REGION II
Fox Chain-O-Lakes
DNR fisheries biologist Frank Jakubicek said catfish need a large system to achieve the best results when it comes to reproduction. Well, the Fox Chain-O-Lakes in northeastern Illinois is definitely a big system, and the channel catfishery is booming.

The Fox Chain is a series of lakes formed by the McHenry Dam on the Fox River. There are nine major lakes in the system ranging in size from 86 acres to 1,700 acres. Coupled with some smaller waters, the chain amounts to about 7,000 acres and 488 miles of shoreline.

One of the best channel catfishing waters in Illinois is Clinton Lake in De Witt County. This 5,000-acre lake offers tremendous catfishing with very good size distribution. Large channel cats up to 16 pounds are caught with regularity.

Even though the Fox Chain has a tremendous channel catfishery, it is underutilized by anglers. Most people come to this chain for northern pike, muskies, bass, crappies and walleyes. This leaves a virtually untapped catfishery. The anglers who do target whiskerfish regularly catch channel cats in the 5-pound range.

The best lakes on the chain for channel cats are Grass at 1,360 acres, Fox at 1,700 acres and Pistakee at 1,700 acres. All three lakes have numerous boat ramps and bank access. Chain-O-Lakes State Park borders all three lakes, and has 2,450 acres for recreational use.

For more information, call Chain-O-Lakes State Park at (847) 587-5512, or go to dnr.state.il.us/Lands/Landmgt/parks/r2/chino. Anglers should also contact the Fox Waterway Agency at (847) 587-8540 to learn more about the lake and user fees. The Web site for the agency is FoxyWaterway.state.il.us. The Lake County Chamber of Commerce can be reached at (847) 249-3800, or LakeCounty-IL.org.

Heidecke Lake
Heidecke Lake in Grundy County is a 1,955-acre cooling lake, and like La Salle Lake, it is a tremendous place to catch channel catfish. However, unlike many of the cooling lakes, it doesn't just produce huge numbers of good catfish -- it produces good numbers of huge catfish.

Most all channel cats caught at Heidecke will average at least 1 pound. Data compiled of channel catfish caught during sampling surveys resulted in an average length of nearly 20 inches. Channel cats can reach decent size at Heidecke, and fish weighing over 10 pounds aren't uncommon.

Heidecke Lake has a two-pole restriction, and anglers can only keep six catfish per day. Bank-fishing is allowed from 6:30 a.m. to sunset, and fishing from boats is permitted from 6 p.m. to sunset. All boats must have gasoline motors for safety reasons.

Heidecke Lake is just east of La Salle Lake. To reach Heidecke from the other direction, take exit 240 off I-55 and travel west approximately 7.5 miles to Jugtown Road. Turn north onto Jugtown Road and go one mile to the stop sign. Go straight and enter the Heidecke Lake State FWA.

For area lodging information, call the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce at (815) 942-0113. The FWA can be reached at (815) 942-6352, or go to dnr.state.il.us/Lands/ Landmgt/parks/r2/heidecke .