I find Mac's muskie discussions fascinating. I'm as unfamiliar with the equipment and jargon as Regular Reader. I learned how to fish from my grandfather and, although I know he had fished for muskie himself (he had lures in his box that I can't imagine could be used for anything else), by the time he got to me- the youngest grandson- he seemed to have a philosophy of only going for what he called "good eatin' fish". That meant that we were after walleye, lake perch, bass, and panfish when we fished in the North and bass, catfish, and panfish when we fished in the South. He expressed a particular disdain for Northern Pike, saying that all the small bones made them a lesser fish for dining consumption. Although my grandfather was quite skilled in most aspects of angling, he wasn't quite up to par with a fillet knife. Perhaps this had something to do with his view of the pickerel family.

Anyway, my favorite spots in Illinois are way down South at Rend Lake and Crab Orchard. Crab Orchard in particular is a haven for bass fishermen. I can't imagine that there is a better place in the state for lunker bass.

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