SUN CITY – Wildflower Lake is one of the most familiar landmarks in Sun City. It is surrounded by a walking and biking path, picnic areas, thousands of birds, and other small-animal wildlife.
Joe Warner of N.32A has been an Anglers member for five years. He fishes almost daily at Wildflower Lake. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
What many Sun Citians may not know is that this tiny, shallow lake (some call it a pond) is also home to an abundance of large, hungry, and very dumb fish. This fact has spawned (pun intended) the Sun City Anglers’s Club, whose members take daily advantage (in the warm seasons) of this abundance and lack of intelligence. A lot of these fish have been caught, and released, repeatedly, but still they don’t seem to learn how to avoid being hooked by the many expert fishermen in the community. Naturally, the anglers enjoy going to a lake that is almost certainly going to satisfy even the most amateur among them over and over again.
“Our club is comprised of men and women who enjoy fishing and the great outdoors,” says the club’s site on the community association’s web portal. “Stop wishin’, come fishin,” it adds. From early spring to fall, club members and other anglers can be seen on the pier or standing on rocks at the water’s edge, casting or just watching their floats or bobbers, looking for action from the lake’s numerous bass, northern pike, catfish, or crappie.
“It’s strictly catch-and-release fishing, not gathering a main course for dinner or take-home for wall trophies,” says Bob Beaupre, immediate past president of the club. The lake’s shallow depth (average 10-12 feet) makes fish relatively easy to find and catch, he explains. “Most fisherman use only basic tackle and worms; although some who seek northern pike sometimes use live minnows.”
“We meet every second Wednesday of the month in the Meadow View Lodge for discussions or presentations on fishing skills, tackle, or how to fish for certain kinds of fish,” he says. “We also offer information on other places in the area to fish, and plan contests and social events for our members and residents, as well as casting contests.”
A native of Kankakee who lived on Chicago’s north side and in Elk Grove Village, Bob has been a Sun Citian for six years. He has enjoyed fishing all of his life, starting when he was a young boy. “Fishing is relaxing and a challenge, and I like both those aspects,” he says. “None of us are professional fisherman; although we occasionally invite pros to come and talk to us,” he says. “We’re all just interested in enjoying fishing as a hobby.
It’s wonderful to have a fishing lake in our community, where we can conveniently pursue our interest.”
On most Wednesdays, the club holds fishing contests, with a gift card going to the member who catches the largest bass or northern or catfish. “The Illinois Department of Natural Resources encourages us to release bass, northern, and catfish, but it also says we can keep crappie or carp because they say there are too many of those species in lakes in the state,” Beaupre says.
Sometimes, he adds, the club holds team contests, where the lake is divided into sections and teams of four fish in designated areas for a specified time, then rotate to another area.
The club also periodically sponsors “Grandpa and Grandma fishing derbies,” in which grandparents interact with their grandchildren and all residents are invited to participate. “We’re having one of those on July 21,” Beaupre said.
