please be careful

[Captain Ken]

I just saw the headlines of the paper that FOUR guys all went through the same bad ice in one day or all at once, I'm not sure. Anyway, they went under or by teh bridge on Grass Lake on the Chain.

There's current there boys. The Pistakee lake bridges have open water right this minute and they are just a litte ways up from the Grass Lake Road bridge. ALWAYS watch bridges and even narrows by islands. I avoid them like the plague. The water is always moving, especially on river fed lakes LIKE THE CHAIN and these areas of restriction will serve to keep the ice open or very thin.

Stay safe and have fun.

Capt Ken

------------------
Captain Ken Kessler
www.captainken.com
Guiding in Illinois and North East Minnesota
847-970-9108 Illinois
218-742-4680 Minnesota

[M.T. Bucket]

Reading some of these posts takes me back to ice fishing days in IL. I moved to northern MN in 2000 from LaSalle county in IL, and what a difference. I've been driving on all of the lakes for weeks now. The lake near my house had ice well over 2' last week--and we just had 4 days in a row that never got above zero. It's been -40F a couple of mornings this week. I don't know, but we could get over 4' of ice this winter at this rate.

I do miss fishing IL for a lot of reasons. I've been doing OK with the crappies and walleyes through the ice this winter--not much else.

Thanks for letting me remenisce (sp?) for a moment...

[Captain Ken]

We finally have good ice here. Never trust my truck on it. I may go out this weekend. Chain of Lakes. Who would go under a bridge with even their feet. I know that bridge---good current and DEEP. Grass lake is a few feet deep but the bridges get a deep hole under them. Good for walleyes. Bad for snowmobilers who go through.

Where did you fish when you were here?

Goo dthink I bought an extension for the strikemaster! Hope to go to my place near Vermilion in a couple weeks.

Ken

------------------
Captain Ken Kessler
www.captainken.com
www.muskieschool.com
Guiding in Illinois and North East Minnesota
847-970-9108 Illinois
218-742-4680 Minnesota

[M.T. Bucket]

I ice fished the gravel pit lakes in the Sheridan/Millington area. I caught lots of bass, bluegills, crappies, and the occasional catfish in them. I also did well on open water in these pits. I fished the Fox River and Somonauk Creek quite a bit spring through fall as well.

How 'bout you?

[Captain Ken]

I'm mostly a Lake Michigan for salmon guy and Fox Chain for muskies and bikini watching. I drive a shuttle boat on the Chain for Blarney Island over the summer.

Most of my "hard core" fishing is on Lake Vermilion. We have a plce near there. Go up 4 seasons a year.

Ken

[lucky7]

l

[This message has been edited by lucky7 (edited 02-02-2004).]

[Illinois]

Family and friends will say goodbye Wednesday to Michael F. Vassallo, a McHenry man who died in a snowmobile accident last week.

Vassallo, 35, was snowmobiling with his brother-in-law on Fox Lake Thursday evening when he hit a patch of open water and fell in. Authorities estimate he was submerged for 45 minutes before rescue workers pulled him from the frigid water.

An autopsy showed Vassallo died of hypothermia, Lake County Coroner Jim Wipple said.

[Captain Ken]

Not a happy day at all.

I talked to a guy the other day who told me that some guys he has ridden with look for open water so they can see if they can ski across with the snowmobile. Not this guy.

Stay safe.

Ken