Summer fish, ponds & kids: Fishes of the Week for the Fourth of July

Going into the Fourth of July weekend, let’s celebrate ponds, kids and the fish of summer.

Zachary Byrnes, 9, of Aurora (above) landed a largemouth bass at the pond at Wheatlands Park. His dad, David, said it was caught on a Zoom lure.

Noted Wilmington fisherman Ron Vilt, whose daughter Emily caught the former Illinois-record longnose gar in 2001, showed he still has a way with kids. He had Jace Gold (far right) out at a pond near Braidwood to catch his first bluegill of the year.

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

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