I was saddened to hear about the passing of Jerry Krause on Tuesday. I think it’s an appropriate time to dust off my recollections of the former Bulls general manager.

In February 2000, I put in a call to the Berto Center asking whether Krause would be available to do an interview with me regarding his passion for fishing. I had heard Krause was a fisherman and thought I would try to reach him. I figured there was absolutely zero possibility that he would take time from his busy schedule to talk to me.

Imagine my surprise when my phone rang 15 minutes later. I answered, and the voice on the other end said, “I’m honored that Steve Sarley would be calling me. I’m a big fan. I’ve been reading your work for years and really like it.” At first I thought that I was being pranked by a friend, but Krause's voice was unmistakable.

Krause invited me to come out to the Berto Center two days later to do the interview. I arrived and was told to wait in a room where members of the media waited for practice to end and the players and coaches would become available. Guys such as Mark Giangreco, Tim Weigel and Dan Roan eyed me up suspiciously. Their jaws dropped when a young lady walked in, tapped my shoulder and said, “Come with me, Steve, Jerry Krause is ready for you right now.”

Krause met me with a hearty handshake and couldn’t have been any nicer. Meeting this man while standing right in front of the Bulls' six championship trophies was a thrill of a lifetime for me.

We sat on a balcony that hung off of Krause’s office that overlooked the court. We watched coach Tim Floyd run his practice and talked fishing and basketball for almost two hours. He gave me a tour of the Berto Center and the locker room and introduced me to Floyd and the players. I was walking on air.

I found Krause to be open and friendly. He was called “The Sleuth” because of his secretive ways, but he was anything but close-mouthed with me. He told me many behind-the-scenes stories about the Bulls, and even talked about who they would draft that upcoming summer and who was in their free-agency plans for the future.

I asked him if it was legal for him to be divulging personnel matters with me, and he said, “Sure, I know I can trust you not to write or talk about any of this. You’re a fisherman. I know you’re a straightshooter that I can trust.” I was astounded.

Krause talked to me about the way the media and players treated him disrespectfully. He said he had an impeccable reputation on a national basis, but locally, he was the butt of many jokes that were unfair.

I truly felt sorry for the man. I could look into his eyes and tell he was extremely bitter. It hurt him that his wife and kids had to pick up the newspapers on an almost daily basis to read about Krause, who the media and players liked to insult by calling him “Crumbs” for his occasionally sloppy dress.

I asked him about Michael Jordan and why their relationship was so poor. Krause said, “Do you remember when Jordan had that broken foot in 1985? He missed over 60 games. When he was ready to come back, I wanted him to sit out the rest of the season. I knew we weren’t going to go anywhere in the playoffs and did not want to risk Jordan re-injuring his foot. He hated me for trying to bench him, and he never forgave me for that. He thought he was the boss."

I asked Krause if he would like to take Jordan out fishing for a day to show MJ that Krause could do something better than he could. He tersely said, “I wouldn’t want to spend five minutes in a boat alone with that [expletive].” I quickly changed the subject.

We talked about Krause’s passion for fishing, his many trips he had taken and about how he thought fishing with someone could be an important part of the interviewing or scouting process. He said, “Spend a day in a boat with someone and you can learn an awful lot about their intelligence, temperament and competitiveness." I think he was right.

I’ve run into Krause about every year until a couple years ago at the various fishing shows that come to town in the winter. When he’d see me, he’d quickly walk toward me with an extended hand, glad to see me. He was glad to see someone who treated him with the respect he deserved and who just wanted to talk a little fishing for a while.

Krause was a great general manager. He isn’t given enough credit for being the architect of the Bulls’ six championship teams. He deserves a place in the NBA Hall of Fame. He deserves our respect and admiration. I was happy to have known this interesting gentleman. Peace, Jerry.

FISHING REPORT

Northern Illinois: Dave Kranz from Dave's Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy in Crystal Lake reports: "The water temperatures are cold and quite normal for the end of March. The nice daytime temps help things, but those nighttime lows need to get up there. The nights are really cooling off the water. The Fox River is very low, so the rains that are predicted will help a lot. Some walleyes are being caught at the McHenry Dam on big fathead minnows on 1/8-ounce jig heads. Spring is here, and the fishing will only get better over the next month or so." Call 815-455-2040 for an updated report.

