 |
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Hidden Jewel
A beautiful reservoir surrounded by a hardwood forest makes Coffeen
STORY BY GARY THOMAS
If first impressions count for anything, my first impression of Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area could be summed up in one word: "Wow!" A little off the beaten path, I'd driven by this Montgomery County recreation area a number of times, but never had the opportunity to stop. What I found when I did get there was 1,650 acres of land, almost all of which is dense oak-hickory forest, and a beautiful 1,100-acre lake which has outstanding year-round fishing. There are hunting opportunities galore, scenic picnic spots, wildlife viewing areas and even an archery range. I had discovered a central Illinois treasure. With all this going for it, it's hard to believe that only about 55,000 people visit the site each year, especially when you realize Coffeen Lake is only an hour's drive from the St. Louis metropolitan area. Located just off Illinois Route 185, the site is about eight miles southeast of Hillsboro, and only about 15 miles from interstates 55 and 70. Once you see how well-maintained the site is, it's equally hard to believe this is a one-man operation. Site superintendent Brad Tedrick has been in charge of the area for the past eight years, and he heads a full-time staff of one—himself. A visit usually begins with a look at the main feature, Coffeen Lake, which was built by damming the east fork of Shoal Creek in 1963. Its purpose was to provide cooling water for the coal-fired power plant now owned by Ameren CIPS. The Department of Natural Resources took over management of the lake and surrounding land in the mid-1980s. It is, without question, one of the state's prettiest lakes, and its 50 miles of shoreline quickly attract the attention of anglers. It has numerous coves, long points, underwater islands, deep water areas, flats, plenty of vegetation that lives through the winter months and deadfalls by the dozens. Christmas trees are strung together and added to the water each winter to create fish attractors, and the lake is surrounded almost in its entirety by a beautiful hardwood forest.
An archery range at Coffeen Lake gives bowhunter an opportunity to hone their skill. Target distances go up to 30 yards. "The heated discharge includes a cooling loop more than four miles long that ultimately affects nearly three-quarters of the lake's surface water," Tedrick said. "Because this is a hotwater lake, there are places close to both the intake and the discharge near the power plant where boating is not allowed. Boaters are restricted to 25 horsepower motors, but they can have larger motors on their boat so long as they don't use them, and there are lots of productive fishing areas anglers can reach with just a trolling motor." Tedrick said boaters are allowed to use their larger motors to unload and load their boats onto trailers. Because this is a hotwater lake, the summer months are the slowest time for fishing. The north part of the lake, which is out of the cooling loop, offers some pretty good summer opportunities. Most anglers prefer fishing from October through May, with the best fishing actually taking place during the colder winter months. "During the winter months, it's not uncommon for our parking lot to be full of boat trailers, and with some out along the roadside," Tedrick said. "We have Saturday and Sunday bass fishing tournaments on a lot of weekends. It can be below freezing, but anglers will be fishing in 50 degree water."
Coffeen Lake has several isolated picnic areas with access to the lake, as well as a picnic shelter located near the park office. Coffeen is a very deep lake, too, with some areas having 55 feet of water, although the overall average is 20 feet. The lake is divided into two sections by a railroad. You cannot go from the main lake (about 925 acres) to the north area (about 175 acres) unless the water level is very low. There are, however, boat launching areas on both parts of the lake, and each is accessible for disabled anglers. The main lake launch also includes a unique ramp for getting wheelchair anglers into the boat. The lake has good populations of largemouth bass, crappie, channel and flathead catfish, bluegill and redear sunfish, as well as a growing population of striped bass. "Anglers haven't really discovered our striper population yet, but the lake has real good numbers," Tedrick said. "They are stocked every other year. Occasionally, we'll have someone tell us they hooked into a fish that just ripped the line off their reel. I generally figure these are striped bass. Only a few of these fish get caught each year, but they usually are really nice-sized fish." While shoreline fishing is somewhat limited at Coffeen, there are three small isolated areas with picnic tables and fire grills that also include access to the lake. Each area is fairly small and in a remote location. You also can fish from shore near the boat launching facilities. Tedrick said the fish tend to grow a little faster in hotwater lakes like Coffeen, because they aren't as dormant during the winter months. In addition, the lake doesn't get as much traffic as some of the better known lakes in the area, so the fishing pressure isn't as great.
