CHECKLIST OF ENDANGERED AND THREATENED ANIMALS AND PLANTS OF ILLINOISIllinois Endangered Species Protection BoardEffective February 22, 2011The Board revises the list of protected species at least once every five years and completed its most recent revisions in 2009. The following list reflects those2009 and subsequent 2010 revisions:   This booklet contains a list of all species which have been designated as endangered or threatened by the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board.  Species are listed alphabetically by scientific name.  Species listed at the Federal level are indicated by asterisks -** = Federally Endangered* = Federally ThreatenedCRITERIA FOR STATE LISTINGA species shall be included on the official list of endangered and threatened species when one or more of the following criteria exists: 1) Species included in the Federal list of Endangered or Threatened Species, 2) Species proposed for Federal Endangered or Threatened Species which occur in Illinois, 3) Species which formerly were widespread in Illinois but have been nearly extirpated from the State due to habitat destruction, collecting, or other pressures resulting from the development of Illinois, 4) Species which exhibit very restricted geographic ranges of which Illinois is a part, 5) Species which exhibit restricted habitats or low populations in Illinois, or 6) Species which are significant disjuncts in Illinois i.e., the Illinois population is far removed from the rest of the species’ range.DEFINITIONS:FEDERALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES – Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.FEDERALLY THREATENED SPECIES  – Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.STATE ENDANGERED SPECIES – Any species which is in danger of extinction as a breeding species in Illinois.STATE THREATENED SPECIES – Any breeding species which is likely to become a state endangered species within the foreseeable future in Illinois.TAKE – In reference to animals and animal products, to harm, hunt, shoot, pursue, lure, wound, kill, destroy, harass, gig, spear, ensnare, trap, capture, collect, or to attempt to engage in such conduct.  In reference to plants and plant products, to collect, pick, cut, dig up, kill, destroy, bury, crush, or harm in any manner.The Illinois Endangered Species Protection Act prohibits the possession, taking, transportation, sale, offer for sale, or disposal of any listed animal or products of listed animals without a permit issued by the Department of Conservation.  Also prohibited are the taking of listed plants without the expressed written permission of the landowner and the sale or offer to sell plants or plant products of endangered species.Citation: Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board.  2011.  Checklist of Endangered and Threatened Animals and Plants of Illinois.  Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board, Springfield, Illinois.  18 pp.FISHES19 Endangered, 12 ThreatenedEndangeredAcipenser fulvescens Lake SturgeonAmmocrypta clarum Western Sand DarterEtheostoma camurum Bluebreast DarterEtheostoma histrio Harlequin DarterHybognathus hayi Cypress MinnowHybopsis amblops Bigeye ChubHybopsis amnis Pallid ShinerIchthyomyzon fossor Northern Brook LampreyLepomis miniatus Redspotted SunfishMacrhybopsis gelida Sturgeon ChubMoxostoma valenciennesi Greater RedhorseNocomis micropogon River ChubNotropis anogenus Pugnose ShinerNotropis boops Bigeye ShinerNotropis heterolepis Blacknose ShinerNotropis maculatus Taillight ShinerNotropis texanus Weed ShinerNoturus stigmosus Northern MadtomScaphirhynchus albus** Pallid SturgeonThreatenedAmmocrypta pellucidum Eastern Sand DarterCatostomus catostomus Longnose SuckerCoregonus artedi CiscoErimystax x-punctatus Gravel ChubEtheostoma exile Iowa DarterFundulus diaphanus Banded KillifishFundulus dispar Starhead TopminnowLampetra aepyptera Least Brook LampreyLepomis symmetricus Bantam SunfishMoxostoma carinatum River RedhorseNotropis chalybaeus Ironcolor ShinerNotropis heterodon Blackchin ShinerAMPHIBIANS3 Endangered, 6 ThreatenedEndangeredSalamandersAmbystoma platineum Silvery SalamanderCryptobranchus alleganiensis Eastern HellbenderDesmognathus conanti Spotted Dusky SalamanderThreatenedSalamandersAmbystoma jeffersonianum Jefferson SalamanderHemidactylium scutatum Four-toed SalamanderNecturus maculosus MupuppyFrogs and ToadsGastrophryne carolinensis Eastern Narrowmouth ToadHyla avivoca Bird-voiced TreefrogPseudacris illinoensis Illinois Chorus Frog1 2REPTILES10 Endangered, 8 ThreatenedEndangeredTurtles Apalone mutica  Smooth SoftshellClemmys guttata Spotted TurtleEmydoidea blandingii Blanding’s TurtleKinosternon flavescens Yellow Mud TurtleMacrochelys temminckii Alligator Snapping TurtlePseudemys concinna River CooterSnakesMasticophis flagellum CoachwhipNerodia fasciata Broad-banded WatersnakePantherophis emoryi Great Plains Rat SnakeSistrurus catenatus Eastern MassasaugaThreatenedTurtles Terrepene ornata  Ornate Box TurtleSnakesClonophis kirtlandi Kirtland’s SnakeCrotalus horridus Timber RattlesnakeHeterodon nasicus Plains Hog-Nosed SnakeNerodia cyclopion Mississippi Green WatersnakeTantilla gracilis Flathead SnakeThamnophis sauritus Eastern RibbonsnakeTropidoclonion lineatum Lined SnakeBIRDS25 Endangered, 5 ThreatenedEndangeredAsio flammeus Short-eared OwlBartramia longicauda Upland SandpiperBotaurus lentiginosus American BitternButeo swainsoni Swainson’s HawkCharadrius melodus** Piping PloverChlidonias niger Black TernCircus cyaneus Northern HarrierEgretta caerulea Little Blue HeronEgretta thula Snowy EgretGallinula chloropus Common MoorhenLanius ludovicianus Loggerhead ShrikeLaterallus jamaicensis Black RailLimnothlypis swainsonii Swainson’s WarblerNyctanassa violacea Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax Black-crowned Night-HeronPandion haliaetus OspreyPhalaropus tricolor Wilson’s PhalaropeRallus elegans King RailSterna forsteri Forster’s TernSterna hirundo Common TernSternula antillarum** Least TernThryomanes bewickii Bewick’s WrenTympanuchus cupido Greater Prairie-ChickenTyto alba Barn OwlXanthocephalus xanthocephalus Yellow-headed BlackbirdThreatenedCoccyzus erythropthalmus Black-billed CuckooDendroica cerulea Cerulean WarblerFalco peregrinus Peregrine FalconIctinia mississippiensis Mississippi KiteIxobrychus exilis Least Bittern3 4MAMMALS5 Endangered, 4 ThreatenedEndangeredCorynorhinus  rafinesquii Rafinesque’s Big-eared BatMyotis austroriparius Southeastern MyotisMyotis grisescens** Gray BatMyotis sodalis** Indiana BatNeotoma floridana Eastern Wood RatThreatenedCanis lupus** Gray/Timber WolfOchrotomys nuttalli Golden MouseOryzomys palustris Rice RatSpermophilus franklinii Franklin’s Ground SquirrelINVERTEBRATES43 Endangered, 12 ThreatenedEndangeredSnailsDiscus macclintocki** Iowa Pleistocene SnailFontigens antroecetes Hydrobiid Cave SnailLithasia obovata Shawnee RocksnailMusselsCumberlandia monodonta SpectaclecaseCyprogenia stegaria** FanshellEpioblasma rangiana** Northern