Scott Ferguson

Will do Mark. Glad you’ll be joining us. I will need a deposit.

Andrew is one of the best guys I’ve ever met who can catch summer through fall smallmouth in northern lakes. That’s what his Blowout presentation will be about. I’ll be paying close attention. He’s donating a full day guided trip which I’ll be bidding on.

Thanks Ken. See you there. Get there a bit early for a decent parking space and to get a badge to get in.

I still could use some help covering the booth on Saturday and Sunday. I’d really appreciate if you’d volunteer to help.

Thank you, Gordon, Bill and Pat

We are looking for a few members to man the ISA booth at the Chicagoland Fishing, Travel and Outdoor Expo in Schaumburg, January 24-27, 2019. The purpose of the booth is to inform show goers of the ISA, connect with current and former members, and sell new memberships. I'd like to have 2 members in the booth at all times. Parking is already free and booth workers will get in for free as long as they sign up for a 4 hour minimum shift. . I will update the schedule below as we get volunteers. The show hours are; Thursday 1/24 12pm to 8pm 12-4 Scott Ferguson John Loebach 4-8 Pat Moser Bill Kreznor Friday 1/25 12pm to 8pm 12-4 Scott Ferguson. Gordon Patriarca 4-8. Scott Ferguson Saturday 1/26 10am to 7pm 10-3 Scott Ferguson Ken Santefort 3-7 Scott Ferguson Sunday 1/27 10am to 5pm 10-5 Scott Ferguson, Dick Gronlund

There is only one of the 12 teams that make the playoffs that don’t end their season with a loss. No one expected the Bears to make the playoffs, let alone win 12 games. Wait till next year might actually mean something this year..

Now you're just piling on.

Looks like I should have waited before buying that Cody Parkey jersey.

There was information in the last newsletter with all the details. The calendar also has information. You will be able to purchase tickets here on the web page in the next few days. Happens, Saturday, March 2, 2019. Location, American Legion Hall, 310 W Butterfield Rd, Elmhurst, IL. Tickets are $35 and must be purchased in advance. Dinner catered by Firewater BBQ. speakers, Andrew Ragas, Mike Allen and Jessie DeMartini

That's a pretty safe area. I haven't looked at that stretch of river closely, but I think it's just muddy and tree lined.

Papa Passeros has great pizza, combine that with great friends from the ISA and that makes for a great evening. I’ll be there for sure!

One major thing I can't stand about You tube fishing videos is the use of chest cams. As soon as I see those shots, I shut it off. It's also not a good sign when you don't see anybody fishing until after the 8th minute of a 14 minute video.

I wish he'd have said how many hours he spent making his copy. I was up in Minocqua at the Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop where I saw a custom musky swim bait that was selling for well over $100. I asked if they sold very well. They said they couldn't keep them in stock. The guy who made them, kept raising the price to slow down sales because he couldn't keep up with production but they just keep selling.

I’ll be there too.

I’ll go if we can car pool.

A professional bass fisherman has a different prospective than everyone else when it comes to catching bass. EVERY fish they catch is important to their career. ANYTHING that they can do to that might increase just the chance of catching even one more fish is in bounds. Using scents, electronic fish callers, fluorocarbon lines, everything and anything is in play. I don't have to catch every fish that swims in order to pay my bills. So I can afford to look at things in a different way than a pro will. I've had enough success catching fish without resorting to using leaders or scents that I find that sticking to a simpler system works for me.

So you think bass have the intelligence to reason that because braided line is more visible than mono, (which they can also see) that they won't bite a lure made of plastic, metal, or feathers with a treble hook or two hanging from it? If they were that smart, why can't they tell real food from fake?

Last month while we were on the trip, the water was extremely low. Right now, the water is 4 feet above where it was then.

The only mono I’ve used in the last 15 years is for backing my braided line.

That’s a nice fish but the look on your face suggests you were smelling a very unpleasant odor at the time you caught that fish!

I was there during the entire second week of the Road Trip. Even after many trips to the Menominee, I encountered conditions I had not seen before. Last year, water levels were extremely high, and this year the levels were extremely low. I spent too much time fishing the places I've gotten them in the past, shallow flats, shade lines, break lines and eddies when most of the fish caught were spread out in the deeper channels. The new boat I brought, even with the jet outboard had difficulty negotiating the very shallow water. Keeping the boat off the rocks was nearly a full time job. We all had to work hard to get bites. I didn't take many fish pictures but I may post some later. As usual, I enjoyed the camaraderie of the other ISA members along with a campfire every night. One night, while sitting around the fire we were startled and surprised with the sound of a drum beat and First Nation singing. We didn't know what to think until the "musician" came into the light of the fire and showed himself. We saw it was none other than Norm Perkins who, as we know......