Jackson: Spring returns, and the fish are biting

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that many emails I receive ask about the locations of the ponds I find and fish.

I am honest and quite blunt with you when I tell that I have gone through many tanks of fuel while driving around the metro area as well as places in the country searching for out-of-the way ponds.

I have been turned down more times than I care to remember from fishing a "juicy-looking" pond I suspect holds monster bass and bluegills. I always check with the land owner before approaching a body of water.

But it's the positives I get that lead me to a specific bank or shoreline and offer me some of the best lure and bait dunking of the early- and midseason periods.

But why are these ponds such good spots? Why do I score like a champ?

First, I don't keep any fish. Unless a landowner tells me to "clean out" his pond, everything I catch is released.

I make sure I use barbless hooks, even on the flies I cast to hot spots. I've never killed a fish in all the years I've explored these hot spots.

Secondly, many of the ponds I've "discovered" are ready to go (produce fish) about a week to 10 days after ice-out. And this past winter was more of a "tease" than a serious winter blaster, so the survival rate for panfish and bass is much higher.

"Why won't you reveal or share with us the locations of some of these great ponds?" emailed Fred from Algonquin.

That category of email comes my way throughout the soft-water season. I'm sorry to report, but many of the public forest preserve ponds in Cook, DuPage, and McHenry counties have been ravaged by ignorant slobs. It appears their mission is to dump their personal garbage all over the grounds while pulling every fish out and throwing them into their buckets. Unfortunately, there isn't a game warden around to stop this abuse.

All that aside, spring is here. Despite the cold weather, water temperatures are slowly climbing upward. That simply means a more rigorous form of biting action and movement from a variety of fish.

Now, some spots to consider:

It's not a pond, but I'll start with the Fox River, which can be a fish factory if an angler uses his or her head.

You can find walleyes below the McHenry Dam in 8-10 feet of water. A ¼ ounce to ⅛ ounce jig tipped with a 3-inch minnow is a good presentation for the spawning and post-spawn walleyes. Boat rentals are available in the state park.

Further downstream, you can arm wrestle with large channel catfish and smallmouth bass. Because the river's water level is slightly up, use a small jig and minnow combo near the edge of the current or shoreline, but make sure you allow the rig to hit bottom.

Now to the ponds.

I won't go into the fly fishing presentations because those readers who are fly devotees already know the game.

In the hardware department, my early-season lure assortment will include 1/16th ounce Mini-Mite jig and tails. Sometimes I'll tip the hook with a small minnow. I'll try an ⅛ ounce in-line spinner, like a Panther Martin or Blue Fox.

The third setup has me working a No. 8 hook tied to 4-pound mono. I'll use a tiny float (nonslip type) above the hook and minnow. I keep that rig moving until I feel resistance or the float disappears beneath the surface.

One of the better public fishing spots in DuPage County is Herrick Lake on Butterfield Road.

In Lake County, try Banana Lake in the Lake County woods off Route 176.

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.