What better way to start the season than with a guided fishing trip? You usually have a banner day when in the company of an accomplished guide, so why not kick off open water fishing in that fashion?
The use of a guide truly is worth the expenditure if you can afford it. I think it’s a great way to learn a body of water and maybe a new technique or two. Here are guides I like within a short driving distance of our area. I hope it will be a memorable experience if you use any of them.
• Spence Petros guides on Delavan Lake and Geneva Lake in May and June. He’s totally booked, and it doesn’t surprise me. He is the absolute best. You can call the hall of famer at 815-455-7770 to put your name on his list if he gets any cancellations.
• Chris Taurisano runs T-Bone Guide Service and is the man on the Fox Chain O' Lakes. I have a date with him in early May, and I cannot wait. Taurisano, who does the Chain fishing report for me right here every week has attracted quite a large following. He knows the Fox Chain as well as any guide on the water, and if you are looking to do battle with a Chain trophy muskie, Taurisano is the guy to book. Call him at 630-330-9090 or go to www.tboneguideservice.com.
• My friend and co-host on our, “We Fish ASA” podcast, Dave Kranz from Dave’s Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy is doing a little guiding again. Kranz is a great teacher, and a half day on Vulcan Lakes in Crystal Lake or the Fox Chain will do wonders for your skills. You’ll also catch a bunch of fish. Kranz is really good. Call him at 815-455-2040 or stop by his store.
• Phil Piscitello is a really good fisherman and guide. He spends his off-time studying the art of fishing, and he remembers everything. He does a great job on the Fox Chain, Delavan and Geneva, along with lesser-known lakes. You can reach him at 847-638-7547 or by email at marbleyes66@yahoo.com.
• Lincoln Buchanan works the Chain with excellence. He’s a part of T-Bone Guide Service, so you know he has to be good. If you want a day filled with memorable walleye fishing, then Lincoln’s the guy for you. He’s not only for eyes, however. He’s a talented multi-species guide. Call him at 847-774-5746.
• Carl Kaufmann of the appropriately named Carl Kaufmann Guide Service still is booking trips for repeat clients, but isn’t really looking for new business. He is about as good as it gets on Geneva Lake, so putting your name on his waiting list is not a bad idea. You can reach him at 815-338-2475.
• Doug Becker of the JD Guide Service is one heck of a guide and usually scores nice limits on Geneva Lake. He’s a very good tournament fisherman when he isn’t guiding. Becker knows how to catch the muskies that have been stocked in Geneva, too. His number is 847-502-3419.
• Mark O’Neill of structure-fishing.com is the best around when it comes to explaining and teaching all of the intricacies of working with sonar and GPS. He also is one heck of a fisherman and catches huge bass on Geneva. You can hire him to go out in your own boat, and he will instruct you in ways of using your sonar unit that you had no idea it could do. He also can guide you to some prime bass spots. His number is 773-330-9702.
• Steve Everetts of Finseekers Guide Service is my “go-to-guy” for Delavan Lake and also has a lot of success on the Madison Chain. When I go out with Everetts, the results always are better than my expectations, which are high to begin with. Call him at 847-707-1827.
• Captain Walt Koch of the Red Rock Guiding Service states his mission as “assist you in catching fish; educate you about the latest fishing techniques; improve your fishing finding and catching skills; help you enjoy your day on the water.” What more can I add to that? Koch is at redrockguidingservice.com or call
847-710-5453.
That’s it for my local guides. Next time out, I’ll tell you about some guides you may have to drive a little further to use, but the gas money spent will be well worth it.
Fishing report
Northern Illinois: Dave Kranz from Dave’s Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy in Crystal Lake reports: “The dams at McHenry, Algonquin and Carpentersville will come alive with the coming rain and then some warmer days. A jig and minnow combo will work well. Spinners and small shallow running crank baits are also good choices. McHenry County Conservation Area has the Hollows and Lake Atwood. It is a put-and-take lake for the trout stocking. The trout opened last weekend to cold temperatures, but those that went caught fish. Power bait, small spoons or spinners and night crawlers all caught fish. Crystal Lake’s Three Oaks Recreation Area needs a couple of weeks of warmer weather to get it going. For more info on Northern Illinois fishing, call
815-455-2040 for an updated report.”
News and notes
Youth Spring Turkey Season: Youth turkey hunters harvested a total of 1,156 birds during the 2018 Illinois Youth Turkey Season. In 2017, a total of 1,531 turkeys were taken, marking a record harvest. Weather undoubtedly was a factor in this year’s decline, as youth hunters experienced unseasonably cold temperatures throughout the four-day season. The dates for this year’s season were March 31 to April 1 and also Saturday and Sunday. This year, a total of 5,274 youth turkey permits were issued, in 2017, 5,601 permits were issued. The top five counties for harvest during this year’s youth season were Randolph (43), Jo Daviess (34), Adams (33), Fayette (33) and Jefferson (33). Some totals for our local northern Illinois counties were McHenry 11; Winnebago 13; Boone 6.
Walleyes Unlimited meeting: Walleyes Unlimited, with around 450 members, is one of the Midwest’s most popular fishing clubs. The club’s April meeting is at 7 p.m. April 25 at the Gurnee American Legion, which is located at 749 Milwaukee Ave. in Gurnee. The speaker is captain Doug Kloet, and his topic is “Spring Muskies in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.” It is one that you definitely do not want to miss. Soft drinks are provided, and hard beverages are available for purchase. Check walleyesunlimitedusa.org for more information or call Bob Clark at 847-274-8247.
• Steve Sarley writes about the outdoors for Shaw Media. Write to him at sarfishing@yahoo.com. Steve does a weekly podcast about fishing called "WeFishASA." You can find it at www.wefishasa.com