Sportsman Fishing Club

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Sportsman Fishing Club"

Bertha Simpson
5 years ago
Views:

Sportsman Fishing Club Enhancing the Environment and Fishing Experience at Shadow Lakes 1994 OCT 2017 23 Years Officers President - Tom Lydon Cell (630) 776-1625 tlydon44@gmail.

1 Sportsman Fishing Club Enhancing the Environment and Fishing Experience at Shadow Lakes 1994 OCT Years Officers President - Tom Lydon Cell (630) tlydon44@gmail.com Vice President and DNR Rep - Fred Cowell Treasurer - Jane Hill Secretary - Lynn Schuler IDNR - Fred Cowell Fund Raising - Betty Lydon The next meeting is October 15th Club meetings, of about one hour, are held the third Sunday of each month at the Shadow Lakes Amenity Center. Meetings begin at 9 am Free coffee and donuts are provided. Join us for some fun Newsletter Peg McQuarters/Tom Lydon Website/Sue Kielnik Visit Us On The Web At: com Club Mailing Address: Sportsman Fishing Club Shadow Lakes II W. Amenity Ctr. Dr. September 2017 Treasurer Report: Beginning balance $1, Expenses $ Income $ Ending balance $2, Association bal. $9, Total funds $11, $ Profit for September Newsletter mail costs: $155.26, switch to if you can. Dues Reminder, If you pay now, dues cover balance of 2017 and all of COMING EVENTS Next meeting is October 15th. A live panfish filleting demonstration is planned at this meeting. Thank you brunch is Nov 19th, at 9 AM at the Community Center. 1

FISHING ROUNDTABLE Ron Midona reports catching some very nice Gills on Hawk Lake. A stringer of nice Crappie caught on the Trail...15 fish, biggest was 14 inches, ALL released alive; thank you angler.

2 FISHING ROUNDTABLE Ron Midona reports catching some very nice Gills on Hawk Lake. A stringer of nice Crappie caught on the Trail...15 fish, biggest was 14 inches, ALL released alive; thank you angler. Some nice Perch from shore on the trail. Two nice Walleyes being caught late in the evening by Don from FC. Folks are using Walleye minnows, small crankbaits and Gulp Alive fished close to the bottom. Reported Walleyes 18 to 21 inches. Many reporting big gills and lots of big cats. So, go fishing while we continue to enjoy more of this great weather. Remember the HARD WATER season will be here soon. LIVE PANFISH FILLETING DEMO AT OCTOBER MEETING Ron Midona and Dan Hill (two of most revered and oldest anglers) have offered to hold a LIVE fish cleaning display at this weeks meeting (outside). Panfish are our best eating fish that are in great abundance. If you want to have some great fish fries, stop by the Amenity Center at ( AM Sunday October 15th. Hope this newsletter reaches you on time. We have a short work month, as the first of the month fell on Sunday this month. ANNUAL CAT DERBY & OCTOBERFEST WAS WET & FUN All day Saturday the weather looked great, Then at exactly 4 PM the rain started. So the Octoberfest food portion of the evening was moved to the Pavilion. The food was excellent. The variety was terrific. There was the usual brats, kraut and strudel were supplemented by apple sausages, kraut salad, perogies, potato pancakes and other super dishes. Desserts included German chocolate cake, German Cherry Liquer cake and various brownies, cookies and cakes. Thanks for the great cooking and many thanks for the hard work of the folks who pitched in to help Betty. After the eats, a group of die-hard anglers went back to the rearing pond to fish in the rain. The Shulyer Family, The Pawelskis, Jane Hill and Fred Cowell. I and several other brave souls went along to keep folks honest. Catfish were caught. The biggest Cat (22 inches) was caught by Lukas, and his Grandfather Bill caught about a 16 inch cat. Lukas got a trophy. He said it was his third Shadow 2

Pics on next page. BEST FISHING DATES FOR OCTOBER 2017 Fall Top-water Fishing Weather On cloudy or partly cloudy days in clear-water situations, a favorite is a Zara Spook top-water offering.

3 SEPTEMBER FISH OF THE MONTH YOUNGEST ANGLER Lakes trophy. He really loves fishing and he has a good feel for fish bites. Way to go Lukas. Mark Pawelski fought the dark and shoreline with several great stabs with the net before the big one PEEK-A-BOO was landed. The 2017 Cat derby was a success, fun and a very enjoyable evening. Pics on next page. BEST FISHING DATES FOR OCTOBER 2017 Fall Top-water Fishing Weather On cloudy or partly cloudy days in clear-water situations, a favorite is a Zara Spook top-water offering. The zigzag action of this topwater plug looks like a crippled baitfish struggling on the surface, an easy meal to any bass. Windy days also generate some exciting fall top-water fishing action if you choose the right lure. When the waves are rocking and rolling, try throwing a top-water chugger to draw a bass attention to that surface commotion. Great LMBass action! Go fishing. 3

Lucas Phillips and his 24 inch Catfish, landed by himself.

Another great young angler. Keeping it in the family.

