Gary L

It will be interesting to see if they answer your letter or put it in the trash and forget about it. We have to wonder why some think as they do but I guess they don't consider it in their best interest to provide information for the Outdoorsman out in the area they cover.

Just fish and stay home from work!

Norm I am very glad to hear that my old fishing buddy is doing good after this scare. I wish you a speedy recovery and will say a little prayer for you. Went thru a stress test myself and came out with flying colors. These things have way of sneaking up on us and we don't seem to see them coming. Maybe its because we get to wrapped up in living that we forget to take care of ourselves while we are doing it. Take it easy for a while and get this under control so we have you around for a good long time.

Looks like to took a nap in those Burrs!

I would start by sending a 3" Watermellon Stick-O on a 1/16oz. Charlie Brewer Sliderhead behind every rock I see in the photo. Then infront of those rocks and then start fishing the riffle areas.

The best part of that photo can't be seen but some people can realize it because they are well aware of it's implications. Yes, he is a young man and he is catching a beautiful Smallie. Most important part of the photo is that he represents the future of the ISA and of Smallmouth fishing all over Illinois. Every friend he shows that picture to will want to get out and do the same thing and when he does he will be hooked and will someday join the ISA and work to make Smallmouth fishing better. That young man may very well be the first president of the National Smallmouth Alliance.

When Norm speaks In-Fisherman listens. Phil is a great fisherman and very intense and can show you spots and methods you would never think of.

I hope it wasn't to bad an accident and she gets better and back home soon. Will say a little prayer for her fast recovery.

You can get some very good Photo Editing Software at a reasonable price. Paint Shop Pro is pretty good or Photoshop Elements and I think they are about $100.00. Eric uses Photoshop for his photo's and it is the full blown version too. For what you are doing your photo's are fine. You can also go to www.photobucket.com to host your photo's and they have editing software with that. It is a good hosting site. Check them out.

Take a look at some of the photo's that Eric has of his fish! He does a very good job composing a quality photo.

This is what greeted me yesterday when I arrived at the Ramp on the Aunt's Creek arm of Table Rock Lake. The air temp. was about 55 degrees and the water temp. showed 79.1 degrees. It finally burned off about 8:30am when the sun started shinning brightly. It was a beautiful day on the water as far as weather but with the rain we have had over the last few day it may have driven the fish off the usual spots. I enjoyed being out on the water but wish I could have caught some fish too. I guess God just didn't feel I was suppose to catch anything yesterday.

Welcome to the ISA Jeff! Since you are from the Champaign area I would see about contacting Phil Fiscell as he lives down that way and fishes that area year round.

It is not so much that they have turned a blinds eye to Outdoor Sports as much as they have turned a blind eye to our most precious commodity our environment. They just cut the stories off without thinking of the distruction of our Rivers, Lakes, and Streams. To bad they don't care at all because we know they wouldn't print a letter sent to the editor about it.

You better get you some 20% OC Spray also for the Bears out that way. I backpacked in Glacier back a few years ago and the day before I left for the hike a couple got mauled by a Grizzly. I didn't get to see any but they do have a good number of them. The place is awesome and one of the most beautiful National Parks besides Yellowstone that I have ever been to. I met two Canadian farmers going out with Flyrods to fish at Dawn Mist Falls. They were getting Rainbows on just about every cast. It is a beautiful spot also.

Congratulations John on the Birth of our future generation of fisherpersons.

I like the idea but wonder if after a few trips over a sand or gravel bar if the bottom would be to scratched to see through anyway.

Mark it was my experience that the Heavy water flow did to some extent clear the river of sendiment and debris. This was good and bad because one year it removed my honey hole. I am sure that the trees stacked up somewhere else and became a new honey hole for someone else. The fish are not affected by the high water as they simply move to the shoreline eddies and grass. Just look at Eric's posts and the numbers of big Smallies he has been catching with the high water. In most instences he is walking the shoreline. Once the water goes back to normal levels the fish will move to the customary spots and cover.

That is great Michael and those are the types of companies that we want to give our support to also. We find so many companies that blow you off and do not stand behindn the products they produce.

I looked up these two and have links to both here. Didymosphenia is and evasive plant that has been around since the 1980's and appeared in Oligotrphic Lakes of Northern States. http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecolo...mp;fr=1&sts Whirling Disease is found in the Salminoid Species and got its name from the fish chasing its tail. http://www.whirling-disease.org/ I hope this helps explain some of this.

It is truely heart warming to see the ISA out there with the Kids and to have had the Lt. Gov. invite us to do this. It speaks highly of us as a conservation group and shows we are respected and in the eye of those in power. Great job people keep up this valuable work for conservation and the Smallmouths of Illinois.

It really does have some nice markings. It will grow into a fine looking 5 pound Smallie one day.

It would be nice if they could pick you up and drop you off in a remote section of the river. That is neat Kevin.

Got my copy today Greg Thanks!

This is the Apple River near Stockton, Il. This is the Sunrising over the Fox River in Oswego, Il.

You are really getting good at making Flies Michael! Now does this Woolly Bully catch Smallies? That is a great looking fly.