Fishless in Pittsfield

by Kevin Patton

Not catching fish happens to everyone, especially us amateurs. Even the pros with weekly fishing shows spend varying lengths of time to get enough film footage for a 30-minute program.

At first, the idea of writing an article about NOT catching fish seemed to be a waste of time. But, since I don't have to worry about working on fish photos, I thought that I would give it a try.

Dee Dee Kumpf and I made a trip to Pittsfield Lake August 25 to fish for hybrid stripers and walleyes. We had never fished the lake, but had heard good things about it.

The day was a typical summer day in Illinois, sunny with an expected high in the mid 80's. The wind was from the northeast at 5-10 mph and the surface water temperature was 80 degrees. Water clarity was murky with a white lure visible only 10-12 inches underwater.

Our Fishing Approach

We started our search for fish about 9 a.m. by drifting the face of the dam with minnows on slip bobber rigs and nightcrawlers on bottom bouncing Lindy rigs. We also tried a spinner harness with minnows and a jig/minnow combo.

We purchased 2 1/2-inch minnows at the bait shop in Pittsfield because we were after bigger gamefish and wanted to avoid being pestered by panfish.

After 1 1/2 hours of using a controlled drift at various depths, we headed to windy points on the west side of the lake. Here we alternated between trolling and casting crankbaits and trolling, casting, and vertical jigging a white, bucktail jig tipped with a minnow.

At noon, all we had to show for three hours of fishing were two small crappies that bit minnows on our slip bobber rigs. We then tried a small crappie jig tipped with a nightcrawler piece, trying to tempt a walleye or two. That only worked on another small crappie.

At 12:30 we took a lunch break and rode to the north end of the lake. We noticed that much of the lake has shoreline trees and brush that should be good for bass and crappie during Spring.

Since we wanted to catch walleyes and hybrid stripers, we stuck with tactics that we thought would target those species.

After lunch, we trolled various white, silver, and gold crankbaits in the middle of the lake where the more open-water hybrids often cruise for baitfish. We got several hits, had one biter on, but failed to boat a single fish.

We finished our fishing day by tipping small jigs with minnows and nightcrawlers while drifting through several areas near the dam and the western shore.

We spent most of the day, being late summer, in the lower (southern) half of the lake near the deepest water. After six hours, our measly creel was a dozen small crappies and bluegills.

Were my fishing methods and lures wrong for catching fish on this particular day? Of course they were, since we didn't catch any of the fish we were after.

I do think that some aspects of our approach to the day were good, but no presentation catches fish all the time. Next time, we will probably so some of the same things, add more tactics, and fish different areas. Hopefully, in time our efforts will pay dividends.

Increasing Your Odds

To avoid fishless days, you have to be open-minded enough to try a variety of presentations. However, throwing everything in the tackle box is not a cure-all for getting skunked. You still have to be in the right location.

Keep in mind that catching fish is about presentation, largely depth and speed control. Other factors are also important, such as lure size and color.

Have everyone in the boat try a different presentation until you hit on something that works. This is Basic Fishing 101, especially on new bodies of water, but it does increase your odds.

Realize that if you can't get fish to bite your presentation in a feeding mode, you may get them to react to your lure by controlling other factors such as speed. This is why we tried a variety of casting and trolling techniques at various speeds.

Get to know the lake better. Spend time using your electronics to learn where dropoffs, points, and other fish-holding structures are located. Study any available maps. Spend more time on the water and on the specific lake you are targeting.

Use the internet or library to learn more about your lake by searching for articles and maps. Chat rooms, forums, and fishing club web sites can provide information about techniques to use on the lake.

Expand your circle of information to include friends, bait shops, and fishing clubs. Call your local IDNR office to see if maps and lake information are available and visit the IDNR web site. Many lake maps are readily available in bait shops and online.

Study fish, including their seasonal movements and the habits of the species you want to catch. Study the species, not just the lake in which they live.

Fish closer to home so that you can spend more time getting to know one lake. We had only six hours to put a successful pattern together because we chose to make the five-hour round trip to fish at Pittsfield Lake.

Select a body of water that has plentiful information available. Not all lakes are popular and well-known. Our next trip to Shabbona Lake will be easier to research because of it's popularity.

Don't give up after one bad trip. We didn't catch them this time, but we know the lake contains a quality walleye and hybrid striper fishery from IDNR shocking reports and articles that quote the area fisheries biologist.

Fishing is always a work-in-progress to which you must constantly make adjustments in order to find and catch fish. That's all part of the challenge and fun of the sport.

Most importantly, don't take it too seriously. It's only fishing.

Lake Regulations, Directions, and Bait

Pittsfield Lake is 241 acres and has a maximum depth of 34 feet. Camping, picnic areas, and restrooms (north ramp only) are available. There are lots of bank fishing areas, especially on the east side of the lake.

Fish limits are 6 fish that are a minimum of 14 inches in length for walleye, largemouth, and smallmouth bass and 3 fish per day that are at least 17 inches for hybrid stripers. There is no posted limit for crappies.

Lake fees are $5 per day or $40 per year for those living outside Pike County. County residents pay $2 per day or $10 yearly. Fee boxes are located at the two boat ramps or permits can be purchased at the Pittsfield City Hall.

There is a 5 mph speed limit for the entire lake and outboard motor use is limited to 25 horsepower and smaller motors. Boats with motors more than 25 hp may be used, but the motor must be tilted out of the water with the prop removed. Violators are subject to a $200 fine and a six-month suspension of lake privileges.

Pittsfield Lake lies south of Interstate 72, approximately one hour west of Springfield. Take I-72 west to the Route 54, Pittsfield exit. Turn left and head south towards Pittsfield. Turn left (east) onto county road 270. Coming from Pittsfield, take Route 54 north to county road 270 and turn right.

Worms and three sizes of minnows can be purchased in Pittsfield at Reel, Net, and Twice, 1247 W. Washington (Routes 54 & 106) on the west side of Pittsfield. Hours are 9-5 Saturday and Sunday and 9-6 weekdays, but if you call ahead they will try to accommodate earlier hours. Phone them at 217-285-5013 and 217-473-0817 after hours.