Saugeyes are a hybrid cross between a walleye and a sauger. They'll readily take a minnow under the ice and lie low to the bottom like walleyes. These fish are a fish-stocking success story with good survival rates and growth. A 12- to 16-inch fish is just 3 or 4 years old.

Identifying a saugeye from a walleye or a sauger is no easy task. Saugeyes have markings on their sides that resemble saddles, similar to the sauger, but may have some white pigment on the lower part of their tails in combination with dark bars on the dorsal fin membranes. Walleyes have white pigment on their tails, solid shading on the dorsal fin membranes and won't have the saddle markings.

According to Mike Steffa, the McLean County Department of Parks and Recreation acting director, the best bets to tangle with saugeyes are the Big Flats, the Hump, near the swimming beach, the pump house and the boat rental areas.

Crappies are another mainstay here.

Channel cats generally average around the 4-pound mark, but this is a catfish lake second to none in the area. Fish up to 16 pounds can be taken.

The ice-fishing is always at the angler's own risk, Steffa said. The lake has a destratification pump that keeps part of the lake open year 'round.

Evergreen covers 886 acres and is 10 miles north of Bloomington in McLean County.

For more information, contact the IDNR at (217) 784-4730 or the McLean County Department of Parks and Recreation at (309) 726-2022.

LAKE LE-AQUA-NA
It's the northern pike that raise eyebrows on this small but powerful pike fishery. Lake Le-Aqua-Na only covers 43 acres, but there's an estimated five pike per acre. Considering what willing biters these toothy predators can be during the cold weather, the fishing here is looking good.

Most of the pike aren't massive. The majority weighs in around 3 pounds, but there are fish taken reaching 38 inches and tipping the scales at 12 or 13 pounds. At least one fish hit the 42-inch mark, according to park superintendent Tom Jackson. A photo of the monster is hanging in the park store.

Drop a chub or a sucker up to 6 inches long through the hole and allow it to swim freely under a float. Jigging spoons and vibrating baits work well when the northerns are hitting, but you'll need to tie on a metal leader or risk losing your fish and your bait.

Northern pike are considered cool-water fish that remain active throughout winter when other fish slow down. Pike roam freely under the ice, often only inches deep as they take advantage of the well-oxygenated water right under the surface and the overhead cover.

Drill a hole over the submerged vegetation surrounding the lake's perimeter. Panfish and pike alike will be in the remaining green weeds.

Lake Le-Aqua-Na is 20 feet deep in the southeastern end and gets steadily shallower as you move northwest. The far north end is too shallow to bother with.

The lake is three miles north of Lena in Stephenson County.