Heidecke opener, smelt, trout: Chicago fishing

Illinois Spring Trout Fishing Season Opens April 2 Spring Catch-and-Release Fly Fishing-Only Season Opens March 19 at select sites SPRINGFIELD, IL – The 2016 Illinois spring trout fishing season opens on Saturday, April 2 at 50 ponds, lakes and streams throughout the state. Prospect Park in Moline has been added to the list of spring trout fishing locations. The Spring Catch-and-Release Fly Fishing-only season will be available at nine sites beginning on March 19. Fly fishing anglers can use fly fishing gear to catch and release trout beginning March 19 at the nine select sites designated in the list below. No trout may be kept during the fly fishing-only period, but anglers can keep trout after the opening of the regular season beginning April 2. The Illinois catchable trout program is funded entirely by those who use the program through the sale of Inland Trout Stamps. The IDNR stocks more than 80,000 rainbow trout each year in bodies of water where trout fishing is permitted during the spring season. No trout may be taken from any of the stocked sites from March 11 until the spring trout season opens at 5 a.m. on April 2. Anyone attempting to take (harvest) trout before the legal harvest season opening will be issued citations. All anglers – including those using fly-fishing gear who intend to release fish caught before April 2 ¬¬– must have a fishing license and an Inland Trout Stamp, unless they are under the age of 16, blind or disabled, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the Armed Forces. The daily catch limit for each angler is five trout. Not all sites open at 5 a.m. on opening day. Anglers are reminded to check the opening time of their favorite trout fishing location prior to the season. For more information on trout seasons and other Illinois fishing opportunities, check the website at www.ifishillinois.org. Illinois fishing licenses and Inland Trout Stamps are available at DNR Direct license and permit locations, including many bait shops, sporting goods stores and other retail outlets. For a location near you, check the IDNR website at this link: http://dnr.illinois.gov/DNRDirectMonitor/VendorListing.aspx Fishing licenses and trout stamps can also be purchased by using a credit card through DNR Direct online via the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov, or by calling DNR Direct toll-free at 1-888-6PERMIT (1-888-673-7648). For more information about all site regulations, anglers should contact individual sites that will be stocked with catchable-size trout. The 50 locations that will be open for spring trout season are listed below: 2016 Illinois Spring Trout Locations (** Denotes Sites Open for Catch-and-Release Fly Fishing-Only Early Season) North — Boone County — Mill Race Ponds, Belvidere North — Bureau County — Hennepin Canal Parkway North — Cook County — Wolf Lake at William W. Powers State Recreation Area, Chicago North — Cook County — Green Lake in Calumet City, Cook County Forest Preserve District North — Cook County — Axehead Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District North — Cook County — Belleau Lake, Cook County Forest Preserve District North — Cook County — Sag Quarry East, Cook County Forest Preserve District North — DuPage County — Silver Lake, DuPage County Forest Preserve District [ADD: Grove and Pickerell to the DuPage list] North — Jo Daviess County — Apple River, Apple River State Park ** North — Kankakee County — Bird Park Quarry, Kankakee North — Kankakee County — Rock Creek, Kankakee River State Park ** North — Kendall County — Big Lake, Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area North — LaSalle County — Illinois and Michigan Canal, Utica North — LaSalle County — Lake Mendota, Village of Mendota North — Lake County — Sand Lake, Illinois Beach State Park North — McHenry County — Lake Atwood, McHenry County Conservation District North — McHenry County — Piscasaw Creek, McHenry County Conservation District North — Ogle County — Pine Creek, White Pines Forest State Park ** North — Rock Island County — Prospect Park, Moline North — Stephenson — Waddams Creek, Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Recreation Area North — Stephenson — Yellow Creek in Krape Park, Freeport North — Whiteside County — Centennial Park Pond, Rock Falls North — Will County — Lake Milliken, Des Plaines Conservation Area North — Winnebago County — Four Lakes, Winnebago County Forest Preserve District Central — Adams County — Siloam Springs State Park Lake ** Central — Cass County — Gridley Lake, Jim Edgar Panther Creek SFWA ** Central — Champaign County — Lake of the Woods, Champaign Co. Forest Preserve Dist. Central — Christian County — Manners Park Pond, Taylorville Park District Central — Coles County — Eastern Illinois University Campus