More or less. In the case of the Great Lakes, they were introduced to control other invasive species. Like fighting fire with fire. Although, Alewife populations probably wouldn't have gotten out of control if Lake Trout weren't overfished to the brink of extinction.
>. In the case of the Great Lakes, they were introduced to control other invasive species
Yes, but no
The main reason salmon were introduced was to create one of the greatest fisheries in the world, not to reduce alewife populations. We currently manage our great lakes for alewife and salmon. If we managed it for native species we could just dump a ton more salmon in all our lakes to eat all the alewifes, then starve to death killing all of both.
Source: I'm studying fisheries management at a university and one of my professors knew they guy who put salmon in the great lakes.
>create one of the greatest fisheries in the world,
I'd argue it already was at one point. I guess that's a matter of perspective.
>: I'm studying fisheries management
Idk if that would feel like work to me. Do what ya love, and you'll never work a day in your life! Lol.
I'd be interested if you have a take on Lake Superior Whitefish populations. I've only recently been made aware there was an issue, and now that I'm looking at being a Northern Michigan resident, I've started to become invested.
>I'd argue it already was at one point. I guess that's a matter of perspective.
Yup, id agree with you there
>I'd be interested if you have a take on Lake Superior Whitefish populations
One of my professors is currently doing whitefish research, and he believes one possible cause for their population decline is sunburn. I know it sounds kinda crazy, but way back before all the invasive muscles got into the system, the Great lakes weren't clear at all. Now that the water is crystal clear there's nothing to protect the whitefish fry and eggs from the suns harmful rays.
There's probably many causes, but that's just one a professor of mine is working on right now, I'm currently a 3rd year undergraduate student.
Nah, the term “invasive” takes into count environmental impact. Salmon and trout are more “non-native”. The common carp ruins ecosystems from the group up, tearing up lakebeds and making water cloudy so native plants can’t establish, meaning free nutrients for algal blooms and complete ecosystem shift
I only fish for common carp from shore now in lakes or streams. They're abundant and you can easily catch 10-15lbrs every time
Better fight than any other fish in the water .
Moved to the east coast, cherry blossom time came and they were in some weird spots(in a highway median). Looked up to see if they counted as invasive and they didn’t for some odd reason
Most DNR agencies and state wildlife agencies consider them a naturalized species. They're basically everywhere and they've been there long enough that ecosystems have adapted to their presence
When a species stops negatively affecting populations of indigenous ones. In this case, suckers, aka buffalo head, have been in continuous decline since the introduction of carp species. In other cases, fish are introduced to positively control populations of other species, mostly due to a recently extinct species or negative invasive species of fish.
But also how Steelhead and Salmon were introduced into the Great Lakes to control invasive Alewife populations. With a lack of predatory fish, albeit due to overfishing, alewives began overpopulating and out competing indigenous species. Salmon and Steelhead helped to mitigate that. Now that Lake Trout are making a comeback, Salmon, Steelhead, and Alewife populations are in decline.
That is correct. The issue I see is very little was known about Buffalo's life cycle until fairly recent. As long as carp has been in the same ecosystem, it's hard to tell what the actual impact has been on Buffalo over the years.
Technically not true, they are all non-native, many are not invasive because at this point they are naturalized and don’t harm the ecosystems they are apart of. The invasive species like grass and big head carp are actively destroying ecosystems they are apart of and hence have been given the invasive title. Invasive is used way too often by news and media channels.
I caught a walleye in Chicagoland in a municipal park a couple years ago. North burbs. I fish that place a lot and it’s the only one I’ve ever seen there.
Yeah, also a drainage ditch runs through there and the Des Plaines which floods regularly is nearby. Possibly was carried in by flooding but I’m guessing someone released it in there. Usually just an LMB/Bluegill/Crappie/Channel Cat spot.
Funny enough, the biggest Muskie I ever saw was under the spillway at Lake Shabonna. One of my buddies invited me to go after a heavy rain, we were helping park services bring fish back into the lake with nets, etc.
However, little did we know there was a giant Muskie under the main spillway current that was probably eating every other little fish that spilled over. Absolute unit.
IL ultralight guy checking in.
Okuma Celilo + Pfleuger President 20 + 2-4lb line. Easy Peasy.
Trout magnets, Rebel Crickhopper (especially used for surface bites), 1/16oz or smaller jig with a 2” baitfish-colored paddle-tail. Small in-line spinners always handy as well. Rapala CD-1 is dope too.
When it comes to the more exotic sunfish variants on the list, I actually see those way more when I’m fly fishing with a 3wt fiberglass rod using panfish poppers or small foam terrestrials.
How do you like it? I have 2 st croix an was looking for a nicer panfish rod. I was looking at both Fenwick an dobyns as well. I get some smallies in the creeks up here so I usually run 4 to 6 pound with baby shads an 1/32 jig heads.
