Mark K

My parents had me late in life. My Dad really did his best to entertain me. I remember going to lots of Sox games, back in the 70's. Think Wilbur Wood, Bucky Dent, Ralph Gar etc. I saw greats like Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter and Nolan Ryan many times.

My Dad took me fishing, often, but a cane pole was his speed. it and really didn't help that he was old and sick from of a lifetime of smoking. My older brother was much older than me, old enough to be my Dad. He took me fishing occasionally and was a little better at it than our Dad.

i don't want tome off as ungrateful because some fathers never take their kids fishing anywhere. We did go to Wisconsin a couple times where we hammered white bass . That got me pretty hyped up. Then my Dad went to Wisconsin, once with his buddies from work and He came home with a pike about 8 lbs. It looked like a freaking sea monster to me!

So we had a little Chicago Public Library branch around the corner. I read every book they had on fishing. One comes to mind "Fishing with Worms and other Live Bait" by Ray Bergman. I also read Outdoor Life and Field and Stream cover to cover every month. We rode our bikes to Marquette Park and used garden worms or Pillsbury dough for bait. City boys on bikes with fishing rods. Urban angling at it's best.

Point being, if you really love doing something you'll figure out a way on your own. My Dad still took me to the Cook County FP lakes like Sag Quarry and Maple Lake.

Then for a long time, I stopped fishing. My Dad got really sick and died.

Then I was in a store and I picked up an issue of In-fisherman. Spring 1983. back then it was as thick as the Sears catalog and really great information. Anyway it had a lot of information about panfishing. so I bought an ultralight rod and boom, I was catching fish like I never did before.

Fast forward. Congratulations! It's a boy. and a new fishing partner. I had Max fishing when he was really little. He sat in my lap and together we caught bluegill after bluegill. Then he got old enough to hold the rod, but I still helped him set the hook. Really it wasn't that long before he could cast a spinning rod effectively and pretty much do everything on his own. Using light line, small jigs under light bobbers we fished CIRCLES around people next to us. Adults just getting their asses kicked by a 4 year old right next them using to come up to me and tell me "that's amazing". The point I am trying to make here, is teaching someone to fish is more than handing them a sucky-ass spin cast rod with a bobber the size of a tennis ball, then walking away. To get them as good as they are was a lot of attention on my part and I rarely fished myself in those times.

LOL I used to rig up a rod with stink bait and I would let him battle these big cats when he was really little. It was highly entertaining.

Max, A Nice Cat and I. by Mark Kasick, on Flickr

Max got better and better, then it wasn't all that long before I wasn't doing anything for him, and he could fish on his own. I could actually fish! Max caught this fish on his own, baited his own hook and beached it. Fought it in current with light line, just like a pro.

Max's Channel Cat by Mark Kasick, on Flickr

Then he got a little brother and the process started over.

Will's First Big Bass by Mark Kasick, on Flickr

Both of them are at home wading Rock Creek flipping rocks, catching minnows and crawdads as well as in shorts wading thru armpit high water willow and all the critters that reside in there.

The great thing about having kids, is you have full license to do all the dumb shit you would be embarrassed to do as an adult.

Max is really, really great at photography. i'll have to post his shots.

Man before you know it they are as tall as you.

20150907_133752 by Mark Kasick, on Flickr

Last year we went to Sylvania and kicked it ups notch. It was freaking awesome.

20150813_101453 by Mark Kasick, on Flickr

I have hundreds of fish pics with them. I need to get organized and make a slide show.

MISSION
We are everyday people.
Our mission is to show the world an elevated
perspective of our addiction to fishing
through our music, creativity, fashion and
lifestyle. An epic movement of supreme
angling that is on the verge of a takeover…

There are fishermen…
And there are wishermen…
As for US…
WE are FRESHwaterMarauders.

– C.A.S.T. CREW

http://cast312.com

From the perspective of someone fishing for bass and trout in rivers and streams, probably not.

But it really doesn't matter what I think. Angling...either you get it or you don't. I can't stop anybody or force them to start. Personally I see no evidence of it going away.

