Really big Braidwood blue, really big Lake Calumet pike: Two FOTW

You don’t have to travel far for big fish.

Vince Strickland, a CTA machinist from Country Club Hills, caught a 32-pound, 36-inch blue catfish on cutbait April 23 at Braidwood Lake. His brother Travis is holding the fish above.

Jason Julian Sr. of Evergreen Park caught a 16-pound, 40-inch northern pike Saturday in Little Lake Calumet. He was fishing a ChatterBait.

FOTW, the celebration of big fish and good stories, runs Wednesdays on the Sun-Times’ outdoors page.

Send nominations by Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or email (straycasts@sbcglobal.net).