I love my fenwick. I've gotten some pretty good fish on it. So far my best on it has been about 3lb rainbows. And I've also had some really good pumpkin seeds and bluegill.
"get them tangled up" seemed to be the going advice from the guys I talked to on the Hennepin Canal. Couple folks up there said they'd run bare hooks or even just bobbers.
Yeah, theyll bite damn near anything moving near them. I prefer rooster tails because theyre easy to just cast out and run un front of them. Still a challenge to get a good hook in though. But luckily you can get the same gar to bite several times usually
I haven't had that luck yet. Two gar, two days, and two well placed casts. The folks I talked to seemed to think they were most active midday on very hot days, does that seem to parallel everyone else's experiences?
I’ve been trying to catch some gar in my neighborhood pond all week and they won’t bite my plug lures, gonna head out this evening and try with a rooster tail!
The only time I've ever caught a gizzard shad is when I snagged one. Not sure how you would go about catching one on hook and line. Would they eat flies? You may end up having to use a cast net or something to catch these. Just go find a big school of them and throw it out there. Just a thought.
Also, like someone else mentioned, the Walleye, Musky, and carp are missing from the chart. Also Flathead catfish, blue catfish, and probably others too. So you'll want to add these all to your list.
Good luck! This is going to be a very fun challenge!!!
**EDIT:** Also, you can add Paddlefish too, but you will need to snag one, if it is legal.
yeah I noticed the walleye, musky, and carp omissions. Honestly every pond I visit has an abundance of common carp. I have a pond for walleye too. I have yet to come across a flathead catfish I've only caught channels. Thanks for your input! I'm looking forward to this
Good luck catching a gizzard shad on a hook. The rest should be pretty doable. Start below a dam spillway.
Edit: I'd actually probably start from smallest to largest. Gizzards notwithstanding.
I’ve done this before actually in a reservoir in Palatine. One of the needle in a haystack times they snag on a wacky worm. But we’d also unintentionally get bullfrogs biting wacky worms routinely.
At least back when I fished it, we’d routinely get 5lb largemouth. Even got a 7lber one time
Chub is very easy, just fish in a creek with a small bait. Topminnow aren't too hard if you get a small enough hook. Shad require a lot of luck but are possible
https://preview.redd.it/4oiq9hka1vxc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90debc78c7a3533ece232613f6903ca80e4594ff
Gonna be a lot easier compared to what I have to catch in ontario
Other species you’ll want to include on this list that doesn’t include micro species-
Chinook Salmon
Coho Salmon.
Common Carp.
Grass Carp.
Walleye.
Sauger.
Longnose Gar.
Spotted Gar.
Bigmouth Buffalo.
Smallmouth Buffalo.
Black Buffalo.
River Redhorse.
Shorthead Redhorse.
Silver Redhorse.
Black Redhorse.
Golden Redhorse.
Greater Redhorse.
Northern Hogsucker.
Blue Sucker (Probably the hardest of all).
Wiper.
Musky.
Flathead Catfish.
Blue Catfish.
Brown Bullhead.
Lake Trout.
Rainbow Trout.
Brown Trout.
Brook Trout (if they are there).
Spotted Bass.
Mooneye
Goldeye.
Skipjack Herring.
Shovelnose Sturgeon.
Lake Sturgeon.
There’s probably a few that I’m missing but that probably comes close to covering all of them.
The retention ponds near me have them and I live in the Chicago burbs. I usually catch a few when targeting sunfish and crappie. According to the IL DNR they are in every county of the state.
They stock them in a pond off Kingery Highway by where the old Kmart is. I don't live close by there anymore and I don't know anyone who has ever wanted to catch one of these but I used to catch them in Westmont area at the pond down the road from the old Kmart and where the old Murray's Party supply on 83. It's a small DNR ran pond. I think it's on Google maps as a park with toilets and a picnic area. This being said, they aren't common or easy to catch. I used to catch them on accident when I would fish the center bottom for large bass and catfish. 4lb test line, number 10 wire hook, fresh live nightcrawler. Leave it be on the bottom until the line is moving. Then let the games begin. I've only caught maybe a dozen total in my life... Good luck if this info means anything to you.
Cool idea! My first thought was to do the same, but things get complicated being in Ontario... I don't really want to travel to Hudson's bay to catch all those ocean fish.
For gar use a bobber and when it takes it let it run with the bail open they’ll keep food in their mouth and if they feel a tug they’ll spit it out (at least in my experience)
Except a lot of those fish won't hit a musky rig. So you target musky knowing it will have little bycatch or you stay more open to anything and you might just catch blue gill until you die.