Pond, Charleston Central — Hancock County — Horton Lake, Nauvoo State Park ** Central — Macon County — Sportsman’s Club Pond, Macon County Conservation District Central — McLean County — Miller Park Lake, Bloomington Central — Morgan County — Morgan Lake at Nichols Park, Jacksonville ** Central — Moultrie County — Wyman Lake, Sullivan Central — Pike County — Kings Park Pond, Pittsfield Central — Sangamon County — Southwind Park, Springfield Central — Sangamon County — IDOT Lake, Springfield ** Central — Sangamon County — Washington Park Pond, Springfield Central — Shelby County — Forest Park Lagoon, Shelbyville Central — Vermilion County — Clear Lake, Kickapoo State Recreation Area South — Jefferson County — Mount Vernon Game Farm Pond South — Johnson County — Ferne Clyffe State Park Lake South — Marion County — Boston Pond, Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area South — Massac County — Fairgrounds Pond, Fort Massac State Park South — Randolph County — Derby Lake, Sparta (World Shooting and Recreational Complex) South — St. Clair County — Frank Holten State Park Main Lake South — St. Clair County — Jones Park Lake, East St. Louis South — Willow Lake at Peabody River King State Fish and Wildlife Area ** South — Wabash County — Beall Woods Lake, Beall Woods State Park South — Wayne County — Sam Dale Trout Pond, Sam Dale Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

shore fished a triangular shaped retention pond, east -west axis, widest and deepest on the east end . main input culverts on north shore at east end . some emergent vegetation that comes to the surface otherwise mostly sand grass . a few other input culverts on east and south shore, outtake culvert at west end . partly cloudy , winds blowing at good clip from the east, rain/t storms predicted for evening and tomorrow . I walked west to east on the high ground saw no sign of emergent vegetation either by sight[wearing polarized sun glasses] or by the way it would have affected the surface currents caused by the wind . Ok , sandgrass beds are the main target . I was using a 3/8 oz spinnerbait cast across or slightly downwind as I worked my way from east to west on the north side . I choose the north side because it gets the better angle of the sun early in the year and can be warmer than the south side . Also the culverts are there so that is the first spot I check. I got a couple small bass there . When I cast to the sandgrass beds I counted the lure down until I felt it hit bottom to check for depth changes . I also deliberately tried to snag some sand grass to make sure it’s green. Most of it was green, when I found some that wasn’t I moved down. After the initial check for depth/green weeds , I counted the spinnerbait down to just above the bottom and slow rolled it back in . 7 more largemouth off the sand grass beds , all took the spinnerbait with no doubt about it hits . Of the nine bass , eight were in the 10 to 14 inch range , which is the usual size for this pond in my experience . One was 17 inches, caught him when the spinnerbait got hit at a two count instead of the five count that I had been having. After I released it, cast back and got a 3 count when it hit bottom. A hump I didn’t know about, triangulated it for future fishing went back to the same retention pond. partly sunny , winds from sw . walked the north shore from east to west doing the same thing with the spinnerbait, no fish . went backed walked again from east to west , this time with a rattlebait , got 3 largemouth . went back, walked from east to west with a swimbait, got two largemouth . also had about a dozen panfish grab the swimbait by the tail and eventually let go . well at least the ones I saw let it go were sunfish . rattlebait steady retrieve after a two or three count drop, just felt the lure stop vibrating and set the hook . swimbait counted down just above the weeds , solid thumps from the bass . peace norm

After a week of barely any fishing and too many stressful events , I had to get out or go under . Simple was what was needed so I grabbed some fluke jrs, circle hooks, couple crappie size spinnerbaits, small jigs/ plastics, the ul and headed for the cricks. First was a tributary of tributary, water was lower and clearer than I thought it would be . I started with the fluke jr nose hooked on the circle. That worked well enough that I never bothered to change. Smallmouth and rock bass about the size you expect from such water but they were willing . Front and back of riffles for the most part , the rest around woody cover. No one else in sight, talked to the birds and squirrels until they ignored me for lack of intelligent conversation. Next up hit a different tributary that flows directly to the river, this one was higher and murkier. The fluke got a decent rock bass and was thereafter ignored. I switched