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Illinois => Ice Fishing Illinois => Topic started by: fishEH on Feb 03, 2018, 06:00 PM

Title: Northern IL DNR, Lake County specifically
Post by: fishEH on Feb 03, 2018, 06:00 PM
Who patrols northern IL/Lake County checking licenses etc on public water? I thought it was DNR Conservation Officers  but today I had an encounter with someone that had RANGER on the side of their vehicle.

Here's the situation:
   I went to a new lake, we'll call it Lake X. There is a park district park on this lake and public boat launch. The gate to the park/launch was closed and locked. I called X are park district and asked about it. Said I wanted to ice fish Lake X but the park/launch was closed. She said it was jointly operated with X Village and sometimes the gate isn't always open. She said I could park at the Community Center and went on to tell me how one of her coworkers catches panfish right there.
    I'm out on the lake and set up near the dock for the boat launch. I hear footsteps and look out to see this guy in the RANGER vehicle. He asks for my license, I oblige, and goes on to tell me that this lake is closed to ice fishing. I said "really?" and went on to tell him about my conversation. He said he'd have to straighten that out. I said I looked and didn't see any signs indicating it was closed and he said its "in the pamphlet and they'd have to work on getting a sign".
   I can't find ANY reference to Lake X in any of the Illinois Fishing Regs. In fact there's barely any reference to Lake X anywhere as its kind of small. No depth maps, nothing.

So what's my play here? Is it possible a Forest Preserve Ranger was mistaken about ownership of this lake? Are Conservation Officers actually referred to as RANGERS? I'd like to keep ice fishing this lake because I had pretty good luck. Do I carry a copy of the regulations with me and ask him to point it out next time?
Title: Re: Northern IL DNR, Lake County specifically
Post by: 1750outfiterss on Feb 03, 2018, 06:41 PM
I would call IDNR
Title: Re: Northern IL DNR, Lake County specifically
Post by: fishEH on Feb 03, 2018, 06:57 PM
I probably will end up doing that.
The guy was nice enough. And I don't mind not being able to fish somewhere but I try my best to stay legal. Taking an officers word for it is OK I suppose, but I like to educate myself and know specifically where the information is that says where ice fishing is restricted.
Title: Re: Northern IL DNR, Lake County specifically
Post by: fishEH on Feb 05, 2018, 09:30 AM
So I called the DNR. They couldn't find any info on the lake and assured me it wasn't a Conservation Officer I encountered. I called the village asking if I could ice fish Lake X and they had no idea. Told me to call the parks dept. Called there and was told I could. I told them well someone in a RANGER truck said I couldn't and she gave me the number for their head ranger. Turns out they have their own parks rangers, go figure. Talk to the chief and basically they don't want people ice fishing any body of water owned by the parks dept and he proceeded to give me a bunch of other places I could fish. Kind of like "go fish here and get out of my Village", LOL. If I had more time, energy, or money I might pursue this because the info from County I have on this lake says Bottom Ownership: Public, and Description of Access : Public.

Guess I'll just go fish it in the spring when they open it up to boating. Too bad, thought I found a honey hole.  :'(
Title: Re: Northern IL DNR, Lake County specifically
Post by: UFCreel on Feb 06, 2018, 12:50 PM
Round Lake Area?
Title: Re: Northern IL DNR, Lake County specifically
Post by: bassin140 on Feb 06, 2018, 01:05 PM
I grew up in that area right around Rollins and Rt. 83. There was a small park district lake on Hook Drive that had some pretty good fishing. I was in high school at the time and ice fished that lake. About an hour into fishing park ranger shows up and waited in parking lot for me to come out of shack. He did the same exact thing to me as you are describing. He ended up writing me a ticket and me just being a high school kid at the time I thought I did something horribly wrong and I could lose my fishing license (and of course scared to death what my parents would do to me) I ended up paying the ticket. It was a little fishy when the fine had to be paid to the Round Lake Area Park District. This was back in 2003 fyi
Title: Re: Northern IL DNR, Lake County specifically
Post by: fishEH on Feb 06, 2018, 07:22 PM
Yes and Yes.
If he would have written me a ticket I would have fought it tooth and nail. No signs, nothing on their website, nobody at the Police Dept nor Park District had any clue. I almost think they're just making it up to keep people off "their lake". Most other surrounding Villages have ordinances readily available addressing specific fishing regulations(I had to educate a Lindenhurst Police Officer one time on them, LOL) and Grayslake/Grayslake Park District is even listed in IL 810.45, Site Specific Regulations.
At the end of the day what are you going to do, right? I'll get them from the boat. ;)
Title: Re: Northern IL DNR, Lake County specifically
Post by: Sylvanboat on Feb 25, 2018, 01:31 PM
Everything about Illinois is just screwed up.