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Steve S.

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Posts posted by Steve S.

  4. Piscifun fly reel

    in Gear & Techniques

    Posted

    On 12/2/2021 at 9:13 PM, Rob G said:

    My only complaint with the Lamson, is I wish the spool had a nicer handle.  Anyone here a wood worker with a really nice lathe or CNC machining capability.  Ha

    I have a few of their higher end reels and I have the same issue with the reel handle.  

  6. Fox River / tree and shrub removal along banks

    in Conservation & Volunteer Opportunities

    Posted

    10 hours ago, Eric said:

    In late fall of 2020, I noticed that many of the trees and shrubs along the banks of the Fox River in Batavia and Montgomery had been cut down. While it freed up a lot of shoreline access, the clear-cutting and removal was concerning due to loss of buffer zone, habitat, and bank stabilization. I reached out to both the City of Batavia and the Village of Montgomery in early February of 2021, explained my concerns, and received the responses below. I wanted to share these in case anyone else wondered as I did.

    For reference, the area in Batavia that I inquired about centered around Clark Island – from the Wilson Street bridge all the way down to the south end of Clark Island. The area in Montgomery that I inquired about was from the dam south to the VFW Post 7452. This includes the bank and culvert alongside the former BBQ place that is being remodeled (west side of river, just south of Mill Street).

     

    City of Batavia

    “Hi Eric. I am the Interim Director of Parks for the Batavia Park District. I was sent your email earlier today regarding the riverbank stabilization. First off, I want to thank you for your interest in the health of the Fox River and the buffer zones along the banks. It is nice to know that we have people looking out for the health of our waterways.

    The trees that have been cut down have all been dead, dying, or diseased trees along the bank. The only exception to that would be tree of heaven, buckthorn, or honeysuckle which we have a high number of all those species. As for a plan, we are in the beginning stages of creating a cooperative Batavia River Corridor Master Plan with the City of Batavia. We are excited to get this off the ground and had the first official meeting today (2/2/21) which included representatives from the Park District, City of Batavia, and a design engineering company. Once the plan is completed, we will be using this as a guide to enhance areas along the Fox River. This will take a while, but we are excited to get started on the journey and know that great improvements will be happening to benefit the Fox River soon. I hope this answers your questions.  If at any time you have more questions, feel free to reach out to me.” (Interim Director of Parks, Batavia Park District) 

     

    Village of Montgomery

    “The Village is working on a long-term plan with the Fox Valley Park District to enhance these areas and help with bank stabilization. The area on the south side of Mill Street is private property and is part of the redevelopment of that site. I do not have the specific information on that, but all changes on that property (related to the riverbank) must be permitted and approved by the Army Core of Engineers.  I do not have anything at this point to share as far as the Village’s plans because we are still in the early phases of the project. Let me know if you have any other questions.” (Director of Public Works, Village of Montgomery)

     

    Response from Friends of the Fox River (FOFR) when I shared my findings with them…

    Friends of the Fox River

    “Thanks Eric. It does seem very encouraging. We have a good trend with river towns turning to face the river for economic benefit but also to revitalize the natural communities as well. I think I will be contacting the City of Batavia to learn more. I really liked how you were thanked for your interest in river health. FOFR was founded to empower citizens to protect their river. You are certainly doing that. Thank you.” (Gary Swick, Friends of the Fox River)

     

    Feel free to include this in the Bronzeback Bulletin if you'd like. 

    👍

  14. Tenkara Two Fer

    in BassBuggers

    Posted

    I fished Tenkara with my brother last year for trout in NC. It was fun but not my first choice. A really effective method though, especially on heavily fished waters. Current as cover definitely is a plus as most every water we fished was crystal clear and trout would spook easily in still waters. The trout really use the current to hide in on the skinny waters. Also, anytime there was a dark patch on the bottom a trout might be in it. We caught some pretty hefty trout too, had to chase a few and also had a few pop the light tippet.

    I definitely believe it would be an effective method to catch smallmouth but again, I'd rather cast poppers or streamers to them as a first choice.

  15. We Have A New Record

    in Open Discussion

    Posted

    There's been talk of making Great Lakes warmwater species a separate record class, just like they separate inland trout from lake Michigan trout. Any thoughts on that?

    The potential for growth is phenomenal in the Great Lakes. I believe that this will be a record shattered a few times. I have friends who were catching big smallmouth in LM well over 20 years ago. I'm surprised its taken this long, but perhaps the need to own a record is not as important to some anglers therefore goes unreported.

    Personally, I prefer river to lake fishing. Still is very cool and very impressive.

  22. Wading Boots

    in Gear & Techniques

    Posted

    On 3/11/2019 at 9:17 AM, Bart Durham said:

    Both pairs had the Boca tighting system that could have something to do with it but I have to say I do like the Boca system and would like to keep it if possible.  My main concern is they be light, comfortable and durable. Probably not something that is easy to manufacture.   I'm going to check out the brands both Kevins' mentioned.

    ,

    I like the Boca system a lot and haven't had a problem yet, though I know guides like lace up boots because it's a pain to fix Boca on the fly, and they can't absorb downtime too well.

    The Boca is nice at the end of the day when your back is in spasms and you have to lean over to get your boots off. Now I can push a button and kick them off pretty easily.

  23. Wading Boots

    in Gear & Techniques

    Posted

    I still have the same Simms boots I bought in 2011 as well as the waders. I sent them both to NC to use once or twice a year now so I don't have to transport them anymore. No leaks in the waders and despite the Vibram soles being worn, the boot, stitching, etc. is still intact and serviceable. I always put them on my balcony for a good air dry between uses.

    They've seen miles of river. I think something can be said about buying high quality gear and a little TLC when you can. I know guys that rinse their boots and waders after every use and then let them dry out when possible. If you're wading a few days a week and keeping gear in the vehicle in between, I'm guessing it's going to wear out a lot quicker.

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