Central Illinois Fishing Prospectsby Kevin Patton With several inches of snow on the ground and recent memories of an ice storm and 20 below zero temperatures, it can be difficult to shake cabin fever and get enthused about fishing, unless you are the hard water variety angler. Nevertheless, on a cold, snowy January night I drove to the monthly meeting of the Faithful Fishermen in Lexington to hear an assessment of fishing prospects for some area lakes. Mike Garthaus, IDNR Fisheries Biologist for an area of East-Central Illinois came prepared to tell the hopeful fishermen what to expect at some of the lakes he oversees. Evergreen Lake Garthaus says that Evergreen is in the unique position of providing anglers with the opportunity to catch not one, but two state records. The lake has record size saugeyes, set in 2001 at the lake, as well as muskies. Netting surveys conducted by Garthaus and lake personnel at Evergreen have consistently captured record saugeyes (one was 12.7 pounds) and muskies between 32 and 43 pounds. The high point for netting saugeyes was during 2007 when 100 fish per hour were caught. Largemouth bass up to 6.9 pounds have been captured, but Garthaus says that overall bass numbers are not very good due to a lack of spawning habitat, such as aquatic vegetation. "Catch rates for bass have rebounded 2006 to 2008," say Garthaus, "but there is still a ways to go before it is good." Garthaus ranks the catfishing opportunities as decent, but crappie populations have declined. To compensate for declining year classes of crappies due to poor reproduction, a lower creel limit was set in 2008. Lake Bloomington "Lake Bloomington has nice hybrid striped bass and white bass," according to Garthaus. He admits that the bass population numbers are puzzling because survey catch rates are up and down at the lake. Low numbers and small bass may be a problem in the future if the population doesn't rebound. "It's hard to believe," says Garthaus, "but stocking bass hasn't helped here." Walleyes are rated as fair by Garthaus, with a population of lots of smaller fish. Bluegill populations have improved enough to warrant a change in the creel limit for 2009 that will allow anglers to keep 25 fish of any size. Clinton Lake "I'm excited about the crappie fishing at Clinton for the next five years, " says Garthaus. He stocked blacknose crappies in the lake in 2007 (20,000 fish) and 2008 (78,000 fish). Blacknose are a pure black crappie that have a genetic mutation that creates a black strip on the nose, head, and back of the fish. Blacknose crappies have the benefit for biologists of being easier to track and collect data on because they are a marked fish. Bass numbers have always been low in Clinton, but they have improved decently over time. Clinton is another lake where bass stockings have not worked, due in part to the lack of vegetation and the negative impact on spawning of the hot water generated by the power plant. Those interested in catfish might consider Clinton because the lake has what Garthaus describes as really good flathead and channel catfish. Despite declining survey catch rates for hybrid stripers, the lake does have a population of white bass, striped bass, and hybrid striped bass (a cross between the two). Dawson Lake Unfortunately for anglers, Dawson Lake is one of the casualties of recent budget cutbacks, so the staff is gone and the park is closed. However, the lake, including the boat ramp, remains open to fishermen. Garthaus rates Dawson as one of the best lakes for those who are looking for a good variety of fish species rather than record-breaking fish. The lake contains decent numbers of bass, crappie, saugeye (and some walleye from previous stockings), bluegill, redear sunfish, and catfish (he suggests fishing the beach area at night). Garthaus credits good vegetation in the lake for much of the success of various species. To help the crappie population, he plans to stock them at Dawson. A new creel limit of 15 fish per day will be in effect April 1, 2009. Stocking versus Habitat Improvement "In the majority of our lakes, bass stockings do not work," says Garthaus. He maintains that it is easier to improve bass populations through habitat improvements, such as lake level fluctuations and planting structure, than by stocking. Lowering lake levels allows vegetation to grow and thus improves fish cover. However, saugeye and muskie stockings have shown better results. While small stocked bass stay in shallow water nearer to predators, saugeyes and muskies stay in open, deep water locations and are not subject to as much predation. The following species are stocked in lakes in his district: Summary Area anglers looking for a trophy opportunity should consider Evergreen Lake for saugeyes or muskies. Those wanting to chase stripers or hybrid stripers should try Lake Bloomington and Clinton Lake. Clinton is also a good prospect for crappies and channel catfish. Dawson Lake would be a good trip to make for bass and for anglers who want an opportunity to catch a variety of species that have decent populations. "There's lots of diversity in area lakes," says Garthaus, "and good fishing is only a short drive from home." That's enough to get me enthused about cleaning reels and re-spooling line on a cold winter night. The Faithful Fishermen club meets at the Lexington Community Church for "fishing, fellowship, and door prizes." Their meetings are free and open to the public. For information visit: Mike Garthaus can be reached at 217-784-4730, ext. 232 or by email at: mike.garthaus@illinois.gov |