Author Topic: Anyone been out in Central Illinois? (Read 5240 times)

Iceman Cometh · « **on:** Dec 18, 2005, 07:49 AM »

Going out to check the lakes here in Yates City today (Dec. 18th)--anyone been out recently to check the ice conditions in this area (around Peoria/Farmington/Galesburg---Lake Storey)?

blufloyd · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 18, 2005, 06:53 PM »

Been limiting out nearly every trip. not seeing anyone so ice might not be safe. Today was more crowded than last 3 weeks. sorry I can't help...

Pop · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 19, 2005, 11:45 AM »

I have been out in the Champaign area, about 3" + of good ice with some junk frozen on top of it.

I went by Banner Marsh, down river from Peoria, Saturday and didn't see much activity.

Pop

Iceman Cometh · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 20, 2005, 05:47 PM »

POP,
I went out Monday (Dec. 19th), and found the same amount of ice here in YC--3" with an inch of white ice on top. Fished all day--caught 10-12 big blugill, 1 1/2 lb. bass and missed a bass close to 3 lbs. Going out tomorrow, should have more ice until the thaw later this week.

Lonzo · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 20, 2005, 06:57 PM »

Pop, where abouts in Champaign? I'm in that area and haven't been out yet.
To much going on at work right now. Hope to be out soon.

Best of luck out there!

Lonzo

Pop · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 21, 2005, 10:30 AM »

Hi Lonzo, I haven't talked to you for some time. I was at the Elk's Lake in the Forest Preserve near Mahomet. I have also been on two small ponds near home and they all had the same ice conditions.

I am headed to Walnut Point to check the ice there. Good ice fishing but the ice can get scary with all the springs. Two years ago, a fellow and his son were fishing in one of the spring holes so they didn't have to cut a hole in the ice. When I pointed out that the holes were there because a spring melts the ice he said it seemed thick enough for him. His son went back to the car to get warm and the ice broke with just the dad standing on it. It took another icefisherman and myself to get him out of the water. Be careful if you head down there.

Pop

crappieken · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 21, 2005, 04:05 PM »

Pop - Did you make it down to Walnut Point to check on the ice? If so, what did you find? I fish Walnut Point during open water, but have never ice fished there. Don't they still have the 8 inch size limit and 10 creel limit on bluegill? Do you take many gills 8 inches or over there?

Lonzo · « **Reply #7 on:** Dec 21, 2005, 07:28 PM »

Hey Pop, good to hear from you. Not sure about Elk lake location. But I usely start out at Lake of the woods. They have some nice big crappie if you can get on them. Year before last I couldn't believe I pulled out a 3# channel on a minnow fishing for the crappie close to the dam.
Your right about Walnut pt. being tricky. I was there a few times last year. when the gills come around they hit fast for awhile and then venture away for awhile. They must stay on the move a lot there. The last morning I went down, there was nobody on the lake but one older fellow, on the back side of the lake by hiself. I parked the truck to walk over and see how it was going and talk to him. He was about 20 ft out on the water, and the temp was climbing fast. Any way as I stood and started to talk to him the ice took a huge shift so I decided to look in his ice hole I couldn't believe we were standing on maybe two inch's of ice. I moved to the bank real quick. I tried to talk him into moving to shore but he wanted to get a couple more for him and the wife. If I would have been pulling the sled I know we would have gone through. It was so odd the way the ice was, the day before I fished from Am to PM on a good four inches of ice. Be careful down there, and good luck

Pop · « **Reply #8 on:** Dec 22, 2005, 10:54 AM »

Hi CrappieKen, welcome to the site. I always like to see new people here.

I didn't make it to Walnut Point, I got called into duty with my grandson and we ended up on a small farm pond catching a few bluegill.

The size and bag limit are still there but you can catch some nice bluegill if you just keep after them. The crappie fishing can be good there also. The bigger bluegill tend to move around on the long point that splits the main lake into two sections. The crappie will kind of circle the deep water pool in front of the dam. The crappie don't seem to run real big but you can catch a nice mess of 12" to 13" crappie there.

