Autumn adventures
It's a beautiful time of year to enjoy the outdoors. With so much going on with hunting and fishing, let me share with you what's happening right now and soon...
All Stories
Structural advantage
Conditions are right for fall crappie fishing. When the water temperatures get in to the mid to upper 50s, the crappies move up to vertical structures and can be easily...
Get hooked on muskie fishing
Muskies are the fish of 10,000 casts. Catching one is great, but the diehard muskie nut gets excited just seeing one follow the lure. To catch a muskie, the odds...
Get early jump on trout season
In two weeks, anglers young and old will be on the banks of some local ponds fishing for keeper-sized rainbow trout. Opening day for Illinois' fall inland trout fishing season...
Heat can affect likelihood of strikes
Everyone has tough day on the water and I'm no different. Last week I was skunked fishing Three Rivers Area, my first outing without a catch in two years. Some...
Weather creates challenges
LAND O' LAKES — My wife, Judy, and I spent the last week in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. We stayed on Mamie Lake, which is one of 15 lakes that...
Lake Michigan perch head back to shore
After several days of rain and high winds, Lake Michigan is settling down and clearing up. With that, the perch are coming back closer to shore. In Illinois waters, the...
Developing young anglers
It's one thing to have a nice day on the water catching more than a dozen 2- and 3-pound bass. Sharing that time with a young angler is even more...
Despite problems, fishing Chicago River amazes
Downtown Chicago doesn't strike many as a great place to go fishing. But it is. The Chicago River offers good largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing. Anglers also catch crappie, bluegill,...
Winds stir up catches on Heidecke Lake
The recent lousy weather has made fishing tough. But Heidecke Lake, just outside Morris, has been our savior by producing nice catches of walleye, stripers and even a few muskies,...