A reader asked me to post online the list of species caught from Chicago waters.

Barry Chapman and a friend found this interestingly placed batch of morels in Lake County in Indiana in early May, and this seems like a good place to end Morel of the Week for 2010.

Here's two adds for Wild Weekend Wanderings around Chicago outdoors.

Mulling things on my morning ramble
with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Bluegills lead this Wild Weekend Wanderings around Chicago outdoors.

Mulling things on my morning ramble
with Storm, the family's mixed Lab

Desmond Clark is holding a charity bass tournament on the Illinois River in Morris on June 12..

It looks like it could be one of the better holiday weekends for fishing-stable weather, decent weather, passable river conditions--in quite awhile around Chicago outdoors. As usual before holiday weekends, I did a longer version of the Midwest Fishing Report.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

I don't know what it was for sure, but a pile of good nominations of kids' catches for Fish of the Week came in the past two months. So, going into the greatest fishing weekend around Memorial Day, let's celebrate kids and their catches.

This came yesterday from state waterfowl biologist Ray Marshalla.

Mulling things on my morning ramble
with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

How big do you think this largemouth bass was?

Roger P. Ebert caught a monster flathead from Clinton Lake on May 13, and released it.

Here's a photo and report from LaSalle Lake of what was like being trapped in the line for more than 1 1/2 hours Sunday morning because of the late opening by staffers.

The line waiting to get into LaSalle Lake this morning stretched past the corner as the site staffer failed to open the gates until about 7:42 a.m.

Chuck Rogers was money finding a good pile of morels two weeks ago and earned Morel of the Week honors.

Brothers Jerry and John Luehrs won the Fishing for a Cure tournament at Braidwood Lake today.

I am not surprised, but no bighead or silver carp have been found so far in the second fish kill in the Great Asian Carp Quest.

Jed Hertz posted this short neat YouTube video of an American bittern ``pumping.''

Today is the DAY for different things outdoors and part of the wide variety for Wild Weekend Wanderings around Chicago outdoors--say local largemouth, bikes, endangered species, smallmouth and wild asparagus.

Ultimately, what matters about the second fish kill in the Great Asian Carp Quest may have little to do with the bighead and silver carp themselves, and a whole lot more to do with how things are viewed.

I looked off to the side at the press conference for fish kill in the Great Asian Carp Quest, and there he was.

Amy Enchelmeyer is a graduate student with Medill News Service working on a documentary on Asian carp.

Chuck Roberts, the great defender of the Fox River, is at it again, leading the qualifiers for Illinois for the Total Outdoorsman Challenge.

Dan Basore, who fishs all over, sent this note from Capt. Keith Kennedy of Born to Fish Charters in Venice, La., with regard to fishing in the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana.

The second officially-sanctioned fish kill in the Great Asian Carp Quest began this morning.

Finally, there is a bit of common sense coming to the Great Asian Carp Quest.

Steven Coleman caught a 10-3 walleye from Wolf Lake last Wednesday.

Norm Minas sent an interesting note about prowling the Kankakee during the high water Tuesday, as did Ken Gortowski on the Fox. That and the white-bass run on the Wolf River lead the Midwest Fishing Report.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Andy Mikos is at it again, catching this Fish of the Week on Saturday.

Mulling things on my morning ramble
with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

For some reason, this spring I have had more than my share of battles with ticks.

This report looks legit for sighting of a black bear and a cub in Bureau County.

Mulling things on my morning ramble
with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Frank Kibith found the biggest morel I have seen from the Chicago area, and it takes Morel of the Week honors.

Mulling things on my morning ramble
with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Illinois turkey hunters came within a few dozen of the record harvest for spring seasons.

A nice mix of options--fishing Mazonia, paddling the Des Plaines, seeking wild asparagus and fishing lakefront smallmouth--marks this Wild Weekend Wanderings around Chicago outdoors.

Mulling things on my morning ramble
with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

So photos speak for themselves, down to the fly rod in the teeth of Bob Santangelo.

The deadline has been extended to Aug. 31 for entry to the Illinois Sportsman's and Parks Raffle.

Mulling things on my morning ramble
with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

It's early May and all sorts of fishing is taking off. But crappie are taking the forefront in this Midwest Fishing Report.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Ed Teune caught this egret, a wonderfully marked one, engulfing bluegills at a Westmont pond.

Jim ``The Crappie Professer'' Kopjo had quite the Mother's Day with his wife Dawn on Shabbona Lake and she earns Fish of the Week honors.

This rather bizarre story came from Purdue University News Service about findings while researchers were determining the sex of lake sturgeon.

Mulling things on my morning ramble
with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

So I am playing around at the Mazonia lakes yesterday afternoon.

The Tribune-Star in southern Indiana reported a confirmation of a mountain lion, from trail cam photos, in rural Greene County east of Bloomfield.

Here's a wrap on photos and other notes from Illinois' second bass fishing championship for high schools on Carlyle Lake.

Here's a wrap on the other top 10 teams for the IHSA bass fishing championship from the Chicago area, beginning with No. 2 Wheaton-Warrenville South.

I think the St. Charles North crew was kidding when they suggested being ranked No. 1 was like the SI jinx.

Nick Pezdek found a nice patch of morels in short order last week and earned Morel of the Week.

Illini West weighed a 16-3 limit on Day 2 to win Illinois' second state championship for bass fishing on Saturday with a total of 30-5.

Apparently, I should have fished the Carlyle Lake tailwaters a few days earlier.

Yesterday, I fished the tailwaters of Carlyle Lake after my morning work.

Do park deer count as wild animals?

CARLYLE, Ill.--Somebody dug out a wool hat and sent it flying out of the back of an SUV as I parked this morning.

CARLYLE, Ill.--A busted motor broke right for Monticello, and big bass were all over at Carlyle Lake on Friday.
.

CARLYLE, Ill.--The south wind put a nice fishing chop on the water of Carlyle Lake at dawn Friday.

Mulling things on my morning ramble with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Here's my top 10 ranking for Chicago area schools advancing to Illinois' second state championship for bass fishing.

A second officially-sanctioned fish kill on Chicago waterways is planned in the hunt for Asian carp.

So, Ken Gortowski called Tuesday afternoon with an updated fishing report and danced around what was floating down the Fox River. I finally asked, ``You mean helicopters?''

Marist senior Tom ``Sully'' Sullivan earned earned some consolation and Fish of the Week honors with this big bass caught from Clinton Lake on Sunday.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

For something truly different on Mother's Day, I suggest joining Friends of the Fox River with their annual ``Monitor with your Mother'' event on Sunday.

Maybe, it is just coming off of several days fishing and being holed up at a cabin with my dad, for maybe one of the last times, but I was touched by this photo.

There were news reports over the weekend that the Vermilion River west of Starved Rock State Park will reopen to paddlers this year.

A mystery about the Montrose beaver is where it lives. And does it have a mate?

Mulling things on my morning ramble with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

They buried the lead about the FLW Walleye Tour event on the Illinois River, well, didn't mention it: the field only had 41 boats. Ouch.

Bill Peak came through some wonderful photos for Morel of the Week from Wolf Lake.