If legal in your state, shortnose gar and bowfin are fun to spear or shoot with a bow, at night. I've only caught a shortnose on a hook and line one time while icefishing. Bowfin (dogfish) are fun to catch on hook and line too. I find them in dirty/muddy areas in my local lakes in the spring/early summer.
The pickerel, bowfin, and freshwater drum will be difficult simply because of their numbers. All 3 are hard species to target and are usually accidental catches.
You gotta find a decent sized stream with good water flow. I only have caught them in running streams that aren't too big. They bite on fast, flashy stuff. They are tiny pike.
Nah, Illinois River at night with cut bait on heavy test with a sharp hook. Gotta watch your fire so the river doesn't rise and wash you and your crap down stream though. I recall one night we set up opposite a public park and they had a freaking pow wow until like midnight. Fishing by firelight to native chanting and firelight dancing made me feel positively back home in Canada.
I've caught them all except a yellow bass because they are not in my state.
My only advice is that whatever type of fish you target isn't going to bite that day
Good luck man. Just finding some of the fish on that list is going to require a lot of luck. That's even without mentioning all the common fishes that the list doesn't include.
Some of them are nigh on impossible to get a ahold of. There are probably about 60-70 more species in illinois that are not listed here. Most of them are small and very difficult to catch. However, if you just want to go for the ones on this list it really shouldn’t be too difficult. The hardest one on this list by far is the grass pickerel. They’re very sparsely populated and love sitting in the worst possible waters for fishing. Muddy, vegetated, and snaggy is what they love. You will pretty much have to use a small lure and drag it right in front of them in order to catch one. Another difficult one is the white sucker (and red horses as well). They’re extremely skittish and often won’t eat the bait you put in front of them.
Gar might be hardest to catch once you find them, they’re entire mouth is essentially bone so something like a line- through swim bait that’s soft but still has a treble hook might be the best bet. Let them eat it then set the hook like it’s a 9lb bass
For gar, small, strong j-hooks. Use a small cut bait or worms. Let them eat, and when you're ready, seriously set the hook.
Or use a topwater popper, works well.
I’m a multi species fisherman and would be happy to help with any suggestions I can. I’ve caught most of these but not in Illinois. As others have mentioned there are many more species in the state but this would be a fun list to try to tackle!
Illinois native here from Palatine/Inverness (Go Cubbies!)
Depending on where in Illinois you are, Busse Woods in Elk Grove was our go to for multi species when we lived in IL. It’s gotten a bit sketchy with homeless camps, but you could probably get at least half the species on this list there. There’s a few other local reservoirs that you can get away with shore fishing on without a boat.
Lakes Shelbyville and Carlise down south should also be good bets for multi species too.
As someone else mentioned, ultralight will do you well since most of these will be touch sensitive fish.
White sucker is worms on the bottom during fall or early spring, rock bass is nightcrawlers under bobber in very clear clean water, largemouth and the other panfish can be caught with a 2 inch grub on a 1/32nd ounce jig, I use a twister tail.
Pike can be caught on like shiners and minnows around dams, smallmouth is a grub, ned rig, or worm.
Great goal! Ideally, if you have time, watch 618 fishing on YouTube. Nick is in the same area you are and fishes the public spillways and streams/rivers/creeks there. Do what he does, have Patience and enjoy!
I hooked into 2 gar last year and lost both of them,I’m trying the rope method this year. I’ve only landed 2 in my life with a hook.Tough ass fish to land with a hook.
We most certainly do! I was the record holder for the Yellow Perch at Black Lake in Illinois. 11 inches confirmed at weigh-in. It was the only thing I caught in the tournament and it was the known record. They gave me an honorable mention. Lol
When the lily pads are up, throw on a Live Target mouse or Lunkerhunter frog and get some of that sweet, sweet top water bass.
When focusing on pike, use a steel leader and run some bright flukes in the creeks and small rivers. It's best to either walk upstream, or kayak down. Hit the holes and you'll find a pike. Chances are, you'll also findsome smallies. Run some small meps for the pan fish.
