That Glen Gorman caught a tagged largemouth bass while fly-fishing on the Chicago River got my attention. He caught it on a handmade classic Clouser Minnow.
About the tag, he wondered Saturday: ‘‘Am I supposed to send this info to someone?’’
The Shedd Aquarium is doing a study on fish movements and tagged fish. I emailed Austin Happel, the Shedd’s research biologist for urban freshwaters, not expecting a response until after the holiday.
Almost immediately, Happel replied: ‘‘The tag has an email on it he can send info to or just [send it to] me. It’s all the same. I’m just looking for where it was caught, the date and the tag number.’’
Happel’s email address is AHappel@SheddAquarium.org.
Gorman went above and beyond in his reporting, providing the tag number (0636), a precise GPS and detailed catch and fish descriptions. He safely released the 15-inch ‘‘very healthy’’ largemouth, which he caught about 11 a.m. Friday on the North Branch.
The Shedd, in collaboration with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Purdue University, started a study last year aimed at monitoring fish activity in the Chicago River with help from the National Resources Conservation Service. The study focuses on the ‘‘Wild Mile’’ on the North Branch, the Riverwalk downtown and Bubbly Creek on the South Branch.
They implanted tags in largemouth bass, common carp and bluegills, plus a few pumpkinseeds, black crappie, green sunfish and walleye. With 32 receivers with acoustic telemetry technology, they constantly monitor unique signals from the 80 fish.
‘‘Allowing the fish to show us the habitats that they prefer or avoid allows for better-informed restoration activities not only in Chicago but in other urban waterways, too,’’ Happel said when the project started.
Do the fish use the floating wetlands for reproduction? How far do they swim? How do they handle poor-water events? Where do they go in winter?
Eternal questions in my