Sarley: A blowout event in honor of the smallmouth bass

Smallmouth bass are my favorite fish to chase after.

Pound-for-pound, smallies are the hardest fighting fish to swim in freshwater. They are revered by smallmouth fishermen and most are gently released into the water after they are caught. I ate a couple of smallies on a Canadian shore lunch one time because we couldn’t catch a single fish other than the smallmouth.

To this day, I still feel guilty for eating them. Smallmouth bass are special creatures.

“(The Illinois Smallmouth Alliance is) an organization of smallmouth bass anglers who meet to help preserve the smallmouth bass and its habitat through education and conservation,” the organization says. “Participation in the ISA is a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of the latest techniques and concerns regarding smallmouth bass in Illinois.

“Smallmouth bass can be found in nearly every body of moving water in the state as long as habitat is available. Illinois is also home to several trophy smallmouth lakes. However, even with all the wonderful fishing opportunities around, Illinois is not without its share of problems. Overharvest, pollution, agricultural runoff, and habitat degradation are all major issues we face everyday. Enter the ISA! It's our job as members to tackle these problems head-on, and we have fun doing it!”

Smallmouth are often misunderstood. Some folks mistakenly believe that smallies are only caught in streams and rivers and can only be caught on fly fishing gear. That is totally untrue. My best days of smallmouth bass fishing have come on Lake Michigan off the Chicago shoreline and on the gigantic Lake Geneva.

Many smallie anglers find them in tiny little streams that run off of area rivers. You probably pass over a dozen of these streams while you are driving to work every day. You probably don’t think that these streams hold any fish at all, let alone smallmouth bass.

The Illinois Smallmouth Association annual dinner, called “The Bronzeback Blowout,” is happening this weekend. It’s on from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. The location is VFW Post 2377, 142 Army Trail Road, Glendale Heights. The price for the event, $45, includes a great dinner, catered by DiLeo's.

The blowout features expert speakers, dozens of raffle prizes, and a silent auction for a number of guided trips to chase smallmouth.

This is a great group that includes some of the best fishermen in the Midwest. It’s not all about conservation. This is a group of excellent fishermen who will share their tips and locations if you play your cards right.

A one-year membership to the ISA is a reasonable $20. You can find more info or get tickets to the Bronzeback Blowout at illinoissmallmouthalliance.net

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I wanted to get this out there early because I am sure it is going to sell out quickly. The Fly Fishing School offers classes taught by some of the best fly anglers in America. They help fly fishermen of all skill levels including beginners. This school is sponsored. by Temple Fork Outfitters, one of the premium manufacturers of fly equipment.

The closest school to our area is in Viroqua, Wisconsin, and it is April 15-19, and a second session is in September.

The exciting part of this is that the featured instructor is Jason Randall from McHenry County. Randall is a fly genius who has written countless articles for prestigious fishing publications, as well as a number of beautiful hardcover books on fly fishing.

For more information, please access theflyfishingschool.org I guarantee that Randall will make a better fisherman out of you.

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