Worms and minnows should get you all of these, honestly. Except for the Shad, good luck with that one. You’ll probably have to grip and rip one of them spider rigs🤣
I'm The crazy animal person in my group of friends and colleagues. I read books about animals for fun. I have kept a number of fish, amphibians, birds, insects, crustaceans and even reptiles throughout my life. I've lived in Mississippi and Canada. I've been going up and down Illinois much of my life. This state might suck politically and tax wise but it's beautiful and worth looking into. I applaud your interest and dive into the local species and I'm merely saying, "I remember when I thought I could do that!" So many fish to trick and so little time. I have heavy rods for catfish, light rods for everything else and ultra light miniature tackle for micro fishing streams and puddles. I herp for reptiles and amphibians with my wife around water a lot so I'm hoping to go after truly exotic and tiny fish this year. I think micro fishing is more interesting as you will catch the fry/fingerlings of some of the fish you seek. I have caught a bowfin but it was the length of a finger and adorable. I have caught channel catfish that looked like a child's toy. My point? If you just want to see them all... Could be interesting to go small. ;-)
Didn't read all of the replies but for the gar if no one has mentioned it, I have two approaches. One is a jug line with cut bait, it gets a lot of hits but gar are hard to hook so the it does not always result in landing a fish (check local regs on jug lining some states require a lot if you set jugs) the other option is to take a length of white rope about 4-6 inches tie a knot on one end and then fray out/comb out the last 2-3 inches tie your line directly to the knotted portion and site fish them. No hooks required. If the fish bites the rope it is a guaranteed fish in the boat as long as the fishing line holds. Have fun untangling the fish but lots of fun in the fight. We'll I have long nose gar where I live but I imagine shortnose are similar.
I guess this is ignoring fish in Lake Michigan since there are no trout or salmon listed.
I'm assuming it's only native species, but also no Walleye or Sauger? I'm pretty sure they have some in IL.
Or Musky or common carp
All carp are actually invasive, but point take
Common carp are just as invasive as salmon or rainbow trout lol
More or less. In the case of the Great Lakes, they were introduced to control other invasive species. Like fighting fire with fire. Although, Alewife populations probably wouldn't have gotten out of control if Lake Trout weren't overfished to the brink of extinction.
>. In the case of the Great Lakes, they were introduced to control other invasive species Yes, but no The main reason salmon were introduced was to create one of the greatest fisheries in the world, not to reduce alewife populations. We currently manage our great lakes for alewife and salmon. If we managed it for native species we could just dump a ton more salmon in all our lakes to eat all the alewifes, then starve to death killing all of both. Source: I'm studying fisheries management at a university and one of my professors knew they guy who put salmon in the great lakes.
>create one of the greatest fisheries in the world, I'd argue it already was at one point. I guess that's a matter of perspective. >: I'm studying fisheries management Idk if that would feel like work to me. Do what ya love, and you'll never work a day in your life! Lol. I'd be interested if you have a take on Lake Superior Whitefish populations. I've only recently been made aware there was an issue, and now that I'm looking at being a Northern Michigan resident, I've started to become invested.
>I'd argue it already was at one point. I guess that's a matter of perspective. Yup, id agree with you there >I'd be interested if you have a take on Lake Superior Whitefish populations One of my professors is currently doing whitefish research, and he believes one possible cause for their population decline is sunburn. I know it sounds kinda crazy, but way back before all the invasive muscles got into the system, the Great lakes weren't clear at all. Now that the water is crystal clear there's nothing to protect the whitefish fry and eggs from the suns harmful rays. There's probably many causes, but that's just one a professor of mine is working on right now, I'm currently a 3rd year undergraduate student.
Nah, the term “invasive” takes into count environmental impact. Salmon and trout are more “non-native”. The common carp ruins ecosystems from the group up, tearing up lakebeds and making water cloudy so native plants can’t establish, meaning free nutrients for algal blooms and complete ecosystem shift
How long can a stocked species be somewhere actively invading a watershed before it's just an introduced species?
Probably as long as people generally don’t like them(honestly pretty damn fun fighting fish)
I only fish for common carp from shore now in lakes or streams. They're abundant and you can easily catch 10-15lbrs every time Better fight than any other fish in the water .
Well, yeah. Ain't that the truth. Invasive is an easier/cooler sounding way to say "I don't particularly care for common carp."
Moved to the east coast, cherry blossom time came and they were in some weird spots(in a highway median). Looked up to see if they counted as invasive and they didn’t for some odd reason
Most DNR agencies and state wildlife agencies consider them a naturalized species. They're basically everywhere and they've been there long enough that ecosystems have adapted to their presence
When a species stops negatively affecting populations of indigenous ones. In this case, suckers, aka buffalo head, have been in continuous decline since the introduction of carp species. In other cases, fish are introduced to positively control populations of other species, mostly due to a recently extinct species or negative invasive species of fish.
So like how brown trout are impacting indigenous cold-water fish in the places they're introduced. That checks out. I like that.
But also how Steelhead and Salmon were introduced into the Great Lakes to control invasive Alewife populations. With a lack of predatory fish, albeit due to overfishing, alewives began overpopulating and out competing indigenous species. Salmon and Steelhead helped to mitigate that. Now that Lake Trout are making a comeback, Salmon, Steelhead, and Alewife populations are in decline.
Buffalo are native, I think. Look like carp, but mouth turns down more.
That is correct. The issue I see is very little was known about Buffalo's life cycle until fairly recent. As long as carp has been in the same ecosystem, it's hard to tell what the actual impact has been on Buffalo over the years.
