Rock Fest is fun for the entire family

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

Volunteers have been the bedrock of the nation’s conservation movement since the early European settlers first pushed their voyegeur canoes up the Fox River. The native Americans did more than just trade furs and food with the newcomers, they shared their traditions and taught the Europeans a new respect for the land, for its resources and for the wild game that lived there.

Today, those traditions are continued by outdoors clubs, organized hunting and fishing clubs and by environmental groups which provide manpower, funding and an enthusiasm that would break any bureaucratic budget.

The list of organizations that has had a profound impact on the Fox River watershed is staggering, ranging some of the largest like the Sierra Club and Ducks Unlimited to small groups with a tight focus and a unique profile like the Friends of the Fox, the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance and Yorkville’s Quad County Hawg Hunters chapter of Muskies, Inc.

It is time for another “Rock Fest” at Shabbona Lake and many of these clubs will be there!

The 318-acre reservoir is the only lake specifically designed and built for fishing. Constructed during the late 70s, the lake filled when Indian Creek was dammed and a jewel of a fishery was born. Set deep in a valley surrounded by soft hills cloaked in pine and hardwoods and restored natural prairie grasslands, Shabbona Park is managed by the Illininois Department of Natural Resources and provides wonderful trails and terrain for hiking, cross-country skiing, biking, hunting for whitetailed deer and waterfowl, for photographing wildlife- including a burgeoning population of wild turkeys- and, of course, for fishing.

There is a wonderful restaurant overlooking the lake, a bait and tackle concession, boat and motor livery that includes fishing and pontoon boats and a campground overlooking one of the prettiest lakes in Illinois.

The lake itself could be a template for a video game for anglers. It embodies every conceivable type of structure from the shallow, weed-choked silted flats of the upper creek arm to the deep tree-lined creek channel deep beneath the surface of the main lake. There are bays with immense weed beds, timbered coves, a rip-rapped dam face, even barn foundations and road beds. Prior to the lake’s being filled, dozens of wooden fish cribs were installed, tree that were topped were stacked in piles or allowed to lay criss-crossed on the sloping hillsides.

All of it providing unbelievable cover and a perfect environment for the remarkable shad-based food chain that makes it such a prolific fishery.

Shabbona produced four of Illinois’ state record muskies. It consistently yields huge bass and walleyes, is one of the premier channel catfish lakes in the state but may be best know for its panfishing and the vast numbers of white and black crappies it gives up. Open year ‘round, Shabbona Lake is a favorite with ice anglers.

The Rock Fest has become an annual event. Hundreds of volunteers from various outdoors and conservation clubs come to help the Shabbona Sportsmans Club rebuild structure along the lake’s bottom.

“We need as many hands as we can get and especially folks with ATVs,” Club President Rich McEligott said. “Over the years, we have had some of the rock donated, along with equipment to move it. We need volunteers to pull the plywood sleds with the rocks onto the ice. We expecially need ATVs to make this work easier.”

Large holes are cut in the ice with chain saws at selected sites throughout the lake and the blocks are pushed down and under the surrounding ice. The chunk rock is then poured into the holes.

“We will be doing some prep work on Friday, so if you’re interested in helping on that day, contact me (815-824-2523) or Denny Sands (815-824-2290). On the morning of Rock Fest, many of us will start out with breakfast at the Kountry Kitchen in Shabbona, at 7:00 AM.”

This is a wonderful opportunity for families to help improve this remarkable fishery. If you can’t pull a rock sled, you can deliver hot chocolate or man the grills for the brat fry at mid-day.

As a special “Thank You!” park management hosts a Night Ice Fishing outing on Shabbona, keeping the park open until 10:00 PM on February 12th. Open to the public, whether they helped with Rock Fest or not, the evening is a great opportunity to fish the magic dusk-into-night period for walleys and panfish.

“The Community Enrichment Association will be selling hot dogs, brats and serving hot chocolate at the boat launch area from 2:30 until 6:30 PM,”

McElligott said. “There will be sledding and ice-skating in designated areas. Last year, we had over 200 people come for the night fishing. When the lanterns were lit as the sun went down, it was just a beautiful sight.”

Whether you ice fish or simply want to spend a day outside with the family, why not pencil both events onto your schedule. Once you’ve savored Shabbona Lake and the beautiful park surrounding it, it will be a regular year ‘round stop for your family.