By Ted Peck

With just a handful of public waters open to ice-anglers in Illinois, a serious bucketsitter can experience virtually every winter fishery in our state between now and ice-out sometime in March.

The Prairie State is on the cusp of hardwater angling, with only the top couple tiers of counties assured the opportunity to walk on water in its frozen state each winter - at least for an extended period of time.

With most of Illinois' population also centered in the northern tiers of counties, real estate is at a premium, thus stifling public access to fishing even more. Over the past 30 years, suburban sprawl and greater disposable income have led to countless housing developments surrounded by small private lakes, and probably a dozen private lake developments in Illinois' traditional ice-fishing zone that attract great numbers of serious anglers each winter.

From Rockford to both the Wisconsin and Indiana borders are a number of properties that are reclaimed quarries and similar waterbodies that have been purchased and maintained by fishing clubs that can offer exceptional winter angling - for a price. Because of the nature of these properties, trout are often part of the finned biomass. Because trout have an affinity for colder water temperatures, winter offers a great time to fish for salmonids, with more traditional Illinois species like bluegills, crappies, bass and walleyes part of the mix.

Last winter I had a chance to fish several of these fishing club waters near Aurora, Plano and Belvidere with almost too much success. Fifteen years ago I also bit the bullet and purchased property on one of those private recreational lake developments, where winter fishing is also often too easy, and open-water fishing is beyond belief.

Those living and fishing in northern Illinois have come to realize that hooking up on the hardwater here is going cost you - either by purchasing private fishing rights or investing in today's ice-fishing technology, including electronics, power drills and portable shanties.

An ice-fishing tournament called the Trap Attack that has visited the Fox Chain-O-Lakes the past couple of winters has proven Illinois anglers can hold their own with winter sticks from all over the cool, blue north - provided they have the gear, of course. For about $1,000 you can have all the trappings of an ice-fishing professional, including a Fish Trap portable shanty. Or you can spend essentially the same money and fill a bucket on private waters with little more than a drill and a jigging stick.

Those who have ice-fishing fever real bad have both the gear and membership that provides access to private waters. If forced to make the choice, go for the gear. Illinois has one of the most advanced hatchery systems in the U.S., dumping tons of fish into public waters each year.

Here's a look at where you can score consistently this winter on a hard and level playing field.

Photo by Ron Sinfelt

This is one place where you can find consistent success with minimum investment. Since the lion's share of hardwater angling opportunities on Mississippi River backwaters is over water less than 10 feet deep, sophisticated electronics aren't necessarily part of a successful day on the ice. You won't need a shanty, either, since most backwaters are surrounded and sheltered by trees to break the wind.

Galena is the epicenter of winter fishing activity on Pool 12. Head due west of town several miles on West Street and you'll get to the river. Sunfish Lake is to your left, Fish Trap Lake is straight ahead and Kehough Slough - also known as The Springs - is a hike up the railroad tracks to the north. All are outstanding when river levels are stable or on a slight rise.

Downstream a few miles is the popular Chestnut Mountain ski resort. Water from the resort's snowmaking machine is hyper-aerated here, attracting fish all winter long. This spot and Spring Lake on Pool 13 to the south are two places where a small spinning reel taped to the rod is better than a jigging stick because the water is just a little deeper. A No. 3 Jigging Rapala in orange/gold is a good choice when fishing both of these areas.

Elsewhere on the river, $10 worth of tackle in the form of a couple of Moon Glows, Rat Finkees, Marmooska Jigs, No. 2 Rembrandt Willow Spoons and maybe a L'il Mick is all you need to catch fish all winter long.

Between Spring Lake and Chestnut Mountain are backwater angling opportunities out from Blanding's Landing west of Hanover on Pool 12 and out from Palisades State Park on Pool 13 at Miller's and Hickory lakes and several other backwaters.

South of Spring Lake, crappies are a major draw at Mickelson's Landing south of Thompson. The perch hole is a little farther down Route 84 just below the dam at Fulton that separates Pool 13 from Pool 14.

