Lake Shelbyville, Kaskaskia Lock & Dam, and Mark Twain Lake were recently selected to participate in the BoatUS life jacket loaner program. BoatUS currently supports over 300 sites with their life jacket loaner program, including Rend Lake. Wappapello Lake has a similar life jacket loaner program which was started with a kit from BoatUS and has continued through the lake's own Water Safety Council.
Carlyle Lake supports a life jacket loaner program, but solicits the life jackets from local businesses without the BoatUS Foundation’s assistance.
The life jacket loaner program’s goal, according to BoatUS, is to support water safety by helping to educate visitors about the importance of wearing the proper size life jacket, to make sure children wear their life jackets around the water, and to prevent a family from having a day at the lake ruined by not wearing a life jacket.
“We’re thrilled to have the BoatUS Foundation supporting Corps of Engineers water safety efforts,” said Norma Hall, a Carlyle Lake Park Ranger who helped coordinate the Kaskaskia Lock and Dam application effort for the loaner program. “Having this supply of life jackets assures that our visitors have ample opportunity to make their visit as safe as possible. The program is convenient, accessible, and best of all, free.”
The BoatUS Foundation partners with Corps of Engineers projects based upon specific objectives, outlined in the National Memorandum of Understanding. Among them: increasing educational outreach, materials, publications, and educational activities; encouraging communication among agencies and collaboration in the conduct of domestic projects supporting water safety.
Fishing at World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta Opens
SPARTA, ILL. – The much anticipated opening of three fishing lakes at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex (WSRC) in Randolph County will be on April 14 at 9 a.m., Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Acting Director Sam Flood has announced.
The opening of fishing at the site has been delayed by wet weather which set back construction of two new boat access areas at the complex, including the completion of parking areas at the new boat accesses at Derby Lake and East Lake at the WSRC. New boat ramps were also submerged because of high water resulting from recent heavy rains. IDNR had planned to open three lakes at the complex on April 7.
The lakes at the WSRC that will be opened for fishing on April 14 are the 21-acre Derby Lake, the 134-acre East Lake, and the 15-acre RV Lake. Another body of water at the complex, Shotgun Lake, will remain closed until further notice because of access issues on the former strip pit lake.
While Derby and East lakes have new boat ramps which will provide access, there is no boat ramp at RV Lake. Gasoline motors (10 horse power limit) or electric trolling motors will be allowed for use on East Lake. On Derby and RV lakes, only electric motors will be allowed. Only legally-registered watercraft will be allowed on the lakes. No wading will be permitted.
IDNR fisheries biologists report crappie, largemouth bass, channel catfish, and bluegill have been found in all of the lakes. Derby Lake has been stocked with 4,000 rainbow trout, which will be allowed to be taken by anglers with trout stamps once the lake is opened. Derby Lake also has excellent crappie, many in the 10-inch length range. The largemouth bass in Derby Lake are small to medium sized with a few larger fish. Channel catfish were stocked in 2006. East Lake has an excellent largemouth bass population, with some fish topping six pounds in weight, as well as many channel catfish in the three- to eight-pound weight range. Similar to Derby Lake, the crappie population in East Lake is excellent. RV Lake has nice bluegill – many of seven inches or more in length. It also contains a largemouth bass population with fish of several different size classes, and channel catfish that were stocked in 2006. Crappie were reported in the lake, but were in deep water at the time of the IDNR Fisheries survey.
Spring Turkey Safety Tips
With the Spring Turkey Hunting Season underway, The National Wild Turkey Federation has a listing of reminders for turkey hunters:
--Never shoot at a sound or movement.
--Never shoot unless you can see the whole bird to determine if it is legal to shoot.
--Eliminate the colors red, white and blue from your turkey hunting clothing. Red is the color hunters count on to differentiate a gobbler's head from the hen's blue colored head.
--Be particularly careful when using a gobbler call. The sound may attract other hunters. If a hunter approaches, yell to alert him to your presence.
--Try to select a calling position that enables you to see 50 yards to the sides and in front. If possible, your calling position should have a background at least as wide as your shoulders.
--Always keep your gun pointed in a safe direction.
Other reminders include unloading guns before getting in vehicles, respecting property rights, asking permission before crossing private land and being aware of what is beyond your target before you shoot.
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