Columnists

I would like to inform you that I am giving you my two-week notice. No, I am not quitting my column. I am giving two weeks to tell you about an event that is going to occur and I don’t want to hear any excuses from you folks about having to miss it because you’ve made other plans.

It is no secret that Kevin Van Dam won the 2010 Bassmaster Classic on Lay Lake, outside of Birmingham, Ala., on the weekend of Feb. 21. It was the Kalamazoo, Mich., resident’s third first-place finish in the most prestigious tournament in the world of professional fishing.

For the first time, the United States has been chosen to host the prestigious World Ice Fishing Championship. Rhinelander, Wis., has been selected to have the honor of being the host site.

Where were you at 5 a.m. in the morning Feb. 13? If you are like me, you were positioned under the blankets of a comfy bed, oblivious to the rest of the world. If you were like 350 much heartier souls, you were either at, or on your way to the sixth Walk on Water Ice Fishing Derby held at Wauconda’s Bangs Lake.

I have pretty much fished all of my life. I have always been able to catch fish as long as I have been with someone who was able to locate them for me. I think this is something that a lot of us are haunted by. The key to becoming a really good fisherman is mastering the ability of finding fish that are willing to bite.

The last time out, I gave a quick rundown on some ice fishing tips and tactics. I’d like to add a few things.

Outdoor writers have promoted the concept of catch and release for years. Now the concept of “selective harvest” is becoming even more popular. Selective harvest allows anglers to take home some fish for the dinner table - if they are the right size - and also limits the keeping of some of the more respected game fish.

I have written a number of times about not postponing things because sometimes we wait so long that we never get to do the things we put off.

I remember going to my first outdoors show. I must have been 7 or 8. My father took me down to Chicago’s south side to the International Amphitheater for the annual Chicago Outdoor Show. It was an event that I will always remember.

Oh boy, oh boy! I always get excited when I turn over my calendar page to begin a new year. One of the things that gets me going the most is that it is time for all of the fishing and hunting shows to begin descending upon Northern Illinois.

Of all of the different outdoor sports, ice fishing might have the largest range of differences between the most basic and the most professional aspects of the sport.

It’s that time of the year when we all take a look in the mirror and make the decision that we will improve ourselves over the next twelve months. You know what I am talking about – New Year’s resolutions!

Cigarette smoking has gone high-tech. Even though it was introduced to this country in 2007, most Americans still don't know about E-Cigarettes.

         Christmas! It’s less than two weeks away. You didn’t line up outside the local tackle shop in the middle of the night for Black Friday. The hot deals on clothing took up all of your time on Cyber Monday. Now it’s down to the wire and you haven’t gotten your favorite outdoorsperson a single thing that relates to their favorite sports – hunting and fishing. What can you do?