The News Outside
Winchester 1873 sells for $93,000, George, May 23
Hummingbirds return to Illinois, Chris Young, May 23
Prep bass fishing on the rise, Dale Bowman, May 23
Sun-Times fishing report 5-23-12, Dale Bowman, May 23
Life jackets a must for boaters, Steve Sarley, May 21
MORE NEWS
SUBSCRIBE!
Heartland Outdoors magazine is published every month.Or call (309) 741-9790 or e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Archive
| May 2012 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 |
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
Recent entries
- Weekend Bronzeback Report May 22
- Big River Walleye May 16
- A Weekend Dedicated to the Fly Rod May 14
- When the Rain Gods Kick Ya! May 08
- Blockhead Season on the Horizon May 01
- Time to think about the fly rod Apr 27
- River Smallmouth Report Apr 25
- First Guide Trip of 2012 Apr 17
- A Day I Will Never Forget! Apr 09
- Another Bruiser for Eric Apr 05
- Release stream smallmouth bass Apr 04
- Spring Break Summary Apr 03
- Trout Fishing Results Mar 20
- Hooked on Fishing Park Trout Day Mar 15
- Top smallie baits of 2011 Mar 14
- My Bass Report Mar 13
- A Big Day for the Swim Jig Mar 08
- Top Smallie Baits of 2011 Mar 06
- Top Smallie Baits of 2011 Mar 02
- Gearing Up for Elmwood Mar 01
JONN
GRAHAM
Stream Stalker
Another Side Job
Tue, January 31, 2012
When someone asks me what I do, I tell them that my full-time occupation is teaching. I teach at Irving Elementary School in Bloomington. I teach kindergarten through fifth grade and have been doing it for 20 years. While that is my main job, it is not my only job.
In addition to teaching, I run a river smallmouth guiding service called Camp Smallmouth. I have been doing this since 2005 and I really enjoy it. I have had the pleasure of fishing with some of the greatest folks on the face of the earth. In addition, some of my clients have gone on to develop the same love for river smallies as I do. I have really enjoyed teaching others the finer points of river smallmouth fishing.
Another one of my :“side jobs” is jig maker. A few years back, my father in law and I started Warrior Jigs. We make hand-tied swim jigs and float n fly jigs. Once again, while it is not my main occupation, it is still a job, but one that is fishing related and has been very, very rewarding. We have shipped jigs all over the country and have received outstanding feedback from the bass and the anglers that pursue them.
Now, comes another job…...............sales associate at Bass Pro Shops in East Peoria. Back in November I filled out an application to work in the fly fishing section of the strore (oh, by the way, I love to fly fish as well). A few weeks ago I went through the interview process and was hired to work in the fly department. After a day of orientation, they turned me loose on the floor. So far I have worked the past two Sundays (I am only going to work either on Saturday or Sunday). The whole process of helping customers find the proper type of fishing equipment has been a real joy. In addition, upon being hired, I agreed to do in-store seminars, highlighting the types of techniques I use to catch river bronzebacks. I love to do seminars as it gives me the chance to talk about my river-bassin passion. I did a seminar on my first day and also did another seminar this past Sunday. Here is a shot of me blabbing the smallmouth gospel:
I hope some of you reading this blog will stop in and see me whenever possible. I work this Saturday from opening to 4:30.
AS ALWAYS…...............HAIL TO THE SMALLIE
Comments
HeartlandOutdoors.com is owned by Lampe Publications LLC. Heartland Outdoors is a registered trademark.
Heartland Outdoors, P.O. Box 745, Elmwood, IL 61529
Copyright © 2012 Heartland Outdoors. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
As someone who’s seen your seminars I urge anyone who wants to learn about smallouth fishing (either fly or spin) to stop by and talk with Jonn. As one of the best smallmouth anglers in the country he is an encyclopedia of smallmouth knowledge he’s will to share enthusiastically. (I spelled that wrong on purpose) BassPro is lucky to have him.
Posted by JimJ on January 31
I would find it difficult to work in an outdoor store, always having hunting and fishing on the mind. Hope to make a trip to the new store one of these weekends.
Posted by bowfisher1 on January 31
They’re lucky to have you John, they will want you full time…..... hard to leave that teaching gig though….... wouldn’t be a bad way to retire though would it??
thanks for sharing
Posted by Flatlander on January 31
You definitely won’t see me there full-time…........just not going to happen. I have too many other things to do and I still have to have time to fish and be with the family. I think one day per week is going to be my maximum…..........even in the summer.
Posted by stream stalker on January 31
Have fun with it Jonn, keep the fly fishing spirit alive and growing while I’m gone. It has killed me to leave the shop with no one there that had the same passion and drive toward flyfishing. The WR Fly Shop has been one of the most rewarding and pleasant jobs I have ever had, and now I am reassured that it is in good hands. Tell the BP family hello for me, I miss them all. I have a leave block prior to going overseas in early March, hoping that Spring Lake is free of ice so I can chase some ski’s with the long rod again. I will be sure to drop in and say hello while I’m home. If you have any questions about the shop feel free to give me a call or PM me, phone service stinks here in 29 Palms.
Posted by Colt on February 02
Have fun with it Jonn, keep the fly fishing spirit alive and growing while I’m gone. It has killed me to leave the shop with no one there that had the same passion and drive toward flyfishing. The WR Fly Shop has been one of the most rewarding and pleasant jobs I have ever had, and now I am reassured that it is in good hands. Tell the BP family hello for me, I miss them all. I have a leave block prior to going overseas in early March, hoping that Spring Lake is free of ice so I can chase some ski’s with the long rod again. I will be sure to drop in and say hello while I’m home. If you have any questions feel free to give me a call or PM me, phone service stinks here in 29 Palms.
Posted by Colt on February 02
Have fun with it Jonn, keep the fly fishing spirit alive and growing while I’m gone. It has killed me to leave the shop with no one there that had the same passion and drive toward flyfishing. The WR Fly Shop has been one of the most rewarding and pleasant jobs I have ever had, and now I am reassured that it is in good hands. Tell the BP family hello for me, I miss them all. I have a leave block prior to going overseas in early March, hoping that Spring Lake is free of ice so I can chase some ski’s with the long rod again. I will be sure to drop in and say hello while I’m home. If you have any questions feel free to give me a call or PM me, phone service stinks here in 29 Palms
Posted by Colt on February 02
Great To Hear!
Posted by Colt on February 02
Wow, sorry about that, there are some computer glitches being worked out with our data Marines. I didn’t think it posted due to conectivity issues, but as I now see I over did it a bit.
Posted by Colt on February 02