&EATURE

(OOKEDON
&ISHING0ARK
by Nate Herman

4
HAT SCORCHING HOT *ULY DAY IN  WALLSANDGRAVELWALKWAYS4HEYAREJUSTSETUP RANSTRONGALLTHEWAYUNTIL!TTHATTIME
IS FOREVER ETCHED INTO MY MEMORY FOREASYACCESSTOUNBELIEVABLElSHINGWATER
lSH WERE BECOMING MUCH HARDER FOR THEM TO
,ANDOWNER *IM $IXON HAD CALLED OUR 4HE MEETING WITH -R $IXON WENT GREAT
COME BY LEGALLY  MAINTENANCE OF THE PONDS
COMPANY TO TREAT ALGAE IN A POND BEHIND HIS ) GAVE HIM A FAIR PRICE TO TREAT HIS ALGAE AND AND LANDSCAPE WAS DEMANDING AND THE NEXT
SEAFOOD SHOP 7HEN ) lRST STEPPED FOOT ON HE GRACIOUSLY ACCEPTED ) ASKED IF ) COULD JUST GENERATION OF $IXONS WERE NEEDED TO RUN THE
THE PROPERTY AND STARTED LOOKING AROUND MY LOOK AROUND THE PROPERTY A BIT AND THEN COME RAPIDLYEXPANDINGSEAFOODBUSINESS
JAW LITERALLY DROPPED TO THE GROUND 4HIS WAS BACKTHENEXTDAYTOTREATTHEALGAE(ECOULD !TTHECONCLUSIONOFTHEMEETING-R$IXON
ABSOLUTELY THE MOST AMAZING lSHING PROPERTY SENSE)WASPRETTYINTRIGUEDWITHTHEPROPERTY OFFEREDABITOFABUSINESSPROPOSITION(ECOULD
) HAD EVER SEEN IN CENTRAL )LLINOIS -Y MIND ) THINK MY DAYDREAMING EYES OPEN JAW AND TELLFROMTHElRSTTIMEWEMETTHATHEBASICALLY
ROCKETED PAST THE ALGAE PROBLEM AND WAS DROOL DRIBBLING DOWN MY CHIN ONTO MY NECK OWNEDME
(EHADTHEREMOTEAND)WASHISTOY
RACINGAGAZILLIONMILESANHOURABOUTENDLESS MUSTHAVETIPPEDHIMOFF!NYWAY)SPENTTHE CAR WITH A FRESHLY CHARGED BATTERY 4HE PONDS
POSSIBILITIESTHISUNIQUEPLACEHAS AFTERNOONJUSTEXPLORINGTHISRUN DOWNGEMOF HAD BEEN SITTING IDLE FOR  YEARS AND THERE
4HE PROPERTY COVERS APPROXIMATELY  APROPERTY WAS QUITE A BIT OF MAINTENANCE WORK PILED UP
ACRES AND CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF THREE SPRINGS THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE WITH THE SPRING PIPES
AND THREE lSHING PONDS NESTLED IN A MATURE AND LANDSCAPE ) GLADLY AGREED TO TAKE CARE OF
PARK LIKESETTINGALONGTHEBANKSOFTHE)LLINOIS In the early 1930’s this THE MANUAL LABOR AND *IM WOULD PAY FOR THE
2IVER4HESPRINGSSTARTINTHENORTHEASTCORNER MATERIALS &OR MY END OF THE BARGAIN ) GOT
OF THE PROPERTY AND ARE ABOUT  FEET DEEP  place was believed to be COMPLETEACCESSTOPROPERTY

