For more information about the park, call (217) 452-7741. For area travel and lodging information, call the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce at (217) 632-7363, or visit PetersburgIl.com. The Springfield Chamber of Commerce can be reached at (217) 525-1173.

BEAVER DAM STATE PARK
Nestled within the wooded splendor of Macoupin County, Beaver Dam State Park is one small gem families won't want to miss.

"Beaver Dam Lake, at 57 acres, has a good largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish population," said DNR biologist Jeffery Pontnack. "There are a lot of small- to medium-sized bass, with a few pushing 5 pounds. Bluegills run up to 9 inches and there are tons of 1- to 3-pound catfish."

If bass trip your trigger, Dean Thompson of Bluff City Tackle in Alton suggested targeting woody shoreline cover.

"We've caught some really nice bass from Beaver Dam," Thompson said. "Before the weeds grow, we do well with suspending minnow baits. After the weeds grow, switch to plastic worms or topwaters."

Crickets and red worms will catch lunker bluegills. And if it's catfish you fancy, night crawlers or chicken livers produce well anywhere on the lake.

Boat rentals, good shoreline access and camping are on site. Nearby in the town of Shipman is the Southwest Farm & Home Museum, which showcases artifacts and memorabilia of the farmers of the southwest portion of Illinois. Not far away is the town of Carlinville, which has restaurants, shops and other amenities for traveling families.

For more fishing information, call (217) 854-8020. For travel and lodging info, call the Carlinville Chamber of Commerce at (217) 854-2141.

WALNUT POINT STATE PARK
As far as opportunity is concerned, it's tough to find a more accommodating place than Walnut Point State Park in southeastern Douglas County.

"Walnut Point has good bank-fishing access, fishing piers and excellent populations of bluegills, redear sunfish, crappies and catfish," said DNR biologist Mike Hooe. "Additionally, there's a superb population of largemouths up to 20 inches."

Crawler pieces fished on any bank will catch enough bluegills and redears to keep a youngster busy, while minnows do nicely for the crappies. In the evening, try soaking livers or crawler blobs for big channel catfish, and locals swear by a black or green jig-and-pig for largemouth bass. Boat launching is available but restricted to electric motors.

Supplementary to fishing, there are plenty of trails, plus camping, picnicking and playground areas. Not far away is the Charleston/Mattoon area with hotels, restaurants and shopping.

For more fishing information, call (217) 346-3336. For travel and lodging info, call the Charleston Chamber of Commerce at (217) 345-7041, or the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce at (217) 235-5661.

RED HILLS STATE PARK
Another small gem is Red Hills State Park between Olney and Lawrenceville, and according to the DNR's Mike Hooe, there is something for everyone here.

"Red Hills has good populations of bluegills, redears and channel catfish," he said. "There are some pretty nice bass, too."