hooah212002

You could check the DNR records to see what has been stocked there. if the lake is artificially colder than what is normally found, it makes sense for them to stock Pike to assist in keeping the baitfish in check.

Yes, it's most definitely a Pike.

Haha, what do they care? They'll still make money 'cuz we'll still watch. We'll complain, but we'll still watch. And buy gear. And buy tickets. Fans don't matter as long as fans collectively continue to buy stuff. And fans show no signs of halting their purchases of NFL gear.

The true test would have been making her unhook that snapper.

He used a tool designed to kill as a deterrant to ward you off. I can't see how you would, in any way shape or form, NOT see him as being completely wrong. He practically shot at you..... Guns aren't toys and you aren't geese.

If you have any sort of podcast listening device, might I suggest subscribing to BassEdge? It is bloody brilliant and has amazing tips. Trust me, I know the feeling. I've only caught 1 fish on each of my last 3 outings, which for me, is great when you consider I have a lifetime of getting skunked, but now that I am more serious about it, it is unacceptable. Middle of the day isn't impossible, but the difficulty gets compounded when you are a) shorebound and fishing clear water. Middle of the day they want to be out of the light and that is difficult when casting from shore. I am VERY close to picking up an inflatable boat or canoe that can go on top of my car.

I'm also curious about Pleasant Lake near East Troy. MarkH024 (if you read this): you were right. The shear number of bodies of water that are within ~30 minutes from me in Delavan is unreal. Compare that with how difficult it is to find somewhere in IL even going an hour out, it's even more nuts. 9/10 of the fishing reports I read about WI waters are generally positive, whereas in IL they are more negative with a lot of guys getting skunked.

Keep an eye on the water. Generally, the chop will start where the drop-off does (shallow flats will be more smooth, then get more choppy as the bottom drops off). From what I have been reading is that high pressure=fish move deeper and get more lathargic, low pressure=fish move shallow and are more active. However, looking too deep into it will make you not want to fish or only fish perfect days. Look here: http://www.thefishin.../barometer.html As always, someone can feel free to chime in and correct me.

Are you talking about fishing pressure (which cast_and_destroy addressed) or barometric pressure?

i am unsure, but laws typically apply to everyone. And this is apparently a law. It is wise to read up on state laws before putting a boat in the water, especially if you are doing so out of state. I can't see that it would be acceptable to say "but it wasn't posted on the boat ramp". That said, the way it is worded seems to me like it is directed at who can operate a motorized watercraft solo since it (the pamphlet I am reading with the regs) distinguishes between being born after 1989, and 12-15 year olds that can operate craft with an adult present, no course required. WI is 13 as well.

I just wanted to correct my previous erroneous statements about boater education not being mandatory. Upon further investigation, it appears that Wisconsin (which is where I poorly made my broad stroke judgement from) enacted the Boating Safety Education Act, wherein it states that anyone born after Jan 1, 1989 must complete a boating safety education course in order to operate ANY motorized watercraft and the certificate indicating your completion must be present in the craft. I am unsure when this was enacted, though. I should not have made the comments I did without doing the proper research beforehand.

Anyone ever fished there? I know I've started a lot of topics recently about "where to fish"; I've started more topics about it than I've actually fished lol, but I am going to start getting out in the morning before work (2nd shift is great for that), so I've been scouring the map looking for somewhere to wet my line. I stumbled upon Powers Lake today and according to the DNR website, LMB's are ABUNDANT and posts on Lake-Link is telling me the same. There is a 24 hour rowboat rental place that is like 17 bucks for the whole day. I'm just curious if there is anywhere to fish from shore on those days I don't have 17 bucks..... Google Maps tells me it is a typical area (Lake Geneva/Delavan) lake: COVERED in houses. I shan't let that deter me as this seems all too promising as a killer lake to fish. I'm going after work tonight to check it out, but it will be dark so I doubt if my recon will prove beneficial without my NVG's. Most likely I will head out tomorrow morning at O' Dark Thirty to get some morning topwater in.

Didn't think about that. Thanks.

