Posted by Dan S from 170.118.1.40 on September 28, 1998 at 13:14:34:
In Reply to: Filet-O-Fishable posted by Eric S. on September 22, 1998 at 08:57:27:
: New lake(s) to try:
: Speaking of Mayslake, there are two lakes on the McDonald's Corporation campus in Oakbrook that are worth a try. If you take Rte. 83 to 31st Street and go east to Jorie Blvd., go north on Jorie about a block and you can enter the campus on the east side of Jorie. If you drive in and make a left at your first stop sign, you will drive between the two lakes and you can park in the lot on the east side near the east lake.
: Not many people think the public can fish these lakes, but part of the agreement from the Butler family (same as Butler Golf Course) who sold the land to McDonald's was to keep it publicly accessible. The area is very pretty and McDonald's did a large part in preserving it with natural-looking architecture and lots of stone $$$. They even got fined if they damaged any of the old oak or buckeye trees, so you better believe they did their best to keep the land natural.
: The lakes are fed by a stream that runs (west to east) through a rather rich subdivision on the west side of Rte. 83, under 83, through a pond (also fishable) at the Oakbrook Tennis club on the west side of Jorie, under Jorie, through the two lakes at McDonald's and ultimately empties into Salt Creek.
: As far as I know, about ten years ago when these lakes were made, they were stocked with largemouth bass, crappie, channel cats, and muskie. Lake Fred (named after Fred Turner, one of McDonald's top execs, shareholders, and sportsmen) is on the west side, and lake Ed (named after Ed Schmidt, also a key player in McDonald's success) is on the east side closer to Salt Creek. There is a spillover from Lake Fred into Lake Ed and after a rain it can be a good spot to catch crappie on minnows. I also know of a kid who was carping with doughballs and caught a six pound muskie when his doughball hit the water. I've caught several largemouth, crappie and even a small muskie on a Rapala. The lakes can be a good spot to take kids carping too, use bread in lake Fred.
: There are security guards that patrol these grounds and an Illinois fishing license is needed. I've always practiced catch and release and I encourage others to do so.
: Good Fishing.
: Eric S.
I have fished the McDonalds ponds for the last 3 years and fishing has gotten worse each year. It is a good place to catch a ton of Gils but I have seen a decline in the LM fishing.
The pond you mentioned in the Oak Brook Tennis club is that public and if so how is the fishing here. Is this the pond with the dock and the south side?
Thanks