Mike Rathsack

If someone has a Shimano 1000 reel that is still in good condition, I would love to buy one.

Mike G - you deserve more respect than that!

Thank you all. That was kind of you to take the time. I appreciate the help. Mike

At the risk of being banned for asking about largemouth, I was hoping to get some advice for the Mississippi. Last fall, I started to fish for largemouth in the backwaters south of Galena from my canoe. I don't see that many others out there, and those few using lures are tossing spinner and similar baits to the shore. Much of that water is 6 feet or less in depth with really heavy growth or else just sand and muck. If my meals came from what I catch, I would starve. Would anyone have any advice? I looked for related websites but they address main channel fishing. Thx. Mike

It was just me and I think I had four or five nice bass, and of course those I lost. But keep in mind we were fishing at 2 pm in August (I just hate getting up early), and we were out when the river was high after unseasonal heavy rains that caused trips before mine to be cancelled.

With the Blowout coming up, I wanted to post my experience with Austin Adduci who donated a Kankakee River float trip last year. I took that, and must say I forgot how beautiful the Kankakee is. If you have not tried it, it is like being transported to Canada, with nothing but water and quiet. I had a great time and found Austin to be a great guide and an interesting person to spend the afternoon with, and I learned something. My wife says that bar is not very high, but that is another topic for another day. I just wanted to publicly thank him. Mike Rathsack