Elgin Community College’s Fountain Square Campus on a cool, windy night is an unlikely gathering place for 300 or so devoted fishermen from all over the Chicago area, including Lake County and southern Wisconsin. Talk of crank baits, strike zones and light-action rods fills the air, and the only thing missing is a largemouth bass or a walleye stuffed and mounted on the wall.
Bass Force Team Fishing members are out in force, and tonight’s students carry notebooks and pens rather than tackle boxes. Chandeliers in the banquet room seem strangely out of place. The attire on the almost-exclusively male crowd ranges from flannel shirts and sleeveless goosedown vests to business suits and wingtips.
But there’s a feeling of commonality, too, because everyone here has the same love. One guy with a shaggy beard is wearing a T-shirt that says: “At the mention of my name, fish tremble.”
Another guy’s wearing a hat with a patch that says: “My favorite 4-letter word: Fish.”
“I’m seeking knowledge about fishing, and the more I can learn, the better,” said Ryan Risinger of Highwood. “Fishing is more than just dropping bait in the water. Tonight I’m interested in learning more about how to read the contour of a lake.”
Risinger’s fishing buddy, David Schimanski of Deerfield, agreed. “You can never learn too much about fishing,” he said. “The bottom line is, we’re here to learn how to catch more fish and bigger fish.”
Then, without warning, all heads in the room turn toward the entryway. A chorus of “Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo” combined with rhythmic clapping fills the room. In walks a triumphant Woo Daves, the legendary angler and tonight’s hero.
He’s wearing a fishing hat and toting a couple of rods for demonstration purposes. Daves, a tournament bass fisherman since 1968 and 11-time Bassmaster Classic finalist, has come all the way from Chester, W.Va., to, he says, “spill my guts on fishing.”
The first in a series of four weekly guest speakers, Daves is also here to make a few bucks. A long table is filled with Woo’s fishing videos, Woo worms, Woo’s “Terminator” rods and Woo’s polarized sunglasses. The assembled zealots show their appreciation by hanging on his every word.
“Make the bait work for you, don’t let it work you,” Daves says.
If you’re going fishing in Lake County, it doesn’t matter if you’re a casual angler or a seven-day-a-week zealot. Not counting Lake Michigan, Lake County has 1,098 state, public and private lakes and ponds covering 13,909 acres, along with 188 miles of streams. That’s a lot of water, and where there’s water, there’re usually fish.
While there’s no shortage of places to go or fish to catch, there’s also no shortage of classes, seminars, clubs, tournaments, outdoor shows and Lake Michigan charter services for area anglers, not to mention instructional videotapes and cable TV fishing shows.
And it’s at these classes, seminars and club get-togethers that fishing veterans and newcomers alike-especially the growing number of women, children and families in Lake County-are lured to the sport. There also is plenty of knowledge passed out with the worms and minnows at bait shops, such as Triangle Sports in Antioch, Chuck’s Live Bait in Wauconda, Jay’s Bait & Tackle in Zion and Lakeside Bait & Tackle in Waukegan.
“Sometimes people are surprised to find out how much water there is around suburban Cook and Lake and McHenry Counties,” said area fishing expert Spence Petros of McHenry, editor of Fishing Facts magazine. “There are plenty of opportunities around here to get out and do it. And the nice thing is, you don’t need a $20,000 bass boat to get started.”
And Lake County residents are especially fortunate. They are practically surrounded by great fishing holes. “In my personal opinion, people living in the Chicago area who like to fish are truly blessed,” said Joe Kuti, vice president of marketing for the American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association, headquartered in Barrington. “There are places to fish around here that people in other parts of the country would give their eyeteeth for. Start with Lake Michigan. There are countless opportunities to fish around here.”
The Lake County fishing scene has a long history, filled with old-timers such as Frank “Spaghetti” Tuminello, 78, of Antioch. He remembers fishing Island Lake and the Chain back in the 1930s. “We used to catch ’em by the thousands,” Tuminello said, launching into what may or may not be a fish story. “In and out, in and out, we’d catch 250 crappies in the morning, throw them back in, catch them again in the afternoon and give them to the people in the tavern.”
