Shadow Lakes Sportsman Fishing Club

Enhancing the Environment and Fishing Experience at Shadow Lakes

OfficersPresident - Tom Lydon

Cell (630) 776-1625 tlydon44@gmail.com

Vice President- Fred Cowell Treasurer - Jane Hill

Secretary - Lynn Schuler IDNR - Fred Cowell

Fund Raising - Betty Lydon

The next meeting is

OCTOBER 21st Club meetings, of about one hour, are held the third Sunday of each

month at the

Shadow Lakes Amenity Center.

Meetings begin at 9 AM Free coffee &

donuts provided.

Newsletter Peg McQuarters

Tom Lydon Website/Sue Kielnik

Visit Us On The Web At: www.sportsmanfishingclub.com

Club Mailing Address: Sportsman Fishing Club

Shadow Lakes II 24727 W. Amenity

Center Drive Wilmington, IL 60481

SEPTEMBER 2018 Treasurer Report:

Starting balance $ 2,808.30

Expenses $ 279.62

Income $ 410.00

Ending balance $ 2,938.68

Association balance $ 8,409.12

Total funds $ 11,347.80

Club applications are available in the SLKS

Association Office. PASS ON THIS

NEWSLETTER TO A NEW NEIGHBOR

AFTER YOU READ IT, THANK YOU!

NEXT MEETING: OCTOBER 21st

UPCOMING EVENTS TO END 2018

ANNUAL “THANK YOU BRUNCH” NOV 16TH AT 9AM AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER

GREAT FOOD, SUPER RAFFLE & LOTS OF FUN

CLUB’S UPCOMING 25TH ANNIVERSARY

25th YEAR CELEBRATION IN JUNE 2019

1994-2018 OCT 2018 24 Yrs

2

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER FISHING ROUNDTABLE

As we go to print, it appears that the water temps are dropping fast, which will further turn on fish-

ing. Many Crappie being caught in 10-20 feet of water in the early morning or late evening. Most on

live minnows or GULP ALIVE 1 to 2 inch EMERALD SHINER. This matches one of our primary

forage fish. Mid-size LMBass being caught on rubber baits, Wacky Worms, Carolina Rigs and just

plain rubber worms on hooks. Some very nice Gills being reported. Walleyes should be turning on

with over-cast days. 6 to 10 W-eyes reported with several over the “slot” size, 19 inches plus. Perch,

still being reported on the trail. Some concerns were expressed over Hawk Lake Bass status. The

Club agreed to review our forage stocking formulae and try to adjust it accordingly. We may also

boost the “Breeder Gills” added to Hawk. Most Bass this Summer appeared healthy and well-fed.

FISH OF THE MONTH CONTEST: WINNER, SEPTEMBER 2018

SUSAN MALKOWSKI WITH A NICE 19 INCH WALLEYE

Paul Gardener 2 nice LMB Nice Black Crappie Susan Malkowski,

on Pumpkin Wacky Worm Lots of Crappie caught 19 inch Walleye

We continue our “Fish of the Month” contest all year round. The forms are stocked in our boxes

around the lakes. Monthly winners are announced in our newsletter. In addition to their picture in the

letter, they are on our website and bulletin boards. The contest is open to ALL residents. Winners al-

so get: Club members, a Club hat or t-shirt; non-club members win Bass-Pro fishing caps. Enjoy our

great fishing and we encourage our anglers to take a picture of their catch and return it alive to the

water. The future of our “PUT & TAKE” fishery depends on it. The monthly winner is not based on

just the biggest fish, rather on overall angling prowess, We have many 2-6 yr old winners, so drop

your entry forms and pictures at the office. Send in more pictures.

EMAIL: tlydon44@gmail.com TEXT: 630 776-1625

3

WHY DO SOME CAT-FISHERMEN STINK? Some anglers are always looking to boost their fish catch totals have been known to turn to the refrigerator, pantry and even the medicine chest to come up with some kooky bait concoctions. One of the strangest recipes features a salve better known for shrinking and soothing than luring and catching.

