http://www.chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/spring2007/itw_prattswayne.html

http://www.chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/winter1998/IWprattswayne.html

http://www.dupageforest.com/preserve.aspx?id=4132

That last one has a map. You just take 25 south out of Elgin, and stay left when it splits into Dunham Road. Take Dunham Road to Stearns Road, and it’s a mile or two up the road on the right. You don’t get much of a warning before that right turn though. It’s a small road, and there’s a farmhouse at the corner.

From the Elgin city center, it’s probably a 10-15 minute drive.

Once you get to the forest preserve, the entrance to the ponds is on the right (the left is for RC planes and dogs).

Great place to fish!

Anglers will find that Pratt’s Wayne Woods’ four lakes offer 38 acres of the finest fishing in the county. Pickerel Lake, Catfish Pond, Horsetail Pond and Beaver Slough are all former gravel pits that are stocked periodically with channel catfish and largemouth bass. Bluegill, crappie, flathead catfish and sunfish can also be found in these waters. Anglers can enjoy the limestone shoreline or can take advantage of the two piers on Pickerel Lake. Boating is not allowed on the lakes.

My biggest fishing thrill was when I went to the “Cops Lake” in the gravel pits in South Elgin off of Gilbert St. These lakes are no longer there as there is a landfill in it’s place. Such a shame as we use to swim in them and in the winter play hockey under the moonlight with a nice bonfire nearby. We used a can as a puck and one time I got hit smack right between the eyes. The dam had broke so there were sort of like two small lakes there and I caught a 3 and a half pound bass which was the biggest thrill of my fishing life until the day I watched my young teen age son pull out a bass about that size in the ponds off of 176 behind the baseball fields in Crystal Lake. There are some bigger bass that my friends have caught there but it gets very weeded. I can’t remember the name of the baseball park off 176 but just take 47 north to 176 and turn right and it will be about a few miles on your right on 176. There is a golf driving range right next to the baseball diamonds with the ponds behind them. Minnows and artificial worms or artificial lizards worked well in the past.

What we need to do now is voice our opinions on everything at hand and force our new council to listen to US on our views for what would be right for Elgin; ECC’s referendum has past, so let’s make sure we are informed and have a say in what they will do with the money we have given them and who gets the contracts. We need to make sure the city knows how we feel, as a whole community, about a new symphony hall. We need to help Jessica and the others with taking care of our library. We need to discourage the council on unnecessary spending of OUR money on roads and put this funding to good use on streets that really need work and whether salt is wasting our money because of the damage it does, along with odd/even parking for the residents with no off-street parking. Plus, we need to let Mack, Klubgal and other parents know where the best fishing and other possible family outings in our city are, to help in a family’s parental involvement with their kids to ensure that theirs and all kids of our future are off the streets, and have opportunities and values to become good citizens in our city’s future!

WE are called the “United States”, so let’s unite to become what has been the strongest nation in the world! It all starts with just one voice (one city)!

Bottom line though is that the Fox River, because of the dams is a degraded river that doesn’t offer good fishing.