AsLafayetteLacyunhookedadoubleofyellowperch,hesaid,“Ipickedtherightweekforvacation.’’
Lacy,atruckdriverforFoodliner,wasoneofdozensperchfishingMondayafternoonattheslipnorth
of87thStreet.Overtheweekend,fishermentotaled far more.
TheperchareinattheSouthSideslipsofChicago.ThetraditionalwinterhotspotsontheNorthSide–
NavyPier,Diversey,Montrose–havebeenslowerforsomereason.
Butattheslipnorthof87th,percharethere.
“ThisisthefourthtimethisweekIamhere,’’saidLacy,whobroughtalongseveralteenagers.
But,ontheChicagolakefront,accesstouchesanyfishingstory.
Lacy’steenssatinthevehicleashefinisheduphislimitof15.Wewerefishingthemouthoftheslip
atChicagoParkDistrictParkNo.523attheeastendof87th,becausethatistheonlyopenrightnow
tofishermen.NortheastwindsdrovecoldoffLakeMichigan(wavescrashedovertheCalumetHarbor
breakwall)intoourbones:Notkidfriendly;hell,notadultfriendly.
LacyplannedtofishtheprotectedwestendonprivatelandoffLSD,butpoliceandsecurityforceshave
beenrunningpeopleoutoftheresincetheweekend.
Fromfoureyewitnesses,thisiswhatIpiecedtogether.Sincethatareaopened,fishermen,policeand
thesecurityhaveanunspokenagreementthatfishermencanfishtheprivateland,atleastsometimes,
aslongastheypolicethemselves.
Overtheweekend,fishermenpiledintotheprivatelandbecausetheperchstackedupintheslip’s
westend,ashappensaswintercomes.Securityaskedfishermentoleaveonearea.Threeindividualsacted
likejackasses.
ManyplacesinChicago,especiallyonthelakefront,haveunwrittenagreementsforaccess.Butitonlytakes
onejackasstoruinit.That’swhathappened.Oneeyewitnesssaidthejackasses“cussedoutsecurity.’’Fishermen
wererunoutandfishingwaslimitedtothecouplehundredyardsonthesouthsideoftheeastendofthesliponparkdistrictland.
Butpercharethere–mostly6to7inches–forthewinter.Isuspectitwillbedifferentfromlastwinterwhenfishermenhada
couplemonthsoficefishing,whichallowedaccessallovertheslip.
Thewindgotthebestofmebeforesunset.
Itwastime.
Toreachtheslip,takeLakeShoreDriveto87th,thengoeastandparkattheend.
HUNTING:Someover-the-counterpermitsremainforthelate-winterfirearmantlerless-onlyandCWDdeerseasons;
firstseasonisThursdaythroughSunday.
PADDLING:ShuttlerunsfromLinneWoodsare8a.m.-2p.m.ThursdayfortheHappyCanoeFloatontheChicagoRiver,
aNewYear’sDaytraditionstartedbythelateRalphFresein1985.Gotofpdcc.com/happy-canoe-year/.
INMEMORY:My father-in-lawThomas Weinhold, diedunexpectedly Tuesday.
Mr.WeinholdwasoneofthebestfishermenoutofthePlainfield/Jolietarea.Ioftenwroteabouthimandthefamily
onTableRockandTaneycomolakesafterheandmymother-in-law,Phyllis,retiredtosouthwestMissouri.
WILDTHINGS:AnotherirruptionofsnowyowlsbringsreportsfromalloverIllinoisandIndiana.Don’tflushtheowls,
theyhaveenoughdifficultysurvivingthenewlandscape.
STRAYCAST:Ican’tdecideiftheBearsarebailingwaterin30feeteastofNortherlyIslandorhavepulledtheboatout
atBurnhamHarborforwinterizing.