RiffleshellEpioblasma triquetra SnuffboxLampsilis abrupta** Pink MucketLampsilis fasciola Wavy-rayed LampmusselLampsilis higginsii** Higgins EyePlethobasus cooperianus** Orangefoot PimplebackPlethobasus cyphyus SheepnosePleurobema clava** ClubshellPleurobema cordatum Ohio PigtoePotamilus capax** Fat PocketbookPtychobranchus fasciolaris KidneyshellQuadrula cylindrica RabbitsfootSimpsonaias ambigua Salamander MusselToxolasma lividus Purple LilliputVillosa iris RainbowCrustaceansCaecidotea lesliei IsopodCaecidotea spatulata IsopodCrangonyx anomalus Anomalous Spring AmphipodCrangonyx packardi Packard’s Cave AmphipodGammarus acherondytes** Illinois Cave AmphipodOrconectes indianensis Indiana CrayfishOrconectes kentuckiensis Kentucky CrayfishOrconectes lancifer Shrimp CrayfishOrconectes placidus Bigclaw CrayfishStygobromus iowae Iowa AmphipodScorpionsCentruroides vittatus Common Striped Scorpion5 6INVERTEBRATESEndangered (continued)DragonfliesSomatochlora hineana** Hine’s Emerald DragonflySpringtailsPygmarrhopalites madonnensis Madonna Cave SpringtailStonefliesDiploperla robusta  Robust SpringflyProstoia completa Central ForestflyLeafhoppersAthysanella incongrua LeafhopperParaphlepsius lupalus LeafhopperButterflies and MothsAtrytone arogos Arogos SkipperCalephelis mutica Swamp MetalmarkHesperia ottoe Ottoe SkipperIncisalia polios Hoary ElfinLycaeides melissa samuelis** Karner Blue ButterflyPapaipema eryngii Eryngium Stem BorerThreatenedMusselsAlasmidonta viridis SlippershellCyclonaias tuberculata Purple WartybackEllipsaria lineolata ButterflyElliptio crassidens Elephant-earElliptio dilatata SpikeFusconaia ebena EbonyshellLigumia recta Black SandshellVillosa lienosa Little SpectaclecaseDragonfliesNannothemis bella Elfin SkimmerLeafhoppersAflexia rubranura Redveined Prairie LeafhopperINVERTEBRATESThreatened (continued)ButterfliesHesperia metea Cobweb SkipperSpeyeria idalia Regal Fritillary7 8PLANTS251 Endangered, 81 ThreatenedEndangeredAdoxa moschatellina MoschatelAlnus incana subsp. rugosa Speckled AlderAmelanchier sanguinea ShadbushAmmophila breviligulata Marram GrassAmorpha nitens Smooth False IndigoArctostaphylos uva-ursi BearberryArtemisia dracunculus Dragon WormwoodAsclepias lanuginosa Wooly MilkweedAsclepias meadii*  Mead’s MilkweedAsclepias ovalifolia Oval MilkweedAsclepias stenophylla Narrow-leaved Green MilkweedAsplenium bradleyi Bradley’s SpleenwortAsplenium resiliens Black SpleenwortAstragalus crassicarpus var. trichocalyx Large Ground PlumAstragalus distortus Bent Milk VetchAstragalus tennesseensis Tennessee Milk VetchBaptisia tinctoria Yellow Wild IndigoBartonia paniculata ScrewstemBeckmannia syzigachne      American Slough GrassBerberis canadensis            Allegheny BarberryBetula alleghaniensis Yellow BirchBotrychium campestre Prairie MoonwortBotrychium matricariifolium Daisyleaf Grape FernBotrychium multifidum Northern Grape FernBotrychium simplex Dwarf Grape FernBouteloua gracilis Blue GramaBumelia lanuginosa Wooly BuckthornCalamagrostis insperata Bluejoint GrassCalla palustris Water ArumCalopogon oklahomensis Oklahoma Grass Pink OrchidCalopogon tuberosus Grass Pink OrchidCamassia angusta Wild HyacinthCardamine pratensis var. palustris Cuckoo FlowerCarex alata Winged SedgeCarex arkansana Arkansas SedgeCarex brunnescens Brownish SedgeCarex canescens var. disjuncta Silvery SedgeCarex chordorrhiza Cordroot SedgeCarex crawfordii Crawford’s SedgeCarex cryptolepis Yellow SedgePLANTSEndangered (continued)Carex cumulata SedgeCarex decomposita Cypress-knee SedgeCarex diandra SedgeCarex disperma Shortleaf SedgeCarex echinata SedgeCarex formosa  SedgeCarex garberi Elk SedgeCarex gigantea Large SedgeCarex inops subsp. heliophila Plains SedgeCarex nigromarginata Black-edged SedgeCarex oligosperma Few-seeded SedgeCarex physorhyncha Bellow’s Beak SedgeCarex plantaginea Plaintain-leaved SedgeCarex reniformis Reniform SedgeCarex trisperma Three-seeded SedgeCarex tuckermanii Tuckerman’s SedgeCarya pallida Pale HickoryCastilleja sessiliflora Downy Yellow Painted CupCeanothus herbaceus RedrootChamaelirium luteum Fairy WandChamaesyce polygonifolia  Seaside SpurgeChimaphila maculata Spotted WintergreenChimaphila umbellata PipsissewaCimicifuga americana American BugbaneCimicifuga racemosa False BugbaneCircaea alpina Small Enchanter’s NightshadeCladrastis lutea YellowwoodClematis crispa Blue JasmineClematis occidentalis Mountain ClematisClematis viorna LeatherflowerCollinsia violacea Violet CollinsiaComptonia peregrina SweetfernConioselinum chinense Hemlock ParsleyCornus canadensis BunchberryCorydalis aurea Golden CorydalisCorydalis halei Hale’s CorydalisCorydalis sempervirens Pink CorydalisCorylus cornuta Beaked HazelnutCynosciadium digitatum CynosciadiumCypripedium acaule Moccasin FlowerCypripedium parviflorum var. makasin Small Yellow Lady’s Slipper9 10PLANTSEndangered (continued)Cypripedium reginae Showy Lady’s SlipperCystopteris laurentiana Laurentian Fragile FernDalea foliosa**  Leafy Prairie CloverDennstaedtia punctilobula Hay-scented FernDeschampsia flexuosa HairgrassDichanthelium boreale Northern Panic GrassDichanthelium joori Panic GrassDichanthelium portoricense Hemlock Panic GrassDichanthelium ravenelii Ravenel’s Panic GrassDichanthelium yadkinense Panic GrassDraba cuneifolia Whitlow GrassDrosera rotundifolia Round-leaved SundewDryopteris celsa Log FernEchinodorus tenellus Small BurheadEleocharis olivacea Capitate SpikerushEleocharis pauciflora Few-flowered SpikerushEquisetum scirpoides Dwarf Scouring RushEquisetum sylvaticum Woodland HorsetailEriophorum virginicum Rusty Cotton GrassEryngium prostratum EryngoEuonymus americanus American Strawberry BushEupatorium hyssopifolium Hyssop-leaved ThoroughwortEuphorbia spathulata SpurgeFilipendula rubra Queen-of-the-PrairieFimbristylis vahlii Vahl’s FimbristylisGalactia mohlenbrockii Boykin’s DiocleaGalium lanceolatum Wild LicoriceGalium virgatum Dwarf BedstrawGeranium bicknellii Northern CranesbillGlyceria arkansana Arkansas MannagrassGratiola quartermaniae Hedge HyssopGymnocarpium dryopteris Oak FernGymnocarpium robertianum Scented Oak FernHackelia deflexa var. americana StickseedHalesia carolina Silverbell TreeHelianthus giganteus Tall SunflowerHeliotropium tenellum Slender HeliotropeHeteranthera reniformis Mud PlantainHexalectris spicata Crested Coralroot OrchidHudsonia tomentosa False HeatherHydrolea uniflora One-flowered HydroleaPLANTSEndangered (continued)Hypericum adpressum Shore St. John’s WortHypericum kalmianum Kalm’s St. John’s WortIliamna remota Kankakee MallowIresine rhizomatosa BloodleafIsoetes butleri Butler’s QuillwortIsotria verticillata Whorled PogoniaJuncus vaseyi Vasey’s RushJuniperus horizontalis Trailing JuniperJusticia ovata Water WillowLespedeza leptostachya* Prairie Bush CloverLesquerella ludoviciana Silvery BladderpodLonicera dioica var. glaucescens Red HoneysuckleLonicera flava Yellow HoneysuckleLuzula acuminata Hairy WoodrushLycopodiella inundata Bog ClubmossLycopodium clavatum Running PineLycopodium dendroideum Ground PineLysimachia