Another record year for Yellowstone National Park
Aside from shoveling snow and keeping one's nose from dripping, this is the time of year to dream about favorite retreats and future trips.
I have been to Yellowstone National Park three times and each new visit allows me to see and experience more excitement than prior trips. It is one of the great personal wonders of the world.
For the second year in a row, and for the third time in the last four years, Yellowstone National Park has set an annual visitor record with more than 3.64 million people visiting in 2010. Recreation visits in 2010 were 10.5 percent higher than recorded in 2009, which was a record year when nearly 3.3 million people visited.
If you go, take your rod, camera, and hiking shoes.
Treats for the troops
The Northwest Towns Sportsmen's Club is preparing a “taste of home” for Marines stationed in Afghanistan. At 6 p.m. Jan. 25, several dozen club members will gather at the Arlington Heights American Legion Hall to turn four deer harvested this season into venison jerky strips to be dehydrated and shipped to the Marines at a forward maintenance unit in Afghanistan.
The contact, Cpl. Mark Ramel, is a relative of one of the NWTSC club members. The project is unique to sportsmen who hunt whitetail deer. The product is enjoyed by the troops, many of whom are hunters, and even those who are not find the portable snack strips to be a tasty treat. For more information contact, contact Wayne H. Wagner by e-mail at waynehwagner@comcast.net or by phone at (847) 804-6464.
Fishing report
In the meantime, we must persevere through winter.
Fox Chain: Get a good sonar unit and head for Petite Lake. Try fishing in the evening for walleyes in 12-18 feet of water. Bluegill action on the north end of Channel Lake has greatly improved, while some pike have been actively feeding near the Route 173 bridge.
Deep Lake: Good crappie and bluegill activity.
Lake Michigan: The perch story is good as long as you work a tad hard at Navy Pier, Belmont, and Montrose.
Show time
Knock your socks off now (Jan. 12-16) at the Chicago Boat, RV, and Outdoor Show at McCormick Place. More details at chicagoboatshow.com.
• Then it's vacation time Jan. 13-16 at the All-Canada Show at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles. For more details, visit allcanada.com
• Chicago Muskie Show runs Jan. 14-16 at Harper College, Palatine. For details, visit chicagomuskieshow.com
• Mike Jackson can be reached via e-mail at angler88@att.net . Mike's radio program is heard 6-7 a.m. Sundays on WSBC, AM-1240.