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Posts: 358
| As I headed up to fish the "Toilet Bowl" of northern IL yesterday morning, I was looking forward to a nice peaceful, enjoyable, day. However fate had other plans for me. About 12 miles short of my launch destination I had stopped to pick up a few donuts for my son in law and I to munch on in place of a healthy breakfast. As I walked out of the store (5:15 AM) I smelled what I first thought to be roofing asphalt begining to warm in a tank. As I walked around my boat trailer to drive off, there I noticed smoke bellowing out from the axle of my trailer. I yelled out to my son in law that "I think we've got a problem here bud." For you see, I have a keen eye for the obvious! After we both surveyed this mechaincal breakdown, and having no parts dealer in sight for miles, we decided to limp on down the road to the boat launch. Well, we made it to the launch, me with beads of sweat dripping from my brow, and the drivers side boat trailer wheel looking like a smoke stack from a steel furnace. Dumped the boat in the water, and went back to the marina when they opened to see what they could do for me.
THANKS! THANKS! To Bobs Marine in Antioch. After they had opened, I went back and told them of my plight and they said they could have it fixed while I fished that morning. Ahhhh, I thought, life is good again.
NO THANKS! NO THANKS! To the Lake County Sheriffs department. For those of you that dont fish this sewer pit, the Fox Chain requires all boaters to have a permit to be on that splendid, beautiful, waste of natural resources. Yep, I got stopped, and no, I had no hall pass for the day to be on that water. However, I tried to explain to the officers that I limped my way, nervously, to get my trailer to a place where I thought it could be repaired. The bait shop where I normally purchase a pass would have taken me miles out of my way and I didnt want to take that chance. Didnt seem to matter, his mind was made up that I was getting a ticket, and thats all there was too it. By the letter of the law he was right, and I was in the wrong. What did surprise me however was their lack of compassion and understanding. It saddens me that they seem to waste so much time on the folks that actually respect the outdoors. While in the mean time I was surrounded by neanderthals, mental midgets, on wave runners and 28' twin screw power boats bringing the water to a froth.
So, $225.00 later, I am back home. I sure hope next weekend is better! | |
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Posts: 1769
Location: Algonquin, ILL | Mike, look at it this way if you had totally broken down on the road it propably would have cost you the same and you would not have been able to go fishing, DID YOU GET ANYTHING?
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Posts: 358
| Yeah, John you could be right. It was just insult added to injury I guess.
My son in law had one fish up (mid to upper 30's) on the north end of Catherine. He was tossing a Suick. Rather deep though, but not surprising. The water on North Catherine was quite clear. | |
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Posts: 20248
Location: oswego, il | Before I knew you needed a ticket for the zoo, we had been stopped and checked, luckily they never asked to see that lovely looking sticker. I bought one, only cost me 75 bucks, not a bad price to look at bikinis and boat wakes all day. Too bad they could not put a speed limit on channel, catherine, petite and bluff. A 30ft cigarette boat with 2-3 big block chevy engines can'e even get up to speed on them anyway, even though they try like fools. | |
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Posts: 492
Location: Lindenhurst, Illinois | Mike,
Thanks for giving us the heads up on that fish on Cathrine. Dilley stuck a 39" on a suick in the same spot -- your fish??? I wonder. Up till that point the highlight of the day was watching you get harrassed by the LC Sheriff while almost being run over by a 25Ft power boat.
Seems to me the LCS was harrassing the wrong people.
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Thanks & No Thanks