Bob Linquist of Antioch began fishing the Fox River shortly after he learned how to walk. “Sometimes I think I was born on the Fox,” said Linquist, 57, president of the Northern Illinois Conservation Council, sponsor of the annual Chain O’ Lakes Ice Fishin’ Derby and Winter Festival. He said the biggest change he’s seen in the Lake County fishing scene over the past quarter-century has been the influx of women and families.
“Take our annual Chain O’ Lakes ice fishing derby,” Linquist said. “In the early 1960s, there were very few women involved. Now, by gosh, it’s almost 50-50, and there are many more families involved. And I think that’s great. And our overall attendance has increased from about 5,000 people to about 10,000 in the past 10 years or so.”
Linquist cited several reasons for the increased Lake County interest in angling. “The cost of fishing is reasonable, compared to other family sports like skiing, snowmobiling or golf,” he said. “The Baby Boomers seem to have more free time these days, and they’re looking for things to do, both alone and with their families. You can fish any time of the day, 12 months a year. And there’s more education and information available, which enables people to have more success fishing. And the more success people have, the more they come back.”
Petros, who has been conducting fishing classes in the area for 21 years, said fishing education is changing. “In the old days, a father or grandfather took his kids to the fishing hole with their cane poles, and that was it,” he said. “Today there’s lots more education and information available to people interested in fishing, which is good. Surveys show that if you haven’t gone fishing by age 10, you probably never will. We need to get more kids fishing.”
At a recent Petros class at the Schaumburg Best Western, which attracted anglers from all over the Chicago area, Ken Bennett of Carol Stream and his 10-year-old son, Jason, soaked up all the information they could. They filled their notebooks while Petros talked about reading lake maps, identifying weeds, the secrets of good boat control and how understanding weather patterns can help you catch more fish.
“Cloud cover means good fishing,” said Petros, whose ice fishing partner is Bears offensive guard Mark Bortz. “The bluer the sky, the worse the fishing usually is. Knowing the weather separates the good fishermen from the also-rans.”
Bennett and his son have been fishing together for four years. In fact, Jason has a 27-inch northern pike mounted on his bedroom wall, which he caught at his and his dad’s “secret pond” in Canada. The elder Bennett said he gets a bigger thrill out of watching his son’s eyes light up when he reels one in than he does when he catches a big one himself.
Along with fishing classes, with prices that range from $20 to $75, there are also several area fishing clubs that help Lake County men, women and children learn the ins and outs of angling. For instance, Walleyes Unlimited was founded 24 years ago by former Fishing Facts managing editor Jim Wrolstad of Milwaukee and today boasts more than 500 members from all over the Chicago area, including Lindenhurst, Buffalo Grove, Long Grove, Lake Forest, Grayslake and Winthrop Harbor.
The Walleyes club meets the second Wednesday of each month in Oak Creek, Wis., and the last Wednesday of each month at Andres’ Steak House in Richmond. Along with regular meetings, the club sponsors 13 fishing contests each year, including one youth tourney, and an awards banquet and family picnic.
“When you pool the knowledge and information that our club members have, it’s like a fishing library,” said club vice president Michael Orawiec of Zion. “By attending our functions and making new friends, you have so many resources at your fingertips, and it opens up the fishing world tenfold. We have everyone from beginning anglers to some of the proven-best fishermen in the country in our club. A club like Walleyes Unlimited is a shortcut to successful fishing for everyone.”
Orawiec cites himself as an example. In more than 25 years of fishing, he had caught only one 8-pound “trophy” walleye. “Since I joined the club (in 1986) and soaked up all this education, I’ve caught more than 50 `trophy’ walleye,” he said.
Another club with Lake County members is Salmon Unlimited, which meets the second Wednesday of each month at the Racine, Wis., Labor Center. The club’s 375 members are involved in fishing clinics for people of all ages, fish-stocking programs, scholarship programs for students interested in fish management and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Salmon Unlimited is also one of the sponsors of the annual Lake Michigan-wide Salmon-O-Rama fishing contest, set for July 10-18.
