This just in - top TV fishing personality Jimmy Houston will headline a new outdoor show with a Christian theme, the Sportsmen's Outdoor Adventure Expo, from June 27 to 28 on the Eastview Christian Church grounds in Normal.

Houston is one of America's best known anglers. He began as a tournament bass angler in the mid-1960s and has won 10 national tournaments and placed among the top money winners in more than 100 national fishing events.

He was inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in 1990 and was also named to the Pro Bass Angler Association Hall of Fame.

He has been host of ESPN's Jimmy Houston Outdoors TV show for 19 years and also for Jimmy Houston Adventures on The Outdoor Channel.

Houston began the Fellowship of Christian Anglers Society (FOCAS) as a way for tournament fishermen who had to compete on Sundays to share their spiritual experience.

Also signed to appear at the Eastview Christian event are Brad Stine, a nationally known Christian comedian and a Promise Keepers speaker, and Hank Hough, who "blends humor with simple and timeless biblical truths" using Labrador retrievers.

Seminar speakers from Central Illinois will include angling educator Jim Crowley and bass expert Terry Brown of BassFan.com.

Waterfowl experts Pat Gregory, Mark Rongers and John Denker will also appear.

This is big. Stay tuned.

Classic champs

Andy Wegner and partner Aaron Geheber won the recent two-day Strike King Ever-Bloom TT Classic on Evergreen Lake and Lake Bloomington. (Ever-Bloom - get it?)

They caught a limit of five bass on the first day for a total weight of 12.55 pounds. They added three more fish for a two-day total of 21.67 pounds for the victory. Tom Cassell and Domenic Theison were second. Ken Peterson and Fred Myers were third.

The BassFan Army Heavyweight of the Year team was Terry Brown and Mike Blake with 61.76 pounds for the season. Dave Norris and Greg Bayles were second. Cassell and Theison were third. Brown and Blake won an invitation to the 2008 BassFan Army Weekend Warrior World Championship in April.

The 2008 schedule is available at www.everbloom.us.

Family champs

Doug and Jonathan Smith of Normal won the 10th annual Take A Kid Fishing Tournament at Evergreen Lake on Saturday. Tom and Hannah Norris of Chenoa were second. John and Sean Hendershott of Bloomington were third. Ron and Timothy Wagner of Roanoke were fourth. Rick and John Paul Sikora of Bloomington were fifth.

Gasoline motors verboten

Gasoline motors are temporarily banned near Deer Island and in Six-Mile Creek Bay at Evergreen Lake from Oct. 15-Jan. 1 to create a resting area and refuge for migratory waterfowl.

Fish talks

w PrairieLand Anglers will host fishing educator Jim Crowley at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at the UAW hall on west Illinois 9 just west of Bloomington. Crowley will speak about smallmouth fishing before taking questions on fishing topics.

w The Towanda District Library is scheduled to host Fish'n Tips with Jerry Martoglio, a top area angler and guide, at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 15. Martoglio will discuss successful approaches to area lakes for several species, including saugeye, crappie, muskie, bluegill and bass. Register by calling (309) 728-2176 or e-mail towandalib@yahoo.com.

Fall trout season

Illinois Department of Natural Resources will stock 36 lakes with 70,000 rainbow trout in preparation of the fall trout season, which opens at 5 a.m. Oct. 20. Anglers need a fishing license and an inland trout stamp to take trout. Exceptions are people under the age 16, the blind or disabled or Illinois residents on leave from active duty in the military.

The daily catch limit for each angler is five trout. For more information, call (217) 782-6424 or visit www.ifishillinois.org.

In Central Illinois, trout opportunities include Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, Rock Springs Pond operated by the Macon County Conservation District, the IDOT Lake in Springfield, Washington Park Pond in Springfield, Forest Park Lagoon in Shelbyville, Mineral Springs Park Lagoon in Pekin and Clear Lake at Kickapoo State Park.

Scott Richardson is Pantagraph outdoor editor. Phone (309) 820-3227 or e-mail srichardson@pantagraph.com. Read past outdoor and fishing columns or take part in online discussions at www.pantagraph.com/blogs.