They use a dab of Preparation H on plastic bait since the cream contains shark liver oil ingredients and is water-repellent. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to interesting bait choices. Garlic and salt are common scents used in fishing. Moldy cheese is used in addition to Corn Flakes cereal soaked in water packed into dough balls. Chicken livers and hot dogs also are used to catch catfish.

It’s all about creating bait with an interesting scent, color, size and shape because that is what fish key in on to feed. The spring and fall are the times of the year that fish feed the most: spring prior to spawning and fall to fatten up for the winter. Someone is always trying to find the next new and crazy bait to attract fish into biting.

Soaking night crawlers in garlic is an old favorite.

Buy minced garlic in the squeeze bottle, squeeze about one ounce into a plastic Baggie, and place the worms in there for about 30 minutes before you use them. It really attracts big catfish. Sometimes try to use raw bacon in the bag with the crawl-ers. Many anglers use a variety of liver variations to catch catfish.

Many folks swear by chicken or beef liver for catfish or make their own concoctions using chicken livers as a base, some use whole shrimp. All kinds of fish including canned sardines and smelt are used. Cans of cat food can be used to chum for Cats. Bologna and cheese are also used as ingredients. Just about anything smelly.

Anglers have been concocting these "secret recipes" for years, said Rob Miller, regional fisheries administrator for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “This is especially true for those who fish for catfish and carp. As a kid, we used to have pretty good success using dough balls manufactured from Wheaties breakfast cereal. White bread kneaded into dough balls with a bit of cinnamon also did the trick for us.” Miller said some anglers even use anise in their mixtures. “I can't vouch for the success of these potions, but you can bet if an angler catches fish using it, that's all it will take,” Miller added.

October 6th, Club’s Annual Cat Derby & Oktoberfest

Jeremy Serchuk & his 19 in 6 lb Catfish

On Oct 6th, we held our Annual Cat-fish Derby and Oktoberfest at the FV rearing pond. In spite of some drizzle, we had a good turn-out and a lot of fun. Jeremy caught the only Cat. Roxanne Raven (Sher’s sis-ter) caught a large Gill and Anthony Hellum caught a TWO INCH Gill, that was the hit of the evening. Lots of laughs, great food, a few libations and you have a recipe for a great event….Rain or no rain!

About 30 members enjoyed Brats, Kraut, Strudel, Potato Pancakes, Hot German potato salad, a Red cabbage dish and Apple sausage, Hot dogs and tons of deserts. Many thanks to ALL of the great cooks. for their efforts. It was great eats. A suggestion was made to hold it earlier in the day next year and have more time to fish in the day-light. Sounds good to me and we will ask the Club at the next meeting to let us know what they think about that idea. More pictures will be scouted out, as we had to go to press this week with the newsletter. Every event just keeps getting better with time. Many thanks to ALL & Betty!

4

GETTING READY FOR ICE-FISHING Don’t give up on some of the best open-water fishing of the year in the coming weeks. But, it is not too ear-ly to start getting your ice gear ready. Following are some things you can do to prepare for the ice season.

First, and the most important is to always make sure the early ice is safe. If there is already another person out on the ice, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. If there are bunches of folks out there, you’re probably ok. How-ever, if you’re not sure, you should probably not go out, especially if you have someone with you that you’re responsible for. If you decide to go out, wear a life-jacket and drill test holes as you go to measure ice depth. Some folks take a rope with them in case their partner goes through. If it’s that questionable, don’t go. It could be deadly to break through the ice. Remember, at least four (4) inches to be safe.

Make sure the blades on your auger are sharp. Sharp blades go through the ice faster and make less noise, and noise should be avoided as much as possible on early ice that probably doesn’t have much snow on it. Noise may spook the fish. If you don’t have an auger and there are other folks out on the ice, many times they may help you out and drill some holes for you. Ice anglers tend to be very social crea-tures. It can be cold and lonely out there when the winds blow, and folks share more when they are cold..

If you use electronics, make sure your depth-finder has a fully charged battery. It’s very frustrating to get on the ice and find your sonar won’t work. A sonar that doesn’t work means you won’t catch as many fish. Just as in open water, sonar will be the difference between a few fish and no fish, and a few fish and a bunch of fish. Should you not want to spend big bucks on e-gear, just use the little clip-on ice-fishing weights to check the depths and set your bobber near the bottom. They cost less than a dollar and will get you started on your winter fishing.

