PLENTY OF FISH IN THE RIVER

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Plenty of Fishin the River

Masters Walleye Circuit comes to Spring Valley in March

Story by Fred Krause Photos by Scott Anderson

The walleye tournaments on the Illinois River started many years ago. It was a team event — that is, two fishermen per boat. It was considered the largest fishing tournament in the whole country as it brought in many out-of-state anglers. William Guerrini started the event, which continued to grow. As the years went on, he moved to Florida but still stays in contact with the tournament group as an advisor.

Later, Adam Sandor from Ottawa, Eric Maggio and Corey Blair from the Spring Valley area formed a committee; now, they manage all of the tournaments in that area. Some are even held at Allen Park in Ottawa, the first of which was called The Governor’s Cup, won by Dominic “Big Knob” Culjan.

The Masters Walleye Circuit tournament returns to Spring Valley this year, March 18-19.

A lot has happened with fishing events since then as now just about every weekend has a tournament. Years back all of the Spring Valley events were headquartered at Barto Landing on the north side of the river. Since then, that area has become

Teams can weigh up to five fish per day — walleyes, saugers and saugeyes, according to the tournament fact sheet for the Spring Valley tournament stop.

Visit www.masterwalleyecircuit.com to learn more!

silted in and large crafts with big motors cannot use that launch until it has been drenched. This can be very expensive. In the event of very high water, the boat launch at Lake DePue is used. It is hoped that river conditions are right for these events as the river can change overnight.

Cold, stained water is not a good condition for any type of fishing event. The river can become so stained that one cannot see even a brightly colored lure two feet below the surface. Another thing that has had a negative effect on all fishing tournaments is the invasion of the Asian carp. These fish feed on zooplankton and phytoplankton, two substances that young native species depend on to grow. The carp feed constantly, growing up to 10 pounds per year. That scenario has almost depleted the world-class white bass species on the river.

The fishing tourneys have helped the walleye fishery in two ways. The staff at the La Salle Fish Hatchery collect the egg-laden females from the tournaments. They are then artificially spawned and placed in tubes until they hatch. As they become fingerlings, they are raised in rearing ponds next to the hatchery. When the time is right, they are stocked into the Illinois River with the disease resistance passed on from the parent fish. The hatchery staff work just about all sauger and walleye fishing events.

Anyone interested in more information can contact Adam Sandor at 815-955-7503, Eric Maggio at 815-481-3742 or Corey Blair at 815-228-3395. C S R

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