dansgonefishing

Outstanding news for all Illinois Outdoorspersons. The key being that these funds cannot be swept. When I saw that the Cook County Forest preserve has a budget of over 400 million I was floored! It is about time the state gets dedicated funding. Dan

I plan on attending as well.

I would be very interested. Dan C.,

What is your favorite way of fishing the rivers, top waters, flies, jigs, crank baits??

There is a very nice launch at Fabayan Parkway on the West side of the river. This is a wider section and you can paddle upstream towards Geneva then drift back down. Dan

Sorry for the late notice, I will be there at 0800 this A.M.

Have them ship the replacement by FedEx Ground or perhaps in store pick up which moves on a co. truck.

You might want to try Whalon Lake which is just across the border in Will County. This lake is only a few years old. It is a flooded quarry that when flooded connects to the east branch of the Dupage. It has been a catch and release only lake. http://www.reconnectwithnature.org/preserves-trails/Whalon-Lake

The last couple of years I have been using a Poor Boy Jr., copper flake goby on either a standard jig head or a slider jig head with a great deal of success. I started using these after a Smallmouth seminar by Ralph Steiger on Lake Michigan Smallmouth. They stay on the hook very well and depending on the active forage they might be mistaken for a crawfish or madtoms. Dan

Congrats!! I will be joining you June 1. I made the move to boating about 5 years ago with a used 17 ft. Sylvan. Make sure you take one of the free boating courses, you boat dealer should be able to provide you the details. Stock up on the safety equipment, flares, first aid kit, et. Your boat is the perfect size for fishing almost anywhere in this area. I fish from the Illinois River to LaSalle to the big lake. Don't be shy about asking for suggestions, help or a fishing buddy. The ISA is a great group of folks, always there to help.

I am committed to helping Riverside at their booth Saturday until about noon. If you need an extra person Saturday afternoon I can help. You can e-mail me or call my cell 630-248-8967 tomorrow A.M. if you need the help. Dan C.

How about defective plastic baits?? I have a bunch that don't seem to work:) Seriously though - I know the club uses a lot of plastics for various grab bags and raffle prizes but would there be any place that would use plastics that have fallen out of favor over the years. Maybe some high school fishing club or kids fishing event?

There goes the diet - their food is just too good!

I am hoping that the cold water which has higher oxygen will help. The bacteria in the sludge should also be very slow to grow which should minimize the impact. It will be curious to see what caused the spill and if we can learn from it in time to save similar incidents from happening on other rivers. Just think of all the treatment plants alongs the Fox River. Maybe the warm weather and rain at the end of the week will dilute this mess and get it moving out of the system rather quickly. First the Rock River now the Kankakee. These ecosystems are so fragile:( Dan C.

Spinning almost all the time. Favorite is a 6 ft. medium action for throwing jigs. I do drift live bait, not targeting Smallmouth but they do end up on the end of the line now and then. For live bait I use a Thill River Float, split shot, circle hook, spinning reel with a 8.5 ft. rod. Simple but it catch a nice variety of fish. All SM are 100% catch and release. The circle hook insures a nice lip hook every time.