KILLING TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE IN FRANKLIN COUNTY
In Spring of 2009, I wanted to try some different turkey hunting terrain, so I targeted Southern Illinois. Since I was going to be fishing with the gang from
Illinois Outdoors on their annual Spring Fishing Trip to Rend Lake, I figured I would try and kill 2 birds with one stone (no pun intended), and I did. I took 25-pound tom with a 10.5″ beard on the first day of the third turkey season (Southern Zone).
Then in the afternoon we pounded the crappies at DuQuoin Lake. We were nailing them in the lilly pads on little tube jigs (black/orange tail) in about 2-3 ft of water. Just to add a little icing on the cake, we found a bunch of morels, too.
The rest of the week went by quick. We fished 5 different lakes (Rend, Benton, DuQuoin, Lake of Egypt, and Hamilton) and did well on the crappie and largemouth bass. We headed home with smiles on our faces, and a full cooler. Life is good.
For a Southern Illinois Grand Slam like this, plan a mid-April trip. Here are a few websites to help you plan your adventure:
