Fishing totals not going south

Overhead, steady streams of birds are winging south for the winter - quickening the pulse of hunters and ornithologists alike.

But in the murky waters of the Illinois River, less visible migrants move in the opposite direction. Spurred on by the urge to reproduce, sauger and walleye swim north each fall until they run into a dam or find a favorable spawning spot.

If you don't mind cold boat rides and biting winds, the next few months are a prime time to take advantage of the river's abundant sauger population. Plenty of locals do just that, spending the fall chasing these more mud-tolerant cousins of the walleye.

Rick Parrott of Hopewell Estates is part of this new strain of river anglers and since 1989 he's spent countless hours seeking saugers.

"There's no comparison between now and then," Parrott said last week during an enjoyable 14-fish outing. "You didn't used to find (many sauger near Henry), but now they're everywhere. This is one of the best sauger fisheries in the U.S."

That explains why Parrott and wife Joby spend nearly every weekend on the water trolling crankbaits or jigging. All those angling hours paid off last year, as Parrott and partner Dan Vinovich of Pekin were National Anglers of the Year on the Team Walleye circuit, topping 1,636 squads.

The duo also won the 1999 Illinois Team Walleye state title thanks largely to back-to-back tournament wins. The success has not gone unnoticed, as both anglers have boat sponsorships - Parrott with Triton and Vinovich with Tracker.

Until recently, such sponsorships were virtually unheard of for any but bass anglers. But the sauger surge on the Illinois River mirrors a national trend of soaring popularity for pro walleye tournaments.

East Peoria angler John Phillips got a first-hand look at that increased popularity last year while fishing the Professional Walleye Trail. What he encountered was plenty of competition.

"I fish 100-110 days per year and I'm not sure it's enough," said Phillips, 50, who is sponsored by Ranger boats. "This is a lot of fun, but I think I started this too late in life."

Things are much less costly, though not less competitive, on Team Walleye's Illinois circuit, which opened Sunday at Henry. Parrott and Vinovich and Phillips and his partner Joe Struna were part of the 55-team field - a far cry from five years ago when events typically drew 20-25 boats.

And while this tourney was ahead of the usual start to prime sauger season, 20 teams caught five-fish limits and the field combined for 168 sauger averaging a respectable 1 pound, 8 ounces. That included a 3-pound, 11-ounce football landed by John Molzof and Steven Rudd of Congerville.

Steve Skupien and Wally Neauman of Joliet fished jigs on the lower part of the pool to top the field with 11 pounds, 10 ounces. Fred Travers III and Rick Fritzinger of Washburn placed second (10-8) while Bruce and Gary Merkel of Spring Valley took third (10-6).

Phillips, who snagged sixth, had spent Friday and Saturday attempting to locate fish. Nearly everywhere he went, he encountered other boats - a sure sign of sauger fishing's growing popularity.

"Basically, the primary bite is from Henry to Starved Rock, so almost every spot is covered," Phillips said. "It's harder to do these days, but you've got to keep looking for new spots you can fish by yourself."

Jeff Lampe is outdoors reporter at the Peoria Journal Star. Write to him at 1 News Plaza, Peoria, IL 61643; phone (309) 686-3212 or e- mail jlampe@pjstar.com

10/21/1999