DNR needs to promote state fishing, hunting to locals

Did you know that a big striped bass took up residence in the shallows on the far south end of Lake Michigan?

Have you experienced the thrill of battling a Lake Michigan smallmouth bass yet?

I suspect there aren't too many Chicago-area anglers who have drifted over the border into Indiana waters of the big lake and stumbled in to a school of fat walleyes.

Did you catch a glimpse of the size of the rock bass sunning themselves just outside the Northpoint marina?

And I'll bet a hot dog with fries that not many have experienced some scrappy northern pike near the South Shore Country Club on the big lake near Hyde Park.

Chances are that not many folks who control the dollars and activities of the Illinois Dept. of Tourism have a clue as to what kind of potential lies beneath the surface of this wonderful lake.

Oh sure, some know about the world-class salmon and perch fishery. That's really old news, but yet, the story is still a deep, dark secret to many visiting business people who also like to fish.

Selling Illinois to out-of-state outdoors sportsmen got off to a rousing start not too far back when some sharp cookies in the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources marketed the idea that out-of-staters could bag a trophy white tail deer in the central and southern sections of this state. But that, too, was a program that went by the wayside because political shakers and movers didn't like non-residents grabbing behemouth, corn-fed deer for their freezers back home.

I have reported to you in the past that I have invested countless dollars for the education of Wisconsin college students.

My money went to local Wisconsin establishments, like motels; restaurants; outfitters; lodge owners; tackle shops; gas stations; clothing stores, and the like.

The ka-ching of those old cash registers was music to the ears of those folks who owned those businesses. They smacked their lips every time an Illinois vehicle came rolling through their locale. And many of those proprietors had college-age kids who had no idea that Mom and Dad made their daily bread from the pockets of Illinois anglers and hunters.

But with the present horror story happening now with gasoline prices, it seems to me that it makes good sense to launch your boat here and buy your cheeses and brats at one of our stores for a change.

Granted, there have been glitzy commercials on television and radio, produced by the big-time ad agencies, extolling the wonders of Illinois, with the theme, "a million miles from Monday."

I acknowledge the fact that state officials reported last year a sharp increase in tourism. But what about taking a page from Wisconsin's book of tricks and start making hay out of potential incoming dollars from fishing and hunting-related revenues?

Would it interest you to know that you have a better chance at nailing a big muskie on the Fox Chain than beating the water to a froth in northern Wisconsin, and also wind up saving a bundle to boot?

Think about that the next time your favorite gas pump does its own ka-ching with every gallon of fuel going in to your vehicle.