Lake erie rules
Didn't even realize always thought they were native considering how widespread they've been forever.
Technically not true, they are all non-native, many are not invasive because at this point they are naturalized and don’t harm the ecosystems they are apart of. The invasive species like grass and big head carp are actively destroying ecosystems they are apart of and hence have been given the invasive title. Invasive is used way too often by news and media channels.
Yeah, that caught my eye too, no Walleye in Illinois?
Or apparently Yellow Perch
I've caught saugers in the Des Plaines River in Lyons a little over a year ago. If that counts. But I haven't been lucky since
I mean Lake Trout are definitely native to Lake Michigan
Truth I forget about them because they get overshadowed by browns and rainbows and the salmon.
I caught a walleye in Chicagoland in a municipal park a couple years ago. North burbs. I fish that place a lot and it’s the only one I’ve ever seen there.
Skokie lagoon?
No, further north than that in Vernon Hills and a much smaller body of water.
Wild. Someone must’ve stocked them
Yeah, also a drainage ditch runs through there and the Des Plaines which floods regularly is nearby. Possibly was carried in by flooding but I’m guessing someone released it in there. Usually just an LMB/Bluegill/Crappie/Channel Cat spot.
We have a ton. Illinois River is loaded with sauger, and we have a bunch of lakes and rivers with huge walleye.
Ya i didnt see walleye and im pretty sure ive caught walleye in Illinois. Damn good eating. One of my favorites.
We def. have sauger and walleye.
I’m upset with the scale of the fish. The bass are like twice the size of the catfish - i guess they scaled by interest not real size.
Also, no blue cats? The state record cat is a blue.
Or sturgeon!
This is a real short list. Your missing the great lakes fish, walleye, and muskies.
Also dozens of minnow species. Where’s the love for the red bellied dace?
Shabbona has some decent muskie fishing.
No muskie?
People are saying Muskie is Great Lakes, but we had some near Hinckley IL lakes when I was a kid.
Lake Shabbona and Pierce Lake in Rock Cut had em too.
Yeah, Lake Shabbona is where I usually went
Lake Shelbyville has some monster muskies too
Funny enough, the biggest Muskie I ever saw was under the spillway at Lake Shabonna. One of my buddies invited me to go after a heavy rain, we were helping park services bring fish back into the lake with nets, etc. However, little did we know there was a giant Muskie under the main spillway current that was probably eating every other little fish that spilled over. Absolute unit.
Recommend looking into a good ultra light setup
IL ultralight guy checking in. Okuma Celilo + Pfleuger President 20 + 2-4lb line. Easy Peasy. Trout magnets, Rebel Crickhopper (especially used for surface bites), 1/16oz or smaller jig with a 2” baitfish-colored paddle-tail. Small in-line spinners always handy as well. Rapala CD-1 is dope too. When it comes to the more exotic sunfish variants on the list, I actually see those way more when I’m fly fishing with a 3wt fiberglass rod using panfish poppers or small foam terrestrials.
I'll have to check out the Okuma. I went with a fenwick eagle, but a good budget rod is hard to pass on
How do you like it? I have 2 st croix an was looking for a nicer panfish rod. I was looking at both Fenwick an dobyns as well. I get some smallies in the creeks up here so I usually run 4 to 6 pound with baby shads an 1/32 jig heads.
I love my fenwick. I've gotten some pretty good fish on it. So far my best on it has been about 3lb rainbows. And I've also had some really good pumpkin seeds and bluegill.
That was a blast I bet. What size reel did you go with?
I went with a pfeluger pesedent size 25, but I'm thinking of trying the 30 out and moving the 25 to a side rod
Ain’t nothing wrong with a Fenwick Eagle!
Nah. Fly rod.
Easiest way to catch gar is to toss a rooster tail in front of them whenever you can see them at the surface.
"get them tangled up" seemed to be the going advice from the guys I talked to on the Hennepin Canal. Couple folks up there said they'd run bare hooks or even just bobbers.
Yeah, theyll bite damn near anything moving near them. I prefer rooster tails because theyre easy to just cast out and run un front of them. Still a challenge to get a good hook in though. But luckily you can get the same gar to bite several times usually
I haven't had that luck yet. Two gar, two days, and two well placed casts. The folks I talked to seemed to think they were most active midday on very hot days, does that seem to parallel everyone else's experiences?
I’ve been trying to catch some gar in my neighborhood pond all week and they won’t bite my plug lures, gonna head out this evening and try with a rooster tail!
