April 2014


A New Guide Service for the Kankakee River, IL


Fellow Chicagoans, Chicagolanders, Illinoisans, Midwesterners and Travelers to the Midwest:

Welcome to Big River Fly Fishing. Spring, finally, it’s here and I am happy to announce the start of this new guide service and resource for the sport of fly fishing.
Signs of Spring along the Kankakee River

 I am taking reservations for full and half-day drift boat trips this May through October on the Kankakee River, just an hour’s drive south from Chicago. 
A nicely marked Spring fish
For those of you not familiar with this river, allow me to introduce you to a stretch of water, relatively unchanged since the last ice age.  This river valley gives way to an incredibly rich and too often overlooked biodiversity that has ultimately produced a smallmouth bass fishery made for fly angling. For most of us, this winter has been relentless and I can’t remember being this excited for spring and summer. It’s time to get outside.

The drift boat comes out of hibernation

I am humbled and thankful for the amount of folks who have expressed interest in my new venture. I look forward to sharing time on the water with old and new friends this season. I will be sending occasional fishing reports and news relevant to the Kankakee and other local fishing. for more info, check out the site and feel free to contact me. Join me on the River.  ~ Will
Sun setting over the State Park