Fishing Report

Illinois River:

Fishing Guide and illinois River expert John Mannerino told me that the saugers should be hanging around the Starved Rock dam and the dam area for a couple of weeks before they disperse. This means that the fishing will be great here for the duration. Once they move down, the fishing will still be great for those who are good enough to follow them.

LaSalle Lake:

Fishing will be great at LaSalle until it warms up. Once the weather breaks and air temps stay above 50, the fishing will slow down at LaSalle.

Heidecke Lake:

Don't forget that Heidecke Lake opens for the season on April 1st.

MWC Spring Valley Illinois Day 2. the results

WOW once again is all I can say. Once again these boys caught some fish and proved to the world what a great place to fish that the Illinois River is.

Here are the top five finishers:

1) Mark Meravy (Shorewood) and Tom Brunz (Madison Lake Mn) 24.05 pounds

2) Tom Giachetto and Tom Giachetto (both from Ladd, IL) 23.51 pounds

3) Ronald Levin (Beach Park, IL) and Nick Ingoglia (Beach Park, IL) 23.24 pounds

4) BJ Liebe and Brian Ernat (Both from Ladd) 23.12 pounds

5) tom and Lorraine Miller (Yorkville, IL) 23.04 pounds

Big Fish

Tom Giachetto 5.26 pounds on day one

Brian Ernat 5.96 pounds on day 2

Now for the photos:

This is Lorraine Miller of Yorkville with a nice walleye caught on day two.

This guy was in my graduating class.Scott Hogland

John Balla is a good friend of mine.

Tommy Skarlis is always on the fish.

Brian Ernat waiting to see how big that P I G was. This was a 5.96 pound walleye. Congratulations guys!

LOKK AT THIS THING! OMG

It takes two days of catching fish like these to win at Spring Valley.

Nice check guys!

Hey, didn't that guy on hte left just win a tournament?

Sunday Day Two Illinois River MWC PART 1

This is part 1 of two posts about the MWC Spring Valley day 2. I was out in the camera boat this morning with the film crew and tournament directors.

Cehck back later for photos of the weigh in and for the top five finishers.

Take off day two. This was about 15 minutes before the official take off.

Here are the Dan's. Dan Palmer and Dan Johnson.

Frank Zator and Barry OFlynn handlining.

Randy Carroll handlining.

Come on Tom, Give us a smile!

Tom Sr with a fish

Tom sr with another fish.

Tom jigging.

Tom with fish.

Look closely, the guy towards the front has a fish.

There it is!

I will have photos of the weigh in later because it hasn't happened yet!

Saturday, day one, MWC 2011

All I have to say is that there were 123 teams, and an incredible 121 limits were brought to the scales. I have said it before, I have NEVER seen this many fish in the river before, NEVER.

Here are some more of the incredible stats:

123 teams
604 fish brought to the scales
1,156 pounds of fish brought to the scales

1.91 pound average fish

Here are the top 5 teams after day one:

1) Giachetto and Giachetto 5 fish for 14.42 pounds
2) Bodinger and Bodinger 5 fish for 12.70 pounds
3) Levin and Ingoglia 5 fish for 12.68
4) Oyen and Kopp 5 fish for 12.44 pounds

Here is a bad photo of Giachetto with his huge walleye, it is hard to believe that he caught this on the Illinois.

sorry, but they took the fish away too quickly for me to get a good picture. In line, I told him that it looked like a 4.5 pounder, it weighed 5.26 pounds, boy was I wrong.

Here are some interesting pics that I always like to take.

Barry OFlynn

Smile for the camera Tommy!

See, Dan Palmer really does work!

Cliff Banks with a sauger.

Waiting in line.

taking fish out of the livewell

Damn! I wish I would have gotten a photo this nice of Giachetto's fish, but this one is great nonetheless.

more waitng in line.

This was fantastic. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings! There were so many fish caught! I will be posting again tomorrow with more pics!