FEETWIDEANDFEETLONG4HEYmOWDIRECTLY -Y BROTHER *USTIN AND ) JUMPED RIGHT IN
INTOEACHOTHERTHENTHROUGHACULVERTANDINTO the first fee fishing ponds LITERALLY4HECULVERTSDRAINSANDSPRINGPIPES
PONDNUMBERONE4HElRSTPONDDRAINSINTOTHE NEEDEDCLEANINGOUTANDWEHADTOGETWETTO
SECONDANDTHIRDPONDS'RAVITYSHUFmESWATER in the nation. GETTOTHEM%VENINTHEHEATOFTHESUMMERWE
THROUGHEACHOFTHESEPONDSANDOUTTOFEEDTHE COULDNOTSTAYINTHATWATERTOOLONGITISCOLD
)LLINOIS 2IVER 0RETTY MUCH THE NEATEST SETUP ) COMINGOUTOFTHEGROUND7ESPENTPRETTYMUCH
HAVEEVERSEEN
,ATERTHATEVENING-R$IXONCALLEDASKING EVERYSPAREMOMENTFORTHERESTOFTHESUMMER
4HE ARTESIAN WATER mOWS DIRECTLY OUT OF THE METOSTOPBYHISOFlCEAFTER)lNISHEDTREATING WORKING CLEANING EXPERIMENTING TESTING
GROUNDINSOMEPLACESBUTTHEMAJORITYOFTHE ALGAE !T THE MEETING WE TALKED ABOUT THE WATERANDlSHINGATOURNEWPLAYGROUND4HERE
WATERCOMESOUTOFvPIPESTHATAREPUSHED HISTORYOFTHEPROPERTYAS*IMGAVEMEAGRAND WERESTILLSOMEHUGECARPANDCATlSHSWIMMING
INTOTHEGROUNDABOUTFEETDEEP4HEARTESIAN TOUROFTHEENTIREPREMISES)SOAKEDUPEVERYBIT AROUNDINTHEPONDS
WATERHASSOMUCHPRESSURECOMINGOUTOFTHESE OFINFORMATIONABOUTTHISHISTORICPLACE)NTHE /URlRSTlSHEXPERIMENTWASRAINBOWTROUT
PIPESTHATWEWEREABLETOMAKELITTLEFOUNTAIN EARLYS THISPLACEWASBELIEVEDTOBETHE 7EKNEWRAINBOWTROUTWOULDLIVEYEARROUND
CAPSTHATSHOOTTHEWATERABOUTFEETINTOTHE lRSTFEElSHINGPONDSINTHENATION4HE$IXONS IN0ONDBECAUSEITALWAYSSTAYEDWELLBELOW
AIR ) HAVE HEARD TALES THERE IS MORE THAN ONE TRAPPEDlSHFROMTHERIVERSTOCKEDTHEMINTHE  DEGREES EVEN THROUGH THE HOTTEST SUMMER
MILLIONGALLONSOFWATERmOWINGTHROUGHTHOSE PONDSANDLETPEOPLEPAYAFEWCENTSTOCOME DAYS4HEREISALSOAPRETTYSTRONGCURRENTTHAT
PONDSEVERYDAYAND)DONTDOUBTTHATABIT ANDCATCHTHEIRDINNER,ITERALLYHUMNDREDSOF RUNSAROUNDTHEPONDCAUSEDBYRUSHINGWATER
4HE THREE PONDS RANGE FROM  TO  ACRES PEOPLEWOULDlSHATTHESEPONDSEVERYWEEK FROM THE SPRINGS )N /CTOBER WE STOCKED 
EACHANDONLYSIXFEETDEEP7ITHSOMUCHFRESH ) WAS JUST COMPLETELY FASCINATED WITH THE ONEPOUNDRAINBOWTROUT7EFEDTHEMAHEAVY
WATERmOWINGTHROUGHTHEMDAILYTHESEPONDS WHOLE EXPERIENCE
4HIS PLACE WAS JUST THE DIET OF 0URINAS !QUA-AX  AND THOSE lSH
DONTNEEDTOBEANYDEEPERTOKEEPENORMOUS COOLEST PLACE EVER AND BUILT COMPLETELY BY DIDNOTMERELYSURVIVETHEYTHRIVED
4HOSElSH
AMOUNTSOFlSHALIVETHROUGHHOTSUMMERSAND HAND-R$IXONSFATHERANDUNCLESWERESOME WEREGROWINGFASTERTHAN)HADEVERSEENAlSH
COLD WINTERS 4HE PONDS ARE OVAL SHAPED AND EXTREMELYHARDWORKINGlSHRAISINGGENIUSES GROWBEFORE"Y$ECEMBERMOSTOFTHEMWERE
BORDEREDCOMPLETELYWITHRAILROADTIERETAINING 4HEIRFEElSHINGOPERATIONWASSUCCESSFULAND PUSHINGTWOPOUNDSAPIECE

0/.$"/33 -AY*UNE
 4OPLEFT7EBUILTTHISDECKSOPEOPLECANWATCHTHEWATER
MOVEMENTANDOBSERVEFISH"OTTOMLEFT7ECLEANEDUPAROUND
THEPONDSANDNOWAREREADYFORGUESTS!BOVE7EWANTEDTO
MAKESURETHEPONDSCOULDRAISEGOODFISH4HEYCAN

