Event Rules & Chicago Area Fishing Maps

Midwest Angler Fishing Club Event Rules:
Simple rules are, anglers fish with 2 rods.

Waiver of Responsibility
All participants fish and attend events as individual angler. No angler can hold club responsible for accidents from their equipment, injuries or location of event. Anglers adhere to local venue regulations and participate understanding the nature of outdoors, fishing dangers, and risks associated with their own health when participating in fishing. Anglers are fishing and attending as individuals- numbered spots will be provided, but no supervision is implied by the group. Underaged anglers attending should be supervised or are there with their parent's consent. No participant should attend without parental consent and supervision is highly recommended. All participants attend at their own risk and using their own insurance coverages & health coverage. Club members waive all rights to pursue compensation from club or club officials by participating of their own free will.

Equipment
No treble hooks with live bait.
Lures allowed.
All fish kept in keep net or cooler/bucket. Larger fish must be weighed immediately if you do not have a keep net (in water container).. minnows allowed(not on Lake Arlington).
1 hook per rod. (unless casting a lure).

Fishing Regs.
Undersized fish (out of season fish) or fishing without a stamp, must return those fish immediately. 100% catch-and-release fishing. Contests will adhere to State & Local regulations. Anglers must be licensed in State to participate.

Awards
Awards for largest total weight:
Classic Division Medal
Largest Fish Overall- Ribbon
2nd,3rd place Ribbons
Open Division (1st Place Ribbon)
Season Points accumulated for Angler of the Year

Draw for Spots
Draw Posted for event. Weather, special circumstance can delay start- only momentarily- events will end at prescribed times unless noted by official.
:30 minute setup period following draw (anglers head to #erd spots & setup)
Whistle will signal fishing for Classic Division ((Start fishing)) :30 minutes after drawing for spots.
1:30 minutes following draw- Open Division Whistle will start them fishing
All anglers will then fish for (4 hours) until Whistle ends contest.

Ending of Contest
All fish either in hand, in net or on shore will count following 2 second whistle blast.
Any fish not in hand, in a net (out of water) or on shore will not count and must be immediately put back in water. Fish put in net will be subject to "largest fish removed penalty" (largest fish in possession will be put back in without weight in results).
Please no casting or baiting into neighbor's area.
All methods of fishing included- no snagging fish caught by tail or rear 1/2 of fish must be returned to water. (same rule applies for largest fish removal if such a fish is put into keep net or possession with other fish).

Damaged Fish
Damaged fish may be ruled inelligible for weight. Care is to be taken in removal of all fish- deep-hooked fish must have line cut (to prevent damage to fish)- hook will rust out quickly. Damaged fish will be removed from weigh-in if deemed by weigh-in official. Hook removers (disgorgers are strongly recommended (if not required)- ask either Patrick or John for a disgorger- they are only $1.50 and are essential to preservation of fish's health.

Weigh-In
Results will be determined at each angler's position (#erd spot). A scale crew and gallery will come to each angler's position, where the angler will remove their bag from the water. The fish will then be placed in weighing bucket and placed on scale. Weights over 20 lb. will be split into several bucket, each bucket recorded and then placed in separate container. Sum of all weights added will be total weight for angler for event. Anglers are expected to confirm weight, agree with spoken weight. Anglers should be present for weigh-in.

Divisions
Open Division anglers do NOT compete against Classic Division anglers- Open Division Anglers may NOT draw end spots. Extra spots will be reserved in the center of venue (for late-coming anglers). It is advised to reserve your spot when possible. Spots may be reserved as late as :30 minutes prior to events (day of)- extra spot may be available on first-come/first-served basis. Events are free to all club members. Guests are charged $5 fee for tips, admin & medal fee to participate in event as contestant.

Classic Division- all anglers who have not won 3 Midwest/Chicago Angler's events, all angles who have not won match event or major event.

Jr. Division- all anglers 20 and younger (anglers 9 and under must fish with parent/adult at event)

Open Division- all anglers

Angler of the Year
Points from each contest will be added and the best 4 event finishes will determine the angler of the year for our club. Angler of the Year will be the angler in Classic Division who has best 4 event scores.

Club Champion
A Championships shall be fished (2-heats) to determine our Club Champion. This will be the angler with the best finish in those 2 heats (combined). The Club Championships will have an additional entry fee for the event to cover award costs as well as snacks & prizes on the day.

Classic Champion
The Classic Division shall win 80% of all prizes cash or merchandise and also be awarded 3 medals of finish for the Club Championships. A Classic Champion may also be "Club Champion" with the best result over 2 heats!

