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Bart Durham

ISA Officer
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Everything posted by Bart Durham

  1. ISA is pleased to announce that members Randy Dunlap of Downers Grove and John Manikowski of Orland Park are the two winners of the ISA Chippewa River Custom Rod being given away as part of our membership renewal drive. We hope you enjoy these phenomenal bass fishing rods and thank you for renewing your ISA memberships. Don't forget we will be giving away the remaining three custom made Chippewa River bass rods at the ISA Picnic on August 1st at Glenwood Forest Preserve. We will also be giving away a custom made fly rod and other prizes. You have to renew your memberships to be eligible to win the prizes so please make sure to renew your memberships before the picnic.
  2. Seems like even a small piece of grass can interfere with dead drift keep block head upright?
  3. Like Ben says the fly resembles a frog pattern. Does the mop interfere with the dead drift?
  4. Good news on the Vermillion River Coal Ash front as the Texas landowner has agreed to remove the coal ash pits from the dangerous property. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/environment/ct-vermilion-river-coal-ash-lawsuit-20210623-e2pqeg3wx5gb5aqqhbghlgcjzq-story.html
  5. Small tornado hit Naperville/Woodridge area with several homes damaged and one serious injury reported. Area received much needed heavy rain which will hopefully clear out this algae mess on the Dupe and provide a shot of oxygen to our fisheries. Farmers may be able to breath sigh of relief but more rain needed.
  6. ISA is pleased to announce the Orvis Giveback Days Donation to the ISA of $2,730. The gift resulted from donations made by Yorktown Orvis customers during the month of May which were matched by Orvis. ISA gives a huge thanks to Ike and Orvis for this generous donation.
  7. The ISA is pleased to announce that Frank Briggs is the first winner of the ISA Chippewa River Custom Rod Raffle. Frank is the first winner of one of six Chippewa River custom made bass rods, donated by Jeff Tallis to the ISA, to be given away as part of the membership fundraising drive. Congratulations to Frank on winning this spectacular custom made bass rod. The next raffle drawing will be held on July 1, 2021 when we will be giving away 2 of the rods. The final raffle drawing will be held live at the August 1, 2021 ISA Picnic where we will be giving away the final three rods for the membership drive. Thanks to all our members who have renewed their memberships and taken part in our membership drive.
  8. Really enjoyed the video, gives the feel of fishing the upper Midwest, looks like a candidate for the Fly Fishing Film Festival....
  9. I bet it looks even better when wet and works well, looks like injured shiner/minnow to me
  10. I also wanted to give kudos to the Bolingbrook Park District for the tremendous work they have done along the Dupage River Greenway trail that stretches from the parking lot located near intersection of Royce Road and Rt 53 to Indian Boundary Park in Bolingbrook along the East Branch. Park District workers have cleared out invasive species plants and overgrowth on both sides of the river along trail that parallels the river. A smallmouth fisherman can now have a field day fishing this area with river access that stretches for miles.
  11. At the DuPage River Sweep on Saturday, ISA member Howard Miller told me he very much enjoys helping in this event and he has June 19th open on his calendar and would like to volunteer for this years event.
  12. On Saturday, May 15, 2021 ISA members joined with the Bolingbrook Park District and other volunteers from throughout the area at Hidden Lakes Park in Bolingbrook to take part in this year's DuPage River Sweep. The rain kept the attendance numbers low this year but with rain gear on, those that attended were able to accomplish a lot of great work despite the light rain. ISA member Howard Miller and I chose an area along the north bank of the DuPage river near Whalon lake and picked up several bags of garbage, mostly plastic containers, cans, straws and the like. We then assisted Bolingbrook Park District personnel in removing invasive plant species, like mustard plant and a purple plant (name unknown) in a area along the DuPage River Greenway. The light rain loosened the soil and made pulling the weeds a little easier. The rain picked up a little bit and caused us to end a little earlier than planned but it was still a great time taking part in this year's Dupage River Sweep. Here are a few photos from the event:
  13. Don't forget the Dupage River Sweep is this Saturday, May 15th. We will be meeting at 9 am at the Hidden Lakes Trout Farm Parking lot located at 475 Trout Farm Road in Bolingbrook. We will have trashbags and gloves and items to pick up trash with. You may want to bring your waders and boots in case we get in the water. No requirement to do so however. In addition to trash clean up here will also be stream bank restoration work available for those interested. I know of an area between Whalon lake and the north bank of East Branch that needs major attention. There will be other groups there but look for me with the ISA hat on. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at durhamlaw@sbcglobal.net.
