Scott Ferguson

When this came up before, I mentioned a Sony waterproof that I have that I like very much but it is not being made anymore. The 2 choices right now seem to be the Pentax Optio W10 or Olympus 720 SW. I don't know much about either one but it's easy enough to google them.

I've seen mink on the river a few times, otters are considerably larger.

Some guys just have no clue how much fish really weigh. A REALLY fat 18.5 inch smallie from a small stream or river might go 4 pounds. But 7.5? Never.

Although I've often had bears in the camps I've stayed in over the years, these bears were not exactly near my cabin. Just outside of the town of Orr MN, there is a place called the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary. Many years ago, Vince Shute was a lumberjack who started feeding wild bears to keep them out of the lumberjack camps where they were shot for being a nuisance. Once he started feeding them away from the camps, they stopped being a nuisance. Wild bears are still being fed in the area and visitors are allowed to stand on a platform to watch. Most evenings, 20 to 30 wild bears will come within sight of the platform. It's a very interesting place.

My wife Crystal & I spent a week in a rental cabin on Lake Vermilion at the end of June. I'm glad we finally got to upgrade from the place we usually get. Bigger size and now it's right on the water. The only problem is that the camp was visited by bears a few times. One of the sows had cubs and I got this picture of one of the cubs up a tree. It's amazing how technology has spread even in remote areas. Even the wildlife are getting in on it. The fishing was only so-so. A big mayfly hatch and warmer than usual water slowed what had been a pretty good bite. Most walleye fishermen including guides were getting skunked. We caught a fair number of smallies and a some largemouth. Fewer than usual but the average size was pretty good. I did see 6 muskies, almost all of them were just laying under docks, barely moving. One did follow my chatterbait back to the boat twice, but never really tried to bite it. Next year before I go back I'm going to try and save my money so I can get a cabin with an indoor toilet. Those mosquitos can get pretty bad up there.

I almost never fish the Fox but I think this type of project is one of the best ways to improve smallmouth habitat with out reconstructing the river itself. I'll be there.

I would guess that the "bruise" caused some sort of nerve damage that affected the fishes ability to camouflage himself. Bass change coloration to blend in with their environment. Looks like the he may not be able to change colors on half his body.

Bob, there is no Smallmouth Alliance chapter in Indiana. I suggest you log onto RiverSmallies.com and pose the same question. There are a few regular posters there from Indiana who may be able to help you.

Join Us June 3, 2006 – 9:00 a.m. to noon Annual DuPage River Sweep First Saturday in June DuPage County River Sweep is a county-wide stream cleanup held during American Rivers Month, the first weekend in June. The purpose of the River Sweep is to encourage citizens and volunteer groups to help "sweep our rivers clean" by picking up debris in and along our waterways. Groups select a section of stream and through their own coordination go out and remove litter from the area. Supplies and technical support will be provided by the sponsoring organizations to help you coordinate your group's efforts. Sponsors for River Sweep 2006 include: Waste Management, Inc., DuPage County Stormwater Management Division, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Illinois EPA, Magid Glove & Safety, Inc. Organized by the DuPage River Coalition, a volunteer project of The Conservation Foundation, more than 6,000 volunteers have removed nearly 170 tons of garbage from DuPage County streams since 1991. The DuPage River Sweep is part of the Illinois Rivers Rescue Weekend If you would like to volunteer in the DuPage River Sweep 2006, please DOWNLOAD and PRINT* the form. Then fill it out and send it to the address on the form or Fax it to (630) 428-4599. Submissions that include donations should be sent by mail. Walk-in Registration Sites for River Sweep Keep checking back for information about this year's River Sweep on June 3, 2006 Municipalities Support River Sweep Many thanks to these communities and organizations that issued proclamations in support of River Sweep 2006: City of Wheaton Additional proclamations will be posted as they become available. DOWNLOAD: http://www.theconservationfoundation.org/t...p/dr_rsweep.asp DuPage River Sweep Registration Form dupage_river_sweep_form_2006.pdf *Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader

It's very hard to estimate a fishes weight and none of the forumlas I've seen can be used accurately on every fish. When weighed on an accurate scale, to weigh 5 pounds, a smallmouth usually has to be nearly 21". A thick 19' fish will be at or a little over 4 pounds. For one of 19.25 inches to go 5 pounds would be a very unusual bass. If you didn't get to weigh the bass before you let her go, you'll never know exactly how much she weighed. Maybe it was 5 pounds, in the end does it really matter? I hope you got a good picture that you can hang on the wall so you can look at it and remember a special day on the river.