John Gillio

Ed, that is sad to see. I hope the day they reach the big lake never comes, but that report isn't very promising. Rob, those are some pretty salmon flies. Did you tie them? Would you like a showing at my wife's art gallery ? I too wish I could actually get them to bite a fly or lure. I'm working at it ,but I'm quite sure all the ones I hooked in the mouth so far were accidents that I increased the chances of by casting upcurrent of feeding fish.

My buddy Rob is getting into salmon fishing too. He says they taste good and give one hell of a fight.

Ever so true

Congrats guys. Should be a fun season.

Expert or not, they look great Ryan. So does that nice wood floor, by the way.

Some Mardi Gras pics.

As do I.

Looking forward to your posts Sam.

Great looking flies. Thanks for sharing.

Looks to be another winner!

Nifty little fishies!

Great ties Tom! Thanks.

Warning Will Rogers, Warning. Utica Mardi Gras parade is Sat.Feb. 9 at 6:00pm. The main drag is closed for an hour or so, the streets fill with people, and the eating places all fill up after the parade. My honey and I will be there with her brother and sister-in law. It's not an elaborate parade by any means, but Sue likes to see it when she gets a chance. Cajun conection hours are Fri.-Sat. 4:00pm - 9:00pm, Sun. Noon - 6:00pm, with live Cajun music on Sun. the 10th from 2:00 - 5:00pm. All other spots are open for lunch and dinner. Just thought you might want to know.

The weekend seems to be free. I would enjoy meeting you and the Mrs.

Lieutenant Dan, here is a partial shrimp list. : Bubba Shrimp, popcorn shrimp,fried shrimp, shrimp etouffee, and shrimp creole.

Congrat's Jonn. It looks great.

Very nice Tom. It says alot about you when someone remembers you like that. That's very special.

They have a lot of shrimps, crawfish, catfish, frog legs, oysters, gator, cajun sausage, blackened steaks, chicken, jambalaya and much more, along with some good cajun beers. The dessserts are fantastic. The owner (and cook) is from New Orleans and will probably make time to visit your table to see if all is well. Website is ronscajunconnection.com

WOW is right.

I lied, one more thing, Canal Port has very good steaks and is my wife's favorite.

I would say the Skoog burger is hard to beat. Their fish is also better. The rest may be up for grabs. I would give Duffy's more points for atmosphere. To confuse you even more: Canal Port also has good food and a friendly nice atmosphere. Just a mile or so out of town on route 6 east toward Ottawa is the Cajun Connection, Voted one of the best restaurants in the Peoria, WEEK Channel 25 viewing area, by their news team. Cajun food is their specialty. The best prices are at Joy and Ed's. It's probably the oldest establishment in town with the least atmosphere, but the food isn't bad, the soups are very good,and they serve breakfast. If you like to eat, Utica isn't a bad place to be. That's all I have to say about that.

I'm quite sure there are no eggs yet. Occasionally one of the eagles is in the nest and appears to be making adjustments. Getting things in order I suppose. There are a few other nests in the area along the Illinois and Vermilion Rivers. I haven't checked along the Fox near Ottawa but I wouldn't doubt their existence there too. It is cool to see them year-round and on a daily basis.

That is one reason I love fishing rivers. Each cast has the potential for a surprise at the end of the line. Flatheads do like dam faces as well as log jams, root balls, boulders, or undercut rocks and shorelines.

Here is a shot of some nesting eagles. The nest is on the west side of route 251 and is seen as you are heading north, just before you start down the hill toward the Peru bridge. The river is frozen over and the eagles are congregating at the Starved Rock lock and dam. I saw about a dozen eagles on a single tree Friday at the Lock and Dam Visitor Center. There are a good number of eagles up and down the river in this area.

Fish catchers, no doubt. They all have a great look.