Illinois River Fishing report

It is a little difficult to find fishing information before the MWC because none of the contestants want to give up their prize spot.

Everything that I have heard is that the big schools are concentrating from the HWY 178 bridge upstream to Starved Rock.

I have also heard that some bigger fish are on the Clam Beds, and Peru Flats.

This year seems to be shaping up the same as most with the exception that more fish are up at the Starved Rock dam.

Water temperatures are in the mid to high 40's and the fish are full of eggs! I cant wait to see the weights on Saturday and Sunday. I bet that there are going to be some huge fish caught.

The Illinois River

Hey MWC'ers, here is the current graph of the Illinois River at LaSalle (right next to Peru).

http://rivergages.mvd.usace.army.mil/WaterControl/shefgraph-wotem2.cfm?sid=LSLI2&d=7&dt=S

Illinois River 3/21

I love living in Peru Illinois. One of the best things about this place is this, when i get home from work, it is nothing to run to the Illinois River real quick. I did just that this evening.

Steve Bown, my son Matt and I hooked up Bown's boat and we went to Starved Rock.

We had 3 dozen minnows and some jigs. We caught lots of saugers, and some of them were good size. MAny of them were caught on the southeast bay of Plum Island and a few were caught in the Lovers Leap bay. All of the fish were in 6 - 10 feet of water.

Here is a photo of my son with the first sauger he ever caught all by himself. I could not be more proud!

Here is another fish that we caught at the tip of Plum:

Water temps were 49 - 52 degrees and the water clarity was good. Fishing was great and the bites came fast and furious.

I just cant get enough

It takes more than 30 mile per hour winds and 4 foot waves to scare me away from LaSalle Lake.

I was there on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday:

I had 7-year old Owen Mertes and his father in my boat today. We caught about a dozen largemouth bass wacky rigging Yum Dingers and some small cats trolling crankbaits.

All of the bass were caught up next to the shore in pool three. No big blue cats or stripers were caught.

Here is a photo of the big bass of the day. I know that it is a bad photo, but the light was really intense that day.

Sunday:

Like I said, it takes more than a little 30 mph wind and some light rain to scare me away from LaSalle in March. I love LaSalle and will take anything it wants to throw at me.

Fishing was slow today, but we still caught 10 bass in 3.5 hours. We tried a few crank baits and some Berkley alive 3 inch minnow grubs with no sucess. We had to work the Yum Dingers very slowly in order to cathc anything at all.

Shabbona Lake

I talked to my buddy Denny Sands today. He told me that Shabbona Lake is still mostly covered with a thin layer of ice. It should be gone quickly.

Speaking of Denny, don't forget that Shabbona's Lakeside Bait, Tackle and Boat Rental will be opening for the 2011 season on April 1st. When you go in there, say Hi to Denny for me. i am sure that Denny will be  more than happy to show you exactly where the fish are biting.

LaSalle Lake opening day

LaSalle Lake opened today. The usual huge crowds showed up. I arrived at the state park at 2 am for the 7 am opener. As far as I could tell, only 6 more boats after mine were allowed on the lake. Yikes, I arrived at 2 am, 5 hours early and almost didn't make it in.

 

As far as the fishing, we caught some really nice bass, but we didn't catch as many as we have on past openers. I bet we put 18 bass in the boat all day long.

 

Most of the bass were caught using wacky rigged Yum Dingers while fishing close to the shore on the dikes. Look for water temperatures that were between 72 and 76 degrees for the best fishing.

 

This is a photo of the big bass of the day. It was caught wacky rigging a yum Dinger close to the shore.

We did catch one huge catfish while trolling crankbaits for stripers.

This is Steve Bown with the big cat that was caught while trolling for stripers.

I love fishing on LaSalle Lake during the opener! What an awesome day with awesome weather.

 

The new barrier on the lower creek

Last weekend many volunteers assisted Clint and Denny Sands in constucting the barrier in the lower creek at Shabbona Lake.

