| Early Spring Paddling
A great time to paddle the Illinois Chain O' Lakes
By David Rigby
The early morning sun slowly climbs above the trees on the eastern banks of Pistakee Lake. In the clearing mist the sl135eeping town of Fox Lake lays silent and devoid of activity. The eerie whistle of the seven o'clock train floats out over the water. Pink rays of light reflect in a multitude of sparkling diamonds off the last of the late winter ice that stretches out from the distant shore. This stubborn ice that refuses to
melt blocks my kayak. My boat and I are denied access and cannot enter this spectacular waterway. We halt and sit silently, basking in the warming rays of the rising sun.
"Listen Dave!" whispered my brother John. "Winter's wind chimes are singing to us." Gentle waves push at thousands of broken ice crystals causing a gentle tinkling like the quiet shattering of glass. Smiling to myself, I turn the boat slowly and paddle back down the Fox River. It's
late February and the sun feels warm and powerful. Soon all the ice will be gone and over 100 cruising miles of water will be open for paddling and exploring!
The Chain O' Lakes is a spectacular waterway that is used for a multitude of recreational pursuits. However, early spring is special for the paddler. First, spring just feels so good that one wants to be outside as much as possible. The air has a certain clean, fresh smell. The sun has
an extra warm feeling. Plants are bursting to come back to life. Fish and animals seem more alive and the birds return to welcome every new day with their songs. The last of the darkened, dirty snow and ice are gone. It is spring and it just feels good to get outside and do anything, especially to paddle!
Second is the wildlife. The Chain is an avian highway. Thousands of birds use this waterway as they migrate back towards their summer
homes. Cranes, herons, cormorants, and even an occasional loon travel above and stop to rest on the Chain. (I did not mention geese because they never really seem to leave!) Morning and evening paddles can be a birder's nirvana.
Third and most importantly is the lack of boat traffic. The Chain is one of the most highly traveled waterways in North America – but not in the spring! Occasional fishermen pass by. There are few and they are
focused on their quest. Water skiers, Jet–Ski boats and the large cruisers that churn and rip through the water are still in hibernation. They do not reappear in numbers until after Memorial Day. The waters of the Chain belong to the silent sport advocates, the paddlers.
This lack of boat traffic opens up a multitude of different types of paddle trips. Circle trips are very popular with the group of us here on the Chain from Johnsburg. Fellow science teacher Chris Setzler, soccer
coach Tim Stewart, and brother John Rigby particularly enjoy the 24–plus–mile cycle that includes most of the Chain's ten lakes. We usually put in at the Chain O' Lakes State Park boat landing and paddle south on the Fox River, where it empties into Grass Lake. Grass Lake is very shallow (maximum depth 4 to 5 feet) whose northern shores are all part of the state park and a wildlife refuge. There is a particularly unique wildlife habitat restoration project being completed in this area. The
IDNR, along with the Fox Waterway Agency, is attempting to restore wetland habitat by blocking off the waterway with large barge–like structures. The water behind the structures is pumped out and replace with dredged dirt. Erosion has destroyed much of the wetland marshes and it is hoped that the grasses can be replanted and the wetlands restored. It is worth the paddle just to see this project!
After continuing south and paddling under the Grass Lake Road Bridge,
we usually paddle through the eastern edge of Nippersink Lake and into Fox Lake. The shallow, lily pad filled waters off of Crab Island are often alive with hundreds of churning carp. Fox Lake is a beautiful lake that reaches a depth of 21 feet and is 2.8 miles in length. Swinging east and then north into Columbia Bay, the channel leading to Petite Lake is easily spotted.
Petite Lake is as large as its name. A short paddle brings us to the long
channel leading to the vegetation–choked Spring Lake. About this time, one of us usually shouts, "I got to go!"
There is a small fishing landing with a store and, most importantly, some outdoor washroom facilities. A small purchase at the store allows use of the outhouse with no questions asked.
This stop always brings much relief! There are no public facilities so be careful not to miss this stop. (There are several restaurants with landings
that could be used if mandatory.) Back in the boats, we continue paddling under the eastern portion of Grass Lake Road and into another small lake named Bluff. A short paddle leads into the channel that leads into the beautiful Lake Marie. This spring fed lake is 38 feet deep and offers excellent fishing. When traveling by myself, I have extended the 24.5–mile trip by heading north into two of the deepest and best fishing lakes in the Chain. Lake Catherine is 36 feet deep and Channel Lake
has the greatest depth of the Chain, reaching 45 feet. Both these lakes are known for their muskie populations.
Normally we paddle back into the shallow waters of Grass Lake and head south towards our takeout at the park. I have been tempted but have never stopped at Blarney's Island. Blarney's is a floating bar that is very popular with motor boaters and even runs an hourly ferry in the summer.
"Hey coach Rigby! How's it going?" shouted Mark Roby as he
splashed through the cold water placing pier supports. "I knew it had to be you paddling way out here!"
Roby was a past student and soccer player who now works as a bartender/bouncer at Blarney's. His warm greeting was welcomed and we talked for a while. It is just a short paddle back from Blarney's back to the Fox River and the State Park landing.