Start the season with fresh line. When ice-fishing, we often use line that’s lighter than we use in open wa-ter. When the panfish get finicky, many experienced ice-anglers go to two and three pound test line, some even go down to one pound test line. That’s pretty thin stuff, and there is no margin for error. If you’re using light line and it’s not in the best of shape, you’re probably going to have problems. Fresh, good, quality line is always a good idea, especially when ice-fishing.

Make this the year you try some tungsten jigs. Tungsten is much more dense than lead, so a sixteenth ounce tungsten jig is much smaller physically than a sixteenth ounce lead jig, and much of the time fish prefer a smaller jig, especially when they’re not sure they want to bite. Tungsten jigs are heavier, so you can use a heavier jig that looks smaller, and that will put more fish in the boat. CUSTOM JIGS has a line of these jigs. They can e bought at BASS-PRO and most sporting and tackle shops.

The jigs that glow in deeper waters can help with bites. Some have a light that makes them reflect better. See if they work for you. Always tip your jigs with live bait, such as waxies, maggots (ugh), etc. When bites are very slow, I like to add 2 or 3 waxies, just tipped on the jig hook. Bigger, wiggling baits may make for more bites. Hooking them is harder as they nibble on the baits. BUT, a big gill may inhale that combo.

Last thing: plastics are becoming the go-to thing to tip jigs with. When the action is good, you’ll catch more fish with plastic instead of live bait because plastic is more durable: You’re not re-baiting after every fish or two. Match the plastic to the aggressiveness of the fish. When they’re biters, go with plastic that has more action and bulk. When the fish are finicky, less action and less size will be better:

EAGLE CLAW offers a nice fishing kit for under $20 that includes fluorescent jigs, a lazer light and line clippers. Smaller kits offer jigs, depth weights and ice bobbers for less than $10. These are available at all tackle shops and Bass-pro and or Cabelas. Our Club will raffling off some of these kits. Give ice-fishing a try! It can be cold, but it is fun and with a group a lot of laughs. Our ICE-FISHING derby will again be held.

5

END OF YEAR “THANK YOU” BRUNCH

On Sunday, Novemb18th, we will hold our annual “BRUNCH” meeting. The food list includes Egg Strata, a ham, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruits and a variety of other dishes and treats. As always, our Chefs do a great job. The Brunch is open to all. We will feature a large raffle and conduct a brief business meet-ing, with an end of year financial review. Finalize our 2019 activities and dates and hopefully have our 2018 fish stocking program wrapped up by that time. We will briefly go over our 2019 stocking list and see if there are any additional inputs at that time. Join us for some great eats, a super raffle and we will cheer on the BEARS, who hopefully will have a few more wins by then. Our last chance to THANK our volunteers, who have supported the Club all year long…….

SEPTEMBER 16TH FISHING CLUB MEETING MINUTES– 45 MEMBERS

OPENING: Congratulations to Peg & Ron McQuarters on their 50th wedding anniversary. The Club was glad to see Ron Midona join us at this meeting. Good to see him out and about again.

FISHING ROUNDTABLE: Lots of nice Bass in the Northern Lakes, using any form of rubber worms or lively Bass minnows. big cats and nice gills reported from shore. Perch on the trail. Billy Pittman caught 12 LMBass of his dock on the main channel. The McQuarters grand-daughter Emma caught her first two LMBass ever. Jake and his buddies boated about 140 Crappie, 8 Perch, 12 LMBass and 2 Trout. All were returned to the Lake except a 3 pound Trout that hit the frying pan. Crappie caught on slip bobbers using Walleye Minnows in 10 to 20 feet of water. This was in late evening, after dark. Lots of Bass seen swimming on the trail waters. Some concern was expressed over the Hawk Lake LMBass population. The Club will address this with the next two forage stockings.

FINANCIAL REPORT: See page one for a full report.

