Gregg S

I still have a few copies of my book for sale. I want to thank all the ISA members who have read "Guests at The Buck Falls Club." You can see it at coldtreepress.com, amazon.com, or order a signed copy from me for $14 shipping included. To see it on amazon, including customer reviews, search for it by title or by my last name. I also have a little website for it at freewebs.com/greggstockey. Gregg Stockey

Bterrill, Fishing in the rain this June my Pflueger President bound up so tight I could barely turn the crank. I had just oiled it before leaving on the trip too. After a couple of days in the garage it returned to normal. Gregg

Despite a few sprinkles, a little thunder, and one downpour-300 water willows were planted in the Kish yesterday. Here is a preview of what I hope will become a newsletter piece. Photos by Gregg Stockey

Anybody want to float prior? If not, I'll either invite the wife to float it with me, or plan to fish afterwards. I might prefer a three hour float, but we may not have an intermediate put-in. Gregg

I am planning to come. Also, if water level is condusive, I would like to paddle to Pota--- arriving in time to plant. Annie Glidden Road may be too far, want to have energy left for paddling. What about suggesting another put-in site. Jude, Rich, any ideas? Gregg

My favorite event was the massive log jam removal on the Kish. Was that last year or the year before? Watching Rich wield a chainsaw while kneeling in a jonboat was really something. check to see if he still has all his limbs. Gregg

Guys, No kayak is ideal for paddling upstream. It can be done, depending on the flow, but can be alot of work. Paul Trybul posted recently about paddling upstream to fish one good hole and wondering if it was worth it. The best kayaks for paddling upstream are narrow-not made to be fishing kayaks. I love the Native Ultimate for comfort-the seat is great, and it has lots of room to stretch out and spread gear around which I tend to do when fishing. I have had kayaks for years. It is the first one I've had that I am comfortable in for hours. Yes, I like to wear waders so I can beach and hop out. The Native is perfect for this because it is stable and you just swing your legs over the side. I rigged it with anchor trolley system ($29). With the seat out (which takes just a second, it weighs less than 50 lbs which is light for a SOT and helps when it comes to hoisting it on the roof. Downside: Every paddle drip lands in the boat and stays there until I empty it. Wearing waders minimizes effect of this, and seat sits high enough that your butt doesn't get wet. This will not be an issue in hot weather, but it is in cold. I have learned that the Ultimate will NOT float when tipped. I assumed it would because kayaks generally do. This is a bit of a concern to me-I don't want to lose it! Native makes a slightly lower priced kayak that is shallower and has scupper holes to help drain shoe/paddle drip water. It floats if dumped. I might have gone that route if I were starting over today, but I am not sure because it has less roominess. j cradles still available. Gregg

I have a set of Thule j cradles for sale. They attach to any roof rack-for carrying a kayak on its side. Lightly used over last 2 or 3 seasons and in great shape. Straps included. Retail $150. Will sell for $60. I have had to get something else because they do not work for Native Ultimate due to the pontoon shapes on the hull. They will work for any traditional or sit-on kayak that does not have that feature. Gregg

New blog entry went up today at www.freewebs.com/greggstockey Let me know what you think. gregg

New blog entry posted today at www.freewebs.com/greggstockey Let me know what you think. Gregg

Guys, It has been a while since I posted on my book here, and there are a lot of new members, so here goes: A memoir of my outdoor experiences including how Jim J convinced me to join the ISA was published in 2007 by Cold Tree Press. From my first bass, to muskie fishing, youthful backpacking adventures and a paddling mishap; it is all captured in the pages of GUESTS AT THE BUCK FALLS CLUB. I thank the many ISA members who have bought it, read it, and told me they enjoyed it. You can see it on amazon.com or the publishers website, coldtreepress.com. Thanks for looking. Gregg Stockey Feel free to post your review here (if you liked it).

