Tim Horton turned one of the most varied weekends of show season even more interesting.
Varied? How about the Northern Illinois Boat Show, the Midwest Musky Club’s annual fundraiser, Indoor Fishing Flea Market, Lake Michigan School with Capt. Ralph Steiger, Illinois Smallmouth Alliance’s Bronzeback Blowout and Lake Michigan Angler’s free seminar series.
All Horton, speaker at the Bronzeback Blowout, is doing is coming after winning his fifth Bassmaster title, first in a decade. On Sunday, Horton, who fished the first of his 11 Bassmaster Classics in 2000 in Chicago, won the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee in Florida.
The Blowout is at the Elmhurst American Legion, 3-9 p.m. Saturday, March 4.
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Capt. Ralph Steiger has Capt. John Warren and Ryan Whitacre tag-teaming with him at the hands-on Lake Michigan School on Saturday, March 4, at the Hammond (Ind.) Knights of Columbus.
“People get involved in it, it is not like eighth grade and you have to sit and listen to the teacher,’’ Steiger said.
Warren and Steiger will do the salmon/trout section using a year format: jigging for winter lakers, casting for spring coho and browns, trolling for spring coho, deep-water summer tactics, fall casting for kings, then fall lakers. You can bring your boat and immediately apply your learning.
“We are making the best of what we have in front of us,’’ said Steiger, one of the best at adapting to Lake Michigan’s changing fishery.
Whitacre and Steiger will team, with help from Bobby Bergren, on shore and boat fishing for smallmouth bass: earliest smallmouth, temperatures, early season, pre- and post-spawn, shore access, ways to avoid hanging up from shore and summer fishing into late fall.
Click here for info. Sign-up (for the smallmouth section in particular, sign-up should be by Friday, March 3) at Ralphish@aol.com or (219) 688-3593
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The Northern Illinois Boat Show is Thursday-Sunday, March 2-5, at the Lake County Fair Grounds in Grayslake.
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Midwest Musky Club’s annual fundraiser is Thursday, March 2, at the Village Sportsmen’s Club in Alsip.
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The venerable Indoor Fishing Flea Market is 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at Rolling Meadows High School.
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Free seminars on salmon and trout are Saturday, March 4, with Capt. Jim Mueller (9 a.m.), Capt. Kurt Pokrandt, (10:30 a.m.), Curt Kell (1 p.m.) at the Lake Michigan Angler in Winthrop Harbor. Phone is (224) 789-7627.
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Click here for the complete list of shows, swap meets and major seminars/classes for this winter around Chicago outdoors.