DNR REPORT: Fall stocking in late Oct-early November will feature 5 to 8 and 7 to 9 in Black Crappie, Breeder Gills, Perch and Trout. Possibly more Walleye and Forage. We will go heavier on the forage for Hawk lake, based on recent reports. We discussed SMBass and felt that at about $12 per 6 to 8 inch fish was too high a price and they may well become feed for some larger predators. Bass have been known to cannibalize their own species. We will be adding more Black Crappie as they tend to grow faster than White Crappie. We will also test a new local vendor for a small Trout stocking of Rainbow, Brown and Brook Trout. We will again add game and forage to our trail lakes. We discussed Shad additions and tried to address the Hawk Lake report of thin LMBass by adding more forage to Hawk Lake.

OLD BUSINESS: The Cat-fish Derby and Oktoberfest was a fun event. See an article in this newsletter. Many thanks to the Fish Fry cooks, chefs, volunteers and clean-up crew.. A number of suggestions were discussed for next year’s event. Chemical Weed Control wrapped up with another treatment on Tully Monster Lake. Weeds should be dying now. We will check the clarity this Fall and Next Spring. We saw progress for boaters, but it seems our water clarity has been reduced. Also, we have seen a proliferation of Lilly-pads. We have acquired a Secchi Wheel to begin checking and tracking our water clarity We have a NINJA CUTTING BLADE to cut weeds on a trolling motor. We will show this item at our meeting.

NEW BUSINESS: The Rearing pond was a disaster. Thanks to Bill McQuire, Fred and Joe K. who worked hard to get it in shape for the Cat Derby. Our 25th Anniversary discussions continued. A tagged fish contest is planned, donating 4 benches along the trail is being discussed . A balloon release sugges-tion sounds like fun. We hope to have the plans finalized at our Annual Brunch event on Nov 18th. A “golf cart-wash” was a suggested as a FUNd raiser. The guys will wear wet t-shirts, since none of us have biki-nis. Kids can help wash the carts as well and will be paid. Further discussion of copper sulfate showed it to be safe at controlled levels when used by qualified personnel. The 2018 50/50 raffle raised $675 for the Club. Our Heartland Outdoors Fishing Magazine ad in 2019 will feature Bobby Churchfield with his 7 1/2 pound LMBass. Raffle held, meeting adjourned. Thanks to Lynn Schuler for providing the minutes.

6

FORAGE: THE KEY TO HEALTHIER LARGEMOUTH BASS

EMERALD SHINER FATHEAD MINNOW

The two species above are the primary forage in our lakes. Emerald Shiners have been in our waters for

years and do reproduce in our lakes. We believe that Fatheads may also be reproducing. Fatheads are add-

ed as they do NOT swim very fast and are easy prey for our game-fish. The forage that we have stocked

over the years have mainly been these two species. Additionally, we have several other minnow species that

are naturally in our waters; one is a top-water minnow with a black dot on it’s head. It also is a natural spe-

cies in our waters. It does good by feeding on mosquito larvae.

Include into our forage base all the fry of our natural Gills and the Breeder Gills that we add in. Our Cats,

Bass, Crappie and Red-ear fry are a bonus. Our Carp fry and smaller Carp are a basic food source for our

Musky. All-in-all, we feel we have a good formula for our forage base in Shadow Lakes. All of our stockings

add game and forage equally into both the Northern & Hawk lakes. In recent years, we have added game-

fish and forage in our trail lakes. Many more families and kids are fishing the trail lakes.

We do try to react to issues identified by our anglers. Recently, we were advised that our Hawk lake Bass

appear to be lacking forage. We will adjust our stocking this Fall and next Spring, addressing this concern.

At our monthly meetings, we get feedback on our fishery and are continuously making changes and consid-

ering our fish orders to reflect the wishes of our members. We are now rebuilding our Walleye population.

Over the years, we have made a number of major changes and purchases based on the inputs of our

anglers. A few included: Red-ear to address the Zebra Mussel problems, tested stocking SMBass, Black

Crappie, Northern Pike, Striped Bass, Grass Carp and a number of other tests over the years. The

Association and Fishing Club stock about $ 20,000 in game and forage fish each year. With our small

waters and the high fishing pressure, we are “Put & Take” lakes. This means we need to constantly replace

and feed our fish.

