CHolderness

Ed, Thank you for setting up the opportunity for the ISA to participate in the Trout Fishing for Kids event again this year. Dan Grigas and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County do a great job of getting kids out fishing throughout the year. A good turnout of youngsters yesterday with lots of smiles and several heavy stringers of trout. Even the weather was relatively good for this year's event. Thanks again! Craig

Ed, Count me in. I'll see you at Sunmist at 7 a.m. on March 30. Thanks! Craig

Mike, I'll be there Saturday. Will come early to help with set up.. I'll bring a blue tarp we can use for the Velcro fish pond. I also have a couple of kid-sized fishing rods and a few buckets we can set out as targets. Craig

Ed, Thank you for coordinating the ISA's participation in the "Trout Fishing for Kids" event with Dan Grigas of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Despite the typical inclement March weather for this event, it was great to see the kids enjoying themselves and catching lots of nice fish. Those trout are probably the biggest fish the kids have caught in their young lifetimes. Several even bagged their limit (5). Lots of smiles on their faces as well as their parents. Dan did a great job organizing the event as always. Programs like this are a great way to introduce the young to our beloved sport of fishing. Thanks again, Craig.

The 2017 Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days event has come to a close. Despite less than desirable weather conditions over the weekend, there was a good turnout of families with kids eager to try hands on, outdoor-related activities. The big tent takedowns occurred yesterday along with collecting up all the signage and event equipment for storage. The NIH&FD committee is already preparing for next year’s event. Be sure to mark September 22-23, 2018 on your calendars and plan on joining the fun. A big THANK YOU to the following volunteers for enduring the heat and humidity, sharing their expertise with the kids and other attendees, and stepping up to make the ISA sponsored activities of the Kids Casting Area, the infamous Velcro Fishing Pond and the Fly Casting Demonstration/Instruction a success: Saturday Mike Chronik Pat Hirshtik John Loebach Sunday Mike Chronik Ed Dhamer John Loebach Norm Perkins Mitch Schwarz The NIH&FD event enables the general public to become more familiar with the ISA name and types of activities the club is involved with to promote the sport of fishing, conservation, and other activities to help the future generation enjoy the great outdoors. The feedback from the families attending the event is overwhelmingly positive with much appreciation expressed to the volunteers who make it possible. See you at next year’s event! Craig

Just 5 more days to the Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days event. I have only 3 volunteers making time available for it so far. Not nearly enough to do the job and fulfill the ISA's commitment to this event. How about some others stepping up and helping the ISA support the future of fishing and other outdoor activities for the next generation? If you can make time available to volunteer or have questions about the event, please post here or contact me at cholde701@aol.com. Thank you! Craig

Thank you, Pat. Saturday the 23rd will be great for however long you can stay. Still plenty of opportunities for other ISA members (and friends) to step up and help out this coming weekend. Was down at Silver Springs State Park today to mark out set-up locations for the big vendor tents, Boy Scouts breakfast tent, Hawg Trough placement, dog training area set-up, heritage re-enactment camp, etc. The IDNR has the park grounds looking real good. Weather forecast for the NIH&FD event weekend is getting better every day. Reply to this post with your ISA activity preference and the day/time you'd be available to assist. Contact me at cholde701@aol.com if you have questions. Thank you!

We have one week to go until the Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days event. The ISA is in need of several volunteers to support this event. The objective here is to promote the sport of fishing and love of the outdoors with the next generation. The Kids Casting Area is pretty much what the ISA does at the Sgt. Tommy's event every year. We need the full-time equivalent of at least 3 volunteers to staff this activity during the two days of NIH&FD. This year the ISA is looking to step up and cover the fly casting and fly tying activities at NIH&FD. If you're an ISA BassBugger (or friend) and would like to promote the sport of fly fishing and share your fly casting / tying skills, please consider helping with these activities. It would be great to have the full-time equivalent of 2 people demonstrating fly casting and 3 more tying flies for kids on both days. Switching between casting and fly tying is certainly doable. There will be an electric hook-up for fly tying lights. There's no heavy lifting to be done during the NIH&FD event. There'll be a Boy Scout breakfast available each morning as well as apples, donuts and coffee / ice water. Admission and parking are free. The event runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The ISA will set up its activity areas at 8 a.m. those days. Please reply to this posting with the dates / times and ISA activity that you would like to assist with. We can accommodate whatever works best for you. If you have any questions about the NIH&FD event or ISA activities, please send me an e-mail (cholde701@aol.com). Thank you! Craig

The Illinois Smallmouth Alliance will once again be at this year's Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days celebration to be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 23 and 24, at Silver Springs State Park in Yorkville, IL. The hours are 9 am to 5 pm both days. It's a free event that focuses on outdoor activities for the entire family. The website www.NIHFD.org has a rundown of the types of activities that will be available for attendees to enjoy. The ISA is in need of several volunteers this year to help the kids in the casting area AND with the fly fishing demonstrations (both casting and tying). If you have a couple of hours or more on either day to spend some time with the future fishing generation, it would be much appreciated. Bring the family with you and enjoy the other activities as well. This is an excellent opportunity to acquaint the general public with the ISA and the work that it does to promote and enhance the sport of fishing. Reply to this posting with the dates/times you are available to assist. Indicate the activity (kids casting/fly fishing demos) that you would like to help with at those dates/times. You are welcome to rotate between the ISA sponsored activities if you desire to do so. If you have any questions, please post them here or send me an e-mail at cholde701@aol.com. Thank you, Craig

