Poland to Chicago, catching a big Chinook and lakers: Another Chicago attraction

Polish President Andrzej Duda got his king.

On Sunday, dignitaries went out of Belmont Harbor to sample the biggest and best of Lake Michigan fishing off Chicago. Even with high seas and north winds, the group caught a bunch of lake trout and a really nice Chinook (king).

Capt. Gintas Ancevicius of ‘‘The Angler’’ put together the trip. It involved the Secret Service, the police marine unit and the Coast Guard.

‘‘My boat was hired to mirror with the Secret Service,’’ said Capt. Bob Poteshman, the owner of Confusion Charters.

Captains Tim Frey and Frank Novelli ran the ‘‘Confusion C4’’ down from Montrose Harbor, then it was used as the follow boat. And there was fishing done from it, too.

Not only was there fishing, there was catching. It’s one thing to celebrate the ambience of fishing off Chicago, but it’s even better to catch big fish.

It made an interesting intersection with the announcement from the office of Gov. Bruce Rauner last week that visitors to Illinois in 2017 hit an all-time high of more than 113 million, with a $1.1 billion economic boost.

I sincerely hope the state tourism brass noted that a European president knew enough about what Lake Michigan offers to go fishing.

The Mag Mile, Museum Campus, Great River Road and Cache River area are magnificent, but there’s also world-renowned fishing in Illinois and our deer hunting has an international reputation.

Poteshman also pitched this as a great example of how Chicago captains work together to handle larger numbers of fishermen.

‘‘Corporate groups needing multiple boats for 50 or 100 people can be accommodated with boats from every harbor,’’ he said.

World-class.

Springfield

Illinois fisheries chief Dan Stephenson will be retiring at the end of June. More later on the chief who piloted a division through and out of very lean times.

Starved Rock

If you are headed toward Starved Rock State Park, be aware it will be even crazier than usual for the Memorial Day weekend because of the Route 178 bridge project. If you are coming from the Chicago area, get off at Ottawa, then come west on Route 71. For parking and other updates at Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Park, check the IDNR Facebook and Twitter accounts or tune in 1610-AM.

Great Green Bay

That an 8.78-pound smallmouth bass came from Green Bay, caught by the team of Marty McSharry and Benny Antoniewicz during the Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament, doesn’t shock me. But I’m stunned that it was crammed in only 22 inches.

Stray cast

I await the arrival of Michael Kopech even more eagerly than the reopening of perch season June 16.