The Local
Fisherman
Welcome to The Local Fisherman’s blog. Here you’ll find posts about guide services we’ve used as well as lakes & rivers we’ve fished using handmade lures and equipment available in our online store.

Smallmouth Bass Fishing on Dale Hollow Lake w/ “Dale Hollow Dave” Clark – Tennessee
There are few legendary waters here in the USA that are truly off the beaten path. Very few. Waters that hold a true mystique. Not something an amateur writer can exactly describe in a sissy blog post. But those where the mist comes off the water every morning,...
Smallmouth Bass Fishing on Lake Michigan w/Captain Ralph Steiger – Chicago & Northwest Indiana
We have to be honest. The original tone of this post was dreamt up as portraying the industry laden Northwest Indiana & Chicago Lake Michigan shoreline - urban fishing at its best with hidden diamonds throughout. A shoreline whose legacy includes factories, blue...
Fly Fishing for Smallmouth on the Kankakee River w/Will Winans of Big River Fly Fishing – Kankakee, Illinois
There are some trips that don't need very descriptive adjectives. For example: Wild hibiscus grew on islands in the river. As the current took our drift boat down the river we looked at one-hundred-year-old trees that grew out of stone cliffs. In between casts, we...
Blue Catfish on the Mississippi River w/Jason Jackson of Two Rivers Guide Service – Alton, Illinois
This is tough fishing. As fishermen, part of the allure – the story behind the fish – is how we interact with the environment. Were we wading? In a boat? Lake, river, stream…? By all measures fishing on the Mississippi River near the Melvin Price Locks & Dam is...