Blogs

2021 FRV Fundraiser

Published Dec 5th, 2021

In March of every year we hold our Annual Banquet at Chandler’s Chop House In Schaumburg. Due to Covid 19 restrictions, we are unable to have this event in 2021. This is a major resource for us that allows us the money we need to function and operate as a Muskies Inc. Chapter. We use […]

2021 Challunge on the Chain – May 15

Published Jan 17th, 2021

We are now accepting entries for the 2021 Challenge on the Chain tournament. Please see the attached flyer and rules documents for more details. https://muskiesinc.net/images-frv-old/uploads/2021/01/2021-Tournament-Flyer-V1.jpg https://muskiesinc.net/images-frv-old/uploads/2021/01/2021-Tournament-Rules.jpg Registration can be completed on this website under the “Shop” page (use the top navigation on the site). If you have any issues, please contact us using the “Contact […]

2020 Stocking Information

Published Nov 24th, 2020

On the morning of October 5th about 25 people, FRV members and other members of the Chain of Lake community gathered to witness and help in the stocking of 535 muskies into Long Lake and Channel Lake. The fish were delivered from Gollon Bait and Fish farm from Dodgeville, Wisconsin. The 9 to 14 inch […]

2020 Stocking Video of Channel Lake & Long Lake

Published Nov 24th, 2020

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DpovZrlUBjfk%26feature%3Dyoutu.be%26fbclid%3DIwAR1eb-1hFKAoKh6RZ7XLU5A6HiXx_J6lKV7-2_L8nWfrLImPGpAR8SLYw_Y&h=AT2d8JUWLqPIUzadrpmnDnwCZvtGEklCRuE6EPZYQz8IZ4i58ZryW_gBfR0oIuWeIAg_4TtbcMJClNFdP8VIWhH6XTnpwd2xfTHU0_XW8wdXyJkXRMlyxKVVchLX6IrA6g&tn=-UK-R&c%5b0%5d=AT3z4qlcB5_atLx7PbYkJ6aRdUT9E91Ym4pdDBDHB4NJOWArw0EQ89LT0TWyuDIWCXrdndgtKkgwZNaic-73vRCT85ZyT6bmHFa8IQhobzmY_mTgqyjoXUzTlUAfwPUVSFFzzozf9ZvyNLjPAfSzMAcKat6L4TBblwQnN5Vn7pJRKv1-NvFbhgrwFzoSHLUfzLtd5onzAIjItq61bFuxnPeECSPEtcrY5juKkUqePQ

FRV “The Wall” Raffle 2020

Published Jan 9th, 2020

FRV has been able to obtain 12 different custom Phantom Baits for the Estate of the late Todd Cleveland.  The story is that when Todd created a newly designed Phantom Jerk Bait, he would hold back a single copy of the bait and place it on the wall of his work area.  Each bait that […]

2019 Stocking Update/VIDEO

Published Jan 2nd, 2020

Our muskies are about 9″ long and by the end of the month they should be ready to go into the Fox Chain at around 10″ to 12″ fingerlings. Last week of September or the first week in October is the target we are shooting for. I will get a one week notice of delivery. […]

2020 Multi-Species Contest Form

Published Dec 31st, 2019

For anyone interested in participating in the 2020 multi-species contest, here is a link to the entry form. 2020 MULTI-SPECIES ENTRY FORM These can be emailed to Steve Behrends at [email protected] Please reach out if there are questions about the contest or issues with the form.

2016 Speakers Schedule

Published Aug 15th, 2017

Here is the speaker schedule for our 2016 meetings. If you have ideas or suggestions, please get in touch with Todd Minor. January – Steve Heiting February – Tony Grant March – Billy Davis, Melton Hill guide April – Matt Firestein Lake St. Claire May – Bill Bennett, Indiana guide June/July/August – no meetings September […]

2015 Speakers Schedule

Published Aug 15th, 2017

Here is the speaker schedule for our 2015 meetings. If you have ideas or suggestions for 2016, please get in touch with Todd Minor. January – Larry Dahlberg February – Gregg Thomas March – Cory Allen April – Jeff Hanson May – Ryan McMahon June – On the Water July – On the Water August […]