The problem was that muskies and walleyes were escaping over the spillway and down the creek. It seemed that all we were doing was stocking the Fox River.

What they did was obtain a permit for the construction of a chain link fence like structure that spanned the creek approximately 300 yards downstream of the spillway.

What this is designed to do is to trap the escaping muskies and walleyes in a small area so that they can be easily netted, and placed back into the lake.

We have been "rescuing" the fish for years, but like I said before, some of them escape down to the Fox River. Some of them also die because the stream dries up in the late summer.

So now, we will keep more of the important fish in the lake.

If any of you see Clint Sands at Shabbona's Lakesside Bait and Tackle, you really should thank him for his efforts in making this very important project a reality.

Sunday March 13

Illinois River Report:

Walleye expert and professional guide John Mannerino (847) 875-9979 told me that the saugers were all over the river. He caught them by Barto's Landing in Spring Valley and up on the St Bede Flats. Mannerino told me that he caught some that were 18 inches long.

I also heard a report of large numbers of fish being caught up at Lover's Leap at the Starved Rock dam.

All reports I have received so far have been by anglers who were jigging.

What is going on right now

Tom from Time On The Water Outdoors told me this morning that the guys who have been getting out on hte Illinois River have been catching lots of saugers. I would personally target the Starved Rock area. Look for fish up towards Lovers Leap.

Tom also told me that a couple of shore anglers caught saugers while fishing from the shore around the Spring Valley bridge.

Personally, I am waiting for LaSalle Lake to open. I know I have been talking about this alot lately, but it is a huge deal for me because of the great fishing there.

If you have never experieced fishing LaSalle in March, send me an email and we will set something up for you dekalbfish@yahoo.com

Illinois River

I was measuring streamflow on the rivers around Chicago all week. They are steadily receding and they are running very clean.

This means that the saugers should be biting this weekend.

LaSalle Lake to open for half days in March

Now I am rip-roaring mad. According to a press release published recently by the Department of Natural Resources, LaSalle Lake is going to be open from 7 am until 1 pm from March 16 until March 31. What the hell, this is not funny. And it is still closed on Mondays and Tuesdays until April 1st.

The problem here, the best fishing is from March 16 until April 1st. I don't understand why LaSalle can't be open all winter long because they don't allow water hunting there anyhow.

Here is the press release:

IDNR Announces Operating Hours For La Salle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Season opens on March 16th
MARSEILLES, IL -
Beginning March 16 through March 31, La Salle Lake will be open Wednesday thru Sunday, 7 a.m.-1 p.m. As in previous years, La Salle Lake will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays during this two-week period.
For the period April 1 through June 30, La Salle Lake will be open seven days a week, 6 a.m. until dusk.
From July 1 through August 15, La Salle Lake will be open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, 6 a.m. until dusk. Hours may be adjusted during this time period, so visitors should call ahead to (815) 357-1608 to confirm operating hours.
During the period from August 16 through September 30, La Salle Lake will be open seven days a week, 6 a.m. to dusk.
For the last two weeks of the season, October 1 through October 15, La Salle Lake will be open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, from 7 a.m.-1 p.m.
Visitors to La Salle Lake are reminded that on opening day and during the first two weeks of the fishing season, long lines are expected at the site entrance. Visitors are encouraged to adhere to all rules, regulations and direction from staff to make this spring season at LaSalle Lake an enjoyable experience for all.
Rules and regulations for La Salle Lake can be found on the La Salle Lake page on the IDNR website through this link: http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/Parks/Pages/default.aspx
Information is also available in the 2011 Illinois Fishing Information Guide at this link: http://www.ifishillinois.org/pdf/2011fishingguide.pdf
Visitors are also reminded that La Salle Lake is a perched lake and can become turbulent during windy or inclement weather. The IDNR encourages all visitors at La Salle Lake to be aware of the lake conditions at all times. There is a wind warning system at LaSalle Lake. It is located on the tip of the internal dike that extends from the west shore. When the light of the wind warning system is flashing, no boats are to be launched and boats on the lake should seek shelter.The Illinois Department of Natural Resources today announced that the La Salle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area will open for the 2011 season on March 16.