I just bought the Native Ultimate-Is it a sit on top or hybrid canoe? Either way, I enjoy the freedom to move my legs around and hop out easily. All day comfortable seating. Lots of room to spread gear around within reach. I feel very confined in my traditional kayak. Disadvantages- every paddle drip lands in the boat, it is 5 to ten pounds heavier, and slower than my narrower sit-in. It doesn't fit properly on a J cradle, so I'll have to buy another hauling rack. I also bought an anchor trolley system for $29. It allows the anchor to go off the bow, stern or anywhere in between. Took five minutes to install. This would be useful on any kayak. Gregg

I'd say more like Jery Garcia than Al Lindner! Gregg

I'm planning on breakfast Gregg

Jamie, Many items at Canoecopia are retail-but there are lots of show special prices. Except for show specials in the broschure you can not predict if what you want will be discounted. On Sunday, some prices will drop further but things will be picked over. They do allow you to put deposit down on boats, come back in spring to paddle it, and change your mind if you need to. I will miss the show this year because our big fundraiser at work is saturday night. We will raise 100K in one night! If I feel spry on sunday I'll run up there, but I doubt it. Gregg

Did any of you guys see the minnow fly that was being "tied" at the booth next to us at Rosemont? The guy covered the hook shank with masking tape, trimmed to shape with scissors, stretched a tight plastic mesh over it, tied down the mesh, and covered entire thing in epoxy. Looked amazing to me. Gregg

Thanks to everyone who came out on a snowy evening. We had a great turnout, and a spirited discussion that continued until they kicked us out of Gander. My snowy ride home took 2 hours. It does seem to snow everytime we have an event. Gregg

I have spoke nwith Tim about this before and his feeling is don't mess with stuff naturally occuring. That does not proclude eating a couple if you want. I fished in Missouri two years ago. Knowledgable people there were asking that spots be eaten or killed, but not released. What is happening there is traditional good smallie water is being overrun with 9 inch spotted bass.

See you tonight Bill. Gregg

Hey guys, Please try to turn out for the meeting. I'll be driving at least one hour each way to be there. Haven't seen Russ D in a while. Kevin Dahl, it would be nice to see you too. You are the guy who doubted my "literacy." I need a chance to prove it to you. (Just kidding..sort of.) So far it looks like Jude, Paul, Brian O' and me. who else is coming? Gregg

Don or Tim, I can help Friday (can probably get there around 3p) or Sunday morning. Let me know. Gregg

Jamie, We need details on the odor and the cabin. How are Bass Pro Stik-Os better, other than price? My tip o' the year: When I was studying photography, the best photographers would say "F8 and be there" as a way to say you don't get any good pictures if you are not out shooting. The same thing applies to fishing; "rod, reel and be there." I have never caught any fish sitting in my living room with the TV on. Gregg