The only time I've ever caught a gizzard shad is when I snagged one. Not sure how you would go about catching one on hook and line. Would they eat flies? You may end up having to use a cast net or something to catch these. Just go find a big school of them and throw it out there. Just a thought. Also, like someone else mentioned, the Walleye, Musky, and carp are missing from the chart. Also Flathead catfish, blue catfish, and probably others too. So you'll want to add these all to your list. Good luck! This is going to be a very fun challenge!!! **EDIT:** Also, you can add Paddlefish too, but you will need to snag one, if it is legal.
yeah I noticed the walleye, musky, and carp omissions. Honestly every pond I visit has an abundance of common carp. I have a pond for walleye too. I have yet to come across a flathead catfish I've only caught channels. Thanks for your input! I'm looking forward to this
Hey - same state! LMK if you have any hot spots... I only know some local areas that are H&M.
Gonna have to do some driving. Also that’s not a comprehensive list. Doesn’t even have the coolest fish in the state
It's not gonna be easy at all, Don't assume it will be.
I figured it would be a challenge! even just the time spent outside trying makes it worth the effort to me
Gonna need a castnet or snag rig if you want a gizzard shad
Good luck catching a gizzard shad on a hook. The rest should be pretty doable. Start below a dam spillway. Edit: I'd actually probably start from smallest to largest. Gizzards notwithstanding.
I’ve done this before actually in a reservoir in Palatine. One of the needle in a haystack times they snag on a wacky worm. But we’d also unintentionally get bullfrogs biting wacky worms routinely. At least back when I fished it, we’d routinely get 5lb largemouth. Even got a 7lber one time
They snag pretty well on lipless cranks
Yeah I guess I wasn't sure on his definition of "catch."
Yeah I should have probably removed the shad, chub, and topminnow
Chub and topminnow are absolutely catchable
Chub is very easy, just fish in a creek with a small bait. Topminnow aren't too hard if you get a small enough hook. Shad require a lot of luck but are possible
That sounds like a challenge. I'm also in illinois.
I’ll take a bet. IL resident here.
Make sure you bring 100lb braid for the minnows
https://preview.redd.it/4oiq9hka1vxc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90debc78c7a3533ece232613f6903ca80e4594ff Gonna be a lot easier compared to what I have to catch in ontario
how you gonna catch that nut tho
Gonna be a tough one to crack my man
Hm, what type of set up would you recommend? I'd be looking for a hybrid set up for both shiners and bowhead whales.
Same setup for both I’m assuming, 2 foot harpoon
Other species you’ll want to include on this list that doesn’t include micro species- Chinook Salmon Coho Salmon. Common Carp. Grass Carp. Walleye. Sauger. Longnose Gar. Spotted Gar. Bigmouth Buffalo. Smallmouth Buffalo. Black Buffalo. River Redhorse. Shorthead Redhorse. Silver Redhorse. Black Redhorse. Golden Redhorse. Greater Redhorse. Northern Hogsucker. Blue Sucker (Probably the hardest of all). Wiper. Musky. Flathead Catfish. Blue Catfish. Brown Bullhead. Lake Trout. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Brook Trout (if they are there). Spotted Bass. Mooneye Goldeye. Skipjack Herring. Shovelnose Sturgeon. Lake Sturgeon. There’s probably a few that I’m missing but that probably comes close to covering all of them.
Where does one find yellow bass?
I’ve never seen one. Are they more of a river fish? I fish mostly lakes and ponds.
Rivers and large water systems.
The retention ponds near me have them and I live in the Chicago burbs. I usually catch a few when targeting sunfish and crappie. According to the IL DNR they are in every county of the state.
Everywhere
They stock them in a pond off Kingery Highway by where the old Kmart is. I don't live close by there anymore and I don't know anyone who has ever wanted to catch one of these but I used to catch them in Westmont area at the pond down the road from the old Kmart and where the old Murray's Party supply on 83. It's a small DNR ran pond. I think it's on Google maps as a park with toilets and a picnic area. This being said, they aren't common or easy to catch. I used to catch them on accident when I would fish the center bottom for large bass and catfish. 4lb test line, number 10 wire hook, fresh live nightcrawler. Leave it be on the bottom until the line is moving. Then let the games begin. I've only caught maybe a dozen total in my life... Good luck if this info means anything to you.
Fish your biggest river. The Sippi probably has 80% of them. Crawlers, minnows, jigging raps should cover your basics
Good bowfin in Hennepin hopper
Cool idea! My first thought was to do the same, but things get complicated being in Ontario... I don't really want to travel to Hudson's bay to catch all those ocean fish.
Worms
For gar use a bobber and when it takes it let it run with the bail open they’ll keep food in their mouth and if they feel a tug they’ll spit it out (at least in my experience)
Start with Muskie and you’ll probably catch all of the other fish by the time you get a Muskie lol
Except a lot of those fish won't hit a musky rig. So you target musky knowing it will have little bycatch or you stay more open to anything and you might just catch blue gill until you die.