January 2017 Meeting – Tony Grant and Gregg Thomas

Published Jan 3rd, 2017

Join us on Wednesday January 4th 2017 when Tony Grant & Gregg Thomas will be talking “Musky Fishing Through the Seasons”! Tony & Gregg will cover spring fishing in KY using casting, trolling and jigging techniques! Tony will also talk about summertime fishing in WI and Gregg will talk summer muskies on Lake St. Clair. […]

December 2016 Meeting – Chas Martin

Published Nov 16th, 2016

On December 14th, Chas Martin will be talking about musky fishing on Three Lakes and Eagle River in Wisconsin, an area he has fished most of his life. He has over a decade of guiding experience and on top of running/owning the Musky Mastery Guide Service, he is also a videographer for the “Fishing with […]

Free suckers and minnows tomorrow at Musky Tales!

Published Nov 4th, 2016

Musky Tales promised that if the Cubs won the World Series, they’d give away free suckers and minnows. Well, here we are with the 108 year curse broken! True to their promise, they will have free minnows and suckers tomorrow (11/5).

November 2016 Meeting – Phil Piscitello

Published Oct 27th, 2016

Phil Piscitello was introduced to the sport of fishing at the young age of 7! His 1st fishing experience was on the Fox Chain fishing on Channel Lake out of Barney’s Channel Lake Boathouse. Phil grew up reading Fishing Facts Magazine and articles about the infamous Buck Perry were his favorites! His first graph was […]

October 2016 Meeting – David VanDoorn

Published Oct 12th, 2016

The man needs no introduction (but Todd will probably do one anyway)…just be there. Trust us! October 12 at Chandlers in Schaumburg.

May 2016 Meeting – Bill Bennett

Published Apr 14th, 2016

More details to come. Buffet dinner is served at 6:00PM and the meeting begins at 7:00PM at the Schaumburg Golf Club at 401 N. Roselle Road in Schaumburg, IL!

September 2016 Meeting – Ben Heussner

Published Apr 13th, 2016

On September 14th, FRV’s guest and speaker will be Ben Heussner of the Wisconsin DNR. Ben’s area of focus is primarily in the Waukesha County area. With first-hand exposure and access to surveys and reports supported by netting data, Ben should be able to provide some great insight on the quality of the musky fishery […]

April 2016 Meeting – Matt Firestien

Published Apr 13th, 2016

Matt will be joining us 4/13 to talk about Lake St. Claire. Whopper Stopper Musky Charters specializes in one thing! Catching and releasing Big muskies on Lk. St Clair. With years of experience on the lake and success using the most productive tactics across the Musky region in North America., Whopper Stopper Musky Charters will […]

February 2016 Meeting – Tony Grant

Published Jan 25th, 2016

On Wednesday February 10th FRV proudly presents Tony Grant! Tony will be talking Northwood’s Trolling!Tony Grant is the owner/operator of Tony Grant Outdoors and Tony has been chasing muskies for over 20 years! His career started on Kentucky’s Cave Run Lake and he has now expanded his guiding to the waters of Wisconsin and Minnesota […]

Banquet Tickets Now On Sale!

Published Jan 8th, 2016

You can now purchase your tickets for the FRV Awards and Fundraising Banquet. To purchase online, please visit the “Shop” page. You can also purchase using the order form (click here). If you have any questions, please contact us!

January 2016 Meeting – Steve Heiting

Published Dec 16th, 2015

Thursday January 7th, 2016 FRV proudly presents Steve Heiting! Steve is the managing editor of Musky Hunter magazine, North America’s largest magazine dedicated to musky fishing, and has become one of the sport’s best-known anglers. Although his home water is northern Wisconsin, Steve is a well-traveled angler and has caught big muskies from the northern-most […]

December 2015 Meeting – Rob Hilsabeck

Published Nov 11th, 2015

Rob Hilsabeck is employed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, serving as a district fisheries biologist for the last 21 years. Rob has found this position to be extremely rewarding and a “dream” job. His job duties vary from youth education to lake management which provides ample oportunities to share fisheries activities with the […]

FRV Now On Instagram!

Published Nov 11th, 2015

FRV recently joined Instagram…please follow “frvmuskies” and share images with the account that promote the club, show off your latest catch, etc.