Ed, I sent you suggested wording via e-mail. Thanks, Craig

Ed, Could you please be sure the Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days event at Silver Springs State Park in Yorkville is included in the "Upcoming Events" section of the next issue of Bronzeback Magazine. The dates are Saturday, September 23 and Sunday, September 24. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thanks, Craig

Bart, Thanks for organizing this cleanup last Saturday. Always good to get some trash out of and around the waterways. I had not been down in that area of the East Branch of the DuPage River before. Looks like something worth exploring further. Thanks again. Craig

Mike, I'll be there for Sgt. Tommy's on June 3rd. You might want to bring more bobbers for the casting rods. I can't recall if we had many extras after the Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days event last September. I'll bring a blue tarp for the Velcro fish. Craig

Scott, I can do Thursday (1/26) from 12 to 6. Stay longer if necessary. Craig

John, Another great job by you in organizing and managing "The Early Show". Anyone attending in whatever capacity can appreciate the effort you put into making the event a success. Well done! Craig

John, I can help out all day on Sunday the 13th. What time do you want us there to assist with setup in the morning? Craig

Tom, Be sure to put a few Singha beers in the cooler. See you on Wednesday night! Craig

Another NIH&FD event has come to a close. The big tents came down today and the supporting signage and equipment has been stored away. The weather cooperated both days and a good turnout of families came to enjoy various outdoor recreation activities. The NIH&FD committee is already preparing for next year's event. Be sure to mark September 23-24 on your 2017 calendars and plan on coming out. The ISA was well represented by volunteers to assist in the Kids Casting Area. The action was hot and competitive both in casting bobbers to the buckets and catching the Velcro fish. Special thanks go out to the following for donating their time and expertise to help the future generation enjoy the great outdoors: Saturday Mike Chr. Pat H. Rich Mc. Norm P. Mitch S. Special Guest Appearance by Chef Spiz Sunday Mike Chr. John L. Dale Mac. Rich M. Norm P. Marmion Bass Fishing Team NIH&FD enables the ISA to gain exposure to a broad section of the general public and give them an opportunity to see what types of activities are being done by the ISA to promote the sport of fishing, conservation and other forms of outdoor recreation. Much appreciation for the work of event volunteers was expressed by the families in attendance. Thanks again to those who came out to represent the ISA. Craig

The ISA is still seeking volunteers for the NIH&FD event this weekend. Help is needed both Saturday and Sunday, especially in the PM each day. The volunteer schedule as of Wednesday evening looks like this: Saturday 9/24 Craig H. AM & PM Rich Mc. AM Set Up Mike Chr. AM Set Up (if work schedule allows) Mitch S. AM & Partial PM Pat H. AM & PM (Put you here, Pat. If Sunday is better let me know.) Sunday 9/25 Craig H. AM & PM Rich Mc. AM & PM Marmion Bass Fishing Team AM Waiting to hear back from Dale Mac. on his availability either Sat. or Sun. If you've got time to help out either day, please reply to this post or e-mail me. cholde701@aol.com

The NIH&FD celebration (www.NIHFD.org) is less than a week away. Was down at Silver Springs this morning to mark out locations for the event tents and go over the "To Do" checklist. Tents will be put up on Tuesday. Dog demonstration area and shooting/archery ranges to be set up mid to late week. Fish for the kids fishing pond to be delivered on Thursday or Friday. Sponsorship signage will be going up all week. Silver Springs will be a very busy place in the days ahead. The ISA is still in need of volunteers to work the kids casting area on Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 25, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I'd like the equivalent of 4 full-time people on both days to help the "Future Generation of Fishing" have some fun and experience the great outdoors. It's not hard work. Takes a little patience and a sense of humor. You will get a lot of personal satisfaction helping turn kids on to our beloved sport of fishing. This is another opportunity for the ISA to make a difference. Please consider volunteering whatever time you may have this coming weekend. Reply to this message with your availability so I can set the volunteer schedule and ensure the casting area is adequately covered on both days. This is a free event so there's no admission or parking fees. There will be a Boy Scout breakfast available ($5) each morning of the event if pancakes and sausage motivates you. Thank you! Craig

The Illinois Smallmouth Alliance will once again be at this year's Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days celebration to be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 25, at Silver Springs State Park in Yorkville, IL. The hours are 9am - 5pm both days. It's a free event that focuses on outdoor activities for the entire family. The website www.NIHFD.org has a rundown of the types of activities that will be available for attendees to enjoy. The ISA is in need of volunteers to help the kids in the casting area. If you have a couple of hours or more on either day to spend some time with the future fishing generation, it would be much appreciated. Bring the family and enjoy the other activities as well. Reply to this posting with the dates/times you are available to assist. Thank you, Craig

Mike, I'll see you there tomorrow as well. Craig

Ed, Thanks for setting this up. Always enjoy Abe's presentations. It was a good day to be inside looking at pictures of BIG fish. Craig

Ed, Thank you for coordinating the ISA's participation in this event with Dan Grigas of DuPage Forest Preserve. The weather on Saturday was probably the best since this event began several years ago. It's always good to see the kids fishing with their families and hauling back a stringer of trout. Lots of smiles on those faces, including those of the volunteers. Thanks again, Craig

Ed, Count me in. Be nice if we did get good weather for a change. At least the ice will be out on the lake. Be sure to let Norm P. know. He likes working this event and helping the kids rig up their rods properly for trout fishing. See you at Sunmist on Saturday at 7 a.m. Craig