Lets start with Seth - that fishy looking dude above. Seth came out of the gate swinging by catching his first smallie on the fly (above) on a crayfish pattern (below). Oh, and that first fish was the biggest of the trip (Seth kicked my butt in the quality department!).
He followed up with a handful of others, all solid fish, in fact each one of his was noticeably larger than any of mine. Better yet, he ended the day with a nice fish on a popper - another first.
From my perspective, it was the first time I saw Seth really cast with distance, control and accuracy. There were some growing pains for sure, but Seth was casting and even more importantly fishing with confidence at the end which was great to see. I could sense that he was starting to feel the cast as opposed to having to think about it which is really the first major hurdle in this sport. Proud of you Seth.
As for me, it was my first float of the Kankakee, first time fishing with Austin Adduci of Grab Your Fly Charters. Austin is a great guide, he knows the river is good with the sticks, and knows how to keep everyone engaged. I would recommend the trip to anyone. As for the Kankakee, I was impressed. It's a scenic river with plenty of eager smallmouth. Although the smallmouth aren't huge on average they are aggressive, tough and take flies throughout the water column.
Great company, great times, great trip.
What's next? (I'm talking to you Seth)
