I have been fishing there for 2 years from ice out till around may every day at lunch............lots of bass on suckersbut the reason I go back is .....................Two years ago I stopped on my lunch break to see if the ice was out there was about 50 yards of ice left on the north shore across from the fishing wall, I went back to my car and grabbed the only pole I had a 5' 6 llight action with 8lb mono on it and a excalibur one knocker in chrome and black... I started winging it towardsthe ice on the far shore hoping to catch a active bass. After about 30 minutes of this I casted almost to the ice and started my retrieve a little slower and then it just stopped. I thought I snagged on the bottom or a tree...My line wouldnt move I was so mad I figured that lure was lost and at ten bucks i was pissed. I tightend down the drag and figured it would break or give free and i started to recover some line back little by little I was pulling in this log on the end so I thought............my rod bowed in a complete u toward the water and about ten feet in front of up from the water rose the biggest pike I have seen in Illinois waters he shook his head and slashed his tail and that one once crank came flying back at me at mach 3......and away he went and all I have is a one knocker with some gnarly teeth marks and this story to tell......Form what I have read and know the north side is first to unfreeze due to the shallows and the salt creek, the pike use this to stage for their breeding area......I am always looking for a partner to hunt down trophies drop me a line ................................