radicans Creeping LoosestrifeMalus angustifolia Narrow-leaved CrabappleMalvastrum hispidum False MallowMatelea decipiens Climbing MilkweedMedeola virginiana Indian Cucumber RootMegalodonta beckii Water MarigoldMelanthera nivea White MelantheraMelica mutica Two-Flowered Melic GrassMimulus glabratus Yellow Monkey FlowerMirabilis hirsuta Hairy Umbrella-wortNemophila triloba Baby Blue-eyesNothocalais cuspidata Prairie DandelionOpuntia fragilis Fragile Prickly PearOrobanche fasciculata Clustered BroomrapeOxalis illinoensis Illinois Wood SorrelPaspalum dissectum Bead GrassPenstemon brevisepalus Short-sepaled Beard TonguePenstemon grandiflorus Large-flowered Beard TonguePenstemon tubaeflorus Tube Beard TonguePhacelia gilioides Ozark PhaceliaPhegopteris connectilis Long Beech FernPhlox pilosa subsp. sangamonensis Sangamon PhloxPinus banksiana Jack PinePinus echinata Shortleaf Pine11 12PLANTSEndangered (continuedPinus resinosa Red PinePlantago cordata Heart-leaved PlantainPlatanthera ciliaris Orange Fringed OrchidPlatanthera clavellata Wood OrchidPlatanthera flava var. flava Tubercled OrchidPlatanthera leucophaea*  Eastern Prairie Fringed OrchidPlatanthera psycodes Purple Fringed OrchidPoa alsodes Grove BluegrassPoa languida Weak BluegrassPoa wolfii Wolf’s BluegrassPogonia ophioglossoides Snake-mouthPolanisia jamesii James’ ClammyweedPolygala incarnata Pink MilkwortPolygonatum pubescens Downy Solomon’s SealPolygonum arifolium Halberd-leaved TearthumbPolygonum careyi Carey’s HeartseasePopulus balsamifera Balsam PoplarPotamogeton praelongus White-stemmed PondweedPotamogeton pulcher Spotted PondweedPotamogeton robbinsii Fern PondweedPotamogeton strictifolius Stiff PondweedPrimula mistassinica Bird’s-eye PrimrosePtilimnium nuttallii Mock Bishop’s WeedQuercus texana Nuttall’s OakRhamnus alnifolia Alder BuckthornRhexia mariana Dull Meadow BeautyRhynchospora glomerata Clustered Beak RushRibes hirtellum Northern GooseberryRosa acicularis Bristly RoseRubus odoratus Purple-flowering RaspberrySabatia campestris Prairie Rose GentianSagittaria australis ArrowheadSalix serissima Autumn WillowSalix syrticola Dune WillowSambucus racemosa subsp. pubens Red-berried ElderSanguisorba canadensis American BurnetSanicula smallii Southern SaniculaSarracenia purpurea Pitcher PlantSaxifraga virginiensis Early SaxifrageSchizachne purpurascens False Melic GrassSchoenoplectus purshianus Weak BulrushPLANTSEndangered (continued)Schoenoplectus smithii Smith’s BulrushScirpus hattorianus BulrushScirpus microcarpus BulrushScleria muhlenbergii Muhlenberg’s Nut RushScleria pauciflora Carolina WhipgrassShepherdia canadensis BuffaloberrySilene ovata Ovate CatchflySilene regia Royal CatchflySisyrinchium montanum Mountain Blue-eyed GrassSorbus americana American Mountain AshSparganium americanum American BurreedSparganium emersum Green-fruited BurreedSpiranthes lucida Yellow-lipped Ladies’ TressesSpiranthes vernalis Spring Ladies’ TressesStellaria pubera Great ChickweedStenanthium gramineum Grass-leaved LilyStylisma pickeringii Patterson’s BindweedStyrax grandifolius Bigleaf Snowbell BushSymphoricarpos albus var. albus SnowberrySynandra hispidula Hairy SynandraTalinum calycinum FameflowerTetraneuris herbacea* Lakeside DaisyThelypteris noveboracensis New York FernTilia heterophylla White BasswoodTorreyochloa pallida Pole Manna-GrassTrichomanes boschianum Filmy fernTrichophorum cespitosum Tufted BulrushTrientalis borealis Star-flowerTrillium cernuum Nodding TrilliumTrillium erectum Ill-scented Trillium Trillium viride Green TrilliumUlmus thomasii Rock ElmUtricularia cornuta Horned BladderwortUtricularia minor Small BladderwortVaccinium corymbosum Highbush BlueberryVaccinium macrocarpon Large CranberryVaccinium oxycoccos Small CranberryVaccinium stamineum DeerberryValeriana uliginosa Marsh ValerianValerianella chenopodifolia Corn SaladValerianella umbilicata Corn Salad13 14PLANTSEndangered (continued)Veronica americana American BrooklimeViola blanda Hairy White VioletViola canadensis Canada VioletViola primulifolia Primrose VioletWoodsia ilvensis Rusty WoodsiaZigadenus elegans White CamassThreatenedAgalinus skinneriana Pale False FoxgloveAmelanchier interior ShadbushAster furcatus Forked AsterBerchemia scandens Supple-JackBesseya bullii Kitten TailsBoltonia decurrens*  Decurrent False AsterBotrychium biternatum Southern Grape FernBuchnera americana BlueheartsCakile edentula Sea RocketCarex atlantica SedgeCarex aurea Golden SedgeCarex bromoides SedgeCarex communis Fibrous-rooted SedgeCarex intumescens Swollen SedgeCarex oxylepis Sharp-scaled SedgeCarex prasina Drooping SedgeCarex viridula Little Green SedgeCarex willdenowii Willdenow’s SedgeCarex woodii Pretty SedgeCarya aquatica Water HickoryChamaedaphne calyculata LeatherleafCimicifuga rubifolia Black CohoshCirsium pitcheri*  Pitcher’s (Dune) ThistleCorallorhiza maculata Spotted Coral-root OrchidCyperus grayioides Umbrella SedgeCyperus lancastriensis GalingaleCypripedium candidum White Lady’s SlipperDelphinium carolinianum Wild Blue LarkspurDodecatheon frenchii French’s ShootingstarDrosera intermedia Narrow-leaved SundewEleocharis rostellata Beaked Spike RushElymus trachycaulus Bearded Wheat GrassPLANTSThreatened (continued)Epilobium strictum Downy Willow HerbEquisetum pratense Meadow HorsetailHelianthus angustifolius Narrow-leaved SunflowerHuperzia porophila Cliff ClubmossHymenopappus scabiosaeus Old PlainsmanJuncus alpinus Richardson’s RushJuniperus communis Ground JuniperLarix laricina TamarackLathyrus ochroleucus Pale VetchlingLechea intermedia PinweedLiatris scariosa var. nieuwlandii Blazing StarMatelea obliqua Climbing MilkweedMelanthium virginicum BunchflowerMelothria pendula Squirting CucumberMenyanthes trifoliata BuckbeanMinuartia patula Slender SandwortOenothera perennis Small SundropsOrobanche ludoviciana BroomrapePhaeophyscia leana Lea’s Bog LichenPlanera aquatica Water ElmPlatanthera flava var. herbiola Tubercled OrchidPotamogeton gramineus Grass-leaved PondweedQuercus montana  Rock Chestnut OakQuercus phellos Willow OakRanunculus rhomboideus Prairie ButtercupRhynchospora alba Beaked RushRubus pubescens Dwarf RaspberryRubus schneideri Bristly BlackberryRudbeckia missouriensis Missouri Orange ConeflowerSalvia azurea subsp. pitcheri Blue SageSchoenoplectus hallii Hall’s BulrushScirpus polyphyllus BulrushSedum telephioides American OrpineSisyrinchium atlanticum Eastern Blue-eyed GrassSolidago sciaphila Cliff GoldenrodStyrax americana StoraxSullivantia sullivantii SullivantiaTalinum parviflorum Small Flower-of-an-hourTofieldia glutinosa False AsphodelTomanthera auriculata Ear-leafed Foxglove15 16PLANTSThreatened (continuedTradescantia bracteata Prairie SpiderwortTrifolium reflexum Buffalo CloverTriglochin maritima Common Bog ArrowgrassTriglochin palustris Slender Bog ArrowgrassUrtica chamaedryoides NettleUtricularia intermedia Flat-leaved BladderwortVeronica scutellata Marsh SpeedwellViburnum molle ArrowwoodViola conspersa Dog Violet   Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board

Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger

Hunters are encouraged to donate their entire deer harvest to food banks and charities. Participating meat processors will grind the venison into two-pound packages of burger. Hunters MUST properly field dress the deer before delivering to the meat processor. Any questionable deer will not be accepted by the processor. Road kill deer may not be donated based on the inability to determine time of death of the animal.
With the start of deer season, the program will offer $50 to assist with the processing cost of whole deer donations only.
Your tax-deductible donation to assist with the cost of the processing can be made by noting on your check, “Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger” in the memo section, payable to the Illinois Conservation Foundation. Our address is: One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271.
The hungry of Illinois welcomes your involvement in the Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger program. Consider volunteering to help the program feed the needy in Illinois. Here is a list of the Meat Processors.
For more information you may call 217-785-5091 or write to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271. Email: tracy.shafer@illinois.gov.
Visit this page to hear our Target Hunger Now! September Event

LAPEL PIN COLLECTORS

You can order your 2010 Turkey and Big Buck pins by mailing a check for $5.00 (each) to ILCF- PINS, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271 – PLEASE MARK YOUR ENVELOPES ATTN: PIN DEPARMENT

Action Plan News Status of Fish Habitats Report Gives “Fish Eye View” of National Waters
Status of Fish Habitats Report Gives “Fish Eye View” of National Waters
THURSDAY, 14 APRIL 2011 15:13
The National Fish Habitat Board (www.fishhabitat.org) today released a first-of-its-kind status of fish habitats in the United States report as envisioned in the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, an effort to protect, restore and enhance our nation’s aquatic habitats. The report titled THROUGH A FISH’S EYE: The Status of Fish Habitats In The United States 2010 summarizes the results of an unprecedented, nationwide assessment of the human effects on fish habitat in the rivers and estuaries of the United States.

