Wednesday, September 27th, 2023
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Wednesday, September 27th, 2023

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Sportsmen Since 1967

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Steve Sarley

Fishing mistakes: I’ve made (more than) a few, and it’s best to admit it

Featured, Features, Fishing, Illinois, National Fishing / By

I’ve made plenty of mistakes during my career as a fisherman. It’s not easy to admit to being wrong about anything, but I’m a stand-up guy and I’ll suffer any slings and arrows I receive for admitting to some of my major goof-ups. I gave up thinking I was perfect a long time ago and I must admit that I don’t even aspire to achieve perfection anymore. Pretty good is about the best grade I can ever give myself.
Most of the mistakes I make are avoidable. Whether due to laziness, lack of knowledge or lack of time, I believe many of the things I have done wrong in the past could have been avoided.

Some aspects of fishing and ‘social media’ don’t mesh

Featured, Fishing, Illinois, National Fishing, Opinion / By

The world seems to be changing faster and faster and I am having a hard time keeping up with the changes. I’m trying not to be an old fuddy-duddy and buck the future while I still live in the past. I swear I am not. It’s just that things change so quickly!
Let’s talk about professional tournament fishing. I was recently made aware of a change that I can’t put my arms around. I just don’t understand it. I hope this change was just a blip on my radar and will not be a trend that spreads like wildfire.

Chiggers: An itch you just can’t scratch enough

Featured, Features, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky / By

I was on a plane one time, talking to a married couple who had moved from Illinois to Arkansas. The husband was singing the praises of his new home and told me, “The best thing about where we live is that there are no mosquitoes!”
His wife interjected, “Maybe you ought to tell him about the chiggers.” I asked what chiggers were and she told me that they were bugs that bit far worse than mosquitoes and were the most horrible bug on Earth. Hmm! I never heard of them. Until now.

‘Fun in the sun’ requires some common sense

Featured, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky, Opinion / By

There is an incredible amount of sun-resistant clothing on the market. If you didn’t read the label, you’d never know it was sun-resistant. The clothing is very stylish.
It doesn’t have to be scorching hot to get a sunburn or even be exposed to extremely bright sun. You can get a bad sunburn on a day when it is gray or hazy outside. The sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays penetrate the overcast skies.

Anglers can get a boost from proper eyewear

Features, Fishing, Illinois, National Fishing, Opinion / By

Two summer tips I’d like to offer are that you should definitely be using polarized sunglasses when outdoors, and always be armed with a good-quality sunscreen.
I always wear polarized sunglasses and preach that practice constantly to fishermen who do not wear sunglasses. Polarized glasses are the best protection you can use to protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays. In addition to eye protection, polarized lenses also improve your fishing.

We are fishermen – not the same as fish experts

Featured, Features, Fishing, Illinois, National Fishing, Opinion / By

I am sure that everyone is aware that legally you can only use fish for bait that are caught in the same body of water where you are fishing. That goes for panfish and game fish – and for seined minnows, too. The intent of the rule is to prevent the spread of invasive species.
For example, flathead catfish love to dine on bluegills. Although you can use bluegills for flathead bait, the bluegills have to be caught from the same body of water that you will be”flatheading.”

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