Good Fishing in Elburn, eh!!

This may surprise some of you, but you don't have to go to Canada or Florida to catch a big fish. There's good fishing right here in Elburn. Several years ago, our village board stocked both of the ponds in Prairie Highlands with bass fingerlings, and those little "babies" are getting pretty chunky now. There are also plenty of bluegills and sunfish to catch while you are waiting to land "Mr. Bigmouth."

A combination that has always worked well for me is using a light spinning reel and light action rod rigged with a small white fly popper threaded several feet downline from a clear bubble float. The entire rig floats on top of the water, and when the water warms up those fiesty panfish will come up and smack that popper on almost every cast. This is a super set-up for kids to use, because you're staying out of the weeds and snags, and you don't have to rebait after every strike.

The largemouth bass go for all kinds of weedless jigs. They especially like YUM and Gulp worms rigged wacky style. If your line moves laterally after a wacky worm cast, set the hook. There's a big old bass at the other end of your line waiting to meet you.

I always catch and release the bass I retrieve, and I hope you do too. It takes several years to grow one of these mouthy bass beauties, and I want everyone, especially our children, to be able to enjoy fishing in Elburn for years to come.

Hey, if you land one of these lovable lunkers in Elburn, take a digital photo, and e-mail it in to me. I'll post it on the mayor's blog, and you'll be famous. Well, not really that famous, but it will still be fun. Enjoy the good fishing in Elburn, eh!