Printed in the Peoria Journal Star, August 5, 2007 SPORTS D12

Brothers Believe Managing Small Bodies of Water has Real Room for Growth in Illinois.

We were floating in the middle of Norris Lake when walleye suddenly started biting. Nate Herman pulled out a map - a remarkably detailed map - and pointed to a shelf extending into the 28-acre lake.

"We could probably catch a bunch of them right here if we wanted to," Herman said. Had they been 5-pound goggle eyes, we might have lingered. Instead, we tossed the last of the 7-inchers back and moved to another promising spot.

Such is the power of a good map, something most pond owners lack. In fact, Herman is among the first people I've fished with who had a professional map spelling out every contour and crevice of his lake.

That's no coincidence. Herman and his brothers, Justin and Chad, recently started a new Peoria-based company called Herman Brothers Pond Management. One intriguing function of their company is an ability to provide maps like the one Nate Herman referred to during our fishing trip.

Maps include water depths, contours, accurate measurement of acreage and gallons and GPS coordinates. All are available at a fairly reasonable cost thanks to improved mapping technology from Cabela's Trophy Properties, an offshoot of the sporting goods empire.

"We've tried to make it affordable. Typically, if a person can afford to have their own lake, they can afford to have this service," said Steve Bartosh, a senior consultant with Cabela's.

Bartosh said accurate maps not only help with finding fish, but also with managing lakes, killing weeds and treating algae blooms.

The Herman's met Cabela's representatives this spring at a pond-management convention in Texas. After learning there was a limited number of territories available in Illinois, Nate Herman, 24, acted quickly. He signed up, underwent training and is now licensed to map lakes and land in 30 west-central Illinois counties. The Herman brothers are one of 16 offices nationwide under the Cabela's mapping umbrella and the first in Illinois.

The Cabela's opportunity prompted the Herman's to move forward with a business concept they had talked about for years. Though the brothers will continue to work with their father at Noah Herman Sons Builders, they believe pond management has real room for growth.

"We're building all these sub-divisions on lakes, and in some cases nobody is taking care of them," Nate Herman said.

In other cases too many people are "taking care" of them on a freelance basis.

Beyond subdivision lakes are numerous small ponds: 87,280 spanning 114,767 acres according to the Department of Natural Resources. While state fisheries biologists work with subdivisions and private pond owners whenever possible, there is often a waiting list for assistance.

The Herman's hope to help meet that demand. In addition to mapping, they offer weed treatment, weed mowing, pond lighting, fish stocking, aeration, pond cleanup, deck installation and construction, swim-platform construction and a full line of pond-related products.

"People are realizing water is a huge asset and they're willing to spend a little more on it," said Chad Herman, 28.

Yet during that visit to a pond convention last spring, the Herman's were surprised to learn many product vendors had no dealers in Illinois. So the Herman's now offer various fish attractors, pond lights, chemicals, fish feeders and even a Bojo bug light that stuns insects. After bugs fall to the water, fish feed furiously.

There's only one drawback to a fully equipped pond or lake, according to Nate Herman: "With the feeders and bug lights and stuff, we do more fish watching out here than we do fishing."

JEFF LAMPE is the Journal Star outdoors columnist.