Articles filed under Outdoors

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  Double your fun at Bangs, Independence Grove lakes May 23, 2012 12:00 AM
  Wauconda's Bangs Lake has developed more diverse fishing opportunities in recent years, and thanks to recent improvements courtesy of the Lake County Forest Preserve District, Independence Grove Lake near Libertyville is also a first-rate option for catch-and-release fishing.
  

   
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  Best spots to watch Des Plaines River canoe race May 17, 2012 12:00 AM
  It's the 55th annual Des Plaines River Canoe & Kayak Marathon on Sunday, and we've got the details -- including the best places to watch from start to finish of the 18½ mile course along the beautiful and historic Des Plaines River.
  

   

• It wasn’t worth the weight for this anglerMay 16, 2012 12:00 AM
  An 11-ounce, hand-poured lead sinker found inside a bass weighed by angler John Doyle at the May 5 Walmart BFL tournament at Lake Wylie, NC, has resulted in his disqualification and a lifetime ban from FLW Outdoor events. Hoyle was also required to forfeit more than $1,000 he received as third-place finisher in the event.
  

   
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  A bureacratic mess worth carping about May 16, 2012 12:00 AM
  If everything stays the same, and if the same bureaucrats continue to sit on their duffs while sharpening their No. 2 pencils, we will have the worlds greatest Asian carp fishery known to mankind without having to spend a nickel.
  

   
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  Elgin Fox Trot changes race day, course May 15, 2012 12:00 AM
  If you're planning to run in — or watch — the 35th annual Elgin Valley Fox Trot, don't head to downtown Elgin on Memorial Day. For the first time ever, the race will be held on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, instead of on Memorial Day itself.
  

   

• A Wisconsin season opener that won’t be easy to forget May 9, 2012 12:00 AM
  The Wisconsin fishing season opener is usually a time of renewal and hope. But this particular season, it turned out to be a time of cold, wet weather, empty stringers and dinged propellers. And Mike Jackson wasn't alone in that regard.
  

   

• New fishing show slated for Schaumburg May 3, 2012 12:00 AM
  A new fishing and outdoors show has been scheduled for January at the Schaumburg Convention Center. Mike Jackson has details on that, as well as a fishing update and more.
  

   
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  Learning to relax in the Keys May 3, 2012 12:00 AM
  Bonefishing in the Florida Keys is one great way to relax. But as Daily Herald outdoors columnist Mike Jackson discovers, not catching any bonefish in the Florida Keys is also a pretty good stress reliever. Check out his recent trip.
  

   
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  Sign up now for Mid-American Canoe and Kayak Race May 1, 2012 12:00 AM
  Want to paddle your own canoe? The Mid-American Canoe and Kayak Race is accepting registrations for the 51st annual race, which will be held Sunday, June 3, on the Fox River. There will be two races offered - a 10-miler starting in St. Charles and a 6-mile race beginning in Batavia. Both races will end in Aurora.
  

   

• For the record, here’s a pond primer Apr 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  If you're mindful of private property and can spot the characteristics of the area's small ponds and lakes that make for good fishing, a bounty awaits.
  

   
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  Net-bending sturgeon from Lake Winnebago Apr 20, 2012 12:00 AM
  Imagine having a beast on your line as big as this: A 125-year-old, 240-pound lake sturgeon netted by Wisconsin state fisheries crews on April 10 is the biggest fish captured during a half-century of surveys on Lake Winnebago, and would have been considerably heavier had it not already dropped most of what biologists estimated to be 30 of its roughly 80 pounds of eggs.
  

   
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  State park fees are a reality that bear watching Apr 19, 2012 12:00 AM
  Entrance fees to state parks and conservation areas may be the new reality, but that only means taxpayers should be more vigilant than ever and holding our state lawmakers accountable for their decisions.
  

   
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  Illinois family makes catfish bait Apr 15, 2012 12:00 AM
  A rising star in the world of catfish baits is causing quite a stink. The Cole Cheese Bait is, in fact, so potent and effective that it could it could be classed as the angling equivalent of fishing with automatic weapons. It's made by the Cole family, who don't need any expensive advertising campaigns to make their product a fisher of fishermen.
  

   

• Pay to play is the new reality outdoors Apr 11, 2012 12:00 AM
  In spite of our state's history of abuse of power and creative state financing, it's time to bite the bullet and accept an entrance fee for state parks and conservation areas. It's the only practical way to ensure that they're well maintained.
  

   

• Air disaster claims popular TV fishing host Wejebe Apr 11, 2012 12:00 AM
  Over the holiday weekend, the television fishing show category lost one of its more popular hosts. Spanish Fly host Jose Wejebe was killed Friday afternoon when his Comp Air 8 airplane crashed off an airstrip near Everglades City, Fla. Wejebe, 54, created and hosted Spanish Fly throughout its run on ESPN and was currently hosting the show on Outdoor Channel.
  

   

• Time to slow down, and make every cast count Apr 4, 2012 12:00 AM
  As the weather warms, it's tempting to be drawn into throwing every lure in the tackle box rapid-fire in hopes of interesting an early season bass. A lighter touch and slower approach usually is more productive at this time of the year, though, as Mike Jackson discovered on area ponds recently.
  

   

• Deep thoughts on an appetizing spring Apr 4, 2012 12:00 AM
  The bounty of spring is upon us, but boaters should be careful as they pursue their first fish dinner of the season due to dangerously low water levels.
  

   

• ‘Big’ trouble along the Buffalo River Mar 29, 2012 12:00 AM
  The National Park Service cited and fined professional big foot hunter Matt Pruitt $525 for leading a 31-person Sasquatch search expedition along Arkansas Buffalo National River last month without first obtaining the required written permit.
  

   

• Towing the party line on neighboring fishing opportunities Mar 28, 2012 12:00 AM
  There's no denying that the allure of Wisconsin's wide open spaces and fish-producing lakes, rivers and streams has a firm hold on anglers from the Land of Lincoln.
  

   

• The reel lesson: Seize the moment Mar 21, 2012 12:00 AM
  Less expensive flyfishing reels from companies such as Orvis are helping restore Mike Jackson's belief that this wing of the fishing industry need not be so concerned with status and price tags.