FISHING DATES, A THOUGHT & DONATIONS

• October 8–24, November 7–23 and December 7–22.

We don’t fish to escape from life’s little problems….. We fish to remind ourselves how little, life’s problems are!

Thank you to Mike Maggio for donating $60 from his 50/50 raffle win.

Thank you to Fred Fosco for donating $50 to our stocking program.

Also, a big Thank You to Matt Virgili for his 3rd annual $100 donation.

7

TIPS & TIDBITS

• PUMPKIN COLORED WACKY WORMS CATCHING LMBASS IN THE CHANNELS. • LOOKING FOR A SMALL TROLLING MOTOR? See Ron Midona, FV146, he has two for sale. • Amenity Ctr. now sells ice ($2), bait ($4, worms & crawlers) in the hall by pavilion. HONOR SYSTEM,!

• We are adding a 6 Perch limit on our waters next year, signage at the boat ramps will reflect this new limit.

• New Crappie size limit will be 9 inches and over, signage to be updated. 2019 new limit will be 6 Crappie.

• Boat ramp signs now show added wording that periodic creel checks for limit compliance may be made.

• Lilly Pads have spread & clarity is down this year. We will closely monitor these changes in 2019.

• The Club has purchased a “SECCHI” disk monitoring system for our use next year.

• IL boat registration should be checked, notices not sent out by the State. Rules are on our website, see page 1.

• The Association has plans to continue the weed chemical control program in 2019.

• Weeds will be dying soon. We will start to evaluate the water clarity after the die-off .

• Your village and lot numbers should be visible on the Lakeside for water emergencies, this past years situ-ation with a possible missing lady, raised issues for the dive/rescue teams on the water side.

• “TASTE OF SHADOW LAKES” ladies cook books are on sale for $5.00. Sign up for a book at the Office.

SHADOW LAKES FISHING: 2019 DAILY FISH SIZE AND LIMITS

• LARGEMOUTH BASS DAILY KEEP 6 FISH 12 inches & UNDER

• SMALLMOUTH BASS ARE CATCH & RELEASE ONLY

• BLUEGILL NO SIZE/ NO LIMITS

• CATFISH NO SIZE, DAILY LIMIT 2 FISH

• CRAPPIE (9 inch + over) REDEAR & PERCH NO SIZE, DAILY LIMIT 6 FISH

• MUSKIE, DAILY LIMIT 1 FISH, MINIMUM KEEP 52” & OVER

• TROUT, NO SIZE LIMITS, DAILY 2 FISH

• WALLEYE, SLOT SIZE 15 TO 18 INCHES, DAILY LIMIT 1 FISH

• Random creel checks will be made at the boat ramps for limit compliance in 2019.

• RETURN SPAWNING FISH AS QUICKLY & SAFELY AS POSSIBLE. CATCH/PIC/RELEASE! (CPR)

Please adhere to our limits to help keep our fishery strong, and advise your guests as well. Thank you!

ICE FISHING

TOOLS

The Sportsman Fishing Club 24727 W. Amenity Center Drive Wilmington IL 60481

Sportsman Fishing Club Membership Application for 2019 $35.00 for individual or Family Household

RENEWALS: Just list names, village/lot and check renewal if no changes. Please provide the following information for Club records and newsletter mailing purposes:

Date: _____________________ Renewal: _____________ New Members: _____________

Name (s): __________________________________________________Lot #: ___________

Home Address: _____________________________________________________________

City: ____________________________________ State: _____________ Zip: __________

Home Phone: ____________________ Shadow Lakes Phone: _____________________

E-Mail address (needed if you wish to receive the Newsletters by E-mail)

E-Mail: __________________________________________

I will view Newsletter on Web Site __________ Please mail newsletter ___________ Membership dues cover the calendar year 2018

• Bring this form to the next meeting and make check payable to: The Sportsman Fishing Club

• Mail to: Sportsman Fishing Club, 24727 W Amenity Center Drive, Wilmington IL 60481

• Drop off the application and payment in the Association office

NOVEMBER 18th 9AM, Community Ctr. All popular dishes &

giant raffle. Bring your best brunch dish.