# New Lake - Got Skunked



## FishingCop (Sep 8, 2008)

Went to Heidecke Lake (Illinois) yesterday, a 1300 acre cooling lake. Has bass, walleye, stripers, musky and other species. Didn't get on the water until noon and left about 4:00 with no fish on board except our minnows. No one out there was catching anything. First time on that lake but will try it again for sure. Little Joey (Legbrekr's 4 year old grandson) came along and learned to be our "minnow guy". He was proud of himself, finally being brave enough to touch a fish. He'd reach in the minnow bucket and, after a short while, came out with one giggling the whole time. I foul hooked (right in the dorsal fin) a small striper about 5" long, just barely longer than the rapala I was using. That, and the minnows, was the only fish we saw all day. Maybe "skunked" is a little strong a word? After all, we did land one :roll: :lol:


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## Waterwings (Sep 8, 2008)

No skunk, cause you did hook one! :wink: . Nice pics


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## browndog (Sep 8, 2008)

it's never a skunk,when you have a minnow guy that good.great pictures.


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## G3_Guy (Sep 8, 2008)

:lol: Great pics Thanks for sharing!


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## shamoo (Sep 8, 2008)

Its a mild stone when the little guy hand catches his first fish =D>


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## Captain Ahab (Sep 9, 2008)

shamoo said:


> Its a mild stone



Perhaps the best Shamoo"ism" ever. Does that mean it makes you feel mildly stoned? :lol:


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## Jim (Sep 9, 2008)

Good job! I'll take a foul hooked fish over a skunk any day! :mrgreen:


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## dedawg1149 (Sep 9, 2008)

fouled hook better than none,great pics =D>


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## FishingCop (Sep 9, 2008)

Captain Ahab said:


> shamoo said:
> 
> 
> > Its a mild stone
> ...



:LMFAO:


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## Zum (Sep 9, 2008)

Nice report.
That little striper looks like a white perch,I've never seen a striper that small.
What's a cooling lake?For some reason I have a nuclear power station in my mind.


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## FishingCop (Sep 9, 2008)

Zum said:


> Nice report.
> What's a cooling lake?For some reason I have a nuclear power station in my mind.



EXACTLY!!!!!!!!! :wink: (although I'm actually not sure if it was nuclear or another power source, but a generating station all the same...)


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## xmytruck (Sep 10, 2008)

Got a map of the place??


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## slim357 (Sep 10, 2008)

Zum said:


> Nice report.
> That little striper looks like a white perch,I've never seen a striper that small.
> What's a cooling lake?For some reason I have a nuclear power station in my mind.


Its definitely not a white perch, although I was thinkin it was a hybrid by the looks and the broken lateral lines, either way its better than nothing,


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## FishingCop (Sep 10, 2008)

xmytruck said:


> Got a map of the place??



Here you go: https://dnr.state.il.us/lands/Landmgt/PARKS/sitemaps/heidecke.gif

There is a railroad track running the length and a small bridge at one end - we were able to get under so we fished the north side which was recommended by several people. The shore line is the same all the way around both sides - white crushed rock (man made lake). There is one section on the south side that has some grassy shoreline for about 100 yards. We didn't spot it until we were leaving so we didn't try it. We looked for the deep holes, drifted some, casted some, trolled some and had no luck with any of it - live bait or artificials - no stikes, no hits, no fish. Of course, I did snag that huge baby striper  so I wasn't skunked :lol:


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## xmytruck (Sep 10, 2008)

Your going to have to go deep and find sunken islands I fish a similar place up here in MA, let take a look at the map and I will let you know..

X


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## xmytruck (Sep 11, 2008)

I marked up some spot in red, it was hard to read the depth to make a good determination on how to tackle this lake, but since it is man made I fish a similar lake here in MA and I learned real quick you can't fish these types of lakes like you would fish a kettle pond. So in other words don't be casting towards the shore all day find some drop offs and sunken islands. The grass area you mention sounds like musky heavy I would use search and destroy with a jerk bait or in line spinner.


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## FishingCop (Sep 12, 2008)

xmytruck said:


> I marked up some spot in red, it was hard to read the depth to make a good determination on how to tackle this lake, but since it is man made I fish a similar lake here in MA and I learned real quick you can't fish these types of lakes like you would fish a kettle pond. So in other words don't be casting towards the shore all day find some drop offs and sunken islands. The grass area you mention sounds like musky heavy I would use search and destroy with a jerk bait or in line spinner.




Those are the areas we fished the day we were out there - tried to find the deepes areas, anchored and tried minnows, crawlers and jigging spoons, etc. Trolled around the whole area and drifted it as well..... I guess the shad died off recently and the fish nave been over-fed for a while....


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## LegBrkr (Sep 12, 2008)

I had a bite about 15 minutes out, but couldn't hook any thing. After that it died completely until you caught that lure with your fish. I mean snagged that fish with your lure. :fishing: :lol:


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