Great fishing right now.

[CarpPoop]

We are probably in the best 4-5 week window of the year for shear numbers almost anywhere you go in southern illinois....so get out there and enjoy it everyone! I know I have as much as I can. All of our lakes in the south seem to be on. I had 65 that i kept on Sunday by myself and threw back about 40 more. They are in the bushes at Rend, and on the bank weed lines at Egypt and Crab Orchard. This is definetly a great period of time to go fishin.

[Illinoisgiller]

I was down there in the Crab Orchard area a few weeks ago with my grandson on his spring break. We didn't catch many fish due to poor conditions, but just plain had a ball.
Perhaps it is nearing get even time with the crappie. lol I'l call my son and see if I can borrow his 11 yr. old son for a bit.
Can't say enough how much your posts are appreciated up here in the Quad City area. Informational and factual, what more could we ask for. :D :D :D
Mike

[Kenny]

I was down there in the Crab Orchard area a few weeks ago with my grandson on his spring break. We didn't catch many fish due to poor conditions, but just plain had a ball.
Perhaps it is nearing get even time with the crappie. lol I'l call my son and see if I can borrow his 11 yr. old son for a bit.
Can't say enough how much your posts are appreciated up here in the Quad City area. Informational and factual, what more could we ask for. :D :D :D
Mike

Illinoisgiller, since you are from the quad city area you seem to be the right person to ask. Have you ever fished Lake George at Loud Thunder? My wife and I camped and were going to fish there last fall. We planned to fish the lake which is an electric only lake. While I was getting the boat ready at the campsite a county sheriff drove by and since it is a county lake and they do the enforcement (at least I was told that) I stopped him and asked him if I could legally use my 90hp motor to unload and load my boat..turning it off as soon as each operation was completed. He told me no...only electric for everything. Well, since I wasn't in the mood to walk into the lake to hook up my winch and pull it onto the trailor we went on the river instead and catfished. Then a friend at work told me he fished a bass tourney there last spring and they all used their gas motors to load and unload. Do you know the "official" rules on this? Do you know if anyone has ever gotten a ticket for using a gas motor to load or unload? I fish Argyle lake near Macomb a lot and it is a 10hp limit so I use my 10hp kicker to run the lake but the warden lets me use my 90hp to load and unload. Illinois has more rules and regulations than I can ever keep up with. When I go to Missouri all the lakes I have been on don't restrict motor size, just speed...there may be some I don't know of with hp restrictions but I haven't found them in Mo. yet. Wish Illinois would get it's act together in this respect.

[CarpPoop]

Thank you giller....ill be going tommorrow and let you know how i did. I dont know where im going. There are too many choices but ill go somewhere.

[Illinoisgiller]

Kenny, I don't fish that lake, although I have heard good reports about the crappie fishing there.
In an attempt to keep a civil tongue here, I won't comment on my opinion of the local Mafia, Whoops, I ment to say local Il. State and county operated lakes. I can't believe they haven't put a 10 bluegill and 5 crappie limit as they have done on other area lakes.
If they said that you can't load w/ moter, I sure wouldn't try it. As for Bass Tourny, I would imagine that if they allowed it then, the county bosses must fish for bass.
Sure wish I could give a more cheery report .but tell it like it is. Mike

[Kenny]

Kenny, I don't fish that lake, although I have heard good reports about the crappie fishing there.
In an attempt to keep a civil tongue here, I won't comment on my opinion of the local Mafia, Whoops, I ment to say local Il. State and county operated lakes. I can't believe they haven't put a 10 bluegill and 5 crappie limit as they have done on other area lakes.
If they said that you can't load w/ moter, I sure wouldn't try it. As for Bass Tourny, I would imagine that if they allowed it then, the county bosses must fish for bass.
Sure wish I could give a more cheery report .but tell it like it is. Mike

Mike..thanks for the honest feedback..Kenny