Fishing like in 2006

Sunday reminded me of 2006.

That year, the last fishing trips on cooling lakes and the last Sundays of firearm deer hunting season had to be scheduled around the time of the Bears game.

It’s not like Sunday started out that way. At halftime, I started gathering my gear to head out for a walk in the Mazonia State Fish and Wildlife Area, one of my favorite spots near Wilmington.

But the second half captivated me and kept me engaged until the end.

Even wandering the country lanes of Mazonia, I couldn’t calm the mixture of emotions and feelings that came over me after that match. I felt like I had to sort through nails and drawing pins.

I really needed to catch a bluegill and maybe a redear sunfish or random crappie to calm me down.

People were out on a beautiful afternoon, but there was no one in the area I went to.

A pair of gray mockingbirds meowed (Bears fans?) as I was walking back, overcoming the noise of traffic and others.

The phragmites had become even more invasive than I remembered, obscuring a lake where I usually do some casting. I didn’t have a machete with me to clear a path, so I continued on to my favorite little lake.

It took me a minute or two to find the right depth to fish, and then—bingo!—the first bluegill came down on the line. I played with several sizes and styles of jigs and found that 1/16-ounce plain, white, black or chartreuse jig heads with white or chartreuse Bluegill Chuck tails worked best.

I started like the Bears did in the first half, going 1-of-4 before finding my rhythm.

Bluegills are the best in my opinion because of their aggressiveness, simple beauty, and fierce fighting ability, ounce for ounce. I didn’t even bring a bass fishing rod so I could concentrate on the bluegills (although I was hoping to see a redear or crappie to fatten the fish). That didn’t happen.

Just as I was reluctant to go home for a late dinner, I said two more casts (no point in saying one cast when you know you’ll make at least two more) and caught my last bluegill on the second.

It was about time.

I saved the three largest for a lunch of baked bluegills.

Reminder: The area around Ponderosa and Eagle Lakes in the South Unit of Mazonia is closed, effective Monday, for major construction.

Otherwise, the last day of fishing in Mazonia (Monster Lake is open year-round) is October 15th.

Wild Things

Rob Abouchar I’ve seen nightjars around Island Lake. I haven’t managed to see any yet… I’m still stuck on one monarch butterfly for the year.

Hunting in Illinois

The early Canada goose hunting season ends Sunday. . . . Waterfowl hunters can submit entries for The Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Reserve near Havana through Sept. 23. Details are available at

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Beer in the Woods

Friends of the Forest Preserves will host their annual Beer in the Woods on September 21 at LaBagh Woods on the northwest side of town. It’s a fun mix of craft tastings, guided walks and fundraisers to help support Cook County’s forest preserves. Information can be found at:

Wandering flow

Bluegills are the screen-catchers of fishing.