Through a Fish’s Eye, provides an important picture of the challenges and opportunities facing fish and those engaged in fish habitat conservation efforts. Urbanization, agriculture, dams, culverts, pollution and other human impacts have resulted in specific areas of degraded habitat where restoration is most likely needed to bring back the healthy habitats and fishing opportunities that once existed. Addressing degraded habitat also requires reducing or eliminating the sources of degradation mentioned in this report, through best management practices, land use planning, and engaging landowners, businesses, and local communities in the effort.

The assessment detailed in the report assigns watersheds and estuaries a risk of current habitat degradation ranging from very low to very high. These results allow comparisons of aquatic habitats across the nation and within 14 sub-regions. The results also identify some of the major sources of habitat degradation that plague waterways across the nation.

Overall, 27 percent of the miles of stream in the lower 48 states are at high or very high risk of current habitat degradation and 44 percent are at low or very low risk. Twenty-nine percent of stream miles in the lower 48 states are at moderate risk of current habitat degradation.

Fifty-three percent of estuaries (by area) are at high or very high risk of current habitat degradation, while 23 percent of estuaries are at low or very low risk of current habitat degradation. Marine habitats of the United States tend to be most degraded near the coast, where they are most affected by human activity.

The goal of the national assessment was to estimate disturbance levels to fish habitats in rivers and estuaries from information about human activities occurring in the watersheds and the local areas affecting each aquatic habitat. This approach is supported by a large body of scientific research showing that human disturbances to the land transfer to receiving waters and contribute to disturbance in downstream fish habitats in rivers, estuaries, and the ocean.

While the specific analytical approaches used to assess habitats in the lower-48 states, Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. estuaries differed slightly, the end product of each analysis was similar—an estimate of the risk that discrete habitat units will be degraded due to current human activities on the landscape.

“This report identifies areas where those efforts are most needed and points to areas where fish habitat is most likely still intact and should be protected to maintain its value for fish and other aquatic organisms. Resources for fish habitat conservation are limited, especially for the next few years,” said Kelly Hepler, Chairman of the National Fish Habitat Board.

“Fish Habitat partnerships ensure coordinated work around specific habitat challenges,” said Eric Schwaab, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. ”This information will help bring strategic focus to conservation efforts and allow rigorous measurement of results.”

“This report clearly illustrates the need for strategic use of existing resources through partnerships that can identify the most effective use of funds and help the nation as a whole make progress in fish habitat conservation,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acting Director Rowan Gould. “There are many major threats to the health of fish habitat and the National Fish Habitat Action plan helps to focus and leverage available funds, pool technical expertise, and enlist new partners to address the challenges to fish habitat.”

Key findings from the “Through a Fish’s Eye: Status of Fish Habitats” report include:

Habitats with a very high risk of current habitat degradation include those in or near urban development, livestock grazing, agriculture, point source pollution or areas with high numbers of active mines and dams. Specific locations that stand out as regions at high risk of current habitat degradation include: the urban corridor between Boston and Atlanta; the Central Midwestern states of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio; the Mississippi River Basin, including habitats adjacent to the lower Mississippi River in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana; habitats in eastern Texas; and habitats in Central California and along the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington.

Areas that stand out as being at very low risk of current habitat degradation include rural areas in New England and the Great Lakes states; many habitats throughout the Mountain, Southwest and Pacific Coast states; and most of Alaska. It should be noted that not all water and land management issues could be addressed in the assessment, so some of the areas mapped as at low risk of current habitat degradation actually may be at higher risk due to disturbance factors not assessed. For example, most arid regions of the western United States were found to be at low risk of current habitat degradation.

Estuaries in the mid-Atlantic have a very high risk of habitat degradation related to polluted run-off and other effects of the intense urbanization and agriculture in this area. The estuaries of southern California also have a high risk of current habitat degradation for similar reasons. Estuaries in the north Pacific and downeast Maine have a low risk of current habitat degradation.

The release of this report is also accompanied with the release of a map viewer, which offers the maps that are in the report in greater detail. The National Fish Habitat Action Plan map and data web tool (www.nbii.gov/far/nfhap) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Biological Informatics Program under guidance of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan Science and Data Committee. This tool not only enables users to see multiple views depicting the condition of stream and coastal habitats across the country, but also means that users can access more detailed information at finer scales, as well as the option to download data files and map services.

To read the report in its entirety or download a PDF, visit www.fishhabitat.org or go to http://fishhabitat.org/images/documents/fishhabitatreport_012611.pdf to view the PDF.

His gobble about scared me to death! I sure wasn’t expecting to hear a turkey already very close to the spot I intended to set up — especially after spooking three deer on the way in that headed precisely in his direction just a few minutes earlier.

But he was there.

After relocating, I let things settle down for about 30 minutes before offering some plaintive yelps that immediately elicited a gobble. For another 40-or-so minutes, I’d yelp and he’d gobble — but neither one of us appeared to be moving. Rather than being patient, I tried to move again — to see if I could get a look at him — and he shut up. Frustrated at my own lack of patience, I slipped quietly out of the woods and headed home.

Listening to a calling tape on the way home, the host mentioned that he found turkeys to be creatures of habit. “If you see them at a given spot one morning, they’ll be somewhere close by the next morning about the same time.” That sentence hatched my plan for the next day. Instead of getting up a 3 a.m. to make an hour-long drive and be in the woods before sunrise, I decided to be in that same spot at the same time — about 8:30 a.m.

I slept in, arrived in plenty of time.

The previous morning, he’d answered my call around 9 a.m. It was 8:30 as I walked up to the tree I intended to sit against and heard him gobble before I’d even made a sound.

He was on the ground at 8:45.