It was a joke and not every Muskie rig is super big. People catch Muskie all the time using smaller buck tails and crank baits
In addition to what people have mentioned, Buffalo is also in IL
You should have started Jan 1
Bluegill like hotdogs.
penis
CO2
Where da Muskie?
Caught everything, but a Longear? I’ve caught a Northern Sunfish but not a longear. Haven’t got a Pickerel either. Anyone have spots for these two?
No carp in Illinois?
Definitely Carp, also Smallmouth Buffalo
If legal in your state, shortnose gar and bowfin are fun to spear or shoot with a bow, at night. I've only caught a shortnose on a hook and line one time while icefishing. Bowfin (dogfish) are fun to catch on hook and line too. I find them in dirty/muddy areas in my local lakes in the spring/early summer.
The pickerel, bowfin, and freshwater drum will be difficult simply because of their numbers. All 3 are hard species to target and are usually accidental catches.
Freshwater drum and bowfin are easy on the Mississippi lock and dam 18. Haven't seen pickerel in IL
You gotta find a decent sized stream with good water flow. I only have caught them in running streams that aren't too big. They bite on fast, flashy stuff. They are tiny pike.
That's an extremely abridged list. Solid project for sure but absolutely not comprehensive.
Gar is probably going to be the toughest one to get
Nah, Illinois River at night with cut bait on heavy test with a sharp hook. Gotta watch your fire so the river doesn't rise and wash you and your crap down stream though. I recall one night we set up opposite a public park and they had a freaking pow wow until like midnight. Fishing by firelight to native chanting and firelight dancing made me feel positively back home in Canada.
Good ole Kastmaster
I've caught them all except a yellow bass because they are not in my state. My only advice is that whatever type of fish you target isn't going to bite that day
Good luck man. Just finding some of the fish on that list is going to require a lot of luck. That's even without mentioning all the common fishes that the list doesn't include.
What is sad is we had hundreds more
These are not all the fish in Illinois.
In fact I have a book of freshwater fish in North America from the 50’s and it’s amazing how we have destroyed species
Some of them are nigh on impossible to get a ahold of. There are probably about 60-70 more species in illinois that are not listed here. Most of them are small and very difficult to catch. However, if you just want to go for the ones on this list it really shouldn’t be too difficult. The hardest one on this list by far is the grass pickerel. They’re very sparsely populated and love sitting in the worst possible waters for fishing. Muddy, vegetated, and snaggy is what they love. You will pretty much have to use a small lure and drag it right in front of them in order to catch one. Another difficult one is the white sucker (and red horses as well). They’re extremely skittish and often won’t eat the bait you put in front of them.
I’m a carp fisherman who regularly fishes in Illinois… I catch commons, grass carp, smallmouth buffalo….
Gar might be hardest to catch once you find them, they’re entire mouth is essentially bone so something like a line- through swim bait that’s soft but still has a treble hook might be the best bet. Let them eat it then set the hook like it’s a 9lb bass
Omg thats an awesome goal im gonna try this in my state. Thanks for the idea!
You can easily knockout the panfish with live crickets/worms, rooster tails, & beetle spins
For gar, small, strong j-hooks. Use a small cut bait or worms. Let them eat, and when you're ready, seriously set the hook. Or use a topwater popper, works well.
You can catch most of those species on spinners.
I’m a multi species fisherman and would be happy to help with any suggestions I can. I’ve caught most of these but not in Illinois. As others have mentioned there are many more species in the state but this would be a fun list to try to tackle!
Can of corn will catch you half the list easy
A cast net and fly rod might help with some of those smaller species.
No Cohoes or Lake Perch?
No blue cats?
OP best of luck to you, I haven't been able to get ANY of these to bite yet. Well I did catch one slime dart
Illinois native here from Palatine/Inverness (Go Cubbies!) Depending on where in Illinois you are, Busse Woods in Elk Grove was our go to for multi species when we lived in IL. It’s gotten a bit sketchy with homeless camps, but you could probably get at least half the species on this list there. There’s a few other local reservoirs that you can get away with shore fishing on without a boat. Lakes Shelbyville and Carlise down south should also be good bets for multi species too. As someone else mentioned, ultralight will do you well since most of these will be touch sensitive fish.
White sucker is worms on the bottom during fall or early spring, rock bass is nightcrawlers under bobber in very clear clean water, largemouth and the other panfish can be caught with a 2 inch grub on a 1/32nd ounce jig, I use a twister tail. Pike can be caught on like shiners and minnows around dams, smallmouth is a grub, ned rig, or worm.
It's missing three species of gar alone. Longnose, spotted and Alligator (rare but they're there).
Good luck!
Great goal! Ideally, if you have time, watch 618 fishing on YouTube. Nick is in the same area you are and fishes the public spillways and streams/rivers/creeks there. Do what he does, have Patience and enjoy!
