Northern Illinois Fishing Seminar Speaker Johnny Wilkins
Entertaining, engaging presentation featuring tricks, rigs and tips on how to catch more fish around your city and on vacation. Float fishing expert will show anglers how to catch more fish from shore and on the boat. Great stories as they relate to fishing are a part of the presentation. Traveling the world with Hall of Fame Angler Mick Thill, working with Midwest Outdoors & writing columns, Johnny has a lot to share to get fishers excited. Content for the new fisher and sure-fire setups to always catch. Johnny fished for Team USA in 3 World Championships (shore fishing championships, Portugal, Belgium & Italy). He knows stuff. We’ll have a couple laughs and everyone catches more fish from his presentation. You don’t need a boat OR forward-facing sonar – you need one of Johnny’s seminars to catch fish in the US and Canada.
Multi-Species Competition Fishing Expert + Tough Fishing Situation Specialist helps you catch more fish in the worst conditions (and even more in the best conditions)!
Johnny’s experience all over the globe in competitions fishing for Team USA will bring you tactics NOT on television or in magazines. Break out of the mold and old copied tactics and experience secret methods that catch the most and also the biggest fish in all species of fish. Use these tactics to save your fishing trip and to go after your personal best, trophy fish. Experience the world of ultra-light fishing and the best connection to fish – feel that touch of the fish and get the advantage (get the jump on those fish). The lure world is based on aggressive fish and tv is based on ultra-expensive electronics. When these fail, Johnny’s tactics are the only fishing methods that can save your trip! “I have fished with clubs and watched them blank trolling, jigging, scanning – they wasted a whole trip to Canada and hours on the road because they would not switch from lures,” Wilkins said.
Walleye, bass, crappie, catfish, perch, bluegill – tap into the tough bite on these fish. You can practice Johnny’s tactics at any local pond and perfect your skills. Also – Johnny’s gear setup costs are far lower than those they would teach on tv. You DON”T NEED $10k in electronics on your $130k boat – you can succeed in a rental boat. Not your typical bass seminar “ned rig, wacky style, Carolina rig and drop shot” – you will actually learn something in any of Johnny’s four different seminars. If your fishing club is going to
fishing Seminar Topics Covered
- Cold Front Fishing
- Catching Fish in the Middle of Summer
- Fishing a New Lake
- Finding Fish
- Using Inexpensive + Portable Electronics
- Crappie, Perch & Bluegill Stealth Attack
- Boat Control
- Fishing Structure Right
- Multi-Species Attack
- Nano Light™ (much better than ultra light)
- Differences in European tactics and North America tackle
- Advanced Float Fishing
- Slip Bobbers that Catch More
- Great Fishing Tools
- Preparing for Success – Get Ready for a Trip
- Snelling Your Own Hooks
- Bait Care – Take it to a New Level to Catch More Big Fish
- Tennessee Reel Foot Lake, WisconsinThree Lakes Chain, Lake Sarah, Door County, Cook County, DuPage Forest Preserves
- Fishing Canada Tough Bites
- Boat Rental Setups
- Catfish & Carp in Ponds – the Ultimate Practice Fish
- Catch 300 fish – SPEEDFishing™
- Match Fishing the Ultimate Fishing Competition
- Float Fishing Tackle, Rods, Species Floats & More Sensitive Slip Bobbers
- Fishing Fun
Past Fishing Seminars & Fishing Shows
Featured Fishing Show
Tinley Park Fishing, Travel & Outdoor EXPO February 13, 14 & 15, 2026
Mark Your Calendars – next year’s fishing expo (Chicago’s Oldest Fishing Expo) will be back on the same weekend.!! Johnny was a featured guide speaker at this year’s fishing expo and did several seminars including a HAWG Trough Demo (where he hooked 14 bass) presenting two different seminars at the 2026 Tinley Park Fishing Show February 13, 14 and 15th. Visit this – the best local Chicago fishing show and make plans for the 2027 Chicago Fishing Expo. The 2027 Chicago Fishing Expo – @ Tinley Park is February 12, 13 and 14 next year.
Catching More Fish – Advanced float fishing tactics, tools, tricks & tips. Get to this show which features free parking, seminars, fishing tackle deals and a great way to get a jump on catching more fish. This is the best family fishing show featuring lots of activities for kids and adults. New to fishing – Johnny’s seminars will boost your success immediately. Weekend pass special just $15. Get to speakers’ like Fishing expo seminars feature three Fishing Hall of Fame Inductees – Mike Norris, Mike Mladenik along with top area fishing guides. , Ken Huskar O’Malley and yours truly – Johnny Wilkins. Plan on bringing a big notebook, fresh pen and hitting some seminars. I will be presenting 2 seminars over the course of the 3 days. See More Bites – the art of catching fish when the fishing is slow… Also will be selling the most sensitive jigging rods you can fish as well as the best Float Fishing Rods in 9′ and 10′ – show specials- supplies are limited.