Luck undoubtedly played a role, but so did preparation. That’s what this story is all about. You can have the best spring turkey season ever by preparing to have the best spring turkey season ever.

From here, three elements are more important than any others in preparing to have a great gobbler season — scouting, shooting and sitting. That might sound strange, but what follows will help you understand the importance of each.

SCOUTING

No hunter can downplay the importance of scouting. Many hunters consider it a rite of spring to “put gobblers to bed” by spending time in the woods near sunset, looking and listening for turkeys to learn where they’re going to spend the night. Carry a pair of compact binoculars, and try to find some spots that will enable you to glass fairly large chunks of land in search of turkeys.

You don’t need to — and shouldn’t — get close to turkeys when you’re scouting. Good binoculars will help you to locate birds and pattern their movements from a distance. You won’t be disturbing them or the habitat they’re using.

Another form of scouting involves predawn trips to the edges of the turkey woods with locator calls. Crow calls and owl hooters often will elicit shock gobbles from toms that are still on the roost. Once again, the concept with this kind of scouting is not to get on top of the birds, but rather to gain a general idea of the areas they’re using before the season opens.

A turkey has numerous advantages: good eyesight, the ability to fly, familiarity with the terrain, etc. However, a prudent hunter has skills he can employ, too, like preparation, woodcraft and timing. Photo by John Higley.

Spring turkey hunting is upon us again, and with opening day comes the usual variety of situations hunters must overcome to optimize their time in the woods. Understandably, hunters with years of experience make the right moves most of the time, but newcomers are often frustrated in their efforts to call a wary wild tom turkey into take-home range. With beginners in mind, here are five common keys to more productive turkey hunting.

Stick It Out

The hunter looked at his watch. It was only 7 a.m., but the woods were already quiet. The tom turkey he heard gobbling like crazy from his ponderosa pine roost a half-hour ago was now on the ground with hens, and silent. The hunter knew the feathered Romeo would be nearly impossible to call as long as the ladies were with him, so it was time to weigh his options.

Being experienced in the ways of turkeys, the hunter knew he still had a chance. It was the middle of the season, a time when many hens jilt the toms sometime during the day to visit their nests and lay another egg. Knowing this, our hero reckoned his best bet was to hang around for awhile. Indeed, a lot of gobblers that suddenly find themselves henless are harvested during mid-day by patient hunters who don’t depart from the woods too early.

Tuck Him In

Mid-day is definitely a good time to score on a gobbler but hunting at daybreak, while different, often is even better, especially if you know where to start. If you can, take the time to scout the evening before your hunt, and you may hear a gobbler sound off as he approaches his roost tree or after he flies up. Pin pointing such a bird makes it possible for you to move into realistic calling range in the dark of early morning, without advertising your presence and possibly spooking Mr. Turkey off his branch.

Sit quietly once you’re in position, and see if the tom will gobble on his own. When that happens, answer him with a few soft hen yelps to let him know where you are, then wait and see what he does. Lots of toms come in as soon as their feet hit the ground, and that sometimes happens even when there are real hens in the vicinity.

Use Woodsmanship

One thing that many hunters don’t give much thought to is how to proceed when a tom gobbles over yonder and you have to get closer to call him in.

Be Flexible With Your Calling

No one can tell you how much to call to an individual tom turkey, either to keep him interested or bring him in. A good rule of thumb is to start by calling sparingly. If a gobbler responds strongly, keep at it. However, if the bird doesn’t react favorably, try a change of tactics. Call aggressively and more often, and see what happens. Who knows, that may really fire him up!

Analyze Each Situation

There are so many things that affect the outcome of a turkey hunt that it would be impossible to cover all of them here. Some common things that might foil your best efforts include (as always) the presence of hens, a physical barrier between you and the turkey (fence, stream, brambles and so on), or a predator that shows up unexpectedly. Of course, there are always a lot of unforeseen problems to deal with and that’s part of the fun. If you analyze each situation as it occurs, and adjust to it as best you can, your odds for success will increase accordingly.

Spring turkey hunting is an addictive pastime partly because there are so many elements to deal with. The five keys listed here are basic, and one or all of them may be applied in some phase of every hunt. As such, they should be part of every turkey hunter’s bag of tricks. Just don’t let a tom in on what you’re up to until you’re ready to give him a ride home with you.

Well folks now that the winter is near over and the ice is off most of the lakes, ponds, rivers and streams all we need to do know is wait for the crappie spawn to catch some big slab spring crappie Wrong! Spring crappie fishing right after ice out is the most amazing time of year to catch trophy slabs. The fishing pressure will be light because of the still very cold weather. If you can tolerate some very inclement weather you will experience some of the most amazing spring crappie fishing.  

After ice out it is time to go out and start your spring crappie fishing. The crappie are still in deep water but will start their move into holding areas close to their spawning beds. They will be hungry and will their feeding in earnest The water is extremely cold, so you will have to use a very slow bait presentation. The trick is being able to locate the fish, there are some fundamentals you need to be aware of to find the big slab pre-spawn spring crappie. Oh you won?t have to be out on the lake at first light either. It has been my experience , afternoon is better this time of year because there is some sun warming and the crappie feed on the moving bait fish more in the afternoon.

Start your fishing at the last ice fishing location. If you don?t ice fish contact some ice fisherman and find out their last fishing locations. The fish will be holding at these locations right after ice out. If your lake is shallow, head to the deeper boat channels around your lake, the fish will be locate here. In deeper lakes head to narrowing creaks and channels feeding off the lake the spring crappie will be located there. I rivers head for channels that feed off the main river.  

When fishing In cold water I prefer ultra light equipment. When your fishing for spring crappie the bite will most likely be very light. You need to be able to feel the bite to catch fish Use 2lb test and an open face reel and a graphite rod, with a good tip. If you are breaking line and snagging a lot move to 4lb fluorocarbon.. I recommend you use 1/32oz or 1/16oz jig heads that have eyes painted on them. The color of the jig head can very, but my preference is chartreuse or pink. with split tail plastic tubes. with some glitter color. My preference is to use clear color tubes with some glitter color in them for clear water. In murky water use white or yellow. If the water is real muddy use chartreuse.

If you use these tips you will be successful. When you catch a giant slab crappie in early spring there is no better feeling. Well good luck with your spring crappie fishing.

