13-year-old, really big 1st buck: Buck of the Week
Jason Juda made his first bow kill of a deer a memorable memory. The 13-year-old from Lombard was hunting with his father Richard Friday evening. They were...
View ArticleBuck of the Week: Really big eight-pointer
Mike Murphy made Halloween special by arrowing a big buck, which should be one of the biggest eight-pointers bagged in...
View ArticleBig Will County 10-point: Buck of the Week
Nearby can be big. Dennis Goron of Joliet showed that with the 10-pointer he arrowed on Nov. 4 at 35 yards on private land in Will County. “He measured 20 inches on the spread and was a very...
View ArticleBig muskie, Chain O'Lakes: Fish of the Week
Here’s the kind of muskie, 47.5 inches of it, to be caught on the Chain O’Lakes. Doug Filipek caught his early last month on Channel Lake with a figure eight with a black No. 8 bucktail. He was guided...
View ArticleLake Michigan walleye: Fish of the Week
Bless Lake Michigan’s mysteries. On Saturday, John Zubak of Wheaton caught a 26-inch walleye while fishing with...
View ArticleFather-and-daughter pike: Fish of the Week
Kenny Fay shared a moment with his daughter Stephanie in October on Geneva Lake. “My daughter hadn’t fished in awhile and mentioned she wanted to get out before it got colder,’’ Fay emailed. “She’s a...
View ArticleSnow bunting, pheasants & notes: Chicago outdoors
Led by Wild of the Week, Sunday notes from the Sun-Times outdoors page. FIELD NOTES WILD OF THE WEEK I saved this for this week and my timing was right. So was the timing of Emil Baumbach, who came...
View Article13-pointer, early season: Buck of the Week
BOTW rolls off in fine style for the 2015-16 hunting season. Dakota Trebes, 20, starts that fine style for BOTW with a 13-pointer arrowed near Woodstock. The gray-muzzled buck green-scored 143 1/2...
View Article4/2: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT LAKEFRONT COHO: Wind and weather are wild cards. CHICAGO: Steve Palmisano, Henry’s: ‘‘Good up and down the lakefront.’’ Gary Bloom: Saw two or three coho ‘‘in most every bucket’’...
View ArticlePre-tournament fishing outing a net loss, even with good muskie
COOK, Minn. — As muskies go on Lake Vermilion, a 37-incher is nothing much. Unless it comes with a story. What is life well-lived without a fish story, especially one that includes a camera and a...
View ArticleBuck of the Week: Illinois representatives
Gary Bloom (four-point, below) and his buddy Ron DeServi (11-point, top photo) had a representative first firearm deer season in Albion, Ill. “Seeing lots of small deer on back of most trucks while...
View Article4/9: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT SMELT: None to slow. Netting runs through April in Chicago. Hours are 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. SPRING TROUT: Season opened Saturday in Illinois. Local waters include Axehead, Belleau,...
View Article6/25: Midwest Fishing Report and Fish of the Week
Updated: June 24, 2014 7:36PM MIDWEST FISHING REPORT LAKEFRONT PERCH: CHICAGO: Minnows and soft shells working. Stacey Greene, Park Bait: Late afternoons better than mornings at Montrose. Some being...
View Article7/2: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT LAKEFRONT PERCH: CHICAGO: Park Bait: Montrose remains best from shore, but Belmont good, too. Bite shifted to soft shells. Henry’s: Best downtown south is pipe at Burnham. Boat...
View Article9/3: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
Updated: September 2, 2014 9:32PM MIDWEST FISHING REPORT LAKEFRONT SALMON: SE WIS.: Harborside: It begins for shore fishermen and boaters around Kenosha and Pike Creek. NW INDIANA: Boaters catching...
View Article5/21: Midwest Fishing Report, Fish of the Week, Morel of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT BEST HOLIDAY BITES: Boat: Coho, kings and steelhead at North Point Marina. Shore: Bluegills or redear, Mazonia. CHAIN O’LAKES AREA: Triangle: With the current, walleye are good...