There is no need to exaggerate or embellish the story of the world record bass, because the truth is so spectacular. There is no need to embellish the role I play in this story either, because I made it up completely. Fish Story 2007 The most hallowed record in freshwater fishing is probably the world record largemouth bass. Most fishermen know about a Georgia farmer named George Perry, the man who caught a 22lb 4oz bass from Montgomery Lake. He stopped by the post office to have it weighed on a certified scale, then took it home and ate it. For fifty or more years it was believed no picture was taken. Recently, a picture surfaced that may very well be the legendary fish. I’m Neil Lungren. I’m a lawyer, a public defender, living in Elgin, Illinois. When not in the courtroom making sure the poor and oppressed receive a fair shake, I go fishing. I get excited about a fourteen-inch smallmouth from the Fox River or a largemouth of similar size from any lake in Illinois or Wisconsin. Something about the chase for the world record bass hooked my interest however, and I began looking into how to topple George Perry from the record book. Most students of the chase for stunningly big bass think a fish from one of just a handful of lakes will break the record. In Southern California in fact, one or more people may have already caught fish that weighed more than Perry’s. Mac Weakley, an experienced big bass hunter, watched a giant bass on a spawning bed in a San Diego area lake during the spring of 2006. He eventually hooked the bass, landing it after a fight witnessed by his fishing partner and bystanders. It weighed 25lbs 1oz, easily heavier than Perry’s bass. The fish was not hooked in the mouth but near the dorsal fin-foul hooked. California law allows fish accidentally foul hooked to be kept. It was a legal fish, but we don’t know if it would have been certified as the record because Weakley released it after photos and video were taken. I admit that my fishing skills are modest, but I’m getting better. For a few years I’ve been hanging out with guys from the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance. At outings, at meetings, or during informal gatherings I soak up everything I can about how to fish for smallmouth bass. Creeky Knees Norm develops an encyclopedic knowledge of a single stream. His focus allows him to predict where fish are and how they will react. Phil Fiscella vows to try something familiar and something novel on each outing. Jonn Graham pursues smallmouth bass with a passion akin to love. Jim Jozwiak perfects the short outing; run-and-gun fishing. Paul Trybul studies notes from days spent fishing to glean lessons for future use. Pete Plauck advises to fish slower than you have ever fished before, and then slow down some more. The list of lessons could be endless. There is a lot of fishing talent here. However, I could not get Perry and the world record largemouth out of my mind. I make point of attending volunteer opportunities as well. Logjam removals, shrub plantings, and fundraising banquets are ways to protect habitat. Talk of smallmouth fishing is fervid at each gathering. This smallie fever is catching, but I still could not get the pursuit of a record breaking largemouth to leave my head. I read magazine articles on the big bass lakes, studied maps, and searched the Internet for tips and inspiration. Months of research went into the notes I had carefully written on the pages of a spiral notebook. My notes contained spots to try, techniques to employ, and baits to use. The huge bass in these lakes feed on stocked trout, so I purchased a number of expensive swimbaits painted to resemble rainbow trout. After months of obsessive planning I decided to fly to San Diego over Christmas, buy new equipment for pursuing huge bass, rent a boat, and fish Southern California’s big bass lakes for a few days. I know that the spawn would make it easier to target the record, but I didn’t want to catch it by bed fishing. I would fish alone, day and night, attempting to catch a new world record bass. I made reservations at a modest but comfortable hotel from which I would trailer the rented Ranger bass boat to lakes chosen based on up to the minute fishing reports. I informed my family that I would not see them after Christmas until New Year’s Day. Leaving on December 27th would allow three full days of fishing before I returned home on New Year’s Eve. I arrived at the airport in San Diego, took a taxi to pick up my rental truck, boat, and trailer. After checking in to my hotel I dropped off my suitcase and headed immediately for the lake. I was a little geeked up as I motored away from the landing. I tried to talk myself down, but adrenaline was flowing. I found a steep drop-off on the Humminbird, killed the engine, and began casting a swimbait. I knew I was fishing too fast, changing spots too often, and generally the plan I had made while sitting at my kitchen table. I slapped myself on the thigh when I realized I had left my new GPS unit in the truck. I intended to use it for marking spots and finding my way back to the landing if I fished into the night. I finally caught a couple of bass, but nothing larger than two pounds. So far, this would be a below average day at home. As night crept over Southern California I kept fishing. It was warm, so I felt no urgency to get off the water. Finally, hungry and not catching fish, I decided to call it a