Timing is everything when fishing the Mississippi. Call ahead to the contacts listed below, or log on to www.in-depthangling.com for a comprehensive, real-time report on fishing action on the Mississippi.

Contacts: Tri-Lakes Sporting Goods, (815) 369-5520; Big River Bait and Taxidermy, (815) 244-3155.

Almost all of the fish swimming in Shabbona relate to these structural features all winter long. Outstanding topographic maps are available at several locations. Combine the maps with a portable GPS, an underwater camera and a Vexilar FL-18 flasher unit and you're miles ahead of finding places like the rockpile 131 paces out from the flag pole.

Panfish are the major winter draw here, according to the Department of Natural Resources, with a year-class of giant bluegills the main feature this winter. Shabbona also contains good populations of crappies, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleyes in excess of our state record and catfish that cruise the middepths around the old farm buildings. The catfish love redworms. The underwater camera has provided a real epiphany regarding catfish behavior under the ice. Forget about that "bottom feeder" stuff. Catfish, at least in Shabbona, spend a great deal of time suspended at middepths.

On an acre-per-acre basis, Shabbona Lake is by far the best public fishery in northern Illinois, and one of the best in the state. Success means using light line, a subtle presentation and holes augered at precisely the exact spot to place your offering in the midst of the structural jungle beneath the ice.

Contacts: Big Jim's Bait Shop (815) 824-2415; www.shabbonalake.com.

The Fox Chain is another place where your chances are good for icing a catfish or two, especially on Bluff and Pistakee lakes at the lower end of this diverse fishery.

Anglers flock to weedy, shallow bays looking for panfish all winter long. The big draw is bluegills, simply because there are so many of them. But with a little frogging around, you can often find respectable crappies and the occasional perch cruising in the same weedbed.

A child's toy rake with a span less than the width of your ice hole can be a handy tool for hooking up here. Poke your holes and then use the rake to clear vegetation away from directly under the hole. It will take a few minutes for the water to clear, but the commotion invariably draws fish.

Once you get down to fishing, stealth is a major consideration. Savvy anglers try to avoid using a portable shanty unless there is good snowcover on the ice. With limited snow conditions and catching fish over shallow, clear water, catching larger panfish usually means standing back away from the hole with a longer jigging stick. HT Enterprises makes a super four-foot panfish pole with a built-in reel and ultra-sensitive coiled spring bobber built in. Adding a two-foot leader of not more than 1-pound-test line - and frequently checking the knot to ensure a natural horizontal presentation of the lure and employing some of the new soft plastic tails instead of traditional wax worms or spikes - will enhance your chances for icing a mess of fish.

If I could choose just one lure for panfishing on the Fox Chain it would be the smallest Genz Fat Boy available in blue/glow colors tipped with one of those new bloodworm-colored Lindy Techni-Glo Tails. With this bait and the rod described above you might as well just get out the Fry Daddy and cornmeal before even heading to the lake.

Marie, Channel and Catherine lakes at the upper end of the Fox Chain offer the most consistent winter fishing, with Petite Lake the biggest sleeper of the whole shebang. These four lakes provide the most consistent walleye fishing opportunities of any hardwater in our state. Connecting channels, neck-down points and bridges are walleye magnets. But be careful because current areas found near these funnels can also mean hazardous ice.

Your best bet for walleyes is targeting the cut between Channel and Catherine lakes using tip-ups baited with fatheads or rosy reds. Another good spot is along the distinct weed edge of Marie along the southeast shoreline and the weedflat out on Petite. This weedflat has a distinct point on the main-lake side. You may see an old green Fish Trap tent there and hear laughter. Maybe a yellow Lab barking. Just stay away. The guy in the tent is nuts, especially from dusk until about 9 p.m.

Contacts: Chain O Lakes State Park office, (815) 675-2385; Triangle Bait Shop, (847) 395-0813.