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Posts: 260
Location: Lockport, IL | I got my first Illinois musky this past weekend and my old man got his first ever. Mine was a pretty solid 31"er and his a fat 37.5" He was pretty pumped. This was only the second time we have fished muskies in his new boat, which is also his first boat. I will try to post pics. I never have so I will do my best and any advice could help.
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 Rick_sMuskie2.JPG (35KB - 256 downloads)
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Posts: 260
Location: Lockport, IL | Here is the smaller one we got.
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Jarid_sMuskie2.JPG (39KB - 249 downloads)
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| Nice work guys! That first fish is thick! |
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| Nice muskies guys, way to go.
As stocking director for my FRV MI Club I can tell you that IL is well kept secret hosting some great muskies all across the state 
Steve |
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Posts: 41
| Nice fish man, glad your old man finally got his 1st. Hope the advice I gave you payed off. |
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| Congrats on the fish!!! Great way to break the new boat in for sure!
Yea there are definatley some nice fish lurking in the local waters. Here's a few picks from a couple of weeks ago taken from two consecutive days of fishing on a local Illinois Lake. Sure is hard to convince myself to drive elsewhere when there are fish like these around.
(double in the net cropped.jpg)
(47 and 48.5 cropped.jpg)
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double in the net cropped.jpg (196KB - 171 downloads)
47 and 48.5 cropped.jpg (180KB - 413 downloads)
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Posts: 115
| Nice fish! What lakes are you guys fishing?
Thanks,
Johhny B |
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| Hmmm I told someone a long time ago that I would keep it a secret but I'm pretty sure if you search for the closest musky lake to DeKalb (excluding Lake Sule) that you could come up with it pretty easily (I think the next closest one is like 40 miles away).  |
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| Nate, Is it just me or does it look like there's a third musky in the water near the net in that first picture? If it isn't, it sure looked like one to me. |
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| Can't say that I see a third in the picture, where abouts are you looking? |
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Posts: 2037
Location: lansing, il | muskyboy - 10/24/2006 2:37 PM
Nice muskies guys, way to go.
As stocking director for my FRV MI Club I can tell you that IL is well kept secret hosting some great muskies all across the state
Steve
not anymore!!! hahahahahahahahahahaa nice fish guys!!! |
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Posts: 743
| and here i thought all Illinios musky fisherman considered Indiana thier home waters... ya'll got musky lakes too???sweet. check them (the Illinois lakes) out then next season!!!
those are nice IL fish....a good reason to stay in your home state!!!!!!!! |
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| Ha ha I think the better reason to stay in my home state is so that I don't come spoil myself on those Indiana waters. If I were to actually come fish there I would first hand realize what I was missing out on instead of just hearing about it from everyone else |
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Location: Contrarian Island | Yah Bette and Muskyboy can stay in IL now instead of coming to WI, Canada and IN all the time! sweeeeeeeet meat! |
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Posts: 2037
Location: lansing, il | nelson where you goin in dec???? stay home! awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn spicoli i straddle the border man thats how i roll! |
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Posts: 317
| great fish Nate! |
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Posts: 8831
| BWAHAHAHAH
Yes boys and girls there ARE some nice fish in IL. SOME...
And the places you need to go to get them are the kinds of places where you better be a good caster, better have good insurance, and better be ok with seeing one fish every three or four days.
And the lake in question? Even the guys who live close to it drive 3 hours North to fish for the day. What does THAT tell 'ya? |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | EA is that you or the general muskie fisherman??? Oh I am sorry that was too easy Did you at least RUB Nelsons horseshoe last time you fished with him??
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| The lakes in northern illinois aren't really big number lakes, but the payoff can be big. I know of a private lake in the northern part of the state that has surrendered a 51"x24" and 51.5"x?" fish in the last 10 days. However, the comment about fishing for three or four full days without seeing them is pretty accurate, but they say persistence pays off. |
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Posts: 8831
| Shhhhh
Don't tell Brad, but I borrowed it for the weekend
And no, it's NOT just me -- the DNR surveys show what all of us pretty much know already -- you may stumble across a big one from time to time, but overall size and population is better if you go North. Our waters probably COULD produce great fisheries, but there are so many people fishing them it's unbelievable, and unlike IN we just don't have the budget to stock huge numbers of fish.
Illinois is a good place to fish if you just need to fish.
But if you want a fish over 40 or multiple fish days> You're best off driving 3 hours North. Or South. Or East or...
Edited by esoxaddict 10/25/2006 9:28 AM
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Posts: 260
Location: Lockport, IL | I didn't start this thread to get a lot of noise going. I was just excited about my dad getting his first fish ever and seeing first hand that they are catchable in IL. I will still be going to the Big V, Polk county and Vilas county to do my serious fishing. |
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Posts: 7087
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | IL is not Northern Wisconsin, nor is it the Minnesota fisheries everyone is running to this year, but those fisheries aren't the same as those in Northwest Ontario, but many would say that those waters don't compare in fish size to those of Eastern Ontario (Ottawa River, St. Lawrence, etc.).
I personally head to Indiana or S.WI much more than I should, but the more I see fish like those that come out of Shabbona (incredible double header) and the Fox Chain (I've been in the boat for a four fish day [46.5, and a 45" are good anywhere] and I dont know many who wouldnt consider the fish Joel Michel caught to be not worthy) I realize I'm probably making a mistake in not fishing my home state waters more.
