ISA and IDNR Team Up to Preserve Stream Bronzebacks
By Jonn Graham
Since its inception in 1994, the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance has stood for the protection and enhancement of our stream's smallmouth populations. In order to meet this goal the alliance has always utilized a two-prong approach. First, and probably foremost, the alliance has always tried to protect the smallmouth by educating those anglers who pursue them. Carrying the catch and release "torch" has always been an unwavering commitment. Related to this "education approach" is the idea of smallmouth regulations. Though we would hope that all Illinois anglers fishing our state's streams would release their smallmouths, we know realistically that this is not the case. Thus, the institution of creel and/or length limits, we feel, further protects the stream smallies and, in many cases, will ensure good fishing in the future. The present stream smallmouth regulations, established in 1997, were a direct result of collaborative efforts between the IDNR, the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance, and other fishing groups. Though we were happy with those regulations. in 1997, careful inspection of the results of these regulations. did not prove as beneficial as first thought. Because of these shortcomings, change was needed. These exciting, ground-breaking changes are what this article is all about. Read on as I will detail how the great state of Illinois is moving to the forefront when it comes to stream smallmouth management.
The BIG, EXCITING news is that it appears beginning in April of 2003, new stream smallmouth regulations will go into effect!! These new regulations. are a result of two prior occurrences. One being the fact that the regulations. established in 1997 did not achieve the desired results, and secondly, the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance's continued "push" for stricter regulations that ensure protection of the stream smallmouth populations for generations to come.
On the alliance front, all these "new regulations" got their start on the Kankakee River. A couple of visionary, ISA anglers, who have fished the Kankakee River for years, knew how good the river was (Kankakee is undoubtedly our state's #1 smallmouth stream) and how great the river could become with better regulations. These two visionary anglers were Bob Putrich and Bill Calhoon. In the summer of 2001, Bob and Bill approached our president, Jim Jozwiak, with a regulation plan that would make the Kankakee an even better smallmouth-producing waterway. Jim listened to their plan which initially involved a catch & release regulation from the dam in the city of Kankakee downstream to the dam in Wilmington. This section of river was and still is under a three fish - fourteen inch size limit. Bob and Bill felt that this section of river was of prime habitat quality and deserved a much better protectory regulation. Of course, there is no better regulation than the all-encompassing catch and release statute.
After listening to Bob and Bill's ideas, Jim wanted to get a "feel" for how strongly the membership as a whole felt about pursuing a new regulation on the Kankakee River. Jim, along with many other alliance officers, knew the amount of work involved in getting a new bass regulation passed. If the support from the membership was not there, then pursuing this long, arduous process would not be worth the time or effort. The first step in gauging popular ISA opinion was to publish an article in our newsletter. In the September/October edition of the Bronzeback Bulletin, Bill Calhoon wrote an exceptional article titled "A Call to Arms". In this article Bill explained his feelings and introduced his progressive plans to make the Kankakee a "world class" smallmouth fishery.
As you might expect, alliance members generally supported this initiative and the alliance decided to then make this new regulation a top priority. With our annual Bronzeback Blowout event just around the corner, we felt that this would be a great time to introduce our plans to the large group of anglers that regularly attend our annual fundraising event. The plan of attack involved the circulation of a petition. The petition basically enlisted the names of anglers who would be in favor of a "no kill" zone from Kankakee to Wilmington. The petition garnered forty plus names and provided the final piece of the puzzle. With this petition, we could now present our intentions to Illinois' Department of Natural Resources.
With the ISA getting the ball rolling, it was not long before the DNR began to look to the future as well. It was no secret that they were not enamored with the results that the 1997 regulations. produced. They knew as well that the Kankakee was a superb "smallmouth factory" with high numbers of bass present throughout the river. They also knew (even before we presented the idea to them) that the ISA was seriously pursuing a new regulation for the smallmouth-rich Kankakee.
Then this past summer we were requested by the fisheries division of the IDNR to attend a "smallmouth management" meeting. The meeting took place at Silver Springs State Park just outside of Yorkville. Attendees included ISA officers along with numerous DNR streams biologists from the different regions of the state. The thrust of the meeting revolved around future stream smallmouth management strategies. The ISA and the DNR were provided the opportunity to present their ideas. I must admit that going into the meeting I was a little apprehensive about what the DNR might try to propose. I hypothesized that after the initial exchange of ideas were on the table, there would be some glaring disagreements that make take months or years to work out. Boy, was I wrong!!
To our utter amazement, the DNR's ideas for future management were very close to our ideals as well! Undoubtedly, the biggest surprise came first when the DNR asked us how we would feel about a CATCH & RELEASE SEASON IN ALL STREAMS FROM APRIL 1 TO JUNE 15! To say the least, we were ecstatic!!! Were we in favor!? YOU BET!!! A catch-and-release season would be the first of its kind for any species here in Illinois!! A regulation as all encompassing as this does not come along very often. A regulation that protects every stream in the state (except for the major rivers like the Mississippi, Wabash, Illinois, and Ohio) during the crucial spawning season is, in my opinion, a "no-brainer". With this new and exciting regulation agreed upon, the DNR then addressed the Kankakee River. They made it known that they were aware of our concern with the future and potential of this "blue-ribbon" stream. With that said, they proposed the following regulation: A SLOT LIMIT IN WHICH NO FISH BETWEEN 12 AND 18 INCHES CAN BE KEPT AND ONLY TWO UNDER TWELVE AND ONE OVER EIGHTEEN CAN BE HARVESTED. Now, we knew that this regulation was not as restrictive as the total catch and release regulation that Bill and Bob originally proposed, but as a trade-off we were getting a regulation that is very close to catch-and-release and a regulation that encompassed more river miles than originally proposed by the ISA. In addition this new regulation would cover the "best" smallmouth area of the river - from the Kankakee dam downstream to the confluence of the Des Plaines River. Adding icing to the cake, the reg would also apply to EVERY TRIBUTARY that enters the river within these boundaries. We as an alliance were very pleased with the added protection of the tributaries as they serve a vital role in the health of the main river.
After discussing these first two regulations (the catch-and-release during the spawn and the slot limit on the Kankakee), we were very pleased with the direction the DNR was taking. It sure was rewarding to know that the alliance and the fisheries division were on the same page. Not too many years ago this was not the case! I guess it is truly safe to say that the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division want the same thing - protection and enhancement of our stream smallmouth fishery!
The rest of our meeting revolved around other streams and the DNR's proposed regulation changes. While we may not share the same enthusiasm for some of the other regulations as we do for the catch-and-release season and the Kankakee River slot, I think it is important to remember that working with our state fisheries agency is a give and take proposition. Since they are willing to try more restrictive regulations. on a few streams, we, in turn, should be open to their less restrictive ideas for other waterways. They, as well as the alliance, simply want to find out which types of regulations work best on certain flows. With that said, the following is a list of additional PROPOSED changes for April of 2003:
- Fox River: catch-and-release season as well as a three fish creel limit with two under twelve inches and one over twelve inches
- Rock, Kishwaukee, Pecatonica, and Apple Rivers: catch-and-release season as well as a three fish, fourteen inch creel limit
- All above regulations will encompass the tributaries of the affected rivers!
In conclusion, the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance is very happy with these proposed changes. Please keep in mind that these regulation changes are only proposed and are not yet law! We would like to thank everyone who played a role in this change process. Presently, it truly does appear that these changes will become a reality! These changes should get us that much closer to achieving our goal of world-class smallmouth fishing right here in the great state of Illinois!
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