This past week I again attended the American Sportfishing Association ICAST show in Orlando, Fla., that honestly was a good one.
For the last few weeks we have had sweltering temperatures, many times approaching the upper 90s, with indexes over 110 degrees. For the outdoorsman, you can either stay inside in the air conditioning or find ways to deal with it and go outside anyway.
Outdoors folks in our area do much more than use the resources or complain about the lack of them. They do their part in fundraising, enhancement and getting involved in worthy causes.
A couple of weeks ago I covered rods and reels from companies of which you may or may not have heard. The feedback tells me I need to cover more of these companies.
A father, a mother, a grandparent or an uncle most likely gave all of us our love of fishing. A stream, a pond or a vacation location gave us our first taste of catching a fish, baiting a hook or making that first cast.
Big marketing budgets typically put products from the companies in a brighter light. They get more exposure across the board and are diligent about impressions and how their brands are portrayed. No question, research and development gets more dollars as more sales generate the funds.
The outdoors affords those of us who love it an escape. Escape from the day-to-day grind of obligations, responsibility and stress.
My buddies always comment on how adamant I am about having everything working correctly and looking good on my boat. Simply put, I want everything to work and I want everything in its place. I don’t want tripping hazards and I don’t want to dodge a labyrinth of obstacles that include loose c…
This year’s Bassmaster Classic turned the page on several fronts. Jordan Lee captured his second consecutive Classic win in come-from-behind form, but there is more. After 50 years, this event just continues to get bigger and better.
Fishing is more than recreation to those who participate. Simply put, it’s get away time, time away from the daily grind and it makes me think.
As an outdoorsman and an angler, I keep scratching my head why anyone in my field would live in Illinois. Lakes are scarce, outdoor recreational pursuits are limited and what we do have most years is threatened with extinction because of budget cuts and chopping blocks.
Experience keeps us from hitting our heads more than once on a low-hanging limb. After hitting it once we duck the next time. Today’s anglers don’t have to hit their heads as much as we did because they use others’ prior experiences to not walk where the low-hanging branches are.
As anglers, we are very serious and super passionate about chasing little green fish. It’s not just the catching, but also the pursuit. Spending time in that pursuit is a labor of love and a 12-month deal.
Sports and the outdoors become part of life for those of us who embrace both. They are way more than something we do. They become part of who we are and no matter how old we are, they stay front and center. We live them and those in the same fraternity feel likewise.
Illinois among teams recruiting
Cerro Gordo grabbed a 66-52 victory at the expense of Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond in an Illinois girls basketball matchup.
An array of elements led to a knockout performance as Oakland Tri-County turned out the lights on Toledo Cumberland 58-37 at Oakland Tri-County Coop on January 26 in Illinois girls high school basketball action.
Chicago Butler stomped on Chicago Noble 55-35 in an Illinois boys basketball matchup on January 26.
Illinois men's basketball travels to Wisconsin on Saturday.
Illinois added Jayden Epps into the starting lineup in Tuesday's win over Ohio State. That game was the latest in a stretch where the Illini have improved defensively.
Miami fired offensive coordinator Josh Gattis on Friday after one season with the Hurricanes.
Billy Packer, an Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS, died Thursday. He was 82.
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Nick Sirianni is getting his flowers figuratively instead of thrown at his face. The chest-bumping, sideline-prancing, expletive-tossing head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles has won over a tough city that questioned his credentials and mocked his introductory news conference when he was hired two years ago.
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BOSTON — Light rain cut through a thick, gray fog choking Foxboro when Bill O’Brien walked into Patriots headquarters Monday to end the team’s search for its next offensive coordinator. O’Brien’s second interview was his final step toward a long-awaited reunion with the franchise that launched his NFL career. Soon, he would be hailed as the savior of an offense in need of resurrection. Because ...