Tim ‘‘Spike’’ Davis looks distinctive with his flowing beard, twinkling eyes, omnipresent smile and expression of joy. So I wondered how he figures to hide a lure on the lakefront without somebody noticing.
‘‘I’ve thought about it,’’ Davis said. ‘‘I may have to employ some of the other [anglers] or do the Sherlock Holmes thing and get good at disguises.’’
Starting Saturday (tentatively) and in the coming months, Davis plans to hide one of his latest Redjaw Lures — handmade wooden lures — at a Chicago harbor, then post a photo with clues on social media.
‘‘I would like to make it as easy as possible at first,’’ he said. ‘‘If it becomes a thing, I might up my game.’’
Davis, an auto tech, works on the lures ‘‘on the side when cars are coming in or I’m waiting on parts.’’
The idea came from seeing an artist planting pieces of art around Chicago on ‘‘Jay’s Chicago’’ on WTTW-Channel 11 years ago. I think it was Patrick Skoff, known for art scavenger hunts, on Jay Shefsky’s show.
This isn’t the first time Davis has done something like this. Once while traveling south, he hid some of his art in the bushes by a Chick-fil-A in Nashville, Tennessee, then posted a photo.
‘‘An hour later, somebody posted they got the art,’’ he said.
During the pandemic lockdown, Davis and wife Amy sifted through boxes and came up with his best outdoors cartoons, then published ‘‘Scattered Thoughts,’’ an off-center take on fishing, hunting and life.
Davis came to Uptown as a high school dropout to work at a church and has been there for more than 30 years. He has worked with youth and community.
That explains his latest book of cartoons, ‘‘Redjaw Cartoons: Butt-dialed by Jesus,’’ which was released in the fall. Its off-center takes on modern Christianity are the antithesis of sanctimonious tripe.
‘‘Redjaw’’ was a nickname bestowed on Davis by gang members when he and his wife were helping to raise a teen when Davis was younger and sported a red beard. It stuck when a cartoon editor suggested using something snappier than Tim Davis.
Asked to describe himself, Davis said: ‘‘A free-spirited adventurer who likes to live life with a limited amount of time on this earth. I like to meet people, and I am a maker and creator.’’
Davis lives within walking distance of Montrose Harbor but only started fishing salmon intensely in the fall. He learned enough to make his version of the classic J-13 Rapala and caught four salmon and a steelhead on bass gear.
‘‘I had total strangers come up and help, and I would give them a handmade lure,’’ he said.
That’s his vibe. A young woman stopped him on the lakefront to have him in her rap video last year. Davis was the frontman for Crashdog, a Christian punk band that appeared on Jerry Springer.
In Davis’ world, it all fits.
‘‘It would be the ultimate if somebody caught a fish with the lure,’’ he said. ‘‘Catching a fish on something you made takes it to another level. To see somebody else catch one with your lure ... ’’
Wild things
Readers responded with snowy-owl sightings. First was Jeff Habedank, who reported his son had one Christmas night on the west side of Kankakee.
Illinois hunting
The second portion of the special CWD/late-winter antlerless deer season is Friday through Sunday. Archery season for deer and turkey ends Sunday.
Stray cast
Bears season was like coming back from a fishing trip and most remembering the scenery.
