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Ralph Loos

Ralph Loos: Examining some results from Chicago River bass study

Featured, Fishing, Illinois, National Fishing, Opinion /

Even readers in deep southern Illinois are keeping a close eye on a largemouth bass tracking project taking place in waters most from the south will never drop a hook, line or sinker into.
The Chicago River, of all places. The project we speak of here is one that in 2024 placed numbered tags on largemouth bass to make it easy for anglers who catch bass in the Chicago River to report individual fish to a research team. The goal is to help biologists better understand movements and motivations.

Ralph Loos: Examining some results from Chicago River bass study Read More »

Smallmouth bass an ounce light of an Illinois record

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Illinois, National Fishing, National News, News /

Just weeks after a DNR report suggested smallmouth bass continue to  grow and thrive in the Chicago harbors of Lake Michigan, a Kankakee angler backed up biologists with a near-record catch.
In fact, Kyle Danhausen’s Burnham Harbor smallie missed a new Illinois state record by a mere ounce. Danhausen’s April 24 catch weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces, just shy of the 7-pound, 3-ounce smallie caught by caught by Joe Capilupo in Monroe Harbor in 2019.

Smallmouth bass an ounce light of an Illinois record Read More »

Bill to boost Illinois deer harvest charges on

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, National News, News /

Legislation that would allow the DNR to issue more antlerless-only nuisance deer permits and expand the number of tags given to youth hunters passed the Illinois Senate by a unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 710, which is designed to give landowners and farmers more opportunity to thin the deer herd on their properties, moved on a 51-0 vote. The measure was then sent to the House, where it had its first reading on May 6 before being sent to the Agriculture and Conservation Committee.

Bill to boost Illinois deer harvest charges on Read More »

Rice Lake summer fishing can be an ‘adventure’ in Fulton County, Ill.

Illinois, Lake Profile, Lake Profile /

Predators create an attraction at the Rice Lake complex, with both northern pike and alligator gars swimming – and eating – in the collection of lakes and backwaters near the Illinois River in Fulton County.
The Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area lies adjacent to the river and includes a collection of lakes ranging in size from Duck Island Little Lake (57 acres) to Rice Lake (1,400 acres).

Rice Lake summer fishing can be an ‘adventure’ in Fulton County, Ill. Read More »

Ralph Loos: Be it a fox, a rabbit, a fish or a bird, tracking for research makes for ‘a good day’

Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky, Opinion /

Two of the most enjoyable days of my career involved topics covered in a pair of stories that appear in this issue of Illinois Outdoor News.
The article about the beginning of the “fish sampling” season in Illinois reminded me of the time almost 30 years ago when I joined now-retired DNR fisheries biologist and Fisheries Chief Dan Stephenson to sample Lake Springfield. As a kid who grew up threading worms and grasshoppers on hooks to fish small farm ponds in southern Illinois, my imagination always provided an image of a fish the size of a mule flopping at my feet.

Ralph Loos: Be it a fox, a rabbit, a fish or a bird, tracking for research makes for ‘a good day’ Read More »

Fish sampling season luring anglers’ eyes in Illinois

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Illinois, National Fishing, National News, News /

As Illinois fishermen, this we know: Biologists and their crews aren’t sharing photos and catch reports from spring sampling sessions simply to tease and aggravate us. Pulling giant muskies, bass, and catfish into their boats is simply ”part of the job.”
Results of the surveys are eye-opening and motivating, especially after a long winter.

Fish sampling season luring anglers’ eyes in Illinois Read More »

CWD cases escaping the disease’s ‘hot zone’ in Illinois

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, National News, News /

A deer taken this past season by a hunter in Adams County that later tested positive for CWD has greatly loosened what had been a tightly contained disease “hot zone” in northern Illinois.
If you consider the CWD deer found in the middle of Bureau County last year as the furthest south positive case, then the Adams County deer would be roughly 170 miles even further south. A previous positive case in southern Livingston County would be roughly the same distance.

CWD cases escaping the disease’s ‘hot zone’ in Illinois Read More »

Quail and Upland Game Alliance hires new regional director to oversee Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, Nature Page & Night Sky, News /

A new hand is in place to help rebuild the Illinois quail population, according to the Quail and Upland Game Alliance. The group has hired Stacey Donner as its new regional director over Illinois, Kentucky, and Indiana.
QUGA Regional President Mel Gajewski, a resident of Scheller in southern Illinois, has been working to restore quail habitat and quail populations for several years.

Quail and Upland Game Alliance hires new regional director to oversee Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana Read More »

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