April 7, 2014

Green Bay, Wis. — Doug Wegner, 19, of Oconomowoc, released his biggest hard-water pike ever on Monday, March 19 while fishing Green Bay, and that 48-inch fish likely will become the state’s new catch-and-release record, as judged by the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, of Hayward. According to Emmett Brown, HOF executive director,

Annual meeting offers updates on the big lake

St. Paul — One in five Minnesota boaters violated the state’s aquatic invasive species laws in 2013, even as the violation rate dropped, according to the Minnesota DNR. The violation rate fell from 31 percent in 2012 to 20 percent last year. “The decrease is good news, but we have a long way to go,”

Springfield — The Sierra Club of Illinois is publicly supporting Senate Bill 3049, which amends the Wildlife Code to add the gray wolf, American black bear, and cougar to the list of protected species in Illinois. The legislation was filed in the Senate on Feb. 7 by Sen. Lisa Holmes, D-Aurora. It was assigned to

Chicago — Chinook and other salmon should be bigger in Lake Michigan this year, although the fish’s numbers will likely be down. Meanwhile, research by a graduate student suggests that one predator fish in the lake’s food chain may be seeing its final days. Burbot populations are being threatened or eliminated in some areas, Casey