The trip usually takes around six hours, depending on how much fishing we do and how hard we paddle. Many shorter circle trips starting in
Pistakee Lake or many of the other lakes, and circumventing the many islands, can be planned. I have started down in Johnsburg at the southern end of the Chain and headed north, paddling all the lakes. This trip requires about seven to nine hours and some creativity in finding bathrooms. It is an excellent trip.
With the many streams, channels and connecting lakes, the Chain also offers many shorter, exploratory type trips. One of the trips I do most
often with friends takes us across Pistakee Lake and into Lac Louette. Lac Louette becomes very shallow and filled with cattails. A small creek leaves its southern end and disappears deep into the cattails and marsh. Paddling along the narrow stream, we have observed many animal signs along the bank.
"We've been out here over two hours already," brother John informed me on one of our excursions. "We promised our wives we would only be out an hour."
Time always slides by too fast on these trips. Both our wives are fully aware that we never return on time.
On another trip to a different channel just off of Pistakee, I took Murph Haag (a biking buddy) and Gretchen Heidler, a former student (Gretchen is now in her forties so I guess that dates me). Neither had ever paddled before. We traveled the channels to Lake Jerilyn and Redhead Lake.
"I've lived and boated on the Chain my whole life and never knew these
lakes were here. This is awesome," Murph exclaimed, while paddling back to our landing.
"I have to get a boat and do this again! This is beautiful," Gretchen added. She did buy her own Carolina over the winter and cannot wait for the ice to break at her home near Minneapolis.
There are numerable other trips I have taken, and many more that I have not. In the early spring, these exploratory trips are done in almost
complete solitude. Part of the pleasure is the excitement of opening my map and trying to decide what new area do I want to explore, or which old one do I want to revisit.
Another type of trip we enjoy is one in which wildlife observation is the prime goal. The Chain O' Lakes State Park has acres of wetlands and animal refuge areas. Leaving the park landing and heading north up the Fox River, rather than south to the Chain, offers paddlers the
opportunity to find and explore numerous channels and back bays in the marshes. Sandhill cranes can be heard calling to each other in the eerie stillness and quiet of these backwaters. Even an occasional great horned owl can be spotted in the woods surrounding some of the most remote bays. This area is truly a birder's paradise.
One of the most rewarding type of trips is introducing kayaking to my young seventh–grade science students. The early spring allows us the
freedom to paddle after school and on weekends without the worry of Jet Skiers or motor boaters We have four different landings within minutes of our school in Johnsburg. Depending on the wind, weather and student choice, early spring offers these excited young adults the opportunity to learn one of the silent sports. For safety purposes I take only four students out at a time. It is not unusual to have nearly 50 students sign up for the four kayaking trip spots. We run two or three
trips a week all spring and still can not get everyone out.
"This is the best field trip I have ever been on," exclaimed an excited David Miller. "Thanks for letting me go, Mr. Rigby."
"I want to go on every trip," said Kinzie Foley. "Just take us all the time!"
We often use the state park landing already described. For a safer, shallower protected teaching area, we use the landing at the Oak Point entrance. In high wind conditions, we launch at a county landing on the
Nippersink Creek. This area is very protected. It is located just off Route 12 on Fox Lake Road less than a mile to where the Nippersink empties into the Chain. Our final landing is only a mile from school and gives us access to Pistakee Lake. The students spend April learning basic kayak paddling and safety techniques. We call May "Monitoring Month," as we work with the "Friends of the Fox" in helping to be river watchdogs.
Early spring does offer many paddling opportunities, but it also requires an extra emphasis on safety. Water temperatures can be very low and dangerous, requiring paddlers to be extra cautious and aware. Extra clothing and warm gear is a necessity. We use entry–level sea kayaks because they are warm, very stable, and handle spring winds very well.
Sudden storms and weather changes can also be dangerous. "This is the most exciting and fun I have ever had at school or anywhere!" said
Shana Hitchock, as she sat shivering under our tarp on one trip.
While on a monitoring trip on Pistakee Lake, a violent storm had blackened the sky. Seeing it approaching, we had beached on Half Moon Island and strung up a tarp. We quickly stashed microscopes and gear and dove under the shelter just as the first winds hit. The four students and I pressed close together singing and laughing as horizontal rain pelted the tarp. Ten minutes later the sun was back out and we
resumed our monitoring efforts. The exuberant students rushed happily back in the water looking for benthic macro invertebrates.
The Chain O' Lakes is located in northeastern Illinois about an hour from both Milwaukee and Chicago. Highways 12, 59 and 173 all lead to the Chain. Towns in the area include McHenry, Johnsburg, Fox Lake and Antioch. Ben Watts Marina Inc., and many others, will allow launching for a small fee. The Chain O' Lakes Fox River Waterway
does an excellent job regulating and patrolling the Chain. Their headquarters are located just south of the McDonald's on Route 12 in the town of Fox Lake. A user fee sticker is required for boats 16 feet or more in length. These can be purchased at the Waterway headquarters, if necessary. The Chain O' Lakes State Park is located south of Route 173 on Wilmot Road. Maps can be obtained at the park, agency or most of the Marinas.
Winter is gone. The sun is warmer and the days are getting longer. The ice will soon be gone and the birds will appear in mass on the horizon. Early spring is almost here. The Chain O' Lakes in early spring offers some of the best paddling of the year. Do not miss the opportunity to enjoy one of the silent sports.
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