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Steve Sarley

Steve Sarley: What to choose when it’s time to hook up your reel with fresh line

Featured, Features, Fishing, Illinois, National Fishing /

Happy March! What the heck happened? Did I sleep through the ice-fishing season?
It was the absolute shortest hard-water season I can ever remember. It’s a tough break for those guides and tackle and bait dealers who were counting on a much longer season. That said, we all need to get our open water gear ready much faster than we may have been planning.

Steve Sarley: What to choose when it’s time to hook up your reel with fresh line Read More »

Steve Sarley: Joining a fishing club benefits conservation and can help you catch more fish

Featured, Fishing, Illinois, Opinion /

It’s between fishing seasons, due to the weather, right now. A great way to help fill that void is to attend a meeting of a local fishing club. As a matter of fact, fishing club meetings are beneficial to attend the entire year around.
There are plenty of choices available if you care to attend a meeting. There are general interest clubs, as well as clubs that are species-specific, like for walleyes and muskies.

Steve Sarley: Joining a fishing club benefits conservation and can help you catch more fish Read More »

Steve Sarley: Youth attendance at sports shows is vital

Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Illinois, Opinion /

It’s a pretty good time of year for me. Mixing in a little ice fishing with all the outdoors shows that are happening is what I consider to be a good time. That is, even though the ice fishing season appears to be only a couple weeks long this year, although I’m sure the ice will return.
I love attending the shows, but this winter I am enjoying the shows for different reasons than usual.

Steve Sarley: Youth attendance at sports shows is vital Read More »

Steve Sarley: Recent Chicago Bulls’ ceremony a sad but nice reminder of Jerry Krause’s love of fishing

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Illinois, National Fishing, Opinion /

The Chicago Bulls held a ceremony on Jan. 12 to establish their Ring of Honor. The Ring’s purpose is to honor players and management members who have contributed to the Bulls’ greatness over their history.
It was an enjoyable event, and it was good to see so many of the people who have been with the team through its history. I was very disheartened to watch as a group of fans booed when former General Manager Jerry Krause was introduced.

Steve Sarley: Recent Chicago Bulls’ ceremony a sad but nice reminder of Jerry Krause’s love of fishing Read More »

Steve Sarley: Outdoor shows in Illinois still lure us; here are some to consider

Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Illinois /

I fondly recall the “good old days” of my youth, when one of the highlights of the year was attending the huge outdoors show that was held annually at the International Amphitheater on Chicago’s south side.
It was a phenomenal exhibit of all things fishing, filling the hall with booth after booth. The host and emcee for the event was John Bromfield. Bromfield was a movie and television cowboy who rode into the show’s hall on his white stallion, wearing a white cowboy hat.

Steve Sarley: Outdoor shows in Illinois still lure us; here are some to consider Read More »

Little fishing pressure an upside to hitting the ice in Illinois

Featured, Fishing, Illinois, National Fishing, Opinion /

It sure looks to me that we will have some quality ice fishing shortly. I’ll be totally honest with you by saying that I don’t ice fish all that much, at least not as much as I ought to.
When I meet and question folks who do not ice fish, the answer I usually hear is that it is too cold. Northern Illinois? Too cold? I am shocked to hear that. Who’d have thunk it?

Little fishing pressure an upside to hitting the ice in Illinois Read More »

Remembering Mike Jackson, a ‘one of a kind’ angler, communicator in Illinois

Featured, Fishing, Illinois, National Fishing, Opinion /

Buffalo Grove’s Orrin Brand has passed away at the age of 79. Illinois fishermen are more familiar with the other name that Brand used – Mike Jackson.
Jackson once told me that he elected to call himself “Mike Jackson” because he felt that the Jackson name sounded more masculine and fit his outdoor writer persona better.

Remembering Mike Jackson, a ‘one of a kind’ angler, communicator in Illinois Read More »

Marengo’s Herb Franks an Illinois angler to remember

Featured, Fishing, Illinois, Opinion /

The Oct. 31 passing of Marengo’s Herb Franks was covered widely in local media. I’m sure you’ve seen it. I don’t want to be repetitive, but there are a few things I’d like to mention.

Herb was an extremely close friend. He was famous for his work as an attorney, as a visionary, as a businessman, a Democratic politician, and for simply being a wonderful human being. Oh, by the way, Herb loved fishing.

Marengo’s Herb Franks an Illinois angler to remember Read More »

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