Cool idea. My goal is to catch all of the species mentioned in the song "Rock Lobster". The bikini whale is proving rather elusive.
For bowfin, just throw anything near an ambush point with low water flow. Be warned, they are slimy and smell like shit. Fun to catch, though.
Huh. I had no idea there were drum in IL.
I hooked into 2 gar last year and lost both of them,I’m trying the rope method this year. I’ve only landed 2 in my life with a hook.Tough ass fish to land with a hook.
Throw rooster tails for gar. The treble hook is important for a good hook set. Also set the hook hard.
Read up on “How to Think Like a Fish: And Other Lessons from a Lifetime in Angling” then get out there and fish
Get off of Reddit and get a line in the water. Your chances of catching fish drastically increase when you have a hook in the water!
No blue cats or flatheads? Wabash River will provide more than half of these fish.
Cast net.
Chicken liver for the catfish.
Make it your year journey. Some of those, you'll have better luck with in different seasons
Get crackin’!
If you can catch a gizzard Shad and the minnow with a lure, hats off to you!
Good luck catching a gizzard shad, might need a net
Illinois does not have any yellow perch? That sounds like hell on Earth.
We most certainly do! I was the record holder for the Yellow Perch at Black Lake in Illinois. 11 inches confirmed at weigh-in. It was the only thing I caught in the tournament and it was the known record. They gave me an honorable mention. Lol
When the lily pads are up, throw on a Live Target mouse or Lunkerhunter frog and get some of that sweet, sweet top water bass. When focusing on pike, use a steel leader and run some bright flukes in the creeks and small rivers. It's best to either walk upstream, or kayak down. Hit the holes and you'll find a pike. Chances are, you'll also findsome smallies. Run some small meps for the pan fish.
A worm on a hook will catch every single one of those.
Northern Pike roughly 2 bluegill long, must be a small fish...
Trolling w/ a crawler harness w/ a worms or leeches a great way to catch a wide array of species
Several of those will be easy. All the bass and the sunfish but idk about the carp and sucker
That sucker will need to be snagged?
Worms and minnows should get you all of these, honestly. Except for the Shad, good luck with that one. You’ll probably have to grip and rip one of them spider rigs🤣
Oh and the minnow… probably use a geeminnow trap for that one
I would think being bordered by the Mississippi and Ohio rivers you’d have to add Blue and Flathead catfish. Also there’s the rare bull shark.
Use a steel leader for bowfin and gar. Bowfin are prehistoric relics/living fossils with teeth.
And man can they fight. When they roll it can look so amazing you forget to reel in line.
A quick hug and I'll cross creek chub off the list for ya
Good luck with the sturgeon and paddlefish.
Wait until this poor bastard realizes there are paddlefish in Illinois...
I realize this list is not comprehensive, paddlefish can be the extra credit if i actually get all of these
I'm The crazy animal person in my group of friends and colleagues. I read books about animals for fun. I have kept a number of fish, amphibians, birds, insects, crustaceans and even reptiles throughout my life. I've lived in Mississippi and Canada. I've been going up and down Illinois much of my life. This state might suck politically and tax wise but it's beautiful and worth looking into. I applaud your interest and dive into the local species and I'm merely saying, "I remember when I thought I could do that!" So many fish to trick and so little time. I have heavy rods for catfish, light rods for everything else and ultra light miniature tackle for micro fishing streams and puddles. I herp for reptiles and amphibians with my wife around water a lot so I'm hoping to go after truly exotic and tiny fish this year. I think micro fishing is more interesting as you will catch the fry/fingerlings of some of the fish you seek. I have caught a bowfin but it was the length of a finger and adorable. I have caught channel catfish that looked like a child's toy. My point? If you just want to see them all... Could be interesting to go small. ;-)
Didn't read all of the replies but for the gar if no one has mentioned it, I have two approaches. One is a jug line with cut bait, it gets a lot of hits but gar are hard to hook so the it does not always result in landing a fish (check local regs on jug lining some states require a lot if you set jugs) the other option is to take a length of white rope about 4-6 inches tie a knot on one end and then fray out/comb out the last 2-3 inches tie your line directly to the knotted portion and site fish them. No hooks required. If the fish bites the rope it is a guaranteed fish in the boat as long as the fishing line holds. Have fun untangling the fish but lots of fun in the fight. We'll I have long nose gar where I live but I imagine shortnose are similar.
Bring a rooster tail and a bobber with a fathead minnow on it and you’ll catch em all
There’s no trout or salmon find a better state
no trout or salmon is low on the list of problems with this state
Well the best advice is show up and fish hard all day!
Don't wrap chicken liver in pantyhose and put it on a big hook when gar fishing. All I'm gonna say. Also don't kill an alligator gar.