Thursday, Sep. 03, 2009

Fly fishing class returns to SWIC

Class has proven to be quite popular

It's been five years since Jim Laing and Brad Eilering began imparting their knowledge of fly fishing to the area, and interest in their classes haven't waned.

Laing and Eilering, both certified casting instructors from Belleville, will teach "Intro to Casting a Fly Rod and Fly Casting II and III" at Southwestern Illinois College beginning Sept. 19. The class will meet every Saturday (except Oct. 3) until Oct. 24 and is open to beginners or near pros.

Classes are taught in the grass field, pond or classroom and are limited to eight students. The course fee is $164 plus a $25 equipment fee. At the conclusion of the class, students are invited to visit their instructors at a Missouri trout stream.

"There's actually been quite a demand, and I don't know why," Laing said. "It's not as easy as other types of casting like spincasting, but maybe it is the challenge and the draw to beautiful places."

Both Eilering and Laing are certified casting instructors with the Federation of Fly Fishers. They will teach fly selection, reading the water and presentation and casting.

They also will teach an intermediate fly casting class that will focus on curves, mends, snaps, rolls and extreme distance. New this year is Flycasting III, which will benefit intermediate casters on spey casting and change of direction casting techniques for both single and two-handed rods.

"It's really very handy for fly fishing," Laing said. "It's just a continuation of what we've been doing, and there's still students that want to take these types of classes. It's ongoing."

Laing will try for his master's certification on Oct. 3 in Mountain Home, Ark. There are only 194 master instructors in the world.

For more information or to register, call 235-2700, ext. 5393.

Dove season opens

Dove season in Illinois opened with a bang Tuesday, according to Jerry Simpson, owner of Jerry's Tackle & Guns in Highland.

Simpson said several hunters reached their daily limit if 15 doves on opening day.

"With the cold snap, I thought they would head south," Simpson said. "But there's enough standing corn and leaves on the trees that they can bed down in there at night."

Reports were also rosy at the Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area by Baldwin, where hunters had good success at the sunflower fields. Things didn't go as well in Clinton County, where early reports from Eldon Hazlet State Park were poor.

Daily bag limits include mourning doves, Eurasian collared doves, ringed turtle doves and white-winged doves.

Big Blues are biting

The monster big blue catfish are biting on the Mississippi River near Alton.

The staffers at Bluff City Tackle in Alton reported a 94-pound blue catfish was caught on skip jack in late July, and several other 50-plus pounders were hauled in during August.

None of the anglers will give up their secret holes, but a good bet to find some whoppers is near the dam and the Flour Mill. Nightcrawlers, skip jack and herring appear to be the baits of choice. Bighead carp cut up into chunks also is working well.