View Article01/22: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
Updated: January 21, 2014 8:38PM MIDWEST FISHING REPORT AREA LAKES: Some of the best ice, other than snow cover, in many years. Even in the south suburbs, Ken ‘‘Husker’’ O’Malley reported 9 inches and...
View Article9/10: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT LAKEFRONT SALMON: CHICAGO: Stacey Greene, Park Bait: Good run Monday and Tuesday, best mouth of Montrose. Steve Palmisano, Henry’s: “Good fish, nice and silvery.’’ It’s mostly...
View Article9/24: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT SHORELINE SALMON/TROUT: Few female Chinook so far. CHICAGO: Steve Palmisano, Henry’s: Different batches come and go, best harbor varies daily; work spoons to cover deeper water...
View Article3/25: Midwest Fishing Report and Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT LAKEFRONT COHO: Coho are in. Limits in Indiana: Michigan City, Portage, Gary Light, Hammond Marina and the shipping channel. All depends on ice being out. Capt. Bob Poteshman,...
View Article10/15: Midwest Fishing Report, Buck of the Week & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT TROUT: Illinois’ fall inland season opens Saturday. The daily bag is five. Those 16 and older need a license and inland-trout stamp. Nearby sites are Axehead, Busse North Pool,...
View Article10/22: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
TROUT: Wax worms, small minnows, spinners, trout baits all worked on opening weekend. Daily bag is five; 16 and older need a license and inland trout stamp. Nearby sites include Axehead, Busse North...
View Article08/13: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT LAKEFRONT REMINDER: Chicago Air and Water Show is this weekend. AREA LAKES: More crappie reports than usual this early. Ken ‘‘Husker’’ O’Malley, Water Werks Fishing Team: ‘‘Bass...
View Article01/08: Midwest Fishing Report and Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT AREA LAKES: All you need to know, even before the weather chased all but the hardiest fishermen off the ice for several days, is that people were buying extensions for their...
View Article05/14: Midwest Fishing Report, Fish of the Week, Turkey of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT BEST: By boat: White bass on Wolf River. On shore: Largemouth on local ponds or smallmouth in Chicago harbors. AREA LAKES: Ken ‘‘Husker’’ O’Malley, Water Werks Fishing Team: Male...
View Article03/19: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT LaSALLE OPENER: Water temperatures were in the 40s on the cold side and 80 in the hot chute. All launches should be open. Concessionaire trailer is scheduled. March hours are 6...
View Article08/27: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT LAKEFRONT SALMON: CHICAGO/WAUKEGAN: Waiting. INDIANA: Before rains blew out streams, a few big kings (and browns) came in. SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN: Harborside: Chinook being seen in...
View Article01/15: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT AREA LAKES: Plenty of ice. Ken ‘‘Husker’’ O’Malley, Water Werks Fishing: Jigging spoons tipped with fatheads producing good bass on local ponds. Regulations on public area waters...
View Article6/18: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT LAKEFRONT PERCH: The wind switch brought back better reports Tuesday. Stacey Greene at Park Bait said it’s now shiners and soft shells. Montrose has been best, but Diversey and...
View Article11/05: Midwest Fishing Report, Fish of the Week, Show and Go
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT AREA LAKES: Crappie fishing should keep improving through ice-up. Steve Palmisano, Henry’s: Better public spots include Saganashkee Slough, Tampier, Monee Reservoir and Rock Run....
View Article02/12: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT WISCONSIN STURGEON SPEARING: The season ended after only three days on the Upriver Lakes section of the Winnebago system. Lake Winnebago season is expected to be closed shortly....
View ArticleMidwest Fishing Report: Fish of the week
Midwest fishing report CHICAGO PERCH: Summer bite begins, minnows best, North Side better than South. Steve Palmisano, Henry’s: Another technique is a crankbait like a Flicker Shad a keel weight or...
