"Inside Illinois Beach, Sand Pond has a great population of nice bluegills to keep the kids busy," said Department of Natural Resources biologist Frank Jakubecik. "There are also catfish and largemouth bass."

There are also a number of smaller ponds for the kids. The Lake Michigan shoreline and the Com Ed fishing pier offer access to salmon, trout and perch. North Point Marina just north of the park is a hotspot for anglers preferring largemouth or smallmouth bass, or you can take a charter for salmon and trout. You can also launch your own boat at North Point Marina.

Superb camping, picnicking, bicycling, hiking and perhaps the best beach in all of the Prairie State await you in this 4,160-acre park. If your camping days are over, Illinois Beach Resort & Conference Center has a hotel, large indoor pool, game room and lounge.

For more information, call (847) 662-4811, or go online to LakeCounty.org. For other travel and lodging information, call the Zion Chamber of Commerce at (847) 872-5405.

LAKE LE-AQUA-NA
DNR biologist Ken Clodfelter said if you like to catch a lot of bass, then you have to visit little 42-acre Le-Aqua-Na in Stephenson County.

"In our last sample, the bass population in Le-Aqua-Na was very encouraging," Clodfelter said. "We sampled nearly 100 fish per hour. We sampled a lot of bluegills, a fair number of crappies, plenty of catfish, walleyes and a few northern pike."

The west end of the lake seems to be the best area for largemouths, which are taken on everything from night crawlers to buzzbaits. Bluegills infest the shorelines. A wax worm on an ice-fishing jig will keep your little ones occupied with fish. Crappies and walleyes are caught on minnows around brushpiles. Catfish like any live or dead bait in the southeast corner. If you want a Kodak moment, set your child up with a roach minnow under a bobber and see if old Mr. Gator comes prowling.

Set within the rugged beauty of northwestern Illinois, there's camping, boat rental, picnic facilities and a nice fishing pier on site. Nearby is historic Freeport and Apple River Canyon with its awesome hiking trails through scenic bluff and ravine country. Galena, with numerous flights of fancy, is 30 miles to the west. And Scales Mound, the highest elevation in Illinois, is nearby.