Dorothy Miller, proprietor of Lake Julian Trout Farm in Cary, thinks of her grandfather every time she looks at the trout pond from the window of her rustic bait and tackle shop.
But Miller’s grandfather, John Dvorak of Fox River Grove, didn’t fish there. Instead, he helped dig the trout pond at the turn of the century when he worked at the gravel pit that would someday become Lake Julian.
“Of course, he had no idea his great-great-grandchildren would someday have so much enjoyment fishing for trout in the pond he helped dig almost 100 years ago,” said Miller, a woman with a quick laugh.
Lake Julian, one of two fishing farms in the northwest suburbs, has a friendly flavor that befits its status as a family-owned business. The other, Fisherman’s Dude Ranch in Des Plaines, is also owned by the founding family’s second generation.
Both facilities cater to everyone from first-time fishermen to experienced anglers. What they’re selling is convenience, along with very good prospects for catching a fish or three. And because both fish farms are located on private property, an Illinois fishing license isn’t needed.
For many years, the property now known as Lake Julian was a gravel pit. But by the late 1930s, when Miller’s parents, Julian and Cora Dvorak, bought 40 acres of the property, much of the gravel had been dug out by local mining and construction crews.
“What they ultimately left behind was a big valley with a series of ponds,” Miller said. “My father started breeding fish as a hobby. We had all sorts of fish, and my dad’s friends started asking if they could come out and fish the ponds. It started as a hobby that wouldn’t stop growing, and in 1953 we opened to the public for fishing. We’ve been going strong ever since.”
Lake Julian offers a feeling of being in Wisconsin’s north woods. Somehow the air feels a little cleaner down in the tree-lined valley off Northwest Highway.
“A lot of people say that, and they just might be right,” said Miller, who took over the operation from her parents in 1966 along with her husband, the late Del Miller. The former Algonquin Township highway commissioner died two years ago.
There’s a picnic shelter at Lake Julian, which is a popular location for family picnics, scout outings, company parties and other events, Miller said. There’s also plenty of wildlife, including mink, fox, deer, muskrats, coyotes, turtles, blue herons, geese, ducks, raccoons and opossums. A Baltimore oriole was hanging out on a recent bright Sunday morning.
“Animals and birds are very comfortable here,” Miller said. “Every time they build a new subdivision in the area, we seem to get more wildlife.”
Of course, most people visit Lake Julian for the fishing, and there are 11 ponds, five of them stocked with fish. There’s a main trout pond next to the bait and tackle shop, and close by is the fly fishing pond. “The wonderful movie `A River Runs Through It’ inspired us to set aside an area for fly fishing,” Miller explained.
And in the valley are three large, connected ponds known as “The Big Lake.” The Big Lake is filled with northern pike, walleye, bass, trout, perch, crappies, bluegill and catfish. Many of the fish come from farms in Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The entire facility is restocked about every two weeks; workers monitor the trout pond, and they stock the big lake in the valley at the same time.
The biggest fish ever caught at Lake Julian?
“Years ago a gentleman hauled a 4-foot, 35-pound catfish out of the Big Lake,” Miller said. “And you know what? He threw it back, hoping he’d catch it again someday. Another memorable catch was an 18-pound northern one afternoon.”
Miller said fish farms such as Lake Julian are sometimes misunderstood.
“Most people who visit us catch a fish or two, at least, but there are no guarantees,” she said. “Some people go home empty-handed. In fact, not all our fish get caught. Some of our fish die of old age, believe it or not.”
Steve Stadler of Des Plaines comes to Lake Julian several times a year.
“I’ve caught some really nice trout, some nice bass,” he said. “The water’s real clean, which makes for great fishing. I eat what I catch, and you know you’ll catch a clean fish at Lake Julian.”
Don Stanton of Cary and his son Chris were coming up empty on a recent day at Lake Julian, but the first-time visitors were still enjoying themselves.
“I’ve always meant to come here over the years, but I never did until today,” Don said. “It’s beautiful back here. Now we just have to get the fish to bite.”
And the Skutnik family–Jerzy and Maria and their son, Raphael–came from Chicago to catch that night’s dinner. “It’s a great place for our young son, which is why we come out here,” Maria said.
As for Raphael, he was obviously enjoying himself, showing off his 4-inch bluegill. “I’ve been lucky so far,” he said, laughing.
“One fellow comes once a month early on a Sunday morning, and he’ll catch himself two trout for his Sunday breakfast,” Miller said. “Another longtime customer works as an emergency room doctor in Chicago, just like the television show `E.R.’ He comes out, and he doesn’t even care if he catches anything. Fishing’s a great stress reducer.”
There’s no fee for fishing in the Lake Julian trout pond, and bamboo poles can be used at no charge. Fishermen who catch trout pay $4 per pound, and there’s no limit. There’s a daily fee of $5 for Big Lake, with a limit of two walleye, two northern, two bass, two trout, four catfish, five bullhead and 10 panfish.
“No one has ever filled their limit in all the years we’ve been here,” Miller said. “We’d love it if they did. It would make history.”
Miller, who lives on the Lake Julian property, gets a lot of help from her two sons, Robert and David, both of Cary, and her five grandchildren: Rebecca, Bob, Mallory, David and Christina, whom she calls her “No. 1 fish cleaner.” Miller said she has no intention of selling her fish farm, even though the property is very valuable.
“My sons want their children to grow up here, and I want my great-grandchildren to grow up here,” she said. “We’re very fortunate. This isn’t the kind of business where you could go out today, buy the land and start running it. We’re only in business because we’ve been here so long. And I see absolutely no reason to stop now.”
Like Miller, John Reding, owner of the Fisherman’s Dude Ranch, also loves what he does. He has been running the family fish farm since 1976. His late father, John, started the business in 1955.
“Like many fish farms, we also used to be a sand and gravel pit,” Reding said. “My dad loved fishing, and when the gravel pit was emptied here, he didn’t want it to become a garbage dump, which is what happened to a lot of gravel pits in those days. So he bought the property and started a fish farm.”
The Fisherman’s Dude Ranch is about 30 acres and features a 16-acre lake. It’s not quite as peaceful as Lake Julian, with Golf Road serving as its northern border, combined with an apartment complex to the south and the planes flying overhead from O’Hare International Airport. On a weekend day when the weather’s good, the Dude Ranch will attract more than 1,000 fishermen.
The Dude Ranch has two trout ponds, a catfish pond and a lake stocked with bass and northern pike. The fishing fee is $2 for adults and $1.25 for kids under 12. The prices for fish range from $1.69 to $3.99 per pound. Pole rentals are also available.
“If you come to the Dude Ranch, you’ll probably catch fish,” Reding said. “We get a lot of beginners here, because coming to a fish farm is a good way to cultivate interest in the sport. We get our share of seasoned fishermen, too, who want to come out and catch a quick breakfast or dinner. We try to make fishing fun for people.”
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Lake Julian Trout Farm is at 65 Northwest Hwy., between Cary and Fox River Grove. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Call 708-639-3734.
Fisherman’s Dude Ranch is at 9600 Golf Rd. in Des Plaines. Hours are 8 a.m. until dark seven days a week. Call 708-824-9821.