)N*ANUARY)STARTEDTAKINGCLIENTSON TEACHINGTHENEXTGENERATIONHOWTOlSH(EHAS 4HEY HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS SINCE 
!FTER
GUIDED lSHING TRIPS FOR THESE INCREDIBLE lSH HELD AND SPONSORED QUITE A FEW lSHING DERBIES AHANDFULOFMEETINGSANDPRESENTATIONSABOUT
!NGLERSWEREHAVINGSOMUCHFUNlSHINGOPEN FORKIDSONSOMEOFHISHYBRIDBLUEGILLPONDS OUR FUTURE PLANS FOR THE PLACE THEY GAVE US A
WATER IN WINTER FOR RAINBOW TROUT ) DECIDED /VER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS MEETINGS AND LONGTERMLEASEONTHEPROPERTY
TOSTOCKMOREFROM LBS4HEREARENOT CONVERSATIONS WITH -IKE WOULD ALWAYS END 4HAT WAS NOT THE ONLY OBSTACLE WE HAD TO
MANY PLACES IN )LLINOIS TO CATCH TROUT AND THE UP TALKING ABOUT THE NEW PONDS AND SPRINGS ) RESOLVE7ESTILLHAVETOlGUREOUTTHEBESTWAY
LORE OF THE PLACE LURED LOCAL SPORTSWRITERS TO WAS EXPERIMENTING WITH!FTER SPENDING SOME TOPAYFORALLTHENECESSARYIMPROVEMENTSHOW
CHECKOUTWHATWASGOINGON7ESPENTTHEREST TIME RESEARCHING THE UNBELIEVABLE HISTORY OF TOORGANIZEVOLUNTEERSNEEDEDTOKEEPTHEPLACE
OF THE WINTER GUIDING AND SHOWING CLIENTS OUR THE $IXONS lSHING OPERATION AND QUITE A FEW RUNNINGSMOOTHLYANDHOWTOBESTUTILIZETHIS
NEWPLAYGROUND MINIATURE hBRAINSTORMING SESSIONSv ABOUT THE AMAZING RESOURCE TO GET THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY
)T WAS ON ONE OF THESE lSHING TRIPS THAT THE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES OF THIS PLACE WE BOTH (OOKEDON&ISHING
/URMISSIONISTOTEACHTHE
VERY BEGINNINGS OF THE h(OOKED /N &ISHING DECIDED THAT THIS WOULD BE THE PERFECT PLACE SPORTANDJOYOFlSHINGTOLOCALCHILDRENSENIOR
0ARKv BEGAN TO TAKE SHAPE !S ) WAS SHOWING TO TEACH LOCAL CHILDREN HOW TO lSH .OT ONLY CITIZENSANDSPECIALNEEDSGROUPSBYPROVIDING
ONE OF MY REGULAR POND MANAGEMENT CLIENTS WOULDTHISPLACEBEPERFECTFOREDUCATIONBUTIT EQUIPMENTPLACEANDEDUCATIONFREEOFCHARGE
-IKE/2EILLYAROUNDTHEPROPERTY)COULDSEE WOULDALSOBEAPLACEEASILYMADEHANDICAPPED 7E ARE CURRENTLY STILL WORKING ON THESE
THEEXACTSAMELOOKONHISFACETHAT*IM$IXON ACCESSIBLEFORSENIORSANDSPECIALNEEDSPEOPLE AND MANY OTHER ASPECTS OF MAKING THIS PLACE
MUSTHAVESEENONMYlRSTVISIT(EWASLISTENING !LTHOUGH WE HAD A CLEAR VISION OF HOW WE A SUCCESS 7E ARE CURRENTLY ON TRACK AND
TO WHAT ) WAS SAYING BUT ) COULD SEE HE WAS WOULD LIKE TO UTILIZE THIS UNIQUE PROPERTY FOR SCHEDULED TO OPEN ON -AY ST OF  /UR
DEEPERINTHOUGHT
-IKEISCO OWNEROF4IMBER THE BENElT OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY WE HAD A WEBSITE IS WWWHOOKEDONlSHINGPARKORG 7E
#REEK,AND#OMPANY(ISCOMPANYTRANSFORMS FEW HURDLES TO OVERCOME &IRST AND FOREMOST WILL BE UPDATING THE WEBSITE REGULARLY WITH
REGULARLANDINTOWORLDCLASSHUNTINGANDlSHING WEDIDNOTOWNTHELAND%VENTHOUGHWEKNEW INFORMATION PHOTOS AND VIDEOS OF THE ENTIRE
PROPERTIES AND ) STOCK AND MANAGE ALL OF THEIR THE $IXONS WERE A GREAT CORNERSTONE FAMILY PROJECTASWEPROGRESS
NEW LAKES FOR THEM .OT ONLY IS -IKE AN AVID IN THE COMMUNITY WE DID NOT IMAGINE THEY
lSHERMAN BUT HE ALSO IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN WOULDBEASGENEROUSANDTRUSTINGASTHEYWERE

0/.$"/33 -AY*UNE