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Jackson: Six decades of teaching still fresh in some minds

As of now, the cooler weather did much to improve the current story of fishing affairs.

For example, Fox River small-mouth have been aggressively chasing leeches and minnows south of Elgin. Bode Lake bluegills seem to be larger and on a heavy bite. The Bangs Lake walleye night bite keeps some anglers interested.

So there is quite a bit of activity, even on those industrial park ponds I have frequented on a weekly basis. And so it goes.

Some of you already know quite a bit about my history and involvement in the fishing world. My late father put a rod and reel in my hand when I was barely able to walk.

The era of enlightenment began with meeting the late Bill Binkelman in the mid-1960s. He was a fishing tackle buyer for the Boston Store in Milwaukee. He was also an addicted live-bait angler as well as an experimenter and "door opener."

And when Binkelman discovered school teacher Buck Perry and his "magical" Spoonplugs, the fishing community in the Midwest went bonkers.

I'll cut to the chase. It was 1966 when Binkelman suggested I come to a lake he often fished so I could meet, as he put it, a couple young guys who were great fishermen.

The young guys turned out to be Ron and Al Lindner. This column is not about those two angling wunderkinds, but rather about Perry and Binkelman's legacy of structure fishing with those funny-shaped Spoonplugs and "conditioned nightcrawlers" impaled on tiny hooks.

And just recently my attention was drawn to Indiana angler Brian Waldman. Here's a partial chunk of his email.

"I've become very interested in Midwest angling history, in particular the 1960s and 1970s time period involving Bill Binkelman, Buck Perry and the Lindner's, among others. I'm currently trying to document and save much of this story online via a blog I run called "The Structure Cafe." I've read many of your Daily Herald columns where you've mentioned your time spent with and learning from these guys, especially Bill.

"I've been fortunate to track down several others who are still with us who worked with Bill in some capacity, but obviously have many more who would have great insight to share. Thanks for your consideration of this request."

I spent a considerable amount of time on the telephone with Brian discussing Binkelman's live-bait tactics, as well as those early days when Bill was on friendly terms with Buck Perry.

I heartily recommend you go to the blog (structurecafe.com) and open your mind to re-learning the basics of fresh-water fishing and those "pioneers" who were mainly responsible for today's "superstars" making a living being on-screen and in print.

Earlier I mentioned how local angling has improved with a cool down of air and water temperatures. What I didn't share with you was how the smallmouth are relating to bottom structure on the Fox and Rock rivers.

The gravel bars and rock clumps right now are holding walleye, sauger and smallmouth. That condition presents a short window of opportunity near the power plant north of Oregon at Byron.

Now, regarding the Fox River, I would use a small minnow on a No. 8 hook and some split-shot, and work the rock areas near the bank for smallmouth.

But above all, check out Brian's blog and see how those masters never came off the water complaining there weren't any fish to be had.

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at mikejacksonoutdoors.com.

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