Anglers show it's never too cold to fish at Hard Water Classic

  • Paul Skaluba of Naperville bores a hole during the DuPage Forest Preserve District's Hard Water Classic ice fishing tournament at Silver Lake in the Blackwell Forest Preserve. Skaluba used a sucker fish as bait hoping to catch a Northern Pike.

    Paul Skaluba of Naperville bores a hole during the DuPage Forest Preserve District's Hard Water Classic ice fishing tournament at Silver Lake in the Blackwell Forest Preserve. Skaluba used a sucker fish as bait hoping to catch a Northern Pike. Daniel White | Staff Photographer

  • Jake Mantovani, 12, of Naperville patiently waits for a bite during the DuPage Forest Preserve District's Hard Water Classic ice fishing tournament at Silver Lake in the Blackwell Forest Preserve.

    Jake Mantovani, 12, of Naperville patiently waits for a bite during the DuPage Forest Preserve District's Hard Water Classic ice fishing tournament at Silver Lake in the Blackwell Forest Preserve. Daniel White | Staff Photographer

  • Paul Mantovani, left, and his son Jake, 12, of Naperville patiently wait for a bite during the DuPage Forest Preserve District's Hard Water Classic ice fishing tournament at Silver Lake in the Blackwell Forest Preserve.

    Paul Mantovani, left, and his son Jake, 12, of Naperville patiently wait for a bite during the DuPage Forest Preserve District's Hard Water Classic ice fishing tournament at Silver Lake in the Blackwell Forest Preserve. Daniel White | Staff Photographer

  • Ramiro Martinez, left, and Renee Brockman, right, of Yorkville hope for a fish to bite during the DuPage Forest Preserve District's Hard Water Classic ice fishing tournament at Silver Lake in the Blackwell Forest Preserve.

    Ramiro Martinez, left, and Renee Brockman, right, of Yorkville hope for a fish to bite during the DuPage Forest Preserve District's Hard Water Classic ice fishing tournament at Silver Lake in the Blackwell Forest Preserve. Daniel White | Staff Photographer

 
Daily Herald report
Updated 1/13/2018 5:43 PM

When most of us think about fishing, we picture ourselves standing on the shore next to a calm lake on a warm summer day. The fishing fantasy doesn't involve winter gear and having to drill through nine inches of ice just to get your line in the water.

But for the anglers who showed up Saturday afternoon at Silver Lake at Blackwell Forest Preserve near Warrenville, bundling up and braving the cold to try to catch fish is living the dream.

 

They put their skills -- and tolerance to cold -- to the test during the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County's Hard Water Classic ice fishing tournament.

Gift cards to local sporting goods stores were awarded to the anglers with the top three catches of largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike and crappie. The lucky individual with the largest fish overall received a gas-powered auger or an ice shelter.

Registrants also had a chance to win door prizes, including a manual auger, ice shelter, tip-ups and rod-and-reel combinations.

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