Stacey Greene-Fenlon became the first woman and the first person not associated with Chicago government on April 18, 2024, to chair the Chicago fishing advisory committee.
Dale Bowman
The usual crap came up Thursday at a meeting of the Chicago fishing advisory committee.
Overflowing excrement and other detritus in portable toilets at Montrose Harbor were discussed.
Some things never change.
No year-round toilets on the lakefront and the state of portable toilets have been discussed since the committee began on July 15, 1996.
Some things, however, do change.
Park Bait’s Stacey Greene-Fenlon became the first woman and first person not connected with city government to chair the committee.
She followed the usual format, beginning with reports.
Westrec SMI operations manager Ben Alden said the harbors officially open May 1. He noted that after the first truly springlike weekend, it is nearly impossible to keep up with portable toilets. But he also said more portable toilets are coming.
Vic Santucci, the head of the Lake Michigan program for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said that they switched to the Crawford strain (spawn earlier and grow faster) for brown trout from the Plymouth Rock strain. About 130,000 (usual is 110,000) should be stocked this week. That’s part of an overall one-year change in stocking numbers because of issues with salmon eggs, meaning fewer Chinook and coho will be stocked. Details should come this week.
On the IDNR and channel catfish, Santucci said that, as far as he knows, ‘‘No one is biting on the contracts. They are trying.’’ They will have bluegills for the lagoons.
Greene-Fenlon reported that Jonathan Schlesinger, the coordinator of Chicago’s urban fishing program, said lots of adults are interested in a learn-to-fish program. He’s trying to find a location.
Conservation police officer Josh Livermore reported a slow spring for lakefront anglers, but Forest Preserves of Cook County fisheries biologist Steve Silic said spring trout went well with no complaints.
Hall of Famer Don Dubin wondered about angler access at River Park and special angler parking at Montrose Harbor (not likely).
Dedicated angler Carl Pickett asked about updates on illegal flash swimmers (he has not seen them this year) at Montrose. Enforcement has been stronger, and the Chicago Park District put in more signage.
The disrepair of the Montrose Horseshoe made Greene-Fenlon exclaim that the committee should be advocating for repair. The same goes for keeping tabs on fishing and the coming Navy Pier Marina.
The committee now has an email address: Chiagofishingadvisory@gmail.com.
Stray cast
Celebrating Tiger making the Masters cut is like toasting two smelt netted.