Fishing derby, winter festival still a go

There may not be much ice on the water, but the Northern Illinois Conservation Club's 57th Annual Chain O' Lakes Fishing Derby and Winter Festival is still on for Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11 and 12, at Turtle Beach on Channel Lake, 42273 N. Woodbine Ave., Antioch.

The festival will feature raffles, games for children, a live auction and, of course, the fishing derby, with prizes for the smallest and largest fish. Food will also be available in the Conservation Café.

Admission is free; a raffle ticket must be purchased for each fish registered in the derby.

Raffle tickets are $3 each or two for $5, and the raffle drawing will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Hours for the fishing derby are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. While the event is usually an ice fishing derby, in lieu of ice, anglers can still fish from the shore or piers.

If you can catch a fish in the Chain O' Lakes, you can register it to try for a prize. Prizes will be awarded for the largest and smallest fish caught each hour of the derby in 10 different categories, and at the end of the derby a cash prize will be awarded for the largest and smallest fish overall in each category.

Auction and raffle prizes will include concert tickets to the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Summerfest and Panic at the Disco at the All State Arena, a Bears autographed picture, various pieces of fishing equipment, including a propane ice auger and several rod and reel combos, a guided fishing trip to the Turtle Flambeau Flowage, packages and gift certificate from local sporting goods stores and restaurants and more.

The Main Raffle will have prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250, and bucket raffles will also be held. Winners do not need to be present at the drawing.

Funds raised will go to the Northern Illinois Conservation Club to help defray their expenses and to provide a scholarship for local high school students.

For details, visit mynicc.org, find NICC on Facebook, or call (262) 496-3021.