CHolderness

There is only one week to go before the Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days event takes place. I went to Silver Springs State Park today to check out the site. The IDNR has had a crew doing dead ash and storm-damaged tree removal this week. Unfortunately, all of the bobber eating trees near the ISA's kids casting area are healthy and bigger than ever. Not to worry. We have plenty of replacement bobbers on hand. Thank you to Rich Mc., Ed B., John L., Cory G., Mike C. and Mitch S. for volunteering some of their time next weekend. We need more volunteers for both Saturday (9/27) and Sunday (9/28). The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Won't you please consider volunteering a little of your time one of these days to help the next generation of young fishermen and fisherwomen gain a greater appreciation for our sport and the great outdoors. Please reply below and let us know when you would like to help out. THANK YOU!

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS! The Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days celebration will be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 27 and 28, at Silver Springs State Park in Yorkville. The event hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The ISA will once again be sponsoring the casting area for kids of all ages on those days. Please consider volunteering a little of your time to help the youngsters enjoy a great outdoor experience. If you have never attended NIH&FD, it is a family-oriented event filled with activities that promote the outdoors. Bring the spouse and kids (dog-friendly too) and enjoy a day out while spending a little of that time helping the ISA promote the sport of fishing. Let us know what day/time you would be available to help out by posting a response below. THANK YOU!

Mike, Count me in! Great event for kids and promoting the future of fishing. Craig

Scott, I can help out at the Rosemont show on Wednesday night (1/22) and at the Schaumburg show all day on Sunday (1/26). I can also work the Tinley Park show on Saturday morning until noon (2/8). Craig

The weather was great for the Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days event. Lots of sunshine and mild temperatures. Good traffic of attendees on both days even with the Bears game on Sunday. The ISA Kids Casting Area was busy throughout. It was good seeing the smiles and determination exhibited by the youngsters trying to cast the bobbers into the buckets. Hopefully, the ISA has helped plant a seed for a long interest in fishing and the great outdoors. Many thanks to the ISA volunteers for going above and beyond the call of duty to make this event a success: Saturday John L. – Thank you for helping the Boys Scouts get going on their duties managing the IDNR’s fishing pond. They did a great job the remainder of the day and all day Sunday. John W. – Thank you for helping in the morning with set up, working the casting line, and then coming back in the p.m. to help finish the day and secure the ISA setup. The tarps worked great and the equipment was dry on Sunday morning after Saturday night’s brief rain. Sunday Rich M. and Ed B. – Thank you for putting in a full day on the casting line and helping pack up the ISA gear at closing. Action was pretty much non-stop all day long on the line and with the “felt fish”. I’d like to close with a heartwarming example of what the ISA’s involvement in an event like this can mean to a youngster. I was on the casting line helping a small tyke (age 3) learn how to cast one of the little Princess fishing poles. It took a few minutes to get the casting sequence down of when to push and hold down the reel button, bring the rod up to casting position, and when to release the button. Not an easy thing to learn for one so small. I’d count 1-2-3 when everything was ready to go and she’d cast out the bobber and reel it up. It didn’t go very far at first but she had the mechanics down. We did this for several casts with my counting 1-2-3 each time before she’d make the cast. Things seemed to be going well so I looked over to where her older sister (age 6) was casting. I watched her make a couple of casts and she was doing pretty well on her own. I turned back to younger one and there she was with the rod in the proper casting position holding the reel button down with all her might looking up at me and waiting patiently until I counted 1-2-3 before she cast the bobber. We continued doing it that way for another 15 minutes. She never tired or lost focus on getting that bobber into the bucket. Her mother marveled at her daughter’s ability to pick up on the casting technique and how the activity held her attention for so long. Maybe the ISA will have another member in the years ahead. Craig

Ed B. - Thanks! See you on Sunday. - Craig

Ed L. Thanks for letting me know. See you at a future club meeting or one of the shows this winter. Craig

Ed B., Rich M., John L., Ed L. - Thank you for volunteering! See you this weekend as your schedules permit. John L. - I have all the gear, an ISA sign and the membership sign-up materials for the event. Bring the fly fishing show info if it's available. Could use more help on Saturday afternoon and Sunday a.m./p.m. Thanks! Craig

John - Thanks! Look forward to seeing you on Saturday morning the 28th. Same spot as in prior years by the little fishing pond and tents in the lower area. We'll start setting things up about 8 a.m. The event begins at 9 a.m. There's a Boy Scout pancake breakfast available beginning at 7 a.m. if you're interested.

