Fantasy fishing

Fantasy sports grate on my every sensibility.

I’m a sports-talk junky, but the instant any show starts fantasy talk, I turn the radio off or switch to Chicago’s other sports talker. As bad radio, fantasy-sports talk ranks with five-team parlay segments.

Obviously I’m out of touch with the geek fringe of sports.

But I’ve escaped fantasy nonsense in fishing, other than minor fantasy connections to the two major bass-fishing circuits I could ignore.

Now FLW Fantasy Fishing cranks it up another level, as in the cumulative points winner collecting a guaranteed $1 million, according to FLW Outdoors. Players are now assembling their teams on fantasyfishing.com from events on Wal-Mart FLW Tour, which begins in February, or the Forrest Wood Cup.

With FLW Outdoors chairman Irwin Jacobs, the one-time corporate raider from Minnesota, behind it, the idea will fly.

Just spare me the fantasy chatter unless you collect one of the big prizes.