There are a number of anglers who CONSISTENTLY boat numbers and size out of Shabbona, Kinkaid, the Fox Chain, Evergreen and a number of sleeper lakes and rivers. These guys have put the time in learn the waters and their specific patterns. My thought is with the positive approaches that the ILDNR has utilitzed to enhance our fisheries (higher size limits, selective strain stocking and study) IL fishing will only get better and better, and that if more muskie fisherman (punching myself in the head too) stayed closer to home and ventured out of state less, we'd be seeing more and more big fish coming out of our waters. |
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Posts: 8831
| Rainman,
A two fish day in IL is one heck of an accomplishment, so is putting your dad on his first fish!
That is something to be excited about. So is the fact that you can catch muskies in IL.
And for now what you said holds true for a lot of people -- you fish here because you live here. But "serious fishing" happens in other places.
We hope to change that here in IL.
I get the feeling that the folks in WI, MN, MI, and IN would like that too. |
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Posts: 7087
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | But "serious fishing" happens in other places.
EA, how many days have you spent in N.IL, or on Kinkaid, or at Shelbyville or Evergreen chasing muskies? Have you put the time in to learn the waters? Have you hit them at peak times, or just whenever you could for half a day. I'm not trying to over hype our waters, but to come out and say that IL muskies dont qualify for "serious fishing", I think you're speaking more for YOUR own experience which might be a bit limited. |
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Posts: 8831
| I'm not saying they flat out don't qualify, just that the prevailing attitude is that the fishing is better in other states. I'm guilty of that as well. The two 49"+ fish out of the Fox Chain recently and the number of state records out of Shabbona pretty much prove there are some really good opportunities to be had in IL.
I've fished the Fox Chain a handful of times, and while it may hold some good fish, my idea of a nice day fishing is not being tossed around by the wake from 27 cigarette boats, and being the fourth person through a spot first thing in the morning. That's nothing against the fishery, just the clowns that inhabit it.
Shabbona is a similar situation -- yes, there are big fish caught there, but its small and it's very crowded.
But as for Kincaid and Shelbyville? I can drive 4 hours and fish those lakes or drive 2-1/2 and fish the lakes I know in WI that I know, where know I have a shot at some really nice fish.
Would I fish them between December and the WI opener? You bet I would! And I probably will. But until I see the numbers and the size fish coming from the guys who fish those lakes regularly that I see coming out of WI, I'm not going to convince my self that the fishing is as good in IL as anywhere else. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | EA is right .... what are you looking at while you are fishing and what kind of atmosphere does the tavern provide after a day on the water? it's the WHOLE experience |
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| Are you trying to say that driving throught the giant corn maze of Northern Illinois and then stopping by a college bar are the end of the day doesn't compare to forests and taverns? |
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Posts: 8831
| College bars just remind me that I'm not a cool young dude anymore and that I am now well on my way to becoming a dirty old man!
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | ok Nate ... you've got a point now !!!! i'll trade a trip with you next year! |
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Location: Contrarian Island | EA, there is no way you touched or took my golden horseshoe....from what I heard you have lost the last 3 fish you have hooked!
Better keep lookin for one...maybe look on Ebay!
Illinois fisheries are coming around and worth fishing for sure... it all depends on how much time you have and how far you want to drive.... |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | I know someone that has gone to IL and came back with pics of ~13 nice muskies for the weekend.....Of course this guy is an awesome muskiefisherman....but it goes to show you.....
And this person left WI to go get these fish....They are there....So stop going to Onieda and Vilas counties (because that is where I will be this weekend! )
Cory |
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Posts: 8831
| You sure about that horseshoe, Brad?
I think we contacted a few more fish Friday than you did as a matter of fact.
And as for Saturday? I think we actually put one of those in the boat about 2 minutes after I lost it.
The other one? Well, that one got a nice big sucker lunch!
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | numbers schmumbers ... i'm swingin' for the fences starting tonight
... just called nellie and he's on a hot sucker bite and couldn't talk. his suckers are eating crawlers and are going for about $0.00/large ... unless of course you were to compute his cost of lost productivity toward his job that he's taking time away from to catch his natural suckers .... i'm not even going to guess what they'd be worth then .... and of course i'm smiling and laughing typing and thinking of that number!!~
who loves ya brad? .... the ole sledster of course means all of this in the nicest possible way!!! ...
magruter and i will be on the big sandy in about 5 hours |
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Location: Contrarian Island | EA you smoke crack! we actually BOATED a musky friday...did you? don't think so...so keep tryin there stud...the horseshoe is really the Red Ranger Visor..without it you have no chance!
keep tryin ....
Oh the sucker bite was good today....I have 17 lively wild black suckers in my garage waiting for hungry northern WI muskies to eat them...
Sled you weren't working to hard when you called me either!
Illinois muskies rock...
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | work "smart" not hard right brad? |
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| there are plenty of illinois lakes where you have a legit chance at a 50 inch fish |
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Posts: 41
| There are plenty of good lakes in Northern Illinois But most of them are private lakes like Lake Sommerset, Lake Galena, Lake Carroll. There are a few over looked lakes Pierce, carlton, george and Sule. |
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Posts: 317
| Whomever said that the numbers and size of WI fish verses IL fish are bigger is just wrong. Why? Many IL lakes have enormous amounts of forage like Shad. I believe alot of the guys fishing N. WI are "sight fishing" that is, up there to see the pretty trees, not necessarily to catch big fish. Look at the average weight of a WI fish vs an IL fish and I guarantee inch for inch the IL fish will be heavier. Do I like to fish N. WI? Absolutely! I love the pretty trees and the clear waters with pretty rocks and cabbage....but I'll still take a fat fish close to home any day of the week. |
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