PERSEID: The full moon, and apparently cloud cover, will make watching the peak of Perseid meteor shower on Saturday tough. Too bad, it is my favorite annual sky event. I have fond memories of a camping trip 20 years ago near Rockford of a campfire, easy talk and hours of my back on a picnic table watching them streak across the sky.

CONSERVATION WORLD: Conservation World (fishing, archery, BB gun ranges, food) opens today at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield and runs through Aug. 21. It is a must stop for our family in the years that we make the fair.

LAKEFRONT PERCH: Action became more variable for Chicago fishermen and Indiana ones. With the tougher bite, soft shells make a difference.

WADING: There are multiple options for wading local rivers this weekend. I would hope to do the Kankakee again. The kicker will be how much rain falls through Saturday.

HUNTING CLASSIC: Bass Pro Shops hold their 2011 Fall Hunting Classic, beginning today and running through Aug. 21.

DALEY DERBY: Add perch to the eligible species for August in the Richard J. Daley Sportfishing Derby. The other species are carp, catfish, panfish, steelhead and chinook. Register fish at Henry's Sports & Bait, Park Bait or Vet's Bait. Go to henryssports.com or call (312) 225-8538.

ILLINOIS HUNTING: The big thing is squirrel hunting. More moderate weather should bring more out.

ILLINOIS PERMITS: Monday is the deadline for the second lottery drawing for firearm and muzzleloader deer permits. . . . Online applications for the first lottery for the Public Duck and Goose Hunting Area Permit program begins Tuesday and runs through Aug. 30. Go to dnr.illinois.gov/duck or dnr.illinois.gov/goose. . . . Applications for free upland game continue until Aug. 31.

ARCHERY: Lincoln Park Archery Club holds a free clinic at the lakefront Lincoln Park Archery Range from 2-4 p.m. Saturday. Click here. . . . There is a Lake of the Woods tournament at the Lincoln Park Archery Club on Sunday. Click here. . . . Archery Bow Range Chicago offers instruction.

PERSONAL PICKS: After a visit to Children's this morning, we plan to do a family swim in Lake Michigan for only the second time this year. Actually the last time in June, the water was so cold it was a brief wade more than a swim and the little guy's lips turned blue. . . . I still need to consult with a couple buddies, then apply for the free upland game permit, what I think is the coolest hunting program in Illinois. . . . I still need to get in my morning of squirrel hunting. . . . Work continues on an ongoing writing project. . . . As always, a fair amount of my spare time is spent working on ``Outside,'' the radio show Joel Greenberg and I are doing at 4:30 p.m. Mondays on WKCC-FM (91.1).