SPRINGFIELD, IL – The anticipated long stretch of hot, dry weather and low water levels in Illinois will set the stage for fish kills this summer in water bodies from small ponds to large backwater lakes along large rivers in the state. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is already responding to reports of summer fish kills from private pond owners and is anticipating more calls in the coming weeks.

  Summer fish kills are reported almost every year and most are caused by low oxygen levels in the water. As temperatures rise and less rain falls, the water levels and oxygen levels drop in ponds, lakes, rivers and streams resulting in increased stresses on fish. Algal blooms are also typical and further deplete oxygen levels in bodies of water.

  The IDNR Division of Fisheries receives thousands of calls each year from private pond owners who notice dead fish in their ponds and assume that chemicals may have somehow entered their pond. This is seldom the case. Ninety-nine (99) percent of summer fish kills are due to the natural conditions that have reduced the oxygen levels below what fish can tolerate.

  "Typically, the pond owner doesn’t notice anything unusual until one July through September morning, and then fish are either belly up or are gasping for air," said IDNR Fisheries Biologist Dan Stephenson. "The largest fish are affected first. Generally, pond owners will see the large channel catfish die first, followed by bass then bluegill, and working its way down to the smallest fish as the oxygen levels get lower and lower."

  A summer kill seldom results in 100 percent mortality of the fish in a pond, but may throw the predator-prey relationship out of balance, so future fishery management may be needed to restore that balance, Stephenson added. Local IDNR fisheries biologists can be contacted by pond owners for recommendations if they experience a summer fish kill.

  Just like fish kill events in private ponds, summer kills happen in backwater lakes, rivers and streams as fish get trapped in pools that grow smaller and smaller as intense heat evaporates the water. Not much can be done to prevent the fish kill during times of persistent hot weather and lack of rainfall. Farmers and others who handle chemicals or animal manure can take precautions to prevent further impacts to surface waters and fish. They should check for discharges from chemical mixing stations and areas of livestock concentration to make sure those discharges cannot reach ponds and streams, especially in rainfall events.

  For more news and information about the great outdoor adventures in Illinois, visit their web site at http://www.dnr.illinois.gov .

  Editor’s Note: Although this article comes to us courtesy of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, it could have come from just about anywhere in the country this summer. Hopefully it helps you out wherever you live.

  Every single year since I was 17, my father and I (Uncle Kenny and Cousin Timbo too, for the most part) have braved the wilds of Tennessee and mastered the thunderous waves of Kentucky Lake in search of one of nature’s most delicious creatures; the elusive bluegill. To ensure a bountiful harvest of these slippery little pan fish, we’ve always tried to plan the trip around the spawn. By doing this, our top-secret fishing holes would be packed with the little buggers doing what evolution has taught them and all species to do: reproduce. Hitting the spawn at just the right point has proven time and time again that it is the best time of the year to bluegill fish (at least for us and at Kentucky Lake); and usually leads to a live well stacked with big, blunt nosed bulls that you can barely get your hand around.

  We started this year as we always do by trying to guess the spawn so we could schedule the trip and get to preparing. We spent hours upon tedious hours checking fishing reports, weather reports, and lake levels; even going so far as to consult an old witch lady that lives on the outskirts of town. And by “we” I mean my father did all the work, but we’re a team so I get some credit too.

  The trip was set, drinks and food were purchased, the boat was geared up and we were raring to go. My Uncle Tommy and Cousin Chris (father and son) were able to come down this year too, and brought their own boat. Our formidable little squad consisted of two boats, at least twelve poles, countless crickets, more tackle than a small town bait shop and enough BS to fertilize Nebraska. Four out of the five days that we fished, we barely caught ourselves enough to make a fish stick. Now, I’m sure that most of you have had slow fishing or hunting days, so you understand how long these days seem. When you aren’t catching fishing or taking game, the minutes seem like hours and you get silly songs stuck in your head; creating a torturous internal climate that rivals a Chinese prison. It was these days that someone verbalized the good news: "A bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work". I’m not sure who said it, if it is a famous quote or whatever. Please don’t sue me for plagiarism.

  But, one of those days we slayed them; cleaning an even hundred. Now, this might not seem like the biggest number of fish for six people to catch in a full day of fishing; but compared to the rough days we had, it seemed like we were the fish kings. And this day, compared to the last day of fishing that only me and my dad participated in was amazing. The last day, from about 7 hours of fishing, we only harvested 8 fish. Less than 10 fish. And not one of them was a bluegill.

  We believe our bad luck was attributed to such a warm winter, allowing the water to warm quicker to the temperature that the bluegills spawn at. Talking to folks around the place confirmed this, as they were saying people were catching boatloads about three weeks before. An early spawn along with a severely low water level allowed us to realize just how spoiled my father and I had gotten the previous year, catching an average of over 130 fish a day. This really bad year allowed us to more appreciate the good fishing years, and let us realize just how finicky of a lady Mother Nature can be.

  I’m very fortunate for the times I get to spend with my family at this place. When my grandfather bought that little spread in northwestern Tennessee in 2003; he unknowingly purchased the property that would become his, as well as our entire families, shrine. Once he passed away and my father became the caretaker/groundskeeper of the joint, the walls of the place became plastered with photographs, deer mounts, fishing lures, his scuba gear and things of his. When I’m there, it almost feels like I could walk into the kitchen one morning and find him drinking coffee at the table.

  Regardless of the shoddy amount of fish we get to eat for the rest of the year, we still had a fantastic time. As my dad said while we were eating dinner one night during our trip, "The fishing may suck, but the company is great". – Josh Burns