Northern Illinois Paddlers: Underwater In Lake Attwood in Crystal Lake, IL.

If you have not been to this hidden gem of a lake...MAKE THE TRIP! This is Lake Attwood in The Hollows of Crystal Lake. It is a spring fed lake so it is crystal clear. The best part is, you do not need any special passes an there is no fee to get out on the lake. You do need your Illinois registration sticker and this area is patrolled by DNR. I have seen them there more often than not.



I will be honest, the first time I was out on this lake, I thought that it would get boring fast. It is a fairly small lake, especially for those of us that like to roam up and down the rivers and creeks. The value that this lake has that is so captivating is the clarity of the water. I stuck my 7 foot paddle straight under water in the center of the lake and could still see the whole paddle. I just started paddling this lake LATE in the season, so I have not seen any of the fish life. I have heard that this is some of the best fishing in the area though. Now that I have the GoPro HD, I can not WAIT till spring so I can get some more underwater footage and possibly spy on some fish.

Northern Illinois Paddlers: Mineola Hotel

The great Mineola Hotel is one of the most noticeable and historical buildings on the Chain o Lakes. This hotel is tucked into the Southern end of Fox Lake in Mineola Bay. The hotel has not been used as a hotel for decades now, but the bar is still open. They just took out a wall that had covered the original bar also. If you are in the area, it is certainly a place to stop and see. This is also still a working marina, so make sure that you respect the area and keep your canoe out of the main traffic area.



The view from the water is amazing. You really get a feel for how large of an operation this place was at one time. It is also rumored that this was a gangster hang out back in the 20's.

Northern Illinois Paddlers Video: Chain of Lakes 1

This is our first trip out on the Chain o Lakes. We launched from Lighthouse Marina off rt 12 just before you cross the lakes (if heading north). It is cement boat launch, so it is rough on the canoe. That is the only thing that makes me cringe with this location. The location of the launch is great. It is in a 'no wake' zone, so even if you are headed out during the summer, power boats are not swamping you at the launch.

There are a lot of marinas in this small section so make sure you watch yourself. You can cut straight West and catch the mouth of the Nippersink or you can head North to the Lakes or South to the Fox River.



In this video we headed North and took the smaller channel under "Beer Can Bridge". There is a nice current through this section so pay attention. There also is a lot of power boat traffic in season so make sure you are seen and stay out of the way.

Northern Illinois Paddlers: Demar Marine

Here we are out paddling on the Fox River in Burtons Bridge, IL. We put in at the Turn Key Marina on the south side of rt 176. It is a pay launch and there is security cameras. We dropped in there and headed north, up river. In this video is Demar Marine and their channel off the Fox. The channel heads back to Griswold Lake where there is a small dam that you can portage around.

It may have been due to the time of year that we went, but this section of the Fox river had a lot of algae and trash floating. The current was very stagnant. This section is just after the locks and dam section also, so that may play a factor.