LaSalle opener

It was a striper kind of day from shore for opening day at LaSalle Lake.

3358774532_b01e84debc.jpg

IVCC student Morgan Wolf caught this one next to me shortly after I had my first as dawn came this morning.

Walking out in the about 1 p.m., I passed Chicagoans Freddy Castrejon and his dad Peter. They had alreay limited out on striped bass from the south shore. And Peter had the fish of the day, a 23 1/2-inch largemouth weighing 6 1/2 pounds. He plans to mount it.

I got sidetracked and did not get a picture, but Freddy said he would send it.

It was some day. For a day that started off with my buddy’s boat not working. So I did the shore. And did manage to make it all the way back to the hot water for some casts.

My most beautiful fish came mid-morning off the east bank.

Everything hit on a white spinner.Even this big bull bluegill hit the same white spinner as all the other fish.

My best fish was this 22-inch hybrid.

3358775300_891ff04d75_m.jpg

The water was warmer than I expected, 80s in the hot chute, according to Jay Angel, 70s in pool 3 and 60s in pool 2.

Even the screwy 4 p.m. close couldn’t completely sully the wonder of a day in the 50s with the fish hitting.

The Latest
Murder charges have been filed against suspect Christian I. Soto, 22. Investigators haven’t determined a motive for the attacks, but they say Soto had been smoking marijuana before the rampage.
To celebrate the historic coinciding of the emerging of two broods, artists can adopt a cicada for free in exchange for decorating it and displaying it publicly. Others can purchase the cicadas for $75.
Senators tasked with clearing Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s appointments are raising concerns over his renomination of Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau after the Sun-Times last year reported an executive assistant accounted for more than $240,000 in billings.
White Sox fans from all over will flock to Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday for the team’s home opener against the Tigers.