Photo by Tom Evans

The Creator blessed Illinois with precious few natural walleye lakes besides the Fox Chain-O-Lakes. But a need for reservoirs, cooling lakes and recreational complex centerpieces built over the past 30 years and a hatchery system second to none has evolved into some wonderful waters for walleye chasers in the Land of Lincoln.

Walleyes in lakes are usually easier to pattern than their riverine brethren, but walleyes can behave like walleyes no matter where they swim. Riprap along the shoreline in a manmade impoundment may not hold the pristine beauty of a natural Canadian Shield lake, but you can bet the recycled pavement that lines some Illinois waters will hold baitfish at certain times -- and the walleye version of a road trip is always a possibility.

Prevalent weed growth in lakes also varies a great deal from the cool blue north to northern Illinois, with significant changes in foliage from northern Illinois to southern Illinois. Baitfish seek refuge in weeds all over the map. Walleyes are seldom far away.

With the exception of some impoundments designed as adjuncts for power plants, walleye lakes have transition zones found in bottom composition, changes in weed type and similar parameters. Often these transitions are found near old feeder streams or original structure left in place as the lake began to fill. In many instances, man has enhanced the structure situation by placing cribs, lunker structures and creating artificial reefs. Walleyes find these places, too, because the baitfish are there.

If you're fishing a cooling lake with an essentially faceless bottom, the key to success often lies in finding the baitfish. If the power plant is in operation, baitfish location is driven by water temperature. Understanding the predator-prey relationship is the single most important factor in becoming a consistently successful walleye angler. The walleye's prey preferences change throughout the year, but one theme remains consistent: they will concentrate on the food that is the most readily available with the least amount of effort.

Here's a look at some of the hottest walleye lakes in Illinois where you can exploit the myopic manitou's fishy frailty in the months ahead.

FOX CHAIN-O-LAKES
Walleyes have been swimming in the Fox Chain since Chicago was called Fort Dearborn. But the walleye population is in much better shape than those days of antiquity, with reason to believe this positive trend will continue.

Back before the Jake Wolf Hatchery came online, the Fox Chain was the major source for stocking walleyes in other state waters. Natural production here has always ranged somewhere between good and phenomenal, with the slot limit that's been in place here for 10 years now ensuring this trend will continue with geometric progression -- in spite of mind-boggling fishing pressure.

Walleyes swim in all 15 lakes in the Fox Chain. Of course, some lakes offer more consistent fishing success than others. Habitat parameters in individual lakes are a major reason for differences in productivity, but walleye behavior is easier to interpret in some Fox Chain lakes than others.

With walleyes now post-spawn and moving into feeding mode, the predator-prey relationship is the most important factor. Walleye activity can be driven by time of day. If it's easiest for walleyes to eat at night, then night is the best time to go fishin'.

Water temperature is also a key to fish location and activity. Right after ice-out, lakes at the southern end of The Chain -- Nippersink, Pistakee and Fox -- tend to be the most productive. These are also the best places to target just before freeze-up next December.