4 Lucas Phillips and his 24 inch Catfish, landed by himself. Net assistance by Mark (3 try) Pawelski. Nice work men! Lucas with his trophy. He now has three Shadow Lakes fishing trophies. Another great young angler. Keeping it in the family. Lucas Grandfather Bill Schuler with a nice 16 inch Catfish oh his wife s rod/reel as she was busy. First came the sunshine, then the rains, then the great German foods. Brats, sausages, kraut, potato perogies, kraut salad, strudel and many other special desserts. Thanks to all the great cooks! Then the rain stopped, a rainbow came out and the die-hard anglers fished the pond until 9:30 PM, 4

5 43 attendees; Club member ship is 146. September 17 th Fishing Club Minutes FISHING ROUNDTABLE: Fluctuating water temperatures may bring Crappie and walleyes into our channels. LMBass are being caught in the FV channel, up to 3 1/2 pounds. Gill and Bass schools have been seen in the trail lakes, a good sign for the future fishing on the trail.as water temps continue to drop, we may see the Trout coming out of the deeper holes to cruise the shallows. Report any Trout catches, so we can pass on the word. A 20 pound Cat was caught by Mark Pawelski after his return from a long recovery. FINANCIAL REPORT; see report on page one. DNR REPORT: Fall stocking on target for end of Oct and first week of Nov. Now reviewing our end of year funds to determine additional fish orders, based on our cash position. POAC/BOARD NEWS: October 23rd at 3 PM in the Community Center (gate 1) all resident meeting to approve 2018 budget. POAC; Nov 18 th 9 AM at Comm. Ctr. Holding a Community Blood Drive, from 10 Am to 1 PM, after the POAC meeting. Ron Midona suggested this event. OLD BUSINESS: KIDS FISHING DERBY: 32 children caught 300 fish. Betty complimented the kids on their great behavior-they were very polite. It reflects well on the parents and grandparents. Fred Cowell brought a shark poster that the kids could take their pictures in the sharks mouth. It was, however, the adults who seemed to have more fun with it. Ron Midona s picture on another page. The new events of the Family Panfish Derby and the Scavenger Hunt will be held again in Club dues paid after Labor Day will cover the balance of 2017 and all of NEW BUSINESS: The Catfish Derby & Oktoberfest was on Oct 7 th at 5 PM at the Fisherman s Village Rearing Pond. The rains did not stop the serious anglers. See an article and pictures on other pages. The 2018 stocking choices were reviewed and we asked for inputs from the members. The group felt that we should continue to stock the trail lakes and pretty much agreed to our choices. The actual orders will depend on their size and quality at our vendors. Every year Fred does checks with different vendors to see if they have any better options. Walleye, Crappie, Perch, breeder Gills, Red-ear (for Zebra Mussel issue) and Trout. Forage will again be built up as we had reduced it in Final orders will be made at year-end. We addressed a request to consider Shad as a forage choice. Ed Dwyer had researched this option and we (Fred and I) also searched on the web and focused on feedback from an actual Shad vendor. Again, the outcome was pretty much that we were not a good candidate for a Shad stocking program. We will share our inputs again at a later meeting, if folks are interested. NOVY ROAD FISH BARRIER: after several meetings with Fred and Mike Green, we decided to go with the PVC concept now used in a number of state DNRs. I asked Mike how long it would take him to finish the work on the barrier. I asked the Association for permission for Mike to use the Maintenance facility. Mike called me back later that day and said he had finished it and 5

6 dropped it off at the Maintenance shed. Wayne advised us that he had to secure an additional approval from one of the engineers that worked on the Braidwood law suit against SLKS. We are waiting for this approval and probably we have to put off this project t until The group agreed to hold a Big 50/50 raffle for 2018, to increase our stocking contribution. The raffle will begin in January and the drawing will be at the Summer all-resort Fish Fry. LILY PADS: Discussions were held on the issues around the pads. Several ways of controlling were offered including a natural combination of 1 gal of white vinegar, 2 cups of Epsom salts and 1/3 to 1/2 cup of dish washing soap. Try spraying it early in the season as the pads are just popping up. Not sure if it will stop them for the season or just for a while You can still cut off the pads to stop the growth for that year. We are watching these weeds to see if a controlled chemical test is needed. The Association will be expanding the Chemical control test to other dead end channels. A Memorial for Marie Green is being planned using an anonymous $700 donation for that purpose. Plans Have been submitted to the Association. We are waiting for comments. Raffle held and meeting adjourned, many folks stayed, talked and had coffee and treats. Planning our 2018 Club calendar: (dates will be firmed at our Nov Thank You Brunch mtg.) CATCHING BIG WALLEYE FROM SHORE Pursuing trophy shore walleyes presents a unique set of challenges and rewards. On the one hand, you can t get to most of the fishable water available to boat anglers, but you can access areas where fishing from a boat is difficult or impossible. Fishing these less accessible locations can pay huge dividends for shore anglers. Finding shore access for giant walleyes is less difficult than you d expect. In Shadow Lakes there are several locations where certain tactics work best, based on the season and activity level of fish. We have several deep holes and sandbars that are near shore and accessible in the evenings. In the cooler water Walleyes may feed throughout the day, but become much more active and feed up, around and after dusk. Key areas for us are deep holes; one is accessible from the Handicapped pier.straight out about feet...use a slip bobber (lighted bobber after dark). A nice size Walleye minnow, keep a fresh one on the line. That hole can also be reached from the shoreline from the Pavilion to just short of the point with the rocks. Off-shore about 40 feet. There are other foot holes around the Northern Lakes with shore access, One is behind the Community Center. Another is off the point in TMV (area currently under construction) With several sandbars that have some limited shoreline access. The beach area sandy area is a walleye hot spot in the evening. Remember: no fishing from the bridges. Use the point on the far side of the beach. Pursuing trophy shore walleyes presents a unique set of challenges and rewards. On the one hand, you can t get to most of the fishable water available to boat anglers, but you can access areas where fishing from a boat is difficult or impossible. Fishing these less accessible locations can pay huge dividends for shore anglers. We have numerous foot holes but many have no access except by boat. The club and Office have depth maps for sale to focus on these deep spots. The walleyes will leave the holes 6