View Article02/05: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT ICE-FISHING BENEFITS: The Walk on Water Charity Ice Derby (andrealynn.org/ice) is 7 a.m. to noon Saturday out of Lindy’s Landing on Bangs Lake. . . . The Island Lake Lions Club’s...
View ArticleRats, really big largemouth bass: Fish of the Week
Gary Q. Le weighs in with another one, this time his bass of the year. “I didn’t measure the length/girth,...
View ArticleTrout opener, passing it on: Fish of the Week
Kaitlyn James, 8, took 5-year-old Pierce Thomas fishing for the first time Saturday. Together they caught nine on the opening day of Illinois’ fall trout program. “They were really excited when the...
View Article1/29: Midwest Fishing Report & Fish of the Week
MIDWEST FISHING REPORT AREA LAKES: Weekend looks far better than recent days. Ken “Husker’’ O’Malley, Water Werks Fishing Team: Great fishing between fronts Saturday on a pond near Rochelle, finding...
View ArticleReally big Shabbona muskie: Fish of the Week
Rick Gonzalez is another one who reeled in a monster muskie from Shabbona Lake this fall. The Chicagoan caught his 47-inch muskie on a Grim Reaper the morning of Nov. 8. FOTW, the celebration of big...
View Article12/18: Midwest Fishing Report, Fish of the Week, Buck of the Week
Midwest fishing report LAKEFRONT PERCH: With harbors icing, ice fishing is beginning. DuSable and Belmont have been best. Montrose has some action. Ice goes in and out at Navy Pier and 87th, but 87th...
View ArticleNot biggest Fish of the Week: But really, good old story
This story got bumped a few times, but I kept saving it for its main point of the good old story. Gertrude Wimmer of LaGrange showed you are...
View ArticleBuck of the Week: Really nice 10-point
Randy Craig of Plainfield arrowed his 10-point Nov. 8 on private land in LaSalle County. BOTW, the celebration of good stories and big bucks bagged around Chicago outdoors, appears Wednesdays on the...
View ArticleBig buck, big bass, Sunday notes: Chicago outdoors
Led by Wild of the Week, Sunday notes from the Sun-Times outdoors page. FIELD NOTES WILD OF THE WEEK C.J. Rae photographed “this guy (photo above)...
View ArticleFish of the Week: Really big Skokie Lagoons walleye
Sey Jay caught and released his personal best walleye on Sunday from the Skokie Lagoons. This is one time I think it is worth giving his raw-file report to fully capture the moment. Here is the core of...
View ArticleA good 10-point, Illinois: Buck of the Week
There’s always a bigger one. Take Danny Vallos, who shot “Ole Narly,’’ a big 10-point buck, on opening morning of first firearm...
View ArticleSnowy buck & Sunday notes: Chicago outdoors
Led by BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED, Sunday notes from the Sun-Times outdoors page. FIELD NOTES BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED Jeff Anderson of Antioch wonderfully framed this buck on Nov. 23 at McDonald...
View ArticleNow that's a perch: Fish of the Week
Federico Saavedra caught a perch so big at the North Slip north of 87th Street that he, well, let him tell it, “At first I thought it was a small salmon, but then I realized it was a really big...
View ArticleBack-home buck: Buck of the Week
Another reminder comes of what Illinois’ deer hunting means. John Farmer, formerly of...
View ArticleRedpoll, cranes & Sunday notes: Chicago outdoors
Led by WILD OF THE WEEK, Sunday notes from the Sun-Times outdoors page. FIELD NOTES WILD OF THE WEEK Emil Baumbach photographed this common redpoll and emailed, “Their favorite food is birch tree...
View ArticleHoliday crappie: Fish of the Week
Bryan McDaniel of Oak Park sent this photo of his son Joaquin, 4, who...
View ArticleMuskie, Des Plaines River: Fish of the Week
David Obodzinski’s first muskie was extra special. Obodzinski caught the 38-incher with a creek chub on Dec. 6 from the Des Plaines River at Columbia Woods in...
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