A Voice for Anglers

Once a month and nine times a year, a group assembles to discuss a topic they have a vested interest in—fishing the greater Chicago region.

The Chicago Fishing Advisory Committee—formerly known as the Mayor’s Fishing Advisory Committee—was established by Mayor Richard M. Daley in advance of the 2000 Bass Masters Classic which was based out of Chicago. The impetus for the committee was a result of an uproar created by the fishing community after a road leading to the Horseshoe pier at Montrose, which provided considerable fishing access, was removed.

Vic Santucci, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Lake Michigan Program Manager, has participated on the committee since 2012. He explained the role of the Chicago Fishing Advisory Committee as a monthly forum where a diverse group of northern Illinois fishing professionals and enthusiasts come together to discuss agency fishery management and education activities, and fishing access issues within the City of Chicago.

Of the work of the committee, Santucci said “The extensive public lakefront and many parks with ponds and lagoons warrant the ongoing attention provided by the local anglers and boaters, harbor managers, business owners and governmental agency representatives.”

Discussion topics can range from fishing education program activities to recent fish stocking and population monitoring and from harbor maintenance to parking pier pass sales.

“Any fishing related issue is open for discussion and solution planning,” Santucci explained. “I particularly appreciate the monthly updates on fishing success along the Chicago lakefront and the cooperative working relationships among members that the committee fosters.”

Santucci is not alone in expressing his gratitude for the work of the Chicago Fishing Advisory.

Stacey Greene, Chairwoman

While Stacey Greene has served as chairwoman of the committee only since March 2024, with her family owning a bait shop on the shore of Lake Michigan since 1958, she has been actively involved in the angling industry her entire life. She’s also served on the committee for years.

Greene values her work with the Committee, noting that “if no one speaks up for the sport then no positive actions will occur.”

According to Greene, among the recent actions brought before the Committee are the need for infrastructure improvements and the addition of ADA facilities. Under Greene’s tenure, some of the meetings are now conducted during evening hours which she feels will increase the number attending, and ultimately the ability to address angler concerns and convey information about fisheries initiatives under way throughout the region.

Carl Vizzone, Chicago Park District

Greene accepted the chairperson role from Carl Vizzone who has been actively involved with Chicago-area fishing for decades, from his work as an advocate for the cessation of dumping ballast water into Lake Michigan to working for the Chicago Park District as the Fishing Program Manager, a position he recently retired from.

Like others, Vizzone views the open lines of communication a significant accomplishment—and strength—of the Committee.

“Working with Westrec Marinas, we have been able to establish a program that allows anglers to access the harbor year-round,” Vizzone explained. “In addition to having access to parking lots, anglers can fish from 35 piers in six harbors in the winter months, when much of the area is closed to the public.” It was the voices of anglers that identified the need to provide access to the lake throughout the year.

Vizzone also valued his partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Urban and Community Fishing Program in the shared mission of providing quality urban fishing programs to the youth of Chicago.

Ed Bohn, Professional Bass Angler

Actively involved in organizing the 2000 Bass Masters Classic, and working with the Mayor’s Committee since its inception, for 26 years Ed Bohn has served as one of the voices for the angling community in Chicago. As a professional bass angler, Bohn traveled and fished waters throughout the country. Those diverse experiences left him with a noteworthy impression: Chicago is one of a few large cities in the nation to offer quality fishing opportunities.

“If you are fishing the Chicago River from a boat, the 31st Street boat ramp is good and a central location for most people,” he explained. “But the shoreline of Lake Michigan is also a great location. Just pick a spot and fish. Wherever you can gain access and cast a line you will find fish in Chicago.”

Steve Silic, Fisheries Biologist

Steve Silic, a Fisheries Biologist for the Forest Preserves of Cook County, joined the Advisory Committee in 2014.

“I’m proud to be working with the Committee as it serves as a mechanism for networking and keeping open lines of communication between the public, vested business owners—bait shops and charter boat owners—and governmental organizations including the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Chicago Park District and Harbor Managers,” Silic said. “Keeping the lines of communication open among the various angling stakeholders is key to keeping fishing relevant in the greater Chicago area.”

Bruce Zolna, Attorney

Bruce Zolna, an attorney in local government law for more than 50 years, says he prefers to call the committee the Lakefront Advisory Committee. As a member of the committee since nearly the day it formed, Zolna appreciates the diversity of people who you meet at meetings.

Zolna was invited to join the committee partly because of his experience as an attorney, but also because of his passion for fishing. At the tender age of seven he and seven other family members would load up the station wagon and head to Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota to fish for walleye. Nearly 70 years later, he still makes regular treks to the lake, but today he is accompanied by his wife.

“The committee is composed primarily of anglers and boaters, but the improvements that resulted from years of conversations benefit many people, including the shoreline walkers who can access restroom facilities to disabled persons able to now enjoy large stretches of the 22 miles of the Lake Michigan lakeshore in Chicago,” Zolna said. “The committee opened the door for many people to use the boundary of Lake Michigan for recreational purposes.”

“Probably one of the topics the committee has studied more than any other is the potential impact invasive carp could have on Lake Michigan,” Zolna noted. “But everything from salmon to alewife to infrastructure improvements and anglers long gone are among the topics brought to the table.”

Like others, Zolna appreciates the diverse voices represented at meetings.

“The advisory committee allows a diversity of folks to share and learn,” he continued. “We are a group with divergent employment histories and backgrounds, from shore anglers to boaters, scientists land managers and law enforcement professionals. Together we have broken through historic barriers and brought about actions that appeal to a diversity of folks.”

Don Dubin – Legendary Angler and Advisory Committee Charter Member

Don Dubin has been advocating for fishing interests in the Chicago region since he was a young boy.

“Back in the late 1950s, I sent a letter to the then Illinois Department of Conservation asking why there was so little fish management happening in the Chicago area,” he began. “They wrote back, and I still have that letter today.”

As a concerned angler and proud committee member, Dubin finds benefit in the Advisory Committee from all of the information and discussions provided by the diverse group of participants at the meetings. When an issue is brought up that requires contacting authorities to remedy a problem, Dubin is usually the first to make contact. Not afraid to speak up in public, he believes strongly in advocating for fishing access, youth fishing education and the attention of fishery managers.

“You need to keep the pressure on to realize positive change,” he said when interviewed. “If you don’t do anything, nothing happens.”

Those three months when the Committee doesn’t meet? Those are the summer months when many of the participants are busy enjoying the fruits of their labor, fishing Lake Michigan and the various water bodies and rivers nestled within the bustling urban environment.

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Kathy Andrews Wright is retired from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources where she was editor of Outdoor Illinois magazine. She is currently the editor of OutdoorIllinois Journal.