Don’t for get to build up the fish habitat for your crappie to enjoy. Shallow habitat for fry is the first step in growing big slab crappie. Artificial fish attractors and fish habitat grow algae fast and protect young fry for larger predators.   Fishiding.com

Structure Fishing 202
By Paul Crawford
Advanced Structures

In our last article, we looked at the basics of structures and what to look for in a structure. This month, let’s look at some of the more unusual structures that have proven to outperform the normal ledges and holes. These are candidates to be honey holes, that can produce giant stringers on a consistant basis.

An old structure fishing adage, which is all too true, is: “If you are on a good structure and you’re not catching fish, it only means there’s something better near by.” In most cases this will be a difference in the cover. An isolated hydrilla ball on a ledge may draw fish from several hundred yards in all directions. But there is still the odd case, where the cover and depth remain fairly constant, and a “secondary structure” is the bass magnet. These honey holes have the huge advantage of not changing from year to year. Add good cover to a secondary structure and it’s almost a sure fire winner. For this reason, these more hidden structures are well worth the time, trouble, and gas to find. Once you’ve found one, remember it! It can produce fish year after year for you.

The Funnel

Funnels are some of the absolute best structures to be found when fish are moving between open water and shallow flats to feed or spawn. They are the main entrance to a flat and will not only hold a number of fish close, but will replenish themselves by the hour. Funnels are at their best during Spring and Fall, and expecially good for about an hour before and after both dawn and dusk.

A Funnel is an oversize cut in a flat’s ledge with gentle slopes on both points and a gentle slope up onto the flat. The most common example of a Funnel is a creek mouth in a resevior where the channel has filled in over time. Most Funnels can be found fairly close to shore and leads into only a few feet of water. Since this is a shallow water structure, cover is common, and since they are often old creek mouths, it’s not unusual to have a break in the surrounding cover right at the edge of the structure. On occassion, you can even find the reverse. I’ve seen Funnels where the surrounding flat is fairly bare due to a hard bottom, but the old silt deposits give a great base for a weed bed.

Don’t confuse a Funnel with a simple creek mouth. With a creek mouth, the creek bed running across the flat may be the structure the fish relate to. At the very least, a creek bed makes moving past the creek mouth an attractive option, so you don’t see too many fish ganged up at a specific point. But gently fill in the creek bed, and the mouth becomes a Funnel and is the only game in town.

In natural lakes, flooded creeks are merely a rumor. But you can still find Funnels in surprising numbers. Look for the intersection of a ledge and a hole. If the intersection is somewhere in the middle of the ledge and somewhere on the smaller side of the hole, you’ve got a Funnel. Better yet is the case of a hole or depression which happens to open out to the main lake body. In the younger natural lakes, these spots are a regular feature and is why it’s now easy to find boats out in open water.

Funnel size is a matter of choice. Some people like large Funnels with a wide gap between large rounded points. For me, that’s more of a case of a twin point with a round ledge in between. My personal preference is something around 100 feet across at most. This gives me a distinct, well defined area to fish that I can cover in about 3 casting lengths. When I’m fishing these secondary structures, I’m looking for a spot, not an area.

The Saddle

A saddle is nothing more that a small ridge that runs between two holes. If you find a hole close to another, or a hole in a flat just off the main lake body, then you’ve got a Saddle. This is another case where you’re setting in the middle of a major underwater highway. Fish moving from one hole to the other, or from one side of either hole to the other, will most likely use the saddle to get there. A difference between a Saddle and a Funnel is with the Saddle, fish only rarely live there. This is a spot when fish are on the move. It’s one of my favorite spots on an approaching front when fish are moving around either feeding up or getting ready for the cold weather. Saddles also are a convenient place for fish to chase a school of bait, so it’s a great place to find schooling fish in the Spring and Fall.

Use the same rules as any other structure when deciding if a spot is a Saddle or simply the area between two holes. If it’s more than say 100 or 150 feet across, it’s not really a good Saddle. But also understand it needs to have a definate top or flat, so it can be too narrow as well. A narrow ridge that bisects a hole is a good spot, but not as good as a true Saddle.

Because you’re kind of setting in the middle of the highway, not at a rest stop, Saddles must be fished carefully. When fish are moving, Saddles are great. When the fish get where their going, Saddles can burn you in a heart beat. Use your depth finder carefully when approaching a Saddle. If you don’t see some marking that can be interpreted as moving fish, don’t stay on a Saddle too long. My general rule of thumb is if I can catch at least 1 legal fish within 15 minutes, then I may wait them out for an hour or so. But at 16 minutes after I pull up without a legal bite, I’m a memory.

Secondary Points

One of the better known major structures are points. But often, a point is not a pure classical cone extending out into the lake. Sometimes, you can find a protrusion off one side of the point or very near it’s base. These smaller structures are secondary points, or a point on a point. There are several wonderful features of secondary points. It will share all of the features of the main point but will give you another location surrounded with deep water on three sides, plus the two inside curves where the base of the secondary joints the primary point. This corner,where the two points meet, is most of the time the honey hole.

This is one of the few times where you can’t get too small. A secondary point that extends even a few feet out from the side of a main point can consentrate every fish in the area. Not all of the points extend out at right angles, some of the best go out at an acute angle. The inside corner of an acute angle point acts almost exactly like the Funnel we discussed earlier. An don’t be fooled by a secondary point that tops out at a different depth than the main point. A secondary point may extend out half way down the side slope of the primary point and still be a great place if you’re a fish.

Secondary points tend to be the way-point on the underwater highway. Fish that may roam over the rest of point to feed will return to the secondary point to rest and digest. In other words, this is where they live. Since fish will be moving in and out of the secondary point, you need to be as well. Mark the location of the secondary point and make a few casts to the three key areas: the tip and both corners where the points join. If you catch a fish, keep at it. If you don’t catch a fish, or if you catch one and then nothing, move off the point for a few minutes. After you fish the top and sides of the main point as usual, come back to the secondary point for another pass. Oddly enough, you will often find a secondary point won’t really start producing until the fish stop biting everywhere else and move into rest.

One other thing to keep in mind when fishing anywhere you think the fish normally live is to downsize your bait. When fishing structure that congregates fish, they will most of the time be neutral at best, and negative as a rule. If a fish returns home after feeding, he’s not likely to want to chase a big crankbait or fill up even more with a 10″ worm. I call it the “desert principle.” If my wife has just fed me a 16 oz steak, I’m likely to refuse the offer of another one. But give a few minutes after my steak, and I might find room for a brownie. When you fish where they live, go small and slow.

