carp and Lampe described them as "clean, white, tasty fish." Places to Fish Lampe summarized some of the area fishing prospects as follows: Evergreen Lake- A great fishery that is worth the fee. It has good bass, saugeye, and crappie fishing. A 7-pound, 14-ounce saugeye was caught there last week. Eureka Lake- Redear sunfish(shellcrackers) are good, crappies are fair, bluegills are poor, and bass fishing is great. He described his "best bass fishing day ever," as being in 2003 when he accompanied Fisheries Biologist Wayne Herndon who shocked an amazing amount of bass up during a fish survey. A 9.2-pound bass was caught there last April and 130 northern pike were recently stocked in the lake. No gas motors are allowed on your boat, but there is great bank access. Rice Lake and Woodford County Ditch- Both areas are great bullhead fisheries. Spring Lake- Bass fishing is better here this year than in a long time. A 9-pound bass was caught last year and a 10-pounder this year, both from the south lake. Catfishing is good on the south lake and bullheads are good on the north lake. Bluegills are poor. Strip Mine Lakes- These lakes offer some of the best bluegill and bass fishing available, but many are on private property or part of a private club. Most are located on the west side of the Illinois River in Fulton County and some are still taking members. He suggested that anglers cultivate relationships with land owners, club members, and others to gain access. Fulton County Conservation Area is one place that is open to public fishing for a fee. A Future Hot Spot Emiquon Preserve- "This will be the place to fish in a few years," Lampe said. It is located near Havana (used to be Norris Farms and Wilder Farms) and will contain 3,000 acres of water in Thompson and Flag lakes. They are letting it flood and stocking it now. No gas motors will be allowed on boats. It will be open seven days per week once it opens to fishing, which should be within the next two years. "Gear up for what will be the best fishery in the area," he advised. Bank Fishing Lampe suggested that bank fishermen consider Eureka Lake, which has playground equipment for children who become bored, Charter Oak lakes, Spring Lake, and Wildlife Prairie Park's Deep Lake (a fee is charged to fish).
Productive Lures "It doesn't look like anything, but it works," is how Lampe described Gary Yamamoto's Senko lures. He throws it on 8-10 pound line, rigging it "wacky" style (hooked through the middle of the bait with the hook exposed) in open water or Texas style without the weight where there are weeds. It is a slow way to fish and requires patience, but Lampe recommends it for inexperienced bass anglers. He uses a scent spray on the lure and said that it works well at area strip mine lakes and Spring Lake. Lampe also catches a variety of species on Chatterbaits, especially during spring. Fishing Questions Lampe concluded his talk by answering audience questions about where to catch walleyes and stripers in Central Illinois. He said the Clinton Lake is hot for walleyes now, with Lake Storey, Banner Marsh, and Oak Run (if you can get access) also being good. Sangchris Lake is good for stripers and Clinton is fair, with the best opportunity being early in the morning below the dam. He noted that Powerton Lake should be good for stripers in the future because the state began stocking them this year. Jeff Lampe's columns run every Tuesday and Friday in the Peoria Journal Star, with an area fishing report in the Friday edition. Sunday's paper contains an entire page of outdoor news. Visit Lampe's blog at: http://www.pjstar.com/php/index.php?/lampe/P0/ |