My son starts high school next year, they actually have a fishing team.

Dunno. If I want to watch someone cream 'em I'll put on reruns of Bill Dance and watch him fish a private phosphate pit. :-)

The big blue green ones are green darners.

Green Darners Mating by Mark Kasick, on FlickrYeah I have seen that too, LM just going airborne over them. Not just one

I have a video somewhere I shot from kayak. it was on the Kank and damsels were locked and ovipositing eggs and smallies were just going crazy over them. I have a feeling if I start carrying a damsel pattern it will almost certainly ensure that I will never see that happen again.

Here is a cool pattern. i follow this guy's page on You Tube. He mentions video above. That's how I found it.

An amazing video.

obama says the problem is over since he signed the global warming treaty. rich mc

Can you point to specific document?

Is this a question or an opinion?

My sister, Carol gave me this. She painted in oils and said it reminded her of me. She enters these local competitions. This one has 1st place written on the back of the canvas.

20151227_121337 by Mark Kasick, on Flickr

I remember Steve. That's very sad.

While walking around I saw a dragonfly that looked odd in flight. It landed on a fence post and I was able to get within a foot. Wow, it had markings like the one in the photo here but the markings near the abdomen were much darker. It did not have the other spots on the wing either. Really something. I don't think it was this species. It flew away before I could snap a photo.

They call those "saddlebag" dragonflies. There are a couple different species. This is a Carolina Saddlebags. They seem to show up around late summer, which is when I took this.

https://flic.kr/p/oXiS1w

** IMPORTANT MESSAGE**

FROM OFC. MICHAEL MOLLER, BIPD (RET.) As most of you may already be aware and some of you may not have heard, It is with my deepest regret to inform you all of the Tragic and untimely Death of our Friend, Our Brother, Mr. Eric Edward Moller, Age 47, of Walkerton, Indiana, formerly of Alsip, IL.

On This previous Monday, during the afternoon hours of

May 25th 2015 Eric Moller suffered complications during a cardiac procedure at a local hospital in Indiana.

Eric suffered a heart attack and after approximately one hour of efforts by doctors and nurses, Eric was pronounced deceased.

I have no words to describe to you all, how deeply sorry I am for this collective loss of a tremendously graceful human being, Brother, Friend, Husband and Family Member.

Eric was the most incredibly kind man I have ever known.

*As of 5:45pm, Wednesday, May 27th 2015, I was informed by my Sister In Law, Shawn Moller, and by my Father, Jay Moller,

the Visitation and Memorial Services for Eric will be held at

*DAMAR-KAMINSKI FUNERAL HOME*,

79TH STREET AT 88TH AVENUE, JUSTICE, ILLINOIS

*SATURDAY, MAY 30TH 2015, (3PM TO 9PM)*

**I ask you all to please assist me in the notification of any and all of the friends of Eric Moller, be it The Alsip 1970's-1990's and all other friends Eric has come to know up until this year 2015.**

Eric knew many, many people, and he touched us all with his' love, his skill as a guitar player, and his' love of fishing, hiking, camping, environmental cleanup as well as his passion for professional Ice Hockey ( GO HAWKS )

Please reach out to everyone, for Eric Moller loved you all so very much.

I can not thank you all enough for the love, support, and offers of assistance to Eric's Wife, to me, and to the Entire extended Moller Family.

God Bless Eric.

God Bless you ALL.

With Love, Michael Jay Moller. 6pm (May 27th 2015)

Eric and I drove together on one of the sign postings on the Dupage River. He was driving and I started looking thru this huge collection of music in his truck. We liked a lot of the same kind of music, mostly guitar oriented stuff and Eric happened to be a smokin’ axeman himself. He was a south sider too and didn’t live far from me at all. Eric knew the Kank and the Mazon really well and he loved fishing topwaters too. So in short between music and fishin’ we a lot in common. He came over a couple of with his girlfriend (future wife) and both of them got along great with my wife. We became pretty close friends and he even watched my house and took care of our cats when we went on vacation. Over the years we went a few concerts together and fished local rivers crankin’ rock n’ roll up to “11” on the way. Later on Eric got the house in Indiana and the time for epic day long Kank wades got stretched pretty thin on both our ends. We did however keep in touch on the phone and I don’t think more than a few months ever went by without a really lengthy phone conversation. We did keep well enough in touch with talking and texting , that I was kind of shocked when I saw his picture on Facebbok and on the Guitar Center site where he worked. He grew his hair out and now he really, looked like a rocker.

