OPTIONS GALORE ON BUSY SATURDAY
Because April 1 falls on a Saturday this year, it’s a packed opening day for Illinois fishing.
Smelt netting begins in the evening on the lakefront. Heidecke Lake opens in the morning, as does Illinois’ spring trout season. The weekend weather looks typical ( 40s and 50s).
Remember, new licenses are required Saturday around the Lake Michigan states. With the new season, Illinois fisheries chief Dan
Stephenson sent along a list of changes.
The most interesting is at Lake McMaster in Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is trying a muskie slot limit of one per day, either 36 to 42 inches in length or longer than 48 inches.
As for the slot, Stephenson emailed: ‘‘ At that size, it is likely one of the very slow- growing males. That is a big fish for most and considered a trophy by some. Removing a few of those older males won’t impact the fishery at all. They were never going to get any larger.’’
Muskie fishermen release nearly all muskie and advocate with an evangelical fervor. There will be blowback, but I’m glad the IDNR is experimenting. Not all fishermen are muskie zealots. For some, a 36- inch muskie is a fish of a lifetime.
There also will be changes on the boundary waters of the Mississippi, Ohio and Wabash rivers, where regulations will mirror the respective neighboring state.
There’s a tricky change: Statewide limits no longer apply to ‘‘ wholly owned individual private ponds,’’ Stevenson noted. ‘‘ This is NOT true for association, club or organizational lakes. The six bass of any species still holds on those lakes.’’
Similarly, on licensing, Stevenson noted: ‘‘ The regulation states that if you live in a home on land contiguous with the pond and you or your family are the sole owner of the pond or lake, you do not need a fishing license. Persons living on an association lake or fishing a club or organizational water are not the sole owners. A fishing license is required.’’
Smelt
Lake Michigan program manager Vic Santucci emailed: ‘‘ There was an increase in smelt abundance reported in prey- fish surveys in 2016 compared to 2015, but the increase occurred only in northern Lake Michigan. Overall, still low lakewide abundance. We caught only two smelt in our 2016 spring assessment surveys. All in all, it doesn’t look good for smelt fishing in Illinois again this spring.’’
Bob Long, ‘‘ The Fishin’ Guy’’ for the Chicago Park District, might have one tweak to sites. If so, I will post.
Inland trout
Horsetail Lake is now a spring trout site.
Heidecke
Fisheries biologist Rob
Miller said: ‘‘ Collections [ for walleye in the biannual survey last fall] were not as good as they have been, but still pretty damn stout, right at the 10- year- old average.’’ Metrics for 16- and 22- inch walleye were increasing.
They found lots of hybrids, white bass and yellow bass. Miller noted that there is no limit on yellows and that they found a ‘‘ good percentage of 9- inch- plus fish.’’
The maximum size on muskie is increasing, though Miller still is looking for the first 50- incher. Muskie stockings now are conducted once every three years.
Largemouth are struggling, but ‘‘ the compass is pointing up’’ for smallmouth. Channel catfish have not had much natural recruitment recently.
Indiana lakers
The limit on lake trout in Indiana waters of Lake Michigan will rise to three Saturday to sync with Michigan’s limit. Illinois’ remains at two.
Stray cast
Like most humans, duck hunters, conservationists and lake managers know the value of sanctuary.