Bob Coine, an early pioneer in managing land for wildlife, discusses Illinois deer and managing the land for them this afternoon on "Outside."

Ron Williams has been getting into morels pretty good in southern Cook and northern Will counties.

Found my first wild asparagus today, more than two weeks earlier than last year; yet it was already wood.

Weekend weather sounds perfect to be inside looking at decoys or spurring on morels for this Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

Click here for TOTW, bagged by 14-year-old Marty Vician on April 8.

Weather, particularly wind and cold has been the defining factor, has been the defining factor, but there are pockets of decent fishing for the lakes section of this Midwest Fishing Report.

Click here for the FOTW, a big muskie caught at Heidecke Lake by Mick Headley, and the tale of an even bigger muskie.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Cooling and generally receding or low waters define the rivers section of this Midwest Fishing Report.

Bradley-Bourbonnais came up big at the first Braidwood Lake sectional. Real big.

And they're off with Bishop McNamara's boat No.2 as the No. 1 boat off at the first Braidwood Lake sectional for IHSA bass fishing.

Nick Doumel and I start with "trash fish," then move on to outdoors blogging and touch on the Des Plaines River on "Outside" this afternoon.

Ivan Hrdjun found these morel mushrooms at one of his spots.

Chris Walter looked at me, then laughed with recognition.

Here's my take on the Chicago-area sectionals for the fourth IHSA bass fishing state championship.

In less than an hour, Braidwood Lake went from flat calm to rolling a pea-soup fog on strong cold north-northwest winds and first IHSA bass fishing scheduled there was postponed until Monday.

There are some eclectic options, including some state competitions, for this Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Regular spring patterns are the primary focus of this lakes section of the Midwest Fishinng Report.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Some areas had enough rain to impact rivers, others did not, and that drives this rivers section of the Midwest Fishing Report.

I am hoping that the weekend rain and some warmer weather will restart the finding of morels.

John Kidd Jr. talks about Fishin' Buddies! Youth Fishing League 2012 on "Outside" this afternoon.

It's a mixed batch of hope

for this Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

Click here for Turkey of the Week, which puts a face (Conor Kelly) to the Illinois record for turkey harvest during the two youth seasons.

With the return to more typical spring weather and cooling waters, crappie are taking the lead in the lakes section of the Midwest Fishing Report.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

One of the stranger springs continues to impact the Midwest Fishing Report, especially the rivers section.

Marianne Hahn touches on many conservation topics, from Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie to the plants and animals of Pembroke Township, on "Outside" this afternoon.

Don Keller caught a bowfin a week ago and had a question.

As I watered my garden before dawn to prevent several rows of sugar peas, leaf lettuce and spinach from freezing, I realized this is the first time in a month or so when the weather matters negatively in Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

The spring trout opener on Saturday is the lead story for the lakes section of the Midwest Fishing Report; and so is the impact of the return to more normal spring.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Things settled back into more of a spring pattern, though without all the usual excess water, for this Midwest Fishing Report.

I always enjoy reading the annual fishing prospects report for Lake Erie put out by Ohio, and suspect many readers to too, so here it is.

Biologist Steve Robillard talks about the changes in southern Lake Michigan on "Outside" this afternoon.