It's an eerie feeling when you're fishing Coffeen Lake in 32-degree weather in mid-winter, then put your hand in the water which can be as warm as 75 degrees. Coffeen also offers great opportunities for hunters. The northern part of the lake is set aside for waterfowl hunting, with eight pre-staked areas. Hunting is on a first-come, first-served basis, with a sign-in at the launch area. "This is only our third year for the program, so a lot of hunters are just now learning about this," Tedrick said. "Hunting has been sporadic, but waterfowlers have been averaging 1.5 birds per hunting trip, and that's pretty good." There are excellent bow hunting opportunities for white-tailed deer at the site. Hunters are required to either sign in and sign out each time they visit the facility, or get a free year-long hunting permit. Tedrick said there are 11 different access points available for bow hunting, several of which are accessible from the water. About 250 bow hunters use the site each year. The area also is open for firearm deer and spring turkey hunting. However, for those hunts, hunters are required to apply for permits through the Springfield office. The site features a two-month-long squirrel season. Hunting usually is good for both gray and fox squirrels, due to the abundance of hardwoods surrounding the lake. Only shotguns can be used. Coyote hunting can take place at the site during the statewide fox season. Again, this is shotgun only. Tedrick said there are some site-specific regulations, but they're at a minimum and not restrictive. The site uses state regulations when possible. There also is a relatively new archery range, which Tedrick constructed, that includes three sets of targets where archers can shoot up to 30 yards. DNR property is scattered around the lake, so visitors should keep an eye out for property markers to make sure they are on public land. Visitors can pick up a map of the area, showing property lines and hunter parking areas at the site office. Coffeen Lake also has a controlled trapping program for aquatic furbearers. Trappers must have a site permit before setting traps. While hunting and fishing seem to be the most prominent outdoor activities at Coffeen Lake, Tedrick is seeing more and more people there for wildlife observation. "Sightings of deer and turkey occur frequently," Tedrick said. "Birds that are common include herons, all sorts of ducks, Canada geese, gulls, cormorants, osprey, redtailed hawks, kingfishers and an occasional eagle." Here's something else that is unique. The site is open 24 hours a day, except during the seven days of firearm deer season when for safety reasons the lake closes to fishing and only hunters holding hunting permits are allowed on the site. While there is no camping at the site, there is a campground with reasonable rates and lake access on private property near the park office. Bait, supplies, drinks and food are available there. Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an ideal area that offers all kinds of outdoor recreational opportunities—a place I plan to return to often.
Fishing guide Gene Cailey (top and right) has been fishing Coffeen Lake It's mid-winter. Your boat is in storage, and your fishing equipment is in hibernation, awaiting the warmer days of spring. That's true throughout most of Illinois, but not necessarily the case if you fish Coffeen Lake. The water in this 1,100-acre hot-water lake remains open year-round, and because of the discharge of warm water, the fishing actually is best during the winter months. In fact, the lake gets its heaviest traffic when the weather outside is at its coldest.
"Coffeen has become a premier bass fishery," says Gene Cailey of Litchfield, who runs a guide service in central Illinois. "There are a lot of 2 1/2- to 4-pound bass in the lake, and you can catch them up to about 8 pounds. There have been good spawns, so you'll also find lots of fish in the 8- to 11-inch range. The lake has huge crappie, too. They average just under a pound, but you can catch 2-pound crappie there." Coffeen Lake actually is like two lakes. A railroad crossing divides the water into two sections. The north area contains about 175 acres and is not affected by the hotwater discharge. It tends to provide better than average fishing during the more traditional spring through fall months. The southern part of the lake is about 925 acres, most of which has varying degrees of water temperature caused by the discharge of hot water from the power plant. For the purposes of this article, we're going to concentrate on that part of the lake affected by the hot-water discharge. With nearly 50 miles of shoreline to choose from, where should a novice angler begin his search? "If I were there for the first time during the winter months, I would go into the hottest water and work my way to the cooler," Cailey said. "The water temperature can be as warm as 70 or 75 degrees during the winter months where the plant discharges the water. Water temperature is the key to success at Coffeen or any other hotwater lake, and there can be a difference of up to 40 degrees from one end of the lake to the other. If there is one piece of equipment that is essential in your boat, it probably is a good thermometer. You want to find the water temperature that is attracting the bait fish, the red fin and gizzard shad, because that will dictate where
the predator species, the bass and the crappie, are going to be located." Cailey said the lake contains all kinds of habitat that is ideal for fishing, including coves, points, drop-offs, deadfalls, vegetation and other structure. He says anglers should fish the winter water just like they would any lake during the summer months, and keep moving from the warmest water down in temperature until they find where the fish are biting. "If you get down to 45 degrees, it's time to move, because the fish rarely will take a lure in water that cold," he said. "The thermocline tends to be deep in most lakes during the winter months, but in Coffeen the water stratifies, and you might find it just 4 feet below the surface in the hotter parts of the lake. Cast your lures over these waters, and the fish will swim up and ambush your bait." For largemouth bass, Cailey starts with topwater baits—a buzzbait or other quick-moving topwater lure—to locate where the fish are most aggressive. Once this is accomplished, he concentrates on them using spinnerbaits and crankbaits fished closer to the thermocline. If Cailey is fishing for crappie, he used jigs or minnows around the fallen trees and moss beds. "A lot of anglers don't fish for crappie around moss beds, but they really relate to this at Coffeen Lake," Cailey said. "The northern third of the lake has a large concentration of milfoil, and there are bass and crappie that never leave this habitat." Fishing in the warm water part of the lake actually can be good as early as October, but Cailey said fishing is best from late January until mid-March, and can be especially good on sunny days during mid-winter. Coffeen Lake also has a nice population of striped bass. "Not many anglers are fishing for them yet, but the ones that do get caught average about 4 pounds," he said. "But bigger ones exist. The largest one I've caught was an 11 pounder. These fish are healthy and growing, so this is going to add another dimension to an already good fishery. The fish concentrate in schools more during the winter months, making them a little easier to catch." Coffeen also is beginning to develop a really good sunfish population. "There is an abundance of bluegill in this lake, and they're starting to get some really nice size to them," Cailey said. The lake has a nice population of both flatheads and channel catfish. Flatheads can be caught year-round, while the fishing for channel catfish tends to be best during the summer months. "There is one added attraction at Coffeen Lake," Cailey said. "This lake is surrounded by woodland, so as a bonus you tend to see lots of wildlife during a day of fishing. It's not unusual to see deer, turkey, fox and all kinds of waterfowl on most winter trips to the lake." Anglers at Coffeen should keep in mind they are restricted to using motors that are 25 horsepower or less.
|
|
|
