RE: Fishing in Illinois....
Good luck out there. If you've never been there, Chicago/Lake Michigan is an AWESOME place to fish. It's fun to run the lakeshore and have a view of the city. At this time I don't belive you have to get out to far either. I would look into a good charter. It would be fun for the kids and you. Lots of cohos right now. Have fun out there.
Jay