Hey Folks-

It's been a while so I thought I'd check in and say hello. I saw Ken respond to one of my posts over on WCF. How's the fishing down that way - or have you hung up the waders for the year?

Marty Jandura and I got out in his boat and found some LM. I managed to troll up a smallie as well. I put up a post about it: http://www.foxriverfishing.com/tips/win ... fox-river/

Hope y'all are doing well. I'm still threatening to get down your way this spring, Ken, so you can show me some of that water.

-Sam

Sam

I fish the Kankakee year round unless it freezes over. Bass are doing better than the walleye right now. I went to one of my favorite pike spots today only to find it posted. Heard the behavoir of a few ruined it for everyone else.

I'm pretty much done for the winter Sam, unless I get buggy.

Went just over 48 months straight years ago catching smallies out of the Fox. I proved my point to myself that I can do it and no, not all of them were at the shit plant during the winter.

You've been doing some good write ups Sam, keep it up. This past week I got on the board of Friends of the Fox River. Known everybody there for years and they want me to tap into the fishing community more. They like thinking fishermen.

Norm, I think if I lived down that way I'd change my tune. The water coming out of the frozen north just makes the water a bit colder. That and I'm getting old and my bones hurt.

Hey Ken-

I've got some plan for the spring we might want to discuss together. Angler diaries. Catch rates. So forth. I know you're done with trying to get regs changed. That might not be the (only) point. I'm a data nerd...

Happy to help Friends of the Fox however I can. Congrats on the post. Sure you'll represent us fisherman well.

-SB

I knew I was speaking too soon. I let a temporary comfort level think I can get involved with groups again.

Not going to happen and I had no choice but to walk away, again.

It seems like I'm going to be an arm chair conservationist from now on. Anything else requires too much time, resources and mental energy, none of which I have in surplus at the moment.

In some regards, I'll be no different than Don Dz and post nothing but press releases for groups. For these groups, it may be better than nothing, which is pretty much what they have.

Sam, I know people at FOFR that would be very interested in your diaries. I'll put you in touch with them.

Well, that's a bummer. But I appreciate the overhead required to navigate political organizations.

I hope you'll at least participate in the angler diary project. I'll make sure it takes a minimal amount of effort to log your trips. Working on that now.

I've got a meeting with the DNR next month. Once the project becomes more clear I'll share the intent and purpose with you. Love to have you involved, even if it's just publishing a press release or providing some data. And I'll take you up on that intro at FOFR. I've had a draft email in my box for about a year to them, since when you originally mentioned it. Just not sure what to say yet...

-SB