Fox Chain O' Lakes
State Park and Muskie Status Report Info
The following is an excerpt from the IL State Parks website:
Located in the heart of Illinois' largest concentration of natural lakes, Chain O Lakes State Park is a water oriented recreation area with outstanding opportunities for boaters, anglers and skiers. The park borders three natural lakes - Grass, Marie and Nippersink - and the Fox River that connects the other seven lakes (Bluff, Fox, Pistakee, Channel, Petite, Catherine and Redhead) that make up the Chain. In addition, the park contains a 44-acre lake within its boundaries.The 2,793 acre state park and adjoining 3,230 acre conservation area are located in the northeastern corner of Illinois in both McHenry and Lake counties. The park is 60 miles northwest of Chicago, 20 miles west of Lake Michigan and only 4 miles south of the Illinois/Wisconsin border. With nearly 6,500 acres of water and 488 miles of shoreline on the chain, Chain O Lakes State Park is the heart of water wonderland.
Among the popular fish available to anglers in the Chain O Lakes are bluegill, largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, muskie, northern pike, bullhead, catfish, yellow and white bass. Due to the marshy nature of much of the park's shoreline, most fishing takes place from boats or fishing piers.
The following is an excerpt from the IL DNR's
"STATUS OF MUSKIE FISHERY IN ILLINOIS 2004"
FOX CHAIN O’ LAKES - Muskie stockings initiated in 1982 have resulted in the development of an outstanding pure muskie fishery. Several year classes of "Leech Lake" (spotted) strain muskie have worked their way into the sport catch and have been collected by IDNR staff. Leech Lake muskie were provided by the Muskie Inc. - South of the Border Chapter as a supplement to the IDNR biennial stockings. The number of muskie collected each spring in sample nets ranged from 24 to 138 muskie and typically equates to a catch rate of 2 - 2.5 fish per net night when targeted. A population estimate of muskie marked and recaptured in Lakes Channel/Catherine yielded a population of between 0.6 to 2.2 fish per acre. These data are difficult to obtain due to the connected, open nature of the Fox Chain system and the statistical likelihood of inter-lake movement. In most lakes the muskie population is likely much lower.To date the largest muskie collected during spring sampling was 49.5 inch and weighing 31.8 pounds (collected in 2003). Tagged muskie have been reported from all lakes in the Chain, in the Fox River as far south as Yorkville, and north into Wisconsin.
Since 1995 the proportion of fish greater than 36 and 42 inches have been increasing. In 2003 the RSD-36 was 44 and RSD 42 value was 14. These data were the highest population indices recorded since inception of the project. Also in 2003 an RSD-48 of 3 was recorded with 2 fish over 48 inches being collected. These data suggest that the muskie population in the Chain is increasing in size quite nicely. Muskie fishing should continue to improve as the fishery matures in response to the protection afforded by the 48 inch length limit (instituted in 1997).
In 2003 Chain was stocked with 1000 fingerlings (11" long) from the State Hatchery system. These fish were fin clipped (LV) and released into Lake Catherine in September.
Northern pike are native to the Fox Chain system and maintain their population by natural reproduction. Population data are restricted to fish incidentally collected in spring walleye trap nets. Most fish collected are mature individuals from between 28" and 36" in length. Northern pike are a favorite of ice fishermen and are targeted more in the winter than during open water when most esocid fishermen are searching for muskies.
Ice is OFF. Report Coming
Soon !!!