Junior Champion
If an angler is Junior Champion (and is NOT Club or Classic Champion)- Junior Champion Medals shall be awarded to the 1 - 3 Junior. If a Junior wins either Club or Classic Champion- that will be their reward as well as title of Junior Champion. (Juniors can only win one medal should they dominate the field!) Hey- it can happen! We call this rule - the Max Rule in honor of Angler of the Year Max Ford!

 

Chicago Area Fishing Maps and lake information
You will find fishing information, tips for local waters of the Chicago area park districts, public lake fishing, fish descriptions and fishing information for DuPage County fishing, Cook County fishing, Will County fishing & Lake County fishing on this web page. These discriptions include some of the best kid's fishing lakes and family outting waters in Northern Illinois and the Chicagoland with fantastic fishing. Some of these waters are catch and release only, which means you and your child can enjoy great fishing but all fish must be CPR (catch, photographed and released). It is our experience that waters of urban park districts and forest preserves which do practice catch and release fishing in Chicago- offer the best fishing in and around the city.

Northern Illinois Fishing Maps/ Information to Chicagoland lakes, ponds & rivers!
Arlington Heights fishing info CLICK HERE
(Great kids/family fishing) Lake Arlington Fishing Information

Downers Grove fishing info CLICK HERE
(Great kids/family fishing) Barth Pond Fishing Information

Oak Brook fishing info CLICK HERE
(Great kids/family fishing) Central Park Fishing Information

Chicago Area Kids Fishing Tips for Families and Friends:
Details we look for in a great family/ kid's fishing venue include plenty of bluegill, the chance to catch some larger fish, playground equpment nearby, bathroom facilities as well as easy to navigate shoreline (non-trecherous for the most part). No water is very safe, but the waters on the list are shallow at the edge and have no sharp drops on the shoreline that might cause problems for rescue or extraction of your child from the water. These lakes are man made and are shallow at the edge of the water. We do highly suggest watching children whenever near any body of water- all water has its dangers and kids should be helped while in and around water at all times.

Take a neighbor kid fishing or family members as a great way to get outdoors. Remember that kids under 10 will want to do a little playing and exploring while fishing. Always remember to allow time for this and don't be discouraged if they opt to look for frogs over fishing. One thing we learned is that bringing kids fishing often means giving up a little of your time on the water for them. ((you may not get serious fishing in so be prepared)).

Always bring plenty of water & liquids as well as sun protection including hats and kid's sunblock! Apply twice a day! A snack would be helpful as well as seeking some shade nearby your fishing spot. Kids don't know how to tell you they are hot or cold so you monitor them! They are generally tough and may wind down without you knowing so watch them for heat exhaustion, dehyrdration and sunstroke- basically don't leave them in the elements too long!! Another one is hypothermia! Even in summer, a wet kid can get hypothermia as their wet body will let out too much body heat. Bring dry clothes/spare shoes or be prepared to cut your fishing really short if they get wet.

Chicago Area Fishing Status:
Chicago's public lakes offer fantastic fishing. While bass can be found in all of our lakes, these chicago area bass are highly pressured. If you want fishing success in the greater Chicago area and suburbs, we recommend you broaden your fishing horizons. DuPage, Cook, Lake, Will County fishing offers a lot of different species of fish other than bass that are readily available to the angler. Our fishing club teaches anglers tips and tricks on fishing Chicago suburban waters that will improve your fishing. The urban fishing scene is one of heavy pressure in our area. Add tactics to catch the other 85% of the fish (bass make up only 5% of the fish in the waters) and you will dramatically improve your fishing weights. Our club averages 4x the catch of a Bassmasters tourney weight per angler and our top anglers are outweighing bass pro weights by some 8x!!! Chicago area fishing is fantastic if you open your species targeting to include the other 85% of the catchable fish in the lake. The secret is that nealry 75% of the anglers aim at the 5% of the fish (bass) which is too much of a strain on the existing bass population. The state of bass fishing offers urban anglers many many undersized bass in the 2 - 3 year class and very few larger fish. Some 90% of all bass are under legal limit size because of the heavy fishing pressure-

We don't ask that you give up bass fishing around Chicago's lakes- but rather when you aren't catching fish (bass or walleye) make the switch over and try some of our tactics on the other fish. To tell you how great our fishing is, many anglers travel from Russia, England, France & South Africa to fish HERE IN CHICAGO! We have world-class fishing here. Our club is founded on catching fish and getting more fish and larger fish on your lines. We also highly teach catch and release fishing to the membership to preserve our great fishery. All of Midwest Angler's Chicago area fishing events are 100% catch-and-release only.

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