I am trying not get mushy, but I am really going to miss this guy. In all the years I knew him I can’t remember a single real disagreement or a moment of not genuinely enjoying his company. In reading all the posts on his FB page I am not the only one. He has made quite an impression on folks and 47 years was just too short of a time for him to be here.

This is from a really hot July day on the Kank. If I remember right we hitting them pretty great that day.

untitled (1 of 1)-35 by Mark Kasick, on Flickr

I have two baitcasters infront of me. One is an Abu Garcia Black Max the other a Silver Max. The former, 5 bearings, the latter 6. The latter has a "flippin switch". I paid the same for both. $60 bucks. Both are lefties, both are 2012s.

One is going back, the other is a B-Day gift for my son, Max. I swear, the 5 bearing one feels tighter, less play in the handle. I am leaning towards taking back the 6 bearing one. The "Black Max" looks cooler, I think.

So exactly what do more bearings effect- castability, durability etc? Or is it all marketing B.S.?

Lastly a comment. This is one hell of a nice reel for 60 bucks.

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/details.cfm?parentID=38

Nicely done. I like the plastic film to hold the color out of the way.

I've done the float Norm described. Beautiful really beautiful. In low water you'll be draggin here and there.

Also I think you can put in at Davis Creek, but it's a little bit of a portage from the lot down to the river.

I think you all right with the hunters just stay clear and leave your duck hat at home.

There is a book by Mike Svbod (sp?) called "Paddle Illinois" every place you would ever want to paddle.

Do you guys ever fish Iowa, after the season closes in Wisconsin or is it just more productive to go after trib steelhead?

Mike- I tied two flies with it so far. A clouser and a bugger. I won't be doing any real tieing till snow hits the ground, as I am trying to manufacture some fishing time.

So far,

It has an iron grip and a really great "ergo" feel. Hooks don't slip and there is little to no adjustment. If you do wish do adjust, your hand is already there, resting on the head. All you do is squeeze the lever.

If I change my mind, I can unload it in a heartbeat on ebay.

Immortality? Yup. I can't see why this would not be something to hand down. Like a lot of the other vises out here.

It is not yet October 15th

My bad.

How did this go? i wanted to join you guys but my wading boots disintegrated.

I couldn't agree more with this, silly and simple I know, but I like the openness to the left for my hand and materials. And in reference to Airborn Mike's comment, I've never had problems with 5/0 Pike hooks because of that "groove" that the hook can be set it. I did have problems with larger hooks slipping in my HMH Spartan vise.

Have any of you tied small trout flies with it?

Thanks. Regal it is. I was limited to those because i had an Orvis gift certificate and those two were the choices. I actually have the Regal in front of me, the option to send back. But I am keeping it.

Funny what Rich mentioned. My kid was tying a fly at one of the shows at a drift booth. I had a regal in front of me and I started fiddling with it. It felt great. The purchase was just on instict. One thing that is particularly nice is I like to rest my left hand on it. It just feels right.

My #1 criteria is a rock solid grip on the hook. You probably shouldn't do this but I took a bass hook and bent it into a pretzel in those jaws. If you place the hook currectly in the little groove, that hook ain't going nowhere. Given my fondness for messing with deer hair, it should be a winner.

Also made in USA (like the Renzetti).

My regret at this point was not getting that massive bronze base, I got the clamp on. Both will work, but that big chunk of metal was a thing of beauty.

Mike G. Nice vise but almost 3 times the cost of What I spent. Regal makes a cool high end vise too.

Which would you pick of those two vises.