New Forum Now Live!

Published Nov 11th, 2015

As of this evening, the new forum has been made live. You can get there by clicking on the “Forum” link in the header navigation of the site. As mentioned in a previous post, the old forum could not be salvaged when we moved to the new hosting provider. That being said, you’ll need to […]

November 2015 Meeting – Ken Jackson

Published Oct 30th, 2015

KEN JACKSON ON WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 11TH Ken Jackson is a researcher and writer for Fishing the North Country publications. He and his family own and operate Jackson’s Lakeside Cottages on Vilas County’s Little St. Germain Lake. During the open water season he guides the waters of Northern Wisconsin for muskie, bass, and walleye. A graduate of UW-Stevens Point, […]

FRV Site Updates

Published Oct 28th, 2015

As we’re all painfully aware, the FRV website has had some challenges with being hacked recently. As part of the effort to address this, we have moved to a new hosting provider that will help manage some things for us (namely keeping the software up to date). The site you’re on now is the newly […]

September 2015 Meeting – Phil Gutmann

Published Sep 3rd, 2015

Change in plans for the meeting on September 9th. Bill Bennett is rescheduled for May and our own Phil Gutmann has a new presentation ready for us. Hope to see you there! Admission is $3.00/person at the door. All our meetings are open to the public. A BUFFET DINNER IS SERVED AT 6:00-7:00PM. COST $13.00/ADULTS. […]

Breast Cancer Awareness Outing – Cancelled

Published Aug 28th, 2015

Unfortunately, we do not have enough participants signed up for the event on September 12th and have to cancel. We apologize to anyone that was looking forward to the event.

Summer Fishing League!

Published Jun 3rd, 2015

Come on out and join your fellow FRV members for the FRV 2015 summer fishing league! The fishing league dates are: Wednesday June 3rd, Wednesday July 1st Wednesday August 5th. Fishing hours will run from 6:00PM-9:30PM. Check in is at the Thirsty Turtle from 5-6:00PM on the south end of Channel Lake. Pay $20 to […]

2015 FRV Challunge on the Chain

Published Apr 8th, 2015

The 20th Annual Challunge on the Chain will be held on Saturday, May 16th, 2015. It’s the oldest and biggest musky tournament in Illinois! Early bird registration is $200 per boat. After 5/1, registration goes up to $220. It will cost $240 the day of the event. You can pay the registration fee online via […]

May 2015 Meeting – Ryan McMahon

Published Mar 25th, 2015

Ryan has been fishing muskies in MN and WI for over 15 years and lives year round in the Twin Cities Metro area. He guides professionally on several of the Metro areas prime musky waters as well as some of greater Minnesota’s best fisheries. His clients catch many trophy fish each year without having to […]

Annual Awards Banquet and Fundraiser on March 14, 2015

Published Mar 25th, 2015

The FRV Chapter will be holding its Annual Awards Banquet and Fundraiser on March 14, 2015 at Chandlers Chop House in Schaumburg Illinois from 5:00PM-9:30PM. The event will honor FRV’s 2014’s top anglers and present some of the clubs accomplishments during the past year. We will have a ton of prizes to be won in […]

April 2015 Meeting – Jeff Hanson

Published Mar 25th, 2015

Jeff Hanson has fished the Madison Chain his entire life. He’s been a professional guide for muskies on the Madison Chain of Lakes for 18 years. From the opener and into October and November, the Madison Chain is his second home. Depending upon the season and weather conditions Jeff fishes Monona, Wingra, Waubesa, Mud and […]

March 2015 Meeting – Cory Allen

Published Feb 24th, 2015

Cory Allen is the founder of Stone’s Throw Adventures which specializes in river fishing for muskies from kayaks, jon boats and canoes all over the untamed wilderness of Tennessee. Cory was born and raised in the Ozark foothills of Southern Illinois and traveled to Tennessee Tech to pursue a degree in music. While attending Tech, […]

February 2015 Meeting – Gregg Thomas

Published Jan 9th, 2015

Folks, Come on out on Wednesday February 11th and see what Gregg Thomas has been up to! He’s been catching huge muskies and lots of them all over KY, MN & MI! Many satisfied FRV members have fished with Gregg over the years & many of our members have caught their personal best while being […]