“One of our club’s goals is to get kids interested in fishing,” said club president Ron Anton of Racine. “They are the future of fishing. I’m getting old, and guys like me won’t last forever. We spend a lot of time and effort on the kids. I’ve never seen kids get in trouble when they’re fishing.”
Salmon Unlimited is a family-oriented club, Anton said. “When someone becomes a member of our club, the whole family comes along,” he added. “The husband, wife, the kids, everybody. And many of our most energetic, hard-working members of our club are women.”
The North Shore Rod & Reel club has been getting together since 1947. Meetings are held every Wednesday at the club’s “fishing shack” at the Winnetka Park District Clubhouse. Activities include guest speakers, educational seminars, club outings and lure-making workshops. The club also puts on three fish fries every year. “I’ve been fishing since I was 10 years old, and for me the club provides an excellent opportunity to meet people,” said club president Walt Selan of Highland Park. “We exchange ideas, hints and plans, make lures, share fish stories and everything else. And we own and maintain our own equipment for making jigs, spinners, weights and other fishing gear. It’s a lot of fun.”
Joanne Serio of Schaumburg is president of Charlie’s Anglers Bass ‘n’ Gals, a group of devoted fisherwomen, including several members from Lake County. The 7-year-old club meets every month at Serio’s home. Along with organizing Sunday outings, meetings include fishing experts and outdoors writers. “Fishing is gaining in popularity around here, especially among women,” she said. “A lot of women find out that they love the sport after they try it, and our club caters to beginners. I’ve never been to a baseball game, but I’ve been fishing with my two brothers since I was 5 years old.”
Some members of Charlie’s Anglers have years of fishing experience, while others are novices. Serio said that one new member thought minnows were bought at a pet shop instead of a bait shop. Does Serio’s husband fish? “He had to,” she said with a laugh. “That was a requirement of marriage.”
The South of the Border chapter of Muskies Inc. meets the third Wednesday of each month at the Patio restaurant in Antioch. Club president Lenny Szulc of Fox Lake said the biggest benefit of his club is all the information that’s shared. “There’s a lot of fishing knowledge in our club, no question about it,” he said. “We’re always comparing notes on the hot fishing spots and helping each other out.” The South of the Border group has 150 members. There are two other Chicago-area chapters of Muskies Inc. with Lake County members. Chicagoland Muskies meets the second Tuesday of each month at Radish’s Restaurant in Des Plaines. And Fox River Valley Muskies meets the second Wednesday of each month at the Elgin Holiday Inn.
Getting families involved in fishing is also an objective of the Fox River Anglers, a new club that formed last October and now has 20 members. “Lots of our members have families, and we’re interested in staging events that get the kids involved, along with conservation efforts, things like river cleanups,” said club president Rich Lichter of Crystal Lake.
The Fox River club, which specializes in bass fishing, meets the second Wednesday of each month at Kief’s Reef at Burton’s Bridge on the Fox River, near the Lake-McHenry County line.
Fox River Anglers club member Rich Cooper of Lindenhurst said joining the club helps to make fishing more interesting. “By learning from the other members, you can’t help but improve your own fishing ability,” he said.
Of course, you could always go fishing by yourself, but you might miss the boat that way. “There are always new techniques and new types of baits coming out,” said Rich Weinman of Dixon, waiting for Woo Daves to take center stage. “Like almost all of us, the first time I went out, I just dropped a worm in the water and had a good time. Then I started reading, learning the tricks, meeting more people who love to fish. Before I knew it, I was hooked.”
Following are telephone numbers for fishing clubs and organizations: Salmon Unlimited, 414-634-5898; Crystal Lake Anglers, 815-455-4018; North Shore Rod & Reel, 708-831-4868; Northern Illinois Crank ‘N Bass, 708-980-1448; Arlington Anglers, 708-577-3040; Northern Illinois Conservation Council, 708-395-2087; Walleyes Unlimited, 708-872-7569; South of the Border Muskies, 815-385-9026; Fox River Valley Muskies, 708-232-6895; Chicagoland Muskies, 312-625-5323; Fox River Anglers, 815-477-3048; Des Plaines Lunkerbusters, 708-577-6528; American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association, 708-381-9490; and Charlie’s Anglers, 708-894-7075.