Indianapolis Boat, Sport & Travel Show February 22nd – 26th , 2023
This show is in February – Thursday, February 22nd – 26th, 2023, and will be a great spot for Indiana fans to pick up fishing tackle and get in on great rig setups. Johnny will be at the Gapen Fishing Tackle Booth Friday – Sunday. Come to the show, upgrade your rods and reels with show specials and stock up on great floats, lures and jigs. Note the show also runs the week before (10 days or so, but Johnny will be there Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 22nd-26th. Meet Bobber Anne at the show the week prior and this weekend and get great fishing tips, tricks from the Hall of Fame Angler.
Fish & Hook Outdoors Show March 11th, 2023
This show is in March – Saturday, March 11th, and will be a Spring fishing tune-up. Johnny is speaking at this show and will feature Advanced Shore Fishing Setups & Rigs. See the gear he has modified from World Championships shore fishing competitions to our local waters. Make your fishing far more exciting, get fish to bite and enjoy local waters, lots of fish and big fish. Come visit this great show in the Western Suburbs and catch great seminars all day long.
Fish and Hook Outdoors Show Show Link
Johnny speaks at fishing shows, fishing clubs and at schools, scout outdoors events and runs the largest fishing camp in the Chicago Area. He can talk at your next event anywhere in the country. Feel free to contact him about speaking and book early as seasons fill up quickly. See his last few speaking events – Chicago fishing seminar speaker engagements below.
Get to a Seminar Coming Up
Meet Johnny Wilkins at upcoming 2023 fishing events. Blue events include seminars with Johnny.
Chicagoland Fishing, Travel & Outdoor Expo Fishing Show Link
Tinley Park Fishing, Travel & Outdoor Expo 2023-Seminars Fishing Show Link
Fish & Hook Outdoor Show 2023- Seminars Fishing Show Link
Indianapolis Boat, Sport & Travel Show 2023 Fishing Show Link
Riverside Fishing Club Swap Meet 2023 Swap Meet Link
2022 Fishing Seminars
Rock Valley Anglers (Rockford) October 2022
Riverside Fishing Club (LaGrange) May 2022
Arlington Anglers Club (Arlington Heights) March 2022
Fish Tales Fishing Club (Alsip, IL) February 2022
Fox Valley Anglers (St. Charles) January 2022
Fishing Seminar Walleyes Unlimited December 2021
Fishing Club Kid’s Fishing Camps (Coming Summer 2023) Get on Our Mailing List
Hollywood BLVD Theatre April 11th , 2021 – Seminar
Fishing Show – Quad Cities – February 19th – 21st 2021
Past Speaking Engagements
Fishing Seminar Walleyes Unlimited December 2021
Fishing Seminar – Riverside Fishing Club October 2020
Fishing Seminar – Coon Creek Casters March 4, 2020
Fishing Seminar – Arlington Anglers Club January 2020
Fishing Seminar – Fish Tales Club November 2019
Fishing Seminar – Riverside Fishing Club October 2019
Fishing Shows
Tinley Park Fishing Show 2026! Back on – Speaking at 2027 Tinley Park- Chicago!!
Indianapolis Fishing Show
Quad Cities Fishing Show
Arlington Park Fishing Show
Rosemont Fishing Show
As Seen On TV:
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Johnny has spoken around the Chicago Area at Fishing Shows such as the Chicago Outdoor Show (Rosemont), Tinley Park Fishing Show, Arlington Park Outdoors Show and at nearly all of the local fishing clubs. Johnny’s fishing seminars are unique in that tactics that regular anglers use are boosted, advanced and made better through his experiences fishing for the USA Fishing Team in 3 World Championships. Modern tactics using live bait for shore and boat anglers to catch more and larger fish where they fish. Local ponds or on vacation waters, affordable tips for the regular guy (and girl) who doesn’t fish the competitive circuit.
Johnny is the first to tell you you do not need expensive gear or very expensive electronics to succeed in catching more fish. Hiring Johnny means a night of exciting graphics, video and fun mixed in with some killer rigs, tactics and baits that fish can’t resist.