| Friday, September 21, 2007 9:33 PM CDT |
Good fish tales have been few, far between this season
BLOOMINGTON — The time has come to say, “Aloha,” to the Pantagraph’s Friday fishing report until next spring.
To tell the truth, reports for the 2007 fishing season haven’t been all that good — and we know fishermen always do that. The spring was too cold, the summer was hot, and don’t forget those dandy floods that muddied area reservoirs and made navigation on rivers a breath-taking experience.
Still, some spots such as Dawson Lake, Shabbona, Weldon Springs and Sangchris reported good catches for most of the open-water season to this point. Clinton Lake reported some of the best bass fishing seen there in the past several years. Overall, catfishing has been very good. But prospects for most species have been only fair overall. Chances for a big muskie have been slim.
But some of the best fishing of the year is yet to come. The word “fall” translates to “big, aggressive fish fattening for winter.”
Read Hook, Line & Sinker on Thursdays and the GO! section on Sundays for fishing updates and outdoor-related news all year long. The fishing report resumes in March.
What’s biting
Crappie — Good at Shabbona, Shelbyville, Dawson; fair at Sangchris, Bloomington; slow elsewhere;
Saugeye — Slow at Evergreen; good at Dawson.
Sauger — Fair at the Illinois River near Henry using leadcore and Shad Raps;
Walleye — Good at Dawson; fair at Shelbyville; slow at Clinton;
Largemouth bass — Good at Shabbona, Sangchris, Dawson, Clinton; slow at Evergreen.
Smallmouth bass — Fair at Powerton, Shabbona; rivers, including the Mackinaw and the Vermilion, are very good;
Striped bass — Fair at Sangchris; good at Lake Bloomington;
White bass — Good at Decatur, Shelbyville; fair to good early and late on the Illinois River;
Catfish — Good at Shabbona, LaSalle, Illinois River, Powerton, Sangchris, Dawson, Evergreen, Spring Lake, Weldon Springs;
Muskies — Good at Shabbona; slow at Shelbyville, Evergreen;
Bluegills — Good at LaSalle, Sangchris, Evergreen, Shabbona, Powerton. Fair at Spring Lake.
Got a fish story, a hot spot, big fish or lots of them? Something funny happen? Phone Pantagraph outdoor editor Scott Richardson at (309) 820-3227 or e-mail srichardson@pantagraph.com. Read past fishing reports and outdoor columns and take part in online discussions at www.pantagraph.com/blogs.
Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports.
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