Tried to pick up a few vacation areas for the holiday weekend edition of the lakes/areas section of the Midwest Fishing Report.

River fishing may be the most promising in the area for the holiday weekend, with that to the rivers section of the Midwest Fishing Report.

We celebrate a fine 2011 for fishing largemouth bass on ponds around Chicago fishing with a pair of big largemouth for FOTW.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

This week marks the true start to hunting in Illinois outdoors for the 2011-12 season and leads this Illinois Hunting Report.

I did not know this Purple Paint Law was working its way through, but I find it fascinating.

From "knotheads" and beyond, Mike Conlin talks about the changes in Illinois waterways, in his first major extended appearance on radio, today on "Outside."

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Click here for BOTW: Unplugged in Higlhland Park, though unplugged in Highland Park might be a redundancy.

Once again this weekend, the lakefront downtown will have something other than fishing as its focus, namely the Life Time Chicago Triathlon, but there are plenty of options for this Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Click here to read what Bob Sadowski and the Fishmobile did this summer for Chicago fishing.

It is the end of the summer and the great wait is on for the salmon to start to come to shore along southern Lake Michigan in this Midwest Fishing Report.

Fishing for this rivers section of the Midwest Fishing Report is back to the basics of catfish and smallmouth bass. (Update added to Chicago River)

Click here for the Fish of the Week.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab

Bill Byrns died this morning of an apparent heart attack.

Great lure painter Mike Skwira dropped a note about seeing nighthawks Friday night.

Joel Greenberg and I do our second section of "Gone but Not Forgotten," species that have disappeared from our area or are extinct, focusing this time on plants (Thismia americana, anyone?), reptiles, amphibians and insects Monday on "Outside."

So Thursday I have the kids with me while I am doing my usual August drive-around (think walkabout with a car) to find dove photos.

Click here for the BOTW: Unpluggled photo taken by Jonathan Schlesinger in a rather unique fashion.

The Chicago Air & Water Show dominates and impacts just about everything around the Chicago lakefront this weekend, but there are other options for this Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

There are reports of fall kings starting on the shorelines around southern Lake Michigan, and that's as good as anything to highlight in this areas/lakes section of the Midwest Fishing Report.

Rivers are in wonderful shape, and there is even some talk of possible shift toward fall patterns for this rivers section of the Midwest Fishing Report.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Click here for FOTW, a big chinook salmon caught Saturday, and its possible broader meaning.

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It's one of those periods with mostly reminders for the Illinois Hunting Report.

John Vukmirovich submitted a proposal to the United States Postal Service calling for the issuance of a first-class rate pawpaw stamp.

Amar Ayyash discusses lifer birds, life and gulls, and why in the world somebody goes on a quest to see all the gulls of the America's today on "Outside" with Joel Greenberg and me.

Mary Sweeney Harrington sent an amusing explanation with her BOTW: Unplugged this week from Edgebrook.

Last Sunday's column about squirrels drew more response than I expected.

From the Perseid meteor shower to Conservation World, there is stuff from out of this area and world in this Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

Perch slowed for this areas/lakes section of the Midwest Fishing Report, but at least the weather moderated.

By the standards of this summer, we are in a reasonable state for the rivers section--some are up slightly, others are down--of the Midwest Fishing Report; oh, and we have beavers rebuilding on the Chicago River and a report from Frank Macikas, both of which make me happy.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Click here for the FOTW: lakefront perch and a walleye from a retention pond in the Chicago suburbs.

Not sure if it will mean anything in three weeks or not, but I have been seeing hundreds of more doves in the last week or so; that thought leads this Illinois Hunting Report.

As our 6-year-old began to swing this morning, he found this cicada emerging.

Mulling things on my morning ramble with Storm,

the family's mixed Lab.

Geo is one of those young Chicago fishermen I have been watching for years.

Joel Greenberg and I talk about things we are doing this summer--counting birds to perch fishing to wading to dealing with the broader meaning of mosquitoes--on "Outside."

Because of the perch bite, the heads of the Richard J. Daley Sportfishing Derby added perch to the eligible species for August.

Click here for the BOTW: Unplugged and other Field Notes.

Fishing for zander and pike in Russia and perch fishing on the Chicago lakefront leads this Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

We are rapidly approaching the point where we have every right to say enough of messing with out money over a witch hunt on Asian carp in Chicago.

I just found the report Jeff Nolan sent on fishing the Chicago River, and it is worth posting separately.

A hot bite on perch in southern Lake Michigan leads the lakes/areas section of the Midwest Fishing Report.

Yet, another round of heavy overnight rains makes for an interesting rivers section of the Midwest Fishing Report.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Click here for the FOTW, a walleye caught by Barry Albach while erch fishing at Burnham Harbor.

A surprisingly good squirrel report leads this Illinois Hunting Report.

I fished the reopener on the South Side with Ray Hinton this morning.