2015 Musky Road Rules

Published Jan 9th, 2015

FRV is helping sponsor Musky Road Rules on January 17th. This seminar series has been run by Tony Grant and Gregg Thomas (our February speaker) since 2005. Please visit www.muskyroadrules.com for more details and to register to attend! The event has been great in the past and is sure to get you pumped up for […]

Illini Muskies Alliance – Notice of IDNR/IMA Meeting

Published Jan 7th, 2015

Illini Muskies Alliance Notice of IDNR/IMA Meeting Saturday, January, 10, 2015, 10:00am Cabela’s Hoffman Estates, IL Our annual IDNR/IMA meeting will be Saturday, January,10,2015 at 10:00am. It will be held at Cabela’s in Hoffman Estates, IL. Cabela’s is located at: 5225 Prairie Stone Pkwy. Hoffman Estates, IL 60192 847-645-0100 GPS Coordinates: 42.072912 – 88.205795 Sears […]

Muskie Expo Chicago – HELP NEEDED!

Published Dec 17th, 2014

In exchange for our booth at the new Muskie Expo this year, we agreed to help provide some manpower for helping set up. This is a great way to help out the club. Below are the days/times and number of volunteers needed: THURSDAY JANUARY 8TH NOON-4:00PM (2 PEOPLE NEEDED) 2:00PM-6:00PM (3-4 PEOPLE NEEDED) FRIDAY JANUARY […]

January 2015 Meeting – Larry Dahlberg

Published Dec 15th, 2014

On Thursday January 8th, 2015 FRV proudly presents the legendary Larry Dahlberg star of Hunt for Big Fish TV! Dahlberg a MN native, started with In Fisherman back in the early 80’s as a writer for the magazine as well as a face on the show. He became involved with fishing tournaments and found himself […]

December 2014 Meeting – John Bette, Stealth Tackle

Published Dec 13th, 2014

Join us for the final club meeting of the year as we welcome John Bette from Stealth Tackle. Anyone who fishes for pike or muskies is familiar with the exceptional quality leaders and customer service that John provides to his clients! Stealth Tackle was established in 2006 and their main focus is on building high […]

November 2014 Meeting – Chris Taurisano, T-Bone Guide Service

Published Oct 10th, 2014

Our FRV Speaker on Wednesday November 12th will be Captain Chris Taurisano; owner of T-Bone Guide Service. Chris is a multi-species guide who is a Licensed U.S.C.G. Captain. Chris guides on many lakes here in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. Chris began fishing with his Grandpa for Panfish at the early age of three. In […]

October 2014 Meeting – New Member Meeting

Published Oct 10th, 2014

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 8TH IS NEW MEMBER & FREE PIZZA NIGHT!! Bring your appetite on October 8th as the FRV Chapter is picking up the tab for free pizza! This is a great night to get together and talk fishing and have a few laughs! We will be demo-ing some great on-line tutorials. We will go […]

FRV Awarded $5000 Grant from Cabela’s!

Published Oct 10th, 2014

CABELA’S APPROVES FRV GRANT REQUEST Back in June of this year I had a great conversation with Diane Schneider from Cabela’s in Hoffman Estates regarding all of the great things our chapter does for the communities we serve; as well as for all of the kids events we support throughout the year. Diane said that […]

Lake Geneva Stocking

Published Sep 29th, 2014

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 the Wisconsin DNR stocked 2,500 Muskie fingerlings in Lake Geneva. In order to distinguish this specific stocking vs. previous ones, the DNR requested the public’s assistance in “fin clipping”. Through communications channels across various fishing clubs, over a dozen individuals showed up to support this event held at the Abbey […]

September 2014 Meeting – Pat Harrison

Published Sep 29th, 2014

THE FOX RIVER VALLEY CHAPTER PROUDLY PRESENTS CAPTAIN PAT HARRISON WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2014 AT THE SCHAUMBURG GOLF CLUB   Pat Harrison is the owner/operator of Pat Harrison’s Outdoor Fishing Adventures! Pat is a Licensed U.S.C.G. Captain and guides in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana for Bass, Walleye, Perch and Panfish! He is a seminar speaker […]