I've been checking out the map around my area and have found a number of small-ish ponds nearby. I have yet to actually look at them firsthand though. What I am wondering is, what is necessary for a pond to hold fish? If I were to go look, and I don't see any fish jumping or cruising, what should I look for that would indicate that this water is habitable for our swimming friends? There is also a creek that runs through my town and the next 3 counties SW, running from/connecting a lake to a large river. In particular, there is a good size "lake" (when does a pond become a lake???) that I NEVER see anyone on. No idea if it is private, but if it is, I plan on requesting access. However, I'd hate to ask the owner if I could fish it and have them laugh and tell me there's no fish in it. It looks to be about 75 acres or so. There are also a good number of random little lakes that have no names according to google maps but look to be big enough to fish. Sure, I could just go fish there and find out, but I have bad luck catching fish even if I know they are there, so my inability to find them in a new place would be an inconclusive study lol.

I took my son there last weekend and got skunked. There were SO MANY people there, it was ridiculous. As small as those "lakes" (and I use the term lakes loosely here) are, there was just far too many people. There was a person fishing every 50 ft or so it seemed. Not a single person I spoke to caught anything, nor did we even see any fish; breaching the surface or otherwise. I'd say that place is the very definition of pressured fishing water.

Whereabouts do you fish up here? I've been trying to find somewhere I could pop off to after work (I work in Racine, live in Delavan) or maybe get up early and go to for a couple hours.

Awesome. Thanks. We'll definitely give those a shot. We'll give this a shot too. Like I said, I've never scoped out the area very thoroughly firsthand, I've just driven through the town of Fox Lake on my way to O'Hare. But when doing so, it didn't look very friendly to landlubbers. Granted, I barely saw any of it. Have you ever fished lake Le-Aqua-Na in Lena? It's pretty far west for you.

I'm sure it is, but right now I only get out on the weekends and only out with my dad. We both have an IL license and out of state WI license costs $50: my dad can't justify that anytime soon to my mom. The only fishing I can do in WI is very little after or before work and only after I get a license. I haven't yet had the need to get my WI license because I've not found a spot from shore to fish from. Also, if/when we get a boat, he's the one with a truck and somewhere to store it. Long story short: it is far more conveniant right now for us to fish in IL, as bad as that fishing may be.

Or, better yet, does anyone have any lakes/ponds they could point me to that are within ~1 hour of the Rockford/Roscoe area? Preferably somewhere that is not too heavily pressured. I wouldn't mind trying out Shabbona, but I've been reading that it is one of the most heavily fished lakes in IL for it's size. I ask because in our immediate vicinity there isn't really any good fishing that I can see. All of the quality lakes are at least 45 minutes or so away. Since we only get to get out once a week and that is a good length trip, I want to make sure we go somewhere that we can do relatively well on. Even if "relatively well" means a few small fish.

My dad and I want to go to the Chain o' Lakes in Northern IL but to say it is a daunting task would be an understatement. Is there anyone who could point me in the right direction as far as which lake produces the most LMB/SMB? Which lake has decent fishing with minimal leisure boat traffic? From what I have read, it appears you need some sort of permit? I've only visually seen any of these lakes on my drives through Fox Lake and I don't want to get down there and spend all morning just finding a spot to launch. We will be probably going in early October (hopefully) as by that time we will have gotten my uncle's boat.

How is that enforced? What indicates the size of motor you are qualified for?

The point I was making (which I thought was more clear) was not that it is strictly about the license, per se, but that there are absolutely no courses necessary to put a boat on the water. Yes, people that operate motor vehicles do still violate traffic laws even though they have a license and have been through drivers ed, but imagine if they hadn't even done that and drivers had absolutely NO understanding of basic operation of said motor vehicle? That's what you have on the water. And yet, people get up in arms about other boaters driving like morons when there is absolutely nothing in place that dictates they have any reason to know boating regulations, laws or even ethics other than "respect for the body of water or sport". Sorry, but most people just don't have that respect.

A lot of that, I'm sure, is due to the fact that there is no prerequisite to boat ownership. There are no necessary courses or licensing that are required to register/title a boat. Any yahoo with enough money to buy a boat can get on the water. Whether this is a bad or good thing is a matter of opinion.

There is an Android app (pretty sure iOS has one too) called Knot Wars and has a video for darn near every knot available as well as their breaking strength. Of course, I say this with the assumption that you are in possession of a smart phone or tablet.

What about one of those collapsible baskets that you toss in the water?