You don’t want to miss these speakers talk fishing at the upcoming shows

You all know that it’s fishing show season, since I’ve been talking about it so much lately.

Everyone has a specific reason for going to the shows, but mine is to hear from the seminar speakers scheduled to educate and amuse the halls full of attendees. You couldn’t buy the hours of information and education that are included in the price of show admission.

This week is the Tinley Park Show, and next weekend features the Musky Show at the Kane County Fairgrounds. I’ll only mention the speakers that I know and can personally recommend. My apologies to the speakers I am bypassing. I hope I can hear them speak in the future.

At Tinley Park you can’t miss the chance to hear my friend Mike Norris talk about all things fishing. I am not sure what Mike’s topics will be, but I can hear Norris read the phone book and come away a better fisherman than I was when he started.

Mike is in the Fishing Hall of Fame, and he gives up all his secrets without holding anything back. Seminar speakers don’t come any better than Norris.

Jim Kopjo is known as “The Crappie Professor.” I had Jim on my TV show one time and my wife asked me if Kopjo was a marine biologist. I laughed and told her that Jim was a concrete worker.

Kopko only sounds like the guy who knows everything there is to know about fish. He is a genius when it comes to crappies. He knows where and when to find them and what colors and baits to use. Worth an hour for sure.

Capt. Pat Harrison fishes a body of water that next to no one else does. Pat specializes in the Chicago River. What? Yes, there are fish in the river and there are plenty and some are large, indeed.

There are a lot of intricacies to river fishing, and the Chicago River features most of them. I spent a day on the river with Pat and was amazed by his knowledge. Let me tell you that there is nothing cooler than reeling in a bass while being cheered on by Michigan Avenue bystanders. Pat will tell you how to do this.

Now for the Musky Show at Kane County. Capt. Mike Hulbert plies his trade on Lake St. Clair and the connected Detroit River. Some St. Clair Captains like to troll and some prefer casting.

You should attend a seminar by someone who uses the techniques that you use. Hulbert is a fan of casting, but he won’t pass up fish out of stubbornness. He does what it takes to catch fish. This is a fishery that gives up spectacularly large muskies on a regular basis and there are numbers there too. This is probably your best chance to catch multiple muskies in a day. I’m not kidding.

Captain Andrew Schiera of the Veteran Guide Service may be the best muskie guide on the Fox Chain of Lakes in Northern Illinois. His website says: “Every day on the water is a learning experience. When conditions are tough, we adapt, improvise, and overcome.”

Isn’t that what fishing is all about? On a heavily pressured body of water like the Chain, you need a guide like Captain Andy. The Chain holds big fish, but they’ve seen a lot of baits, so you need a guide who can figure the nuances to get them to react. Schiera also books musky trips on Lake Geneva for all the anglers who are hearing about the 50-inchers swimming in that water.

See you all at the shows.

• Daily Herald Outdoors columnist Steve Sarley can be reached at sarfishing@yahoo.com.