 

LaSalle Lake

LaSalle Lake opens on the 16th of March. I am already booked for that day, but Thursday through Sunday of that week is going to be great fishing and I am free.

2010 opener bass

If you have never expereinced early season LaSalle, it is incredible. I love it. This is unique in Northern Illinois because there is no other place that has so may bass or hybrid stripers.

There are also huge blue cats. With so many different things to do at LaSalle, the problem is decided which one to do first!

If you would like to book a trip, email me at dekalbfish@yahoo.com

First tournament of the year on the illinois Results

I found these results on the Walleyes Chicago website. This was the JJ's pub tourney held out of Ottawa last Sunday.

‎1st Place-Brian Ernat and Jake Lapine 5- 8.01lbs. $1050
2nd Place-Ted, P.J. and Nick Mathews 5- 7.01lbs. $650
3rd Place-Ken Dage, ...Jim Lukancic and Richard Dobbs 5- 6.85lbs. $450
4th Place-Jeremy Piacenti, Brian Read and Gleen Daugherity 5- 6.75lbs. $300
5th Place-Paul and Tim Durdan and Steve Biewer 5- 6.17lbs. $150
6th Mark Actis Sr., Mark Actis Jr. and Bob Kid 4- 5.71lbs. BigFish $250/2.56 Walleye
7th Jay Walsh, Billy Walsh and Mike Shew 3- 3.29lbs.
8th Doug Hoster, Ryan Vecchia and Mike Stuckert 3- 2.90lbs.
9th Dan Palmer, Reynolds and Gustin 2- 2.71lbs.
10th Corey Blair, Joey Perez and Kevin Hanson 2- 2.58lbs.
11th Aaron Willet, Mike Wolf and Justin Rick 2- 2.3lbs.
12th John Mannerino, Mike Thomas and Barry O'Flynn 2- 2.l lbs.
13th Adam Sandor, Steve Sandor and James Martin 2- 2.06lbs.
14th Dave Gossar, Wheeler and Pagakis 2-1.93lbs.
15th Bill Guerrini, Pat Farrell and Steve Donarski 1-1.65lbs.

 

Congrats to all of my friends who fished this one! Hey Jimmy and Richard, great job.

LaSalle, Illinois River, more

I really hope that LaSalle Lake opens on March 16 without a hitch.

There are really 2 reasons that I like to fish on Lake LaSalle in March, and they are Largemouth Bass and Hybrid Stripers. This lake is absolutely full of both species of fish.

I have caught upwards of 100 bass on opening day before. The thing about LaSalle  is, how to you want to cathc bass? There are so many of them here that you can catch them pretty much anyway that you want to fish. It is incredible. I use this lake to get out and "get the cobwebs" out of my presentations so I will be sharp for the rest of the season. I love LaSalle.

Last year, opening day was a bit slow for largemouths, so we decided to troll for stripers. We found them up on a flat in 5 feet of water and caught them trolling using size 5 shad raps.

the rumor was, LaSalle is not going to open due to staffing shortages. Dale Bowman of the Sun Times assures his readers that the regional land manager has put in an emergency personell request so that there will be someone to open the lake on March 16. DAMN! Why do we have to put up with this crap. Our income taxes have been raised, gas prices are going through the roof, and now we are not giong to have LaSalle? That is too much for a guy to bear. If it doen't open, we should all drive our boats to springfield.

Ok, enough ranting.

Illinois River: The Illinois River has receded significantly. I am happy about this. I am going to put in at Bartos on Saturday and jig in that area. I think the saugers will be in the hole right by the boat club. I will let you know how I do.