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Grab Bag Fishing
by Kevin Patton In this age of high-tech fishing gear, specialized techniques, and species-specific tournaments, do you ever just want to grab some worms or minnows and go fishing for anything that bites? If so, you want to chose a body of water where a wide variety of species live. Powerton Lake, just south of Pekin in Tazewell County, may fit the bill perfectly. Armed with minnows and worms, Dee Dee Kumpf and I launched at Powerton April 9 and found the water temperature at the ramp to be a seasonable 70-71 degrees. Many of the Illinois power plant lakes, such as LaSalle, Heidecke, and Powerton can be intimidating because of the long stretches of monotonous rip rap shorelines. Where do you start fishing at such a place? Well, I look for most of the same things that I look for at "normal" lakes, especially for any points or pockets. There may not be as many of these areas as other lakes, but they are a logical starting point.
If the wind is reasonable, I find a shoreline or structure where the wind is blowing directly onto it. I keep my eye out for baitfish activity or for birds feeding on them. To be consistently successful, you must spend time on a lake and do your homework. There is still no substitute for learning a lake, but we don't always have the time to devote to such a task. If you have a boat, your depth finder will show you where humps, holes, and even baitfish are located. Chose a section of the lake and run a grid with your boat. Note any interesting structures and toss a marker buoy to pinpoint them. Stop and fish awhile. If the area produces, mark the spot on your GPS. Lacking a GPS, use onshore structures such as houses, trees, or power lines to triangulate the spot. This particular day we had less than four hours to fish, so I motored to the hot water discharge area to fish in or near the current created there. We were after anything that swims and current can be a fish magnate for some species.
To up our odds for catching as many species as possible, I bought some medium-sized minnows and wax worms to rig various ways. There isn't much that swims that won't eat worms or minnows on occasion. In addition to live bait, small lures can increase your odds of catching more fish. We tipped 1/16-ounce jigs with both baits and also bottom-bounced with Lindy rigs. We moved along by drift-fishing, using the trolling motor to keep us in position. We soon discovered that the rocks at Powerton are not just along the shoreline. After snagging numerous times, we switched to bobber rigs to fish more efficiently. The no-snag, banana-shaped sinkers are a good investment for fishing rocky areas. The standard shoe-shaped Lindy-rig sinkers are great for many areas, but not for rocks. An overlooked part of fishing success is just being more efficient, covering water, and keeping your bait in front of fish. You can't cover much water if you are constantly stopping to get unsnagged. Covering a variety of depths until you catch fish is also important. By using a variety of presentations, such as casting, trolling, or drift-fishing, you can more quickly find a depth were numbers of fish are located. Lindy rigs, three-way (Wolf River) rigs, and bobber-stop rigs enable you to vary the depth of your presentation.
We caught a dozen or so small catfish on our various rigs during the first couple hours and then we ended up at one of those spots that I look for often. Directly north of the boat ramp, a peninsula sticks out into the lake. The point on the east side of the structure was windblown and baitfish were present. It was obvious that several species were taking advantage of the feeding opportunity, since we caught more catfish, smallmouth, and a four-pound largemouth bass there. We ended the day with 20 fish and five different species including catfish, drum, rock bass, smallmouth and largemouth bass. This lake has a wide variety of fish species and, using the right techniques and baits, you just never know what you might catch here. That's what makes this a such a good place for an afternoon of grab bag fishing and, with your kids or your dad along, you won't care what bites. Site Regulations Winter hours for Powerton Lake, from Oct. 1 through April 30, are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, the lake does close to boats and all fishing are various times for waterfowl season so check before going. May 1 through September 30, the lake is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is a two-pole and line restriction and alcohol is prohibited. The following size and creel limits apply: channel or blue catfish- 6 fish per day; largemouth and smallmouth bass- one fish per day, 18-inch minimum length; striped bass, hybrid stripers, and white bass- 10 fish total per day, of which only three may be 17 inches or longer; walleye, sauger, and saugeye- three fish total per day, 18-inch minimum length. Shoreline fishing opportunities exist and there is one fishing pier near the boat ramp. Many anglers walk or bike to the hot water area to fish from shore, since boats are not allowed inside the discharge area. Other anglers fish along the bank of the intake chute. There are no horsepower or boat speed restrictions, except for a no-wake zone along all banks. Be warned that there is currently no boat dock at the ramp, so beaching a fiberglass boat can be hazardous to the hull. The only restrooms are porta-potties at the boat ramp. The site phone number is 309-968-7135. More information is available at: http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/R1/POWERTON.HTM |
