Mike Clifford Posted March 6, 2011 Report Posted March 6, 2011 Joe Cornwall gave an awesome presentation, lots of smiles in the crowd and the whole social atmosphere was really something to behold. A few teaser photos for now until I upload more later. Share your thoughts on this year's event! Fly Contest entries: Quote
Scott Ferguson Posted March 6, 2011 Report Posted March 6, 2011 I haven't done all the paperwork yet, but this looks to be the most successful Blowout ever! So many thanks you's to go around. Thank you to all those who donated some VERY nice prizes including Jeff Tallis and his law partner, Nick Faklis, Dick Gronlund, Jim Jozwiak for getting us the Coosa kayak, the resort owners, and all the guides, professional and non-pros who donated the fishing trips for the silent auction. Thank you to Joe Cornwall who had to be one of the best, if not THE best speaker we've ever had at the Blowout. Thank you to the fine people at the American Legion Hall for taking such good care of us. Thank you to all the ISA officers, coordinators and members who worked the entire night to make the Blowout a fun evening, And the biggest thanks to everyone who came and spent lots and lots of money to help the ISA fulfill it's mission of supporting smallmouth bass in the state of Illinois. Quote
Guest rich mc Posted March 6, 2011 Report Posted March 6, 2011 It was a great event .a whole bunch of guys did a awesome job of putting this together. SCOTT is the main man. Thank You. I brought 4 new to the blowout people and they really enjoyed it. it was so much fun,Cant we have two each year! [justkidding] rich Quote
Mike G Posted March 6, 2011 Report Posted March 6, 2011 About Mike Clifford's pictures. Thank you Lord for the pictures of the flies. It has restored my faith. There really is a contest. Thank you Mike for your spiritually inspiring post IMHO. Now do those numbers represent the final rankings? Who won? Quote
Mike Clifford Posted March 6, 2011 Author Report Posted March 6, 2011 I remember you asking to see the contest photos, Mike. Here is a link to view many more, and still uploading..... https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=369696&l=a5c17edd34&id=338777659195 Quote
Jeff D Posted March 6, 2011 Report Posted March 6, 2011 Had a good time at my first blowout. Met a bunch of new people, and enjoyed talking with them. Hat's off to all to pulled this together with a top notch presentation full of passion and humor. Looking forward to next year already! Jeff Quote
Jim J Posted March 6, 2011 Report Posted March 6, 2011 Big thanks to the many volunteers and officers for making this a fun and exciting event. Highlights were many. Fantastic speaker in Joe cornwall. Great food. The great raffle prizes. The coosa auction The faklis and tallis rod auction Great seeing friends Much money raised for conservation Quote
jim bielecki Posted March 6, 2011 Report Posted March 6, 2011 I enjoyed the whole evening. Great prizes, and a terrific presentation. I really enjoyed Joe. He was a very good speaker with a ton of useful information. Food hit the spot and just the support from all the members was great to see....the future of smallmouth fishing looks bright. The blowout is a great way to get everyone excited for the season coming! I'm going to take Joe's advice and try more blues and blacks for the early season. If I remember right....spring....small blues and black, summer....larger baits with orange and greens, Fall, large 3-4 inch baits with white and silver colors. Spring; bugs and small slow presentations Summer; fast baits knicking bottom Fall; minnow imitators I also enjoyed some of the other information he presented as well, for example the time it takes for fish to adjust their eyes to dark, the video of the bass jumping out of the water, how crayfish molt several times a year, how a bass smells, lateral line info, depth perception....he really covered a lot! Some of the information we all know but he did a nice job relating that information into strategies! It was also great to have Don Labrose there to share the progress of the DuPage River. This project is HUGE! I never thought I'd see the Dupe clean up the way it has in my lifetime....and it's all because of the support from people who care.... I grew up fishing Churchill woods...it was filled with mud and carp...that was it....now with all the work being done, smallmouth are now a possibility....I never thought I'd see it happen! This was one of my favorite blowouts yet! Quote
Steve S. Posted March 7, 2011 Report Posted March 7, 2011 Nice time! It was fun chatting, seeing some familiar faces, and meeting a few new people. I enjoyed Joe's presentation. He was very enthusiastic. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to ensure this event ran smoothly. So who ended up with the Coosa? So who got the Coosa and who won the fly tying contest? Quote
Mike Clifford Posted March 7, 2011 Author Report Posted March 7, 2011 Randy Worthan got the kayak. In the photo link there is one taken at the very last seconds as they counted down. 2 guys really wanted it. The other guy grabbed a bad pen that wouldn't write....seriously! That was a really funny few minutes. Quote
Terry Dodge Posted March 7, 2011 Report Posted March 7, 2011 If you "axe" me, I thought it was a great time! This was my first Blowout and like what was said in an earlier post by Jeff D., "looking foreward to next year already." It was nice to meet and talk with a bunch of members that I usually only chat with here on the site and I thought Joe did a dang good job as the featured speaker also. Only bad thing is......This Blowout seems to land on the same weekend as the Rockford show. Not good. I'm thinking I'll have to flip-flop from the Rockford show and the Blowout if they keep falling on the same weekend. I'd rather be at the Blowout having some fun and some brews but if duty calls. Good job. Thanks to everybody that makes this happen. More peanut-butter cookies for future Blowouts. Quote
John Loebach Posted March 7, 2011 Report Posted March 7, 2011 Winner of the fly contest: 3rd place - #5 by Rich McElligott 2nd place - #7 by Mike Allen 1st place - #1 by Dean Myers The winner was a mail in from New Holland, PA. Rich posted the contest on the fly tying forum & he responded. Quote
eugene f collins Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 Let me see if i have pics resizer correct now. I believe all is well now. In a few minutes i will try to upload the pics i took. Including the close ups of the contest flies. Quote
eugene f collins Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 Let me see if i have pics resizer correct now. I believe all is well now. In a few minutes i will try to upload the pics i took. Including the close ups of the contest flies. not sure what the extra"words and numbers are about. took about 30 pictures. I shall learn this plastic picture maker thing yet. Ah, id rather be fishing. Quote
eugene f collins Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 please stand by. technical difficulties (me) Quote
Mike Clifford Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Posted March 8, 2011 I hope everybody got their American Rivers Calendar and freebies from the Conservation Station as well! Sometimes that aspect of our group goes unnoticed at our event, so I need to remind everybody why we do what we do. Rivers, smallmouth.....and CONSERVATION. Doesn't get any better than that! Quote
eugene f collins Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 Some more pictures of the blowout Quote
eugene f collins Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 Well that is my pictures hope you enjoy. Try to work on the presentation in the future. Quote
Mike G Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 Eugene, Thanks for sticking with it. Good pictures. you and others fulfilled my dream of seeing the fly winners in Aces. Though I did not have the time to tie any entries this year, I could at least participate in spirit. Quote
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