Corners

One of the easiest structures to find and one of the lightest fished is a corner. Of course, corners come in two flavors, inside and outside. Both flavors are formed by the junction of two other structures, usually just your plain vanilla ledges. Although it would seem that an inside or out side corner would be about the same, they have to be approached from virtually opposite directions. But they do share one fact, either can hold a ton of fish under the right conditions.

The inside corner is the most common and exists, if nowhere else, someplace on just about every large hole. We’re looking for something that approaches a right angle, not just a smoothed out bowl side. The abrupt change in direction is what consentrates fish. But the odd fact is the fish are only rarely right in the corner. The normal case is where the fish live just off to one side, generally along the lower edge. The visualize why this is true, look at how a fish can use a corner. If you’re a fish, and hang around just off a corner, chances are fairly good if you wait long enough, another fish will chase something good to eat along the opposite ledge right into where you are waiting. This is known as free food, a huge plus if you’re a fish. Now, if you would take the trouble to chase some bait along your side of the ledge, and you and the other fish both get to the corner about the same time, then you both get free food, even better. Turns out, this is pretty much what you find when fishing inside corners. There may always be the odd fish hanging out just off one side or the other, and it’s one of the better spots on the lake to find a school of fish during Spring and Fall. Fish don’t seem to live on inside corners unless there is something else about it which will hold them there, (brushpiles, hydrilla balls, etc.) It is a place fish like to visit and hunt even when not schooling, so inside corners do replinish themselves regularly. They tend to be one of those good places to know even during the off seasons. Fish around an inside corner are normally aggressive and actively feeding, so you can cover the water with a fast bait and still get most of what’s there. Crankbaits and Spinner Baits pulled parallel to one of the ledges work well. I prefer to work a corner from the shallow sides first, and move to deeper water only after covering both ledges for about 50′ down either side. Try to cast at an angle along the face of the ledges even after you’ve moved deep. Jigs and plastic worms work well when emerging from cover on the top of a ledge and working down at an angle away from the actual corner.

The outside corner is just about the same thing, only completely different. Once again you have two ledges that meet, but it’s now closer to a point. You would still like a corner that’s about a right angle, and a fairly quick drop on the slope would help. But this time, a drop of about 5 feet to a deeper flat would be ideal. There will be a few fish hanging around just off the corner at the bottom of the ledge, and the corner itself is still not all that great. The bigger fish, however, will not be beside the structure at all, but will instead be just off the structure in open water. Let’s look at an outside corner from a big fish view point. You’re big enough to not need the shelter of the ledge, and drawing back from the corner, looking down one side of the ledge, gives you the best view of the entire structure. The smaller fish will chase the bait along each ledge until the bait runs off the end, at the corner, and all you have to do is wait for it to happen, free food. Big fish are already notoriously lazy, and such an easy hunting spot will do nothing for exciting one either. Expect the smaller fish around the corner itself to be fairly aggressive, but the bigger fish will be neutral. To get the most out of one of these spots, start with the boat out in deep water where you cast will just reach the corner, then work the bait slowly over the deep flat. How far to work it will depend on depth and water clarity, but in clear water, out as far as 50′ may still be productive. After working your way around the corner on the outside, move parallel to the ledge and work the bait on a slant from the top of the ledge away from the corner. The outside corner seems to be at it’s best during the summer and winter, when fish relate to deeper structure. The only difference between the seasons is the grade of the slope, where you’d like a steep grade on at least one side in cold water..

Humps, Clumps, and Islands

Humps or underwater islands have long been sought as a prime structure during the summer season. Even humps only a few feet across can harbor literally hundreds of bass over and around the slopes. But not all humps are created equal, pick your spot carefully. You’re looking for a hump that is high enough to either have cover only on the top flat, or at least have a distinct change in the type of cover close to the top. Small to moderate size humps work better than large humps. And you’d like your hump to be surrounded by a fairly plain flat in deep water, but still have some other type of structure within a couple of hundred feet, so we’re not too isolated.

In natural lakes, Humps are another one of those places fish live. Humps are at their best in the middle of the day or night, when not every fish is out hunting. Bass will suspend around the hump as well as burying up in the cover, so a wide variety of lures will work, if you keep them small and subtle. Work all portions of the hump, but pay particular attention to the upwind and downwind sides. A wind current can turn a good hump into a honey hole of legendary proportions.

In reservoirs, current can be the key. Bass will still live around a hump, but may wait until a current is passing the hump to feed. In these cases, presenting the bait drifting with the current can load the boat in a heart beat. A few fish will position themselves in front of the hump, particularly if there is a steep bank on the leading edge. Most of the fish will snuggle down behind the hump and see what drifts by. This is the classic case of free food, and one of the easier lives you can lead if you’re a bass. If smallmouths are in the lake, this pattern can work 10 months out of the year, taking a break only during the spawn.

Even if you can’t find a true hump, this is one case where cover can comprise structure. A dense, isolated weed bed can make a very good imitation of a hump if nothing else is available. Sometimes you can find a flooded mound of timber stumps that make another good hump for all intents and purposes. Man made objects on the lake bottom, such as old sheds, tractors, or cars can be fished just like a hump if in the right position. I once dove down to find one of my favorite humps was a ’47 Ford Pickup in 30′ of water.

As with most structures, you can have too much of a good thing. Use our usual guidelines of a couple of hundred feet to distinquish between a hump and an island. Underwater islands are good, just not isolated. Underwater islands are best approached as a single round ledge and more or less ignore the center of the island unless a cover change or some other feature draws you there. There are usually several secondary structures surronding an island such as points or cuts, but pay a bit of additional attention to wind or power currents. The up current and down current sides of an island are normally more productive than the sides unless heavy cover breaks up the current as it flows past.

Fishing structure is more than a passing fad. Structure fishing, particularly in deep water, is a skill that will become required as more pressure is applied to the lakes and fish in future years. It’s not a difficult undertaking, it simply requires a bit of thought and a willingness to learn new things. Once you give it a try, I think the success will keep you off shore most of the year. So, see you in the middle!

Paul Crawford

POND BOSS Magazine is the world’s leading resource for fish, pond and fisheries management information including discussions on muddy water, raising trophy fish, fish feeding, building a pond, algae control and more. Check us out at www.pondboss.com or contact Bob Lusk, the Pond Boss himself, at 903-564-5372. His books, Basic Pond Management, Raising Trophy Bass and Perfect Pond, Want One, may be purchased by calling 800-687-6075 or ordering online at www.pondboss.com