Outdoors

Illinois Taxidermist Association Convention in Springfield and the Fly Fishing Film Tour in Downers Grove highlight the weekend.
LaSalle Lake, the cooling lake south of Seneca, reopens to fishing on Friday with promising outlooks for blue catfish, bass and bluegills.
Some lakefront coho, some spring signs and the reopening of LaSalle Lake are among the highlights in this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
Oscar Santos, the inimitable Chicago lakefront kayak angler, pulled together a plan for kayakers to view the dyeing of the Chicago River green on Saturday.
A photograph of a bird nest made with fishing line and a question on the prospects for smelt fishing are among the notes from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.
Alligator gar, officially extirpated in Illinois since 1994 but now in a restoration program since 2010, were introduced farther north last year than its historical range in a nod to the changing climate.
The Park District has again posted openings for fishing camp counselor.
It’s a week with multiple options for Go & Show, across multiple states.
Southern Lake Michigan has never seen a bass tournament as big as the 150-team field that the South Shore Bass aspires to on Aug. 3-4 out of Hammond, Indiana.
The plethora of reports and photos this week are good indications of spring fishing being here and lead this truly sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
Bob Jeffries found two unmatched shed antlers while out scouting.
Joe Kwiecinski’s big largemouth bass, caught on opening day at Braidwood Lake, earns Fish of the Week and also gives a chance to get the feel of the opener at the cooling lake.
Dog toys in a drey, regular sandhill visitors in Orland Park and bowhunting harvest for turkeys in Illinois are among the notes from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.
Stan Gehrt and Kerry Luft bring urban coyotes to the general public with “Coyotes Among Us,” a book written from the perspective of 20 years of studying coyotes at the Cook County-based Urban Coyote Research Project.
Bob Dolgan’s latest film, “Fluddles” is a chance to dive into a good word and to spread the good word on fluddles relationship to conservation.
Some have wondered if new football coach Robbie Gould will show Saturday for the Indoor Fishing Flea Market at Rolling Meadows High School.
Art
Five Impressionist oil paintings, by an unknown artist, are on display through April 19.
Fishing through seesawing weather (how many times can you go from unseasonable heat to snow in one week?) leads this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
Survey indicates blue catfish are doing well (so are largemouth bass) at Braidwood Lake, which reopens to fishing on Friday.