By Rich McElligott
2007 is now history. It was a great year for our organization. 2008 starts us with renewing past programs and starting some new ideas. Jim Kast is bringing his energy into the club working as the new member coordinator. There is plenty to do when a new member signs up. Jim will make sure that all new members get off to a good start.
The sport show season is already in the works. It is not an easy task. There is a total of 16 days this year for us to cover and it amounts to 76 all-day shifts for our officers and members. This doesn't include Scott organizing sign-up books and creating necessary handouts, which are needed for the Blowout and our other events. And there is the other task of moving the equipment to the events in all three regions. Once the booth is set up, everything changes. By talking with all types of anglers you can learn a lot. Most of the workers end up wanting to work it again the following year and end up fishing with the members they met sometime during the year. You also hear first hand tips on lures, lines, even hot spots or patterns to look for. It is also rewarding to see a person join and follow their improvement as they gain confidence in fishing our waters, even better when they join on a work event. I guess what I'm saying is involvement is a key factor in getting the most out of an ISA membership.
New this year is a "bonus or incentive" that will be handed out to new members that sign-up at the booths. Jim Jozwiak and Dick Gronlund filled 75 small Plano tackle packs with plastics and hooks that we use on the river. It is included with a new member package of important information and a few recent newsletters. This should make it easier to turn possible members into new members. Another new feature this year is that the officers have purchased their own long-sleeved shirts with their name and the ISA emblem on them. Several extra shirts will be available for workers to wear at the shows to make us look more united.
The sports shows are the best way to make anglers aware of our fundraiser, the Bronzeback Blowout. Don LaBrose is speaking on the rehab of the west branch of the DuPage River. It should bring in more local anglers to see this exceptional project in action. You will see a wide variety of different types of stream protection. Dave Csanda's presentation will be on the many moods of Smallmouth Bass. This will be very useful in trying to understand them and what to use. Contact your friends, relatives and co-workers about this fundraiser now! It is sure to be another sellout.
For this year's Blowout we will have more silent auction trips for you to choose from. To make this easier we will be having two separate auction times. This is to assist those that make multiple bids on several trips. Items for the raffle are always needed. Contact me if you have an item to donate. This will help us from having duplicate items and in knowing what we need to purchase. Some new items that haven't been seen before are quality adult beverages, dinner certificates and outdoor clothing. I will run a list of all companies and donors in the newsletter following the Blowout.
Speaking of trips, we have a few worth mentioning. New to the auction table is a week stay at a luxury resort in Placencia, Belize. It's a $2,100 value during the low season. Package includes complimentary round trip ticket from Belize City to Placencia and a ticket for a day trip to snorkel at Laughing Bird Caye National Park. You would pay for your flight to Belize City, food, day travel, and guide fees. This package is being offered for June 2008 through November 2008. Proceeds are split between ISA and Placencia Citizens for Sustainable Development. Contact Tim Smith our Science Director.
Back for its second year is a week stay at Camp Narrows lodge on Rainy Lake. Rock River Fly casters President, Rich Honzel will offer a one-day guide trip on his property on Copper Creek in Southwest Wisconsin. This is for trout, but will still be a nice trip for our fly anglers.
There are other Alliances in other states so it's only natural to open communication between these organizations. This has been done by ISA, spearheaded by Jim Jozwiak and Tim Smith. We have a website forum for just officers of all the groups. Some bugs are being worked out with this forum and we are starting to get all the groups to sign up on that forum. I think the last count was 8 or 9 organizations of which we are the largest .We all have issues with habitat, regulations, access and water quality. By working together we can assist each other in finding solutions. Our normal club operations will not change at all. As topics are discussed and approved by our officers you will hear about it in the newsletter.
I do hope that many of you will renew your membership at this time of the year. As you can see we are constantly helping to improve Illinois smallmouth fishing through conservation and education.
I look forward to seeing you at the shows, meetings or on the water. My phone number and e-mail address are listed inside the cover of the Bronzeback Bulletin.
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