7 TIPS & TIDBITS The fall foliage will be peaking in the last weeks of Oct and early Nov. Hoe-in-thewall and our Conservation trail bring these great colors right to our doors. The Beavers are feeding up for the winter.ask us, in our area, we lost 2 willows and a new Maple tree. Hungry little buggers and no one saw them. Water temps are changing, check your channels every few days for visiting Crappie and after dark Walleye and Cats, also some hungry LMBass. Check every day. Lilly pads offer cover to many species: LMBass, Gills and Red-ear, who spawn under the pads. Fish the edges of the pads and holes in the middle. There are 40 species of Lilly Pads, with many more hybrid varieties. Get your Trout gear out, stocking set for last week of Oct & first week of Nov, also it cooling. Your vil/lot numbers should be visible on the Lakeside for water emergencies, the recent situation with a possible missing lady, brought out issues for the dive & rescue teams. Winterize your boat, check prop for fishing line and lube, put a full charge on the batteries. TASTE OF SHADOW LAKES ladies cook books for sale for $ Sign up for a book at the Office. One of the ladies will deliver your book to you and collect at that time. All profits will be used for making improvements at Shadow Lakes. Another reminder; no fishing off any bridge for boater safety. The Conservation Trail has been trimmed back lately and several trails were widened, it is a big improvement. More access to fishing spots. Walleyes biting late at night, be sure to have lights on your boat turned on after dusk, when you are out on the water. Fall bird migrations will begin in the coming weeks. Poison Ivy is lurking everywhere; leaves of three, leave them be. They are starting to turn red. Pretty, but painful. FOR SALE: Call Dan at SLKS (708) following items: Eight New Plano 3750 tackle storage boxes: $55.00 Plano 7771 Tackle box Reg $ 79.99, $45,00 Advanced Angler Soft side large tackle bag, Reg $39.00 for $ HELP KEEP OUR PROPERTY NEAT, PLEASE DON T LITTER AND PICK UP AFTER YOU, ESPECIALLY ON OUR WATERWAYS! 2018 DAILY FISH SIZE AND LIMITS LARGEMOUTH BASS DAILY KEEP 6 FISH 12 inches & UNDER SMALLMOUTH BASS ARE CATCH & RELEASE ONLY BLUEGILL NO SIZE/ NO LIMITS CATFISH NO SIZE, DAILY LIMIT 2 FISH CRAPPIE/REDEAR NO SIZE, DAILY LIMIT 10 FISH MUSKIE, DAILY LIMIT 1 FISH, MINIMUM KEEP 52 & OVER TROUT, NO SIZE LIMITS, DAILY 2 FISH WALLEYE, SLOT SIZE 15 TO 18 INCHES, 7 DAILY LIMIT 1 FISH Please adhere to our limits to help keep our fishery strong. Thank you!

8 The Sportsman Fishing Club W. Amenity Center Drive Wilmington IL Sportsman Fishing Club Membership Application for 2018 $35.00 for Individual or Family Household RENEWALS: Just list names, village/lot and check renewal if no changes. Please provide the following information for Club records and newsletter mailing purposes: Date: Renewal: New Members: Name (s): Lot #: Home Address: City: State: Zip: Home Phone: Shadow Lakes Phone: Mail address (only needed if you wish to receive the Club Newsletter by I will view Newsletter on Web Site Please mail newsletter Membership dues cover the calendar year 2018 Bring this form to the next meeting and make check payable to: The Sportsman Fishing Club Mail to: Sportsman Fishing Club, W Amenity Center Drive, Wilmington IL

Sportsman Fishing Club

Sportsman Fishing Club Enhancing the Environment and Fishing Experience at Shadow Lakes 1994 NOV 2017 23 Years Officers President - Tom Lydon Cell (630) 776-1625 tlydon44@gmail.com Vice President and DNR