Southern Illinois Fishing Holes for the Novice | SI Sports Connection

By Don Gasaway

Time was, anglers learned to fish from a parent who in turn had learned it from their parent.? Today, over 50 percent of children come from single parent homes and many of them do not have a fishing parent.? Additionally, many ?baby boomers? were too busy with career challenges to polish their skills in the sport.

One of the most important aspects of teaching a novice to fish is success.? If he or she is unable to catch a fish, interest in the sport gets lost.? Nothing succeeds like success.

Those trying to help someone to learn fishing need to locate a good place to start the new angler.? The following fishing holes are available to new anglers in southern Illinois.? Information on additional fishing areas is available from local parks and recreation departments as well as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.? A toll free fishing information line is also available at 1?800?ASK?FISH.

With free fishing days coming up in June, this is a good time to expose kids to fishing.

?

In southern Illinois, the following four areas are good locations to get a kid started.? The opportunities to be successful are good.

In Williamson County, the ponds of Crab Orchard Fish and Wildlife Refuge are available.? The ponds are throughout the refuge area.? One can fish uncrowded areas with ease.? The ponds are all walk?in areas with parking a short distance away.

One of the most popular is the pond behind the Visitor Center on Route 148 about two miles south of the airport.? It contains a good population of bass and panfish.? No boats of any kind are allowed.? This area is just re-opening to fishing following a several year closure for repairs to the dam and re-stocking.

Another pond of interest is Pond A?41.? It is located just north of Grassy Road and west of Wolf Creek Road.? A fat garden worm on a free line will result in some nice bluegill action.

?

Just to the east of A?41, is another nice, though smaller, pond, Blue Gill Pond.

On the far southeastern portion of the refuge off Ogden Road and near the I?57 Interstate is the Blue Heron Pond.? This horseshoe?shaped pond contains bass and bluegill.? Ogden Road is accessible from Route 148.? It is about half way between the observation tower and Grassy Road.

On the north end of the refuge is Honker?s Corner.? Honker?s Corner is just off Old Route 13 west of Route 148.? It contains a good blue gill population.

Elsewhere in the refuge on Crab Orchard Lake is the Wolf Creek causeway.? The causeway is a 1/3 mile long gravel road that crosses the east end of the lake.? There are parking areas at both ends of the causeway but parking on the causeway is limited only to the handicapped.

To the south is the roadway along the causeway with paths down to the water for shore fishing.? To the west is a floating dock and handicapped access fishing pier.

The key to finding fish along both shorelines is finding the submerged brush.? Some places it is near shore and in others, it can be as much as twenty feet out.? The best fishing is tight to the brush.? It will cost tackle, but does produce fish.

About half way across the causeway is a bridge to allow boat traffic to pass.? There are wooden stairs on both sides of the water on the west side of the roadway.? One can fan cast the entire area.

?

As with all areas of the refuge, a use permit is required.? It can be a day, week or yearly permit.? For information, contact the Visitor Center, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 8588 Route 148, Marion, IL 62959.? The phone number is 618?997?3344.? Additional information about accommodations, fishing, and a four-color fishing guide brochure, is available from Williamson County Tourism Bureau at 1?800?GEESE?99.

Another Williamson County area is the Devil?s Kitchen Lake.? Devil?s Kitchen Lake is about twelve miles southwest of Marion in the refuge.? It has bass, crappie, trout, bluegill, and redear sunfish.? .

To the north is Rend Lake, a large lake owned by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.? The various campgrounds around the lake and the area at the Rend Lake Resort have excellent shore fishing opportunities.? The campgrounds belong to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park (618?629?2320) and by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (618?439? 7430) elsewhere on the lake.? Resort accommodations are available at Rend Lake Resort, (800?633?3341).

These are but four fishing areas that promise fishing fun for the youngster.? However, they are a place to begin.? Take someone fishing today.

?

?

ncaa bracket predictions jeff foxworthy the bachelor finale march madness bracket south by southwest i want to know what love is courtney