Friday, May 8th, 2026

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Friday, May 8th, 2026

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Kayleigh Smith

A little learning about some little (but important) fish in Illinois

Recently, I spent a day showing fourth-grade students the flora and fauna that live in or next to many of Illinois’ lakes. We looked at animal tracks in the mud on the shoreline, counted shells some creature (likely a raccoon) left behind after a nice meal of freshwater mussels, learned the names of the plants growing in the water and practiced identifying turtle species.
Every session started by looking around and calling out the things we saw.

A little learning about some little (but important) fish in Illinois Read More »

Where do Illinois’ rainbow trout come from? Fall, spring seasons rely on state’s hatchery system

Although many Illinois anglers can tell you stories about catching rainbow trout over the decades, the fish is not native here and there are no naturally reproducing populations in these water bodies.
The first rainbow trout stocking in Illinois occurred before the 20th century, and that tradition lives on today, thanks to work done in hatcheries like the Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery in Illinois.

Where do Illinois’ rainbow trout come from? Fall, spring seasons rely on state’s hatchery system Read More »

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