[catchafew]

Great reply Ski, great to see you back on the boards. Your reports are always inspiring on tough Illinois waters. It's unfortunate to hear budgetary issues are with the dnr impacted the sport we love. Us 'old timers' know your significant contributions and accomplishments over the years. Welcome back!

Matt,

I don't where you get the temperament to maintain your professional demeanor over the 11 years I've been on this site despite ALL of our childish bullshit but clearly Janson had the wisdom of Solomon to choose you, and I think we're all greatful.

Hey this is better than the stupid graphs I posted years ago although interesting only to Bussejim, please don't answer!!! And wtf is Jim? SOMEONE fucking please call Lee's baitshop and tell him to post come back to the flock.

Isn't it curious that 'new' members haven't posted on this thread, perhaps no fish porn, etc? Perhaps the at some point number new members can only post after so many posts?
Members who have only viewed posts after X time go away?

'Happy holidays!' Is that still okay to say?

 

[joetrain]

Merry Christmas !

~JOE~

 

[Aux Pleins]

Wow did not know we lost skippy69. That dude always had a massive smile going and I sure enjoyed his local reports. R.I.P.

I know we lost RiverineRodent, aka Norm Minas. Long long time K3 angler. R.I.P. His Sun-Times reports were great.

Anyone keep tabs with Wallhead aka Rich Roguz ? Not sure on the spelling. Nice gentleman from Lyons Riverside area.

 

[Woohoodude11]

Yeah, sometimes people go away and you understand from their posts on getting married, buying a house, having a kid that it's just ... priorities. And then an older active member, like crankybass, just disappears, and you are left wondering.

I feel targeted lol

My absence is predominantly blamed by WCF being blocked by my work firewall and my stubbornness of viewing on my phone (this forum blows to view on mobile). But alas! The firewall lets me back here now. I'll probably be good for some banter but as y'all have predicted...I don't get to fish much anymore.

As for Crankybass, he's alive and well an enjoying archery more than fishing. I see him post on Facebook all the time. I think he had a fire sale of most if not all of his fishing gear to buy better archery equipment.

Heddonfrog, as previously mentioned, moved to FL and is killing it out there. He still keeps in touch with a lot of us here.

Phil6 fishes and goes on outdoor adventures, but not active here afaik

As for me, homeownership is good and expensive. Fatherhood is fun to say the least. The wife is still a knockout. Just wish I could slide some fishing in there.

Little man just passed 9 months on the 15th.

 

[vman01]

Woo,
That little dude is spouting right up, get him a fishing pole.

 

[Woohoodude11]

Woo,
That little dude is spouting right up, get him a fishing pole.

Wife said it's a waste til he's 2-ish. I may veto that sooner rather than later.

 

[cletedius]

Anyone know whatever happened to "ffishman"? Used to post regularly, but have not seen 1 from him in quite some time. Hope he's doing ok.

 

[FishinMatt]

Anyone know whatever happened to "ffishman"? Used to post regularly, but have not seen 1 from him in quite some time. Hope he's doing ok.

No, and I have wondered myself. He used to be very active in the Delavan and Geneva forums. I do remember him listing his boat for sale so potentially he got out of the hobby? I at least hope that is the case and it is not health related.

 

[Cranked]

Jason, what's your online recipe site?

Choup... You don't need any recipes.

 

[Luckydawg13]

Is old Salt still around haven't seen any new posts from him

 

[cyanatic]

For years I've wondered about this we are a brotherhood of anglers on WCF. I enjoy the posts of almost everyone even if I think you're wrong about everything else. We're still a free country and nobody is being shipped away in trains even if we're in a dysfunctional state.

I've known at least two members die and perhaps a third. This is the only online forum I belong to and in a sense I consider you all friends.

As the Russian expression goes "rybak rybaka" or "A fisherman spots a fisherman from afar." We are such men despite our diffences we have a common bond and love of fishing.

I see this was posted back in November, but fwiw, it accurately describes how I feel about this website and the peope who post here. I think I first joined sometime after my wife, daughter, and I moved to the Chicago area (I was born in Chicago, but my parents moved to So Cal in 1963 and I lived in LA and San Diego for decades) from San Diego in August 2008. But I don't think I actually started posting until about 2015 or 2016.

Because I lived in San Diego, the majority of my fishing was saltwater, but for some reason I always loved freshwater fishing more. Even though I did go freshwater fishing (and have fished since I was 7 years old), Almost all of it was bait fishing. Either bobber and worm for panfish, or occasionally a treble/spring set up for catfish or stocked trout. I occasionally used lures, but never caught anything.

I think it was 2015 or 2016 I decided to take largemouth bass fishing a little more seriously. I read up on various lures, techniques, approaches, etc. I remember posting about it here and a lot of guys said that it sounded like I was doing the right things, I just needed to keep plugging away at it. I think my first bass was caught at the Tower Road dam (off the steps of the portage at the spillway) on a shallow diving shad rap (walleye pattern). Also caught my one and only Walleye (very large, the photo is on here somewhere unless it disappeared because of Photobucket) at the same spot on the same lure.

The point of this is just that I've received a lot of help and advice from many members of this forum over the years. Many of you may not even know that something you posted helped me in my fishing. I've only met one member in person (Minstrel -- once at Opeka and once at Beck), but I've also received DM's from some of you offering advice that was very helpful.

I may not post here all that much, and I don't really know many of you in person, but it does kind of feel like a brotherhood to me.

Steve

 

[RonG]