night. “Uh, oh,” I said aloud as I looked around. On this unfamiliar body of water, in the dark, I was a little disoriented. Well, not a little. I could not see the landing or surmise its location at all. I had been so focused on cruising shallow water and drop-offs, looking for fish from the bow seat, that I lost track of my location on the lake. I saw a light that I thought might be the landing. I started the engine on my rented boat and raced for it. “No, that is not it. It must be over there.” I raced to another light visible on the shore. As I arrived I could see that this wasn’t my landing either. I slowed the engine when I saw the deadfall, but not in time to avoid hitting it with the prop. I gunned the engine only to hear it rev without propelling the boat forward. I had sheared the pin! Using only the bow mount trolling motor, I eventually located the landing with help from people I called out to on the shoreline. I was embarrassed, disappointed, and basically skunked, for day one. I’m an inexperienced boater anyway, so trailering the boat without a functional engine was tricky. Eventually, finally, I was able to secure it and head for the park exit. The gate at the exit was locked. Chagrined and embarrassed, I called 911 from my cell phone. It took several calls, and I had to listen to admonitions from various answering services, before I reached park police. An officer came out, opened the gate and wrote me a $100 ticket for violating a “closed at dusk” policy that I had failed to notice in my rush to get out on the water. I wasn’t able to fish the next day while the engine was repaired. The boat rental agent reminded me that he had recommended I take the insurance for a few extra dollars per day. The entire day was lost waiting for quick and easy repairs to the prop to be made. After paying $180, parts and labor, I was ready to pursue the record bass again the next day. On my last day available for fishing, I chose a smaller lake to ascertain I wouldn’t get lost on it. There are big bass, very big bass, in San Diego area lakes of only 100 acres. I remembered to bring my GPS and to mark the landing in its memory. I fished hard all day without success. I set an alarm on the cell phone to ring one hour before dusk, but I didn’t need the reminder. I was painfully aware of what time it was and how much fishing time remained. About the time my alarm was due to go off I watched my line move steadily from my right to left as a fish took my lure toward deeper water. I set the hook, hard. Line peeled off the spool of my expensive new baitcast reel. I tried to stop the fish, but could not. I followed him with the trolling motor to avoid stressing the line. I’ve caught 20lb pike that didn’t run like this. Suddenly, the line went slack. “The fish must be gone,” I said to nobody but myself. I waited, hoping I was mistaken, and then reeled it in. The lure was gone. The end of the line had the telltale curliness that indicates knot failure. My dejection was multiplied by the realization that I had cost myself a shot at this fish, a Moby Dick of a bass, by carelessly tying a knot. I got on the plane that would take me back to Chicago. I arrived home on New Year’s Eve, early in the afternoon. The temperature was expected to reach 50 degrees, balmy for this time of year in Chicagoland. I had no plans for New Year’s celebrating until tomorrow. My parents would be expecting me then. I decided to dig the neoprene waders out of the corner of the garage and head to the Fox River for a therapeutic dose of smallmouth bass. I parked the car in a secret spot and waded up to the outflow from a wastewater treatment plant. I hoped the warm water outflow would attract bass. I had about an hour to fish before nightfall. I hoped it was enough time to remove the stench of my California experience. The fish were not cooperating. I threw my favorite bait, a Yamamoto Senko. When that failed, I suspended a float-n-fly jig under a bobber. No takers. My fingers were getting cold, and I was developing a windburn on top of my California sunburn. My spirit was depleted. I decided to throw the jig one more time before heading home. The fish hit when the bait was retrieved halfway back to where I stood shivering. It didn’t leap spectacularly like it might in warmer weather, but I could tell it was a sizable fish. I lipped it and fumbled for my tape measure. The smallie measured sixteen inches. I’ve never appreciated any fish more. I kissed it on the lips, and gently released it back into the river. A tear of joy trickled down my cheek. “I’m back baby! Happy New Year!” I gently released the fish and turned for home.

This is just for fun. Then I'm going to get serious. FISH STORY I’m standing waist deep in a creek, the chill air makes my nose run. My legs are feeling pretty weak, not sure why I call this fun. But now a fish is on my line, the size of it is mighty fine. Get the camera ready honey, even I might catch a twenty! What fish is this? I stop to ask, quillback sucker, gar, or pike? When I reach to make the cast, it isn’t what I hope will strike. The fish I seek is brown and gold. When hooked he takes to acting bold. The fish that often kicks my ass, the venerable smallmouth bass. It seems the outcome isn’t fair. I try my best to “give a care.” If you think I’m being funny, even Rego caught a twenty!

You can listen to me interviewed on Sarleys show, show of 11/17. Go to oexperience.com Gregg Stockey