This post has been a long time coming, everyone. The fishing has taken a serious downtime as of late because I simply haven’t had the time to get out on my weekends. Lately I’ve been reserving the weekends for socializing with friends instead of fishing, but as the weather will begin to warm up, I will most definitely be out fishing again on every weekend.

Since I haven’t been fishing at all, I have a few topics to address, and they are worth noting:

First – I will be traveling to Northern Ontario, Canada at the end of summer 201o.

Mike Planthaber, his friend Tim, myself, and a few others are committed to going on a fly-in for big Northern Pike and untouched Walleyes on the Attawapiskat River system. It is located just south of the Hudson Bay. The plan as of now is to travel during the last week of August, so that will hamper whatever end of summer up-north Musky fishing that I had in mind – as it usually happens every year. So, can’t wait for this one to happen!

Second – I am scheduled to train in video production this summer.

Two weeks ago I was the recipient of a telephone call, and it was from none other than Frank Hyla, of Time on the Water TV. In all of my dealings with him since we hooked up in November for my video, this didn’t come much as a surprise to me. However, this summer I will be training with him and his crew to be a full-time camera-man and producer starting in the 2011 season. He currently has two men working the cameras and from what I understand, one is leaving after the season.

How exciting!

Might as well get the hands-on deal first because I am considering going to graduate school for this after I take the year off.

Third – I hate winter, and have one more ice fishing outing left in me.

I have ice fished maybe five or six times this season, and I am incredibly unpassionate about sitting atop a bucket and looking down into an 8-inch hole hoping that something bites the bait. My website, the Fishing Headquarters, is scheduled to have its final Ice Fishing Rodeo of the hardwater season this coming weekend, on Sunday, the 21st. We will either be in Milwaukee, or Racine. It will all depend on where the Legendary Trout Mafia selects the venue because the fish are starting to come in to the harbors by the droves, and stacking up in preparation for the spawn which is set to take place shortly in March. Thus far anywhere from 10 to 15 of us will be making the full day trip to Cheesehead Land for Steelhead and Brown Trout on the ice.

Great times with awesome friends is on the menu.

Fourth – my station wagon fell to engine coolant consumption and died for good.

My designated fishing vehicle, the Ford Taurus Station Wagon came to its final stand two weeks ago. It began to have engine troubles and I first perceived it to be simple overheating as the gauges had indicated. My mechanic diagnosed the problem to be a broken water pump so we fixed it, along with flushing out the lines. However, the following week it came to be known that my engine had a cracked block because it was overheating far worse than the previous week, and all the engine coolant leaked into the oil tank. The engine eventually blew up after a trip up I-355 from Naperville to Itasca, as did the car itself.

So for at least the next year, I settled on getting a 1993 Ford Thunderbird LX coupe with only 50,000 miles on it. It’s in mint condition, comes loaded, and it’s pretty fast, so it will be enjoyed. I don’t have enough money to successfully finance a new SUV or truck for pulling around my boats, so this will be perfect for cruising around the city, and to work, and to any statewide fishing destinations in which a boat will not be needed. As for the up-north trips, all of my friends have trucks or SUV’s rigged with hitches so they will be designated drivers for this season’s adventures.

I provide lodging, the boats, and all the knowledge needed for success. Think fair, right?

Fifth – I stand true to my words in Dale Bowman’s Sun-Times article and didn’t attend a single fishing show this winter.

I was interviewed by Sun-Times columnist, Dale Bowman, for a piece he was writing about the faltering fishing trade shows. He was looking for the insights from a younger person who gets around, so he gave me a call and we talked it over for 10-minutes. He wrote the following, and I said the highlighted:

I don’t know the answer. I know the world of Chicago outdoors has changed radically since ”The Rosemont Show” started a hard fall in the late 1990s.

The Internet has altered how we exchange information, including booking trips. The major big-box stores for the outdoors — Bass Pro and Cabela’s — have established multiple outposts in the Chicago area.

For a younger perspective, I talked with Andrew Ragas, who is finishing a major in communications and a minor in graphic design at Loyola. The 23-year-old from Westchester already is working in the multiple platforms of modern outdoor media.

He nicely summed up the problem.

”When I was younger, I often used to go with my dad to a few shows each year — Rosemont was one,” he said. ”But like everyone else, we stopped going. Lately, it’s been just the [Chicago Muskie Show at Harper College in Palatine].

”A lot of my lack of participation in attending probably has to do with a lack of motivation and the mentality that I’ve already seen it all elsewhere, not needing any more junk for the tackle boxes and refusal to pay prices for admissions and parking.”

But there is a social side to show-going, too, which Ragas noted: ”Just for the communications for putting a face to the name.”

I agree. There’s something to be said for looking a resort owner in the eye. You can’t do that on a Web site.

What’s the point. I mean, if the vendors, guides, professionals, and manufacturers aren’t there, I won’t get anything out of them other than paying for parking and admissions.

At least the Musky Show gets the idea, even with this piss-poor economy because they still make it work, but I didn’t go this year due to other weekend obligations.

It’s like in the film, “Field of Dreams”… There is the famous quote, “If you build it, they will come.” Too bad these show owners aren’t paying attention to it.

Sixth – Dan Cahill makes awesome fishing videos.

My buddy and blog reader Dan Cahill, who should be well-known around these parts by now since he’s been featured multiple times in this blog, recently purchased an HD video camera that cost some serious dollars. Dan, a 2005 graduate from Chicago’s very own, Columbia College, with a degree in production had a previous camera he used for fishing trips that broke. So he decided to high-roll it with something that cost a lot and gives me the hint that he wants to be my website’s official fishing video producer.

I won’t complain because he can still make a masterpiece even while getting the skunk at his local quarry.

That’s all I’ve got for now. We’ve got one ice fishing trip left, a new car, a future job in the fishing industry, and hopefully open water in 3 weeks when I’ll be on Spring Break lake-hopping and trappin’ for Bass with Kenny Lookingbill throughout all of Central Illinois and the vicinity around Illinois State University.

I wrote a lot for this one. Word out.