to the jig/small plastics got rock bass, sunfish and some nice sized chubs No smallmouth to be had. Pools were far and away the best bet, riffle areas so/so . Action while slower was steady enough to keep me going . On the way home, decided to give the river a shot, it’s close to normal flow but normal flow is 7000 cfs . Water temps low 50’s by that time in the afternoon. I put on a Wart, hit the seam where the creek meets the river . a couple smallmouth 15 inch range . I moved to a spot with slower flow fished the wart upstream . One smallmouth, the same size as the other two . Called it a day , ham with all the fixings awaiting me at home river dropping under 7000 cfs, clarity is poor, water temp 50 degrees the only time I checked it. weather fair , mostly sunny but not as warm as promised , likely due to wind . first place I fished was a creekmouth, very nice seam and foam line where crick meets river. I started with a crankbait cast down stream , shorter and closer, working out further with each cast . I picked up 5 small smallmouth biggest about 14 inches. I checked the surrounding area with crank, rattlebait and jig, no fish . the other place I fished was a nice sized slow/slack area. cobblestone mixed with larger rock, limestone shelf and soft bottom. decent size waterwillow island at upstream end . I checked the cobblestone flats with crank, rattlebait and jigs, no fish. I worked up the the waterwillow island and started with a spinnerbait over the waterwillow stubble, nada. I switched the the reversed fat ika rigged on a ewg hook and shoved a bit of extra lead into the bottom of the ika. that got me 6 more smallmouth, these were nicer, 15 to 18 inches river slightly rising from recent rain, still around normal flow about 6300 cfs for this time of year. visibility poor, green stain to water. water temps 51 degrees only time I bothered . overcast, windy, maybe 45 degrees at best . fished a variety of current situations and techniques . at one creekmouth struck out with rattlebait and crankbait but got 3 smallmouth on a 1/0 weighted keeper/power pulse worm on the mudline . at the other creekmouth got 2 smallmouth on a crankbait retrieved against the current at the seam twixt river and creek . no fish on rattlebait or jig/plastic. fish a couple bridge abutments with 2/0 and 3/0 weighted keepers/power pulse worms , got a nice smallmouth from each in the downstream seam from the abutments . fished three slackwater spots that are back to back to back . 3/8 oz singlespin w/size 3 Colorado blade and no tip w/plastics . I got a nice smallmouth at the head of each spot and 5 decent smallmouth hugging the banks. I fished the flats out to the faster water with the spinnerbait , no fish . I switched to a rattlebait as I made my way back to the path up . I picked 15 smallmouth out on the flats with a steady retrieve as close to the bottom as I could get without constantly snagging . I hit a couple riffles, cranks and ratlebaits up and downstream sides, no fish . I went with a football head jig/plastic craw got 5 channel cat and three smallmouth on the upstream end, nothing on the downstream end peace norm

Ice fishing season continues to shrink along with it’s most important ingredient..ice. Fewer places are accessible everyday with a forecast of heavy rain for Wednesday (3/30) even the forecast for nighttime temps in the teens for Friday/Saturday (4/1 and 4/2) may not be enough to give the hard water anglers safe footing for the weekend. Keep an eye on our website fishing report for further details. Crappies: Good-Very good. At times the bite is relegated to early morning and evenings. But with the south end of Big Arb reporting 14-15 on Monday (3/28), most of the fishing pressure in this area is on the very protected south shore. Tip-downs with minnows as well as slow dropping plastics and spikes has been effective. Work from just under the ice to the bottom to find where fish want offerings. Some true slabs of 13-15 being caught, though majority of reports are 10-11. Bluegills: Good-very good. Gills active, preferring darker plastics (purple has been hot). Mostly shallower than crappies (6-8’ vs 10-12’) but also tending to move more up and down the water column. Moussees have been hottest live bait. Perch: Good. Not as many reports as deep water tougher to access and more of the gravid (egg bearing) females migrating to shallower weedy cover as ice thickness lessens. These fish will eat, so feed them a big meal of wigglers, medium fatheads of several waxies on a minnow shaped jig. The pond behind our shop looks to be about 30% open as of 3/29 morning. Traditionally 7-10 days after the pond goes ice free, Minocqua Lake will be ice free. No one is fishing west side of Lake Minocqua. Use caution anywhere you go. Kurt Justice Kurt’s Island Sport Shop http://www.kurtsislandsports.com