  14. Bart Durham

    Bote

    Very interesting. Looks conducive for fly fishing too. Some of the new pick up trucks have air pumps built in which would be useful for these types of crafts.
  15. Village of Plainfield has been and is currently doing the same thing along the Dupe.
  16. Meet at Hidden Lakes parking lot at 9 am, located at 475 Trout Farm Road, Bolingbrook. Contact Bart Durham if any questions.
  17. Great looking summertime smallmouth streamer! Let us know how it works for you.
  18. Eric and I followed the advise of Paul and Terry and mapped out our float trip from Belvedere dam to Distillery Park. After Paul left to set up his shuttle we left to set up our shuttle. I had never visited Distillery Park before so I learned a new Kayak take out and fishing location on the Kish.. The bite started off hot and I caught 4 smallmouth and a largemouth in the first half of our trip, but unfortunately the bite died off for me in the second half. The outdoor beauty of the Kishwaukee was more abundant than ever as we encountered beaver, including this beaver slide, mink, Bald Eagles and deer. I saw Eric battle a large pike before being bit off. The weather and conditions couldn't have been better for a day to kayak and it was truly a beautiful day to be on the Kish. Thank you Paul and Terry for setting up this outing.
  19. The 2021 Dupage River Sweep will take place on Saturday, May 15th from 9 am - 12 noon. This will be the 30th Anniversary for the river clean up event hosted by the Conservation Foundation based in Naperville. Below is information relating to the event. The ISA will he hosting at least one clean up crew at Hidden Lakes Trout Farm Park on the East Branch of the Dupage River in Bolingbrook. We welcome our members to volunteer their services in any of the areas designated below. Please come out and join us at 9 am at the Hidden Lakes Trout Farm Parking lot located at 475 Trout Farm Road in Bolingbrook. Streambank restoration volunteer work will also be available here. The Conservation Foundation will be providing gloves, trash bags and clean up equipment so you are not required to bring anything other than yourself. If you have any questions feel free to send me a pm or email at durhamlaw@sbcglobal.net. DUPAGE RIVER SWEEP 2021 May 15, 2021 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Join us for the 30th Anniversary of this record-setting tradition! Saturday, May 15th, 2021 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Help us celebrate THIRTY YEARS of keeping our waterways clean by helping us remove trash and debris from our rivers and streams. The annual DuPage County River Sweep is a county-wide self-coordinated stream cleanup held each spring. The purpose of the one-day river sweep is to encourage volunteer groups to help “sweep our rivers clean” by picking up debris in and along the local waterways. Over the past 30 years that this event has taken place, more than 9,000 volunteers have removed nearly 300 tons of garbage from DuPage County streams. The first River Sweep was held in 1991! Let’s make 2021 our biggest cleanup effort yet. Bring your family, friends and neighbors and make this community tradition a group bonding experience! We will be practicing social distancing and following all recommended CDC guidelines to keep everyone safe and healthy. Join the fun, and make a difference right here and right now. How It Works Community Liaisons and groups select a section of stream and through their own coordination go out and remove litter from the area. Streambank restoration activities, such as removing invasive species and planting native species are available in some areas for those who prefer to keep their feet dry (see below). Supplies and technical support are provided by organizations sponsoring the Sweep to help you coordinate your efforts. To Register To learn more about being a Community Liaison or Group Coordinator, read our Group Coordinator’s Manual. Help us expand the Sweep to more locations by volunteering to be a Community Liaison or Group Coordinator in an area not listed below. Contact Jan Roehll for how to get started – It’s simple! Individual volunteers may request being assigned to a group or may work independently in an area of their choosing. Community Liaisons are available to assist individual volunteers the day of the Sweep as well. To learn more read our Group Coordinator’s manual highlighted above. To get started, view this year’s Sweep Flyer. Pre-registration is required. The following towns have Liaison Contacts for you: Addison Ron Remus rremus@addison-il.org 630-620-2020 Bloomingdale Joe Potts joe@bloomingdaleparks.org 630-339-3570 Bolingbrook Daniel Flinn dflinn@bolingbrookparks.org 630-783-6570 Carol Stream Greg Ulreich gulreich@carolstream.org 630-871-6220 Downers Grove Kerry Behr kbehr@downers.us 630-434-5489 Glen Ellyn Renae Frigo rfrigo@gepark.org 630-858-6037, Ext. 6006 Hanover Park T.J. Moore tmoore@hpil.org 630-823-7500 Itasca Mike Subers msubers@itasca.com 630-773-2455 Lisle Molly Garrow engineeringconsultant@villageoflisle.org 630-271-4107 Lombard Dave Gorman gormand@villageoflombard.org 630-620-5765 Naperville Jan Roehll jroehll@theconservationfoundation.org 630-428-4500 Ext. 121 Oak Brook Bonnie Gibellina bgibellina@obparks.org 630-645-9544 Oakbrook Terrace Craig Ward cward@oakbrookterrace.net 630-941-1651 Plainfield Jonathan Proulx jproulx@goplainfield.com 815-609-6139 Villa Park Robert Wagner villagegreens1@aol.com 630-279-3499 Warrenville Ray Ziemer rgziemer@comcast.net 630-836-0086 West Chicago Park District Mike Gasparini mgasparini@we-goparks.org 630-231-9474 Westmont Jon Yeater jyeater@westmont.il.gov 630-981-6285 Wheaton Rob Sperl rsperl@wheatonparks.org 630-510-4970 Winfield Gary Bernard garybernard101@gmail.com 630-462-6074 Wood Dale Steve Krych krychsteve@gmail.com 630-400-0926 All other areas Jan Roehll jroehll@theconservationfoundation.org 630-428-4500 Ext. 121 Restoration Sites If picking up trash isn’t your bag, help communities by restoring natural areas near waterways. Please indicate this preference on your registration. Adult supervision is requested for volunteers under Age 18. Participating restoration locations include: Hitchcock Woods Forest Preserve – Lisle Hidden Oaks Conservation Area – Bolingbrook (park at Hidden Lakes Trout Farm) Village of Westmont – Various Locations Promote the Sweep In Your Community Share this flyer widely to help spread the word in your community! DuPage River Sweep 2021 Flyer Share this webpage URL: www.theconservationfoundation.org/sweep Watercraft Training & Rental Having fun on the water is a priority and learning to do so safely is paramount. Here are some suggested resources for canoe/kayak training from some of our seasoned volunteers: Prairie State Canoeists Geneva Kayak Center Looking for a way to sweep the river while maneuvering a canoe? Here are two sources for rentals: REI – Oakbrook Terrace Geneva Kayak Center. Sponsors & Partners River Sweep supplies and technical support are generously provided by these sponsoring organizations and partners: The following municipalities issued proclamations supporting the annual DuPage River Sweep: Village of Bloomingdale Village of Itasca Village of Lisle Village of Lombard Village of Roselle City of Warrenville City of Wheaton Village of Willowbrook York Township
  20. Hi Colin welcome aboard, what fly/lures are you using for the largemouth? Thanks for the report!
  21. Great turnout for Brad Miller's seminar last night with over 20 attendees participating. Brad gave an excellent demonstration of tying his blockhead popper, talked about his approach when fishing for smallmouth and his winter trip to the Yucatan Peninsula for tarpon fishing which sounds like a blast. Three attendees, Chris Popp, Rich McElligott and Joe Augustine, won raffle prizes including the really cool mitten scissor, available on flybass.com and a Plano fly box.. Check out our recording of Brad's talk on our you tube video if you missed it live.
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