Photo by Ron Sinfelt

Now that the kids are out of school, it's the perfect time to take the family fishing.

In Illinois we have Free Fishing Days at various locations around our state in June, state parks where you can get a little closer to nature and a bunch of other places where you can escape for a week.

Let's start with Free Fishing Days on June 10-13 this year. You'll find both organized events and extended-stay recreation. With a little research, you should be able to find not only a great fishing spot but also options such as hiking, boating, canoeing, picnicking, camping and other outdoors activities.

"You can go to any part of the state and find kid-friendly areas," said Jim Mick, Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Rivers and Streams Program manager. He suggests parents look for places that offer bank-accessible fishing and great yields of smaller panfish.

"There are a lot of places you don't hear about that have a lot of smaller fish, such as sunfish, bluegills, redear sunfish, green sunfish, small bass, small crappies, bullheads and sometimes channel catfish -- just lots of smaller panfish," Mick said.

As part of Free Fishing Days, many outdoor groups and social organizations host special family-friendly events that coincide with the second weekend in June. Many of the events are held at recently stocked ponds that provide good action for young anglers and families interested in trying fishing out for the first time. Go to the DNR's Web site at www.dnr.state.il.us for events. For more information on Free Fishing Days events in Illinois, contact DNR Public Events and Promotions at (217) 785-8955 or by e-mail at events@dnrmail.state.il.us.

More fishing action can be found at the Wal-Mart fishing derbies. Wal-Mart sponsors fishing derbies throughout the summer, many of them with June dates. To locate Wal-Mart fishing derbies in your specific ZIP code, log on to www.fishingworld.com/Family/.

Civic organizations, scout troops, community groups and recreation agencies all sponsor fun family events in conjunction with the annual Illinois Free Fishing Days celebration June 10-13 when anglers can fish without purchasing an annual fishing license, inland trout stamp or salmon stamp.

If you're looking for a little more laid-back, less-structured weekend, the experts recommend taking the whole family to one of the public sites in the Illinois State Park system. They offer amenities such as camping, swimming, biking, hiking, birdwatching, canoeing and more.

Joe Ferencak, Impoundment Program manager of the Division of Fisheries, oversees the management of all the state lakes. His biologists use the information from the statewide Creel Program at the Illinois Natural History Survey to help improve the fish population for anglers. With this information, he can also gauge the quality of fishing. Here are some family-friendly locations that Farencak recommends. Bluegill fishing is ideal for families with children, so the following lakes are excellent sites.

DNR-RECOMMENDED SITES
Northwestern Illinois
Lake Carlton in Whiteside County is a great place to take the family fishing. It has ample shoreline access, boat rental, bait, food concessions and camping. June is an exceptional fishing month, especially if you concentrate on small inlets with timber and weeds. You can expect fish averaging 1/3-pound. If you do take a boat, keep in mind the 10-horsepower limit on outboards. For more information, call (815) 772-4708.