I have found out that glow red works well there, even during the prime light at mid-day. I hang a dropper below a red glow jig and always seem to find a few crappie. The blue gill are a bit of a different story. You have to look for what they want and it can change 2 or three times during the day. It seems to change as the sun moves up and down in the sky. I start out with chartreuse and blue rockers and keep changing from horizontal to vertical and back until I figure out what they want.

The arm that runs to Deer Run has downed trees across the mouth and these lay in some of the deepest water in that area. Make sure you look for the crappie there and the blue gill just might be on the deep weed lines that mark the shallow flat off of the right side point.

Be real careful with the ice at Wallnut Point.

Pop

crappieken · « **Reply #9 on:** Dec 22, 2005, 03:36 PM »

Pop - Thanks for your quick reply and the info. If we ever get some good ice and you are going down to Walnut Point I would appreciate it if you would let me know as I would like the opportunity to meet you there. I am retired and can just about go anytime. I also have one question - how do you go about posting private messages on this board? Everytime I click on someone's name - it resonds with the message that you just can't click on anybody's profile and says something about an error. On all the other boards that I am on that is how you send a P.M. Any help that would rectlify this situation would be appreciated. How do you get in conctact with someone that could offer a solution to the problem?

Pop · « **Reply #10 on:** Dec 22, 2005, 04:35 PM »

Hi"CK", if you go to the upper left corner of the post you will see my name as “ POP “. Just click on my name and it will take you to my profile. In the profile it will show you my email address. Please feel free to send me any emails you want to.

I would be more than happy to meet you at Walnut Point. It is really a lake that people should not fish alone, due to the safety factor.

I still work but can take off time, as I need to, so I can take care of essentials like fishing. I will let you know when I am headed that way.

Maybe one of the moderators will jump in with a better explanation on the use of the email on this board.

Hey Lonzo, I had to leave for awhile and just got back, sorry for the delay. The old Elk’s Lake is on the backside of the Bell Tower. It is right beside the southeast pavilion. The lake is shallow and has running water through it so watch around the overflow for soft ice. You will have to hunt through the weed beds but there are a lot of fish in this pond but most run on the small side.

When you find the crappie in the main lake you can catch some really nice fish. It is funny that the channel cats will follow the schools of crappie around, just below them. I am going to try to make it to Lake of the Woods one day next week. I may see you there.

Please, all be safe on the ice and carry your life spikes and a rope to help someone else out if needed.

Pop

crappieken · « **Reply #11 on:** Dec 22, 2005, 05:40 PM »

An Error Has Occurred!
Many apologies, but you can't view just any profile.

Pop - This is what I get when I click on a name in the upper left hand corner. I am registered properly on the board I assume, otherwise I don't think I could post on here. How do you get in contact with a moderator or someone who can solve this problem?

crappieken · « **Reply #12 on:** Dec 22, 2005, 05:45 PM »

Pop - right after I made my previous post, I was able to bring up the profiles. It now shows how many messages etc whereas up to this point when I checked in all it displayed was my name. I hope my problem is now solved.

toph2o · « **Reply #13 on:** Dec 26, 2005, 03:42 PM »

Rain and warm temps are keeping me off

Iceman Cometh · « **Reply #14 on:** Dec 28, 2005, 04:45 AM »

Any ice left anywhere?

jepik · « **Reply #15 on:** Dec 28, 2005, 09:48 AM »

Quote from: Iceman Cometh on Dec 28, 2005, 04:45 AM

Any ice left anywhere?

miss. pool 13 spring lake....8 ins. in spots 1 in in other areas...this will hold true up and down miss. backwater.where there is no current...any slight current areas def. not safe.....

Iceman Cometh · « **Reply #16 on:** Dec 28, 2005, 10:06 AM »

where is miss. pool 13, spring lake located? By Chicago/Peoria? I can't believe you'd have that much ice here by Peoria--if so I might go out.

pondjumper · « **Reply #17 on:** Dec 30, 2005, 10:51 PM »

No ice!!! Isn't that a bummer.I live in tuscola and fish a couple farm ponds around here,pop someday if we pick up some ice i,d like to invite you over or anybody else.this one close to town has good crappie in it but i'm just not sure how to go about finding them,it has good gills too as my biggest ever and through the ice last year was 10.5 inches. :)I did catch 3 last year though my first evers but i've been told that a fellow has put musky and walleye from shelbyville in there(idiot).

crappieken · « **Reply #18 on:** Dec 30, 2005, 11:52 PM »

Iceman - Dam 13 is located on the Mississippi River with Clinton, Iowa on one side of the river and Fulton, Illinois on the other side. Dam 12 is located up river at Bellevue, Iowa which is about half way between Savanna, Illinois and Galena, Illinois. I would assume pool 13 would then be the stretch from Clinton, Iowa up to Bellevue, Iowa. Spring Lake is part of the river just south of Savanna. According to the Northern Illinois Fishing Map Guide, pool 13 offers one fine fishery. Species present include walleye, sauger, northern pike, largemouth and smallmouth bass, hybrid striped bass, white bass, yellow bass, white and black crappie, bluegills and catfish. Years ago I use to do some fishing around Savanna and 9 to 10 inch bluegills were common as were 12 to 14 inch crappie. One winter we had about two inches of ice here in Mattoon when I went out to ice fish. The next day I fished Lake Chautauqua up by Havana and there was seven inches of ice. The very next day I fished the backwaters of the Mississippi up at Savanna and there was thirteen inches of ice. There can be a considerable difference in the thickness of the ice between central and norther Illinois.

Iceman Cometh · « **Reply #19 on:** Dec 31, 2005, 01:46 AM »

crappieken,
Do you live in Mattoon? If you do, it's a small world--my dad grew up in Greenup and I have couple friends from Olney--Dad came up here,(Yates City) to teach in the sixties--he and I both went to EIU, where I got a BA and he got a in between a master's and a doctorate. Thanks for so much info on Dam 13--I was telling my wife it looks like I'm gonna have to start heading north like some of the guys to find ice! I thought when we had 6" here recently it was gonna be a great season--I know we have plenty of time left, but my wife bought me a depthfinder for X-mas and I'm itching to get out. Take care and pray for hardwater!

crappiehunter · « **Reply #20 on:** Jan 02, 2006, 07:32 PM »

Anybody fishing on some farm ponds in the Villa Grove area? Just wondering, I grew up there and fished on the ponds and on the river. Fell into the Embarrass once as a kid!!! Be safe!!!

pondjumper · « **Reply #21 on:** Jan 03, 2006, 11:50 PM »

crappie hunter-I live in tuscola and fish ponds in the area

crappiehunter · « **Reply #22 on:** Jan 04, 2006, 05:59 AM »

Hey Pondjumper! The ponds that I fished were on 130 north of Camargo. Are you catching any? Ever fish the river? Good luck to you!!

Pop · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 04, 2006, 08:57 AM »

Hi Pondjumper, I am sorry for the delay I have been away for a few days. I would love to come to Tuscola and fish with you. You will have to make the trip up here and fish some of the local spots with me.

A few years ago I fished a barrow pit north of Tuscola with a friend of mine. It took about an hour to find the crappie but I have never seen so many nice crappie come out of one small spot. We caught over 40 really nice crappie and I kept 8 for a good mess of fish. Those 8 fish weighed eleven and a half pounds. He has asked me back a few times but we always seem to run out of ice about the time we are getting ready to go.

Crappiehunter, the little city lake in Villa Grove has given up some big (over 6#s) bass in the last few years. I know one fellow that says the bluegill are nice in the lake but you can't catch them through the ice. I figure he just couldn't find them but have never gone down there and tried it for myself. I was wondering if the post the lake for fishing so the ice skaters can use it?

Pop

Coastie · « **Reply #24 on:** Jan 04, 2006, 09:54 AM »

Happy New Year Illinois!

crappiehunter · « **Reply #25 on:** Jan 04, 2006, 08:03 PM »

Hey Pop, sounds like you really hit the crappie!!! I'd love to be with you. I don't remember any "city lake" in Villa Grove? There is a river running through the city but no lake that I can remember. Maybe my memory is fading. Keep it up. Post a pic of those crappie!!!

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Author Topic: Anyone been out in Central Illinois? (Read 5240 times)