Fox Chain and Lake Michigan: Chris Taurisano of T-Bone Guide Service (www.tboneguideservice.com - 630-330-0090) sends word, "The panfish bite on the Fox Chain is pretty good right now. Plastics seem to be the best bet. A few walleyes are being caught here and there in deep holes on minnows. Lake Michigan has been very good for brown trout and Coho salmon on crankbaits and jigs."

As of Wednesday, the Upper Fox River, Lower Fox River and the Fox Chain all were deemed to be open for boating by the Fox Waterway Agency. With our unpredictable weather, you should always get up-to-the-minute water conditions on the Fox Chain and Fox River. Go to www.foxwaterway.state.il.us or call 847-587-8540.

Wisconsin: You can call Wisconsin's Lake Michigan Fishing Hotline at 414-382-7920 to hear the latest fishing information for Lake Michigan and its tributaries. Excellent Wisconsin Lake Michigan fishing is posted at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Fishing/lakemichigan/OutdoorReport.html

Illinois: The IDNR offers fishing reports on a number of waterways across the state. The fishing reports for lakes, rivers and streams are updated weekly. http://www.ifishillinois.org/fishing_reports/fishing_report_selector.php

NEWS AND NOTES

New category for catch-and-release: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has announced that it is going to create a category of record fish caught-and-released in that state.

"As anglers, part of what we enjoy is the thrill of the unknown – the thought that the fish on the end of our lines could be a trophy catch or even a new record," said Justine Hasz, DNR fisheries bureau director. "What we've seen with musky populations in areas where there is a strong catch-and-release ethic is that the fish are reaching larger sizes and providing more anglers with the experience of a lifetime. Since it can take 10 years or more for walleye to reach trophy size, and 15 years or more for musky, our new catch-and-release record option means Wisconsin's legendary fish will create even more memories."

The program kicks off May 6 and works this way: “After landing the fish, take clear, color, side-view photographs. Take several photos from different angles. One photo must clearly show the fish lying on its side with a ruler or other measuring device placed beside the fish with the length number clearly visible. Get close enough so that the image fills the frame. Another photo must show the angler with the fish. DNR fisheries biologists will identify the species from the photographs submitted with the application. If the biologists are unable to make a conclusive identification from the photographs, the record claim will not be considered.

"Live-release records will be recognized by length only. Fish records will be determined by total length measured to the nearest 1/4 inch and to be certified, new live-release records must exceed the existing record by at least 1/4 inch.

"While it's desirable to have witnesses to the capture of live-release fish entries, the program is honor-based and witnesses are not mandatory. Fish survival is the highest priority.

"Fish must be caught by legal angling methods and released in good condition back into the same water.”

More information about the program can be found on the Wisconsin DNR website, dnr.wi.gov.

I wish Illinois would consider adopting a program such as this. It gives us all something more to talk about.

Fishing books for children: We recently had Kristine Houtman on our We Fish ASA podcast as a guest. Houtman has a series of children's books out that are about the sport of fishing and are perfect for kids aged 8 to 12. Listen to the March 15 episode at www.wefishasa.com and you can learn how to win one of Houtman's excellent six books. You also can find the books at Amazon and at www.fish-on-marketing.com.

Anniversary sale: My friend, Dave Kranz, is having his big 28th anniversary sale and open house this weekend at Dave's Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy located on Route 176, two blocks east of Route 31 in Crystal Lake. The event is always a big deal in the fishing community with great raffle prizes and goodies. Many factory reps and pros will be in attendance to explain their equipment. The hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The first 36 kids through the door Saturday and Sunday will receive a rod and reel combo along with a tackle box. I hope to see many of you there.

• Steve Sarley writes about the outdoors for Shaw Media. Write to him at sarfishing@yahoo.com. Steve does a weekly podcast about fishing called “WeFishASA.” You can find it at www.wefishasa.com.