The Northern Illinois Hunting & Fishing Days celebration will be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29, at Silver Springs State Park in Yorkville. The event hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The ISA will once again be sponsoring the casting area for kids of all ages on those days. Yes, you too can embarrass yourself trying to cast a bobber into the bucket. Please consider volunteering a little of your time to help the youngsters enjoy a great outdoor experience. If you have never attended NIH&FD, it is a family-oriented event filled with activities that promote the outdoors. Bring the spouse and kids (dog-friendly too) and enjoy a day out while spending a little of that time helping the ISA promote the sport of fishing. Let us know what day/time you would be available to help out by posting a response here. THANK YOU!

Rich, I'm in. Breakfast too - What time? Craig

Rich, I can help you out all day on Sunday (2/24). I was impressed with the overall quality of the show last year. Craig

Scott, I can work the Tinley Park show on Saturday (2/9) from 9-5. Craig

Scott, I can work the Rosemont Show on Thursday from 2-9 p.m. and the Schaumburg Show on Friday from 12:30 - 9 p.m. Craig Holderness

Mike, See you there at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Craig

Scott, I can help out at the Tinley Park show all day on Sunday the 12th. Craig H.

I can help out on Sunday from 9-5. Craig Holderness

Mike, I can help out all day on Sunday, Sept. 27. Be there early a.m. to assist in setting things up for the day. Craig Holderness

Don, I can help out all day on Sunday the 28th. Craig Holderness

I picked up a copy of Sunday's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel yesterday while in Wisconsin. They are running an excellent, three-part, feature series on the Asian carp crisis and the Great Lakes. We're talkin' front-page, headline stuff. The first part was in Sunday's paper with the two remaining parts to be today (Monday) and Tuesday. The weblink for the home page of the Journal-Sentinel is http://www.jsonline.com Go to the "News" story index. There are two news stories for the carp feature for both Sunday and Monday listed. I don't recall if one has to "register" to view stories on this site. I always enjoy reading the J-S outdoor section on a regular basis. Craig H.

A big "Thank You!" goes out to all the volunteers who helped make the ISA activities at this year's National Hunting & Fishing Days a success. The rainy weather on Saturday was made up for with some great weather on Sunday. The kids had a fantastic time casting for prizes both days rain or shine. The IDNR fishing video machine was up and running on Sunday and the kids got a kick out of that as well. It's always great to see a smile on a kid's face. Thanks again to everyone who helped make this possible. Craig H.

Ed. Thanks! Sent you a PM. See you on Sunday. Craig

The ISA will have a "booth" at the upcoming National Hunting & Fishing Days event to be held at Silver Springs State Park in Yorkville on Saturday/Sunday, Sept. 23/24. We are in need of volunteers to help spread the word about the ISA and the good work it does. The ISA will also be running the IDNR's fishing video machine for the enjoyment of young and old fishermen. Additional information about National Hunting & Fishing Days can be found on the following website: http://www.huntingandfishingdays.org/ Please consider spending a few hours on either day to help support the ISA's efforts to promote fishing and conservation. Contact Craig Holderness either via e-mail (PM on the ISA website or at CHolde701@aol.com) or via telephone at (630) 655-1102 to volunteer. Thank you!

Attended the rally at the Yorkville dam this morning. Turnout looked to be roughly 25 people or so. CBS2, WGN9 and print media reps were present. Shari Walsh made a nice statement asking Gov. Blagojevich to immediately reconsider spending taxpayer money to renovate the dam - a project that will not guarantee there will be no further loss of life there. The IDNR already has put in a gravel "roadway" across the river just a few yards below the dam. Looks like the project is moving quickly. Craig H.

Nice article in the May issue of Outdoor Illinois (IDNR publication) on Fox River plantings. Bob Rung co-authored the article. ISA gets a mention as one of the volunteer groups participating. This has been a great activity for ISA involvement. Looking forward to the July 15 planting at Violet Patch Park in Oswego. Craig H.