Chip

A popular shore fishing spot in Naperville is Weigand Riverfront Park. Here's a picture looking from Washington Street.

And this a section of Naperville's Riverwalk:

Weber Road just south of the East Branch finally opened this morning.

Chip

Ron -

I like Frog Toggs for lighter rains or when it's not raining constantly through the trip. Perfect to have around for the "surprise" shower. Easy to pack without taking too much space. If I'm fishing in heavier/constant rain, I'd go with something else.

Chip

"Mmmmmmm...... crawwwwwwdad......."

Where's Homer Simpson when you need him.

I use the skip-gap with the Ribbit plastic frog (great for topwater buzzing). The hook kept the bait properly aligned in the water, and held the bait in place nicely. I like 'em.

Check out this video on the Ribbit.....

-Chip

Thanks for great work, Tim!! And thanks to all the volunteers for a great experience.

Regarding Blowout donations: We did get one from Jimmy T at FishTech (Morton Grove) - he will provide a nice rod/reel combo for the Blowout. I'm sure other booths would do the same.

The Chicagoland Outdoor show kicked off today. Tim and Rich worked the ISA booth all day - I joined them at 5pm. We signed up several new members and "spread the smallie gospel" to anyone who would listen. We distributed tons of brochures, and gave everyone a really good impression of the ISA. I was proud to help at the booth - it felt great to talk about all the good things associated with the ISA.

My highlight: The interesting (drunk?) gentleman who immediately said, "I'm not your guy!" when I described the ISA's conservation efforts. He said, "I don't do conservation. Just put me on a lake in a boat with some beer!" And with a big grin on his face, he wished us well and walked away.

The rest of the time was spent - really - opening the eyes of attendees: "YES! Illinois has some great smallmouth fishing!" That usually got folks interested to learn more.

Here's Tim and Rich - lookin' good in their ISA shirts!

Many thanks to Tim for all his hard work organizing our participation (and all the candy!). And thanks to all the volunteers who are helping with the booth. And to anyone else who helped get this booth organized for the show, please accept my thanks as well.

Everyone - be sure to head out to the show this weekend, and look for the ISA booth.

Chip

PS - I wanted to post this in the "Chicagoland Region Events" forum, but the system wouldn't allow me to post......any clue why?

Baby girls rock. Although she didn't quite hit 20", there's no sense throwing her back - might as well keep her! Congrats and welcome to sleepless nights and the late edition of SportsCenter.

Nice. I will be eager to hear your assessment - I use reading glasses at work - and find knot tying a challenge, too! It might help if I can tie knots better, I guess. Looks like you had a good Fathers Day!

I need to spend MORE time on the water! Hope my vote helps.

Excellent job, gang. I was thinking about the clean-up as I headed along I-65 on our way to the Carolinas - disappointed that I couldn't help out but sure of the good work being done.

Man Law #29

When a non-fisherman asks if you're catching anything, you shall always reply, "Nah, this river sucks. Nuthin' in here 'cept carp."

Man Law #30

When being photographed with your bass, you shall always fully extend your arm out front as you present your catch for the shot!

I was with the family up in Rhinelander, Wisconsin this past week - and received permission to hire a guide for a half-day trip. We fished Squash Lake, just west of Rhinelander.

I had a great time with a guide named Steve Huber, and he put me on some fish. Here's just one of several -- not the biggest in the world, but a heck of a lot of fun. Just a wacky Senko along some rocks! If anyone is heading up that way, let me know and I'll put you in touch with Steve.

Chip