The weather seems to be a major part of what’s going on in the fishing world right now. The warm-up that occurred a few weeks back really made ice fishing nearly impossible on most of our area lakes. Then the cold returned, and most lakes gained between four and six inches of fresh ice making the ice fishermen very happy. That joy was short-lived on a lot of our lakes with the fish not reacting well to the fluctuations in the ice and the light penetration.
Reports from both Lake Delevan and Lake Geneva were that the fishermen were marking a lot of fish on their electronics but were not getting many bites. The reports from the Fox Chain were similar for the north end of the Chain of Lakes; the southern lakes were having a bit better success with the crappie and bluegill on Pistakee Lake.
While my fellow anglers have been getting back to the ice, I have been spending my time getting ready for the time when I can put the boat back in the water. Because I travel to several states for my fishing, during the year I have been working the Internet sites to locate lodging for my trips and to renew all my fishing licenses.
I have learned over the years that it is never too early to book rooms for planned trips, because many of these areas get booked up during the summer months and rooms get scarce. I’m booking rooms in July and August this weekend.
The fishing licenses are now quite easy to obtain, I go to the various State Department of Natural Resources and search for the fishing license page. For the Illinois DNR the website is dnr.illinois.gov.
Don’t wait until the last minute the secure future fishing trips, and be sure to have a fishing license when you get there.
Until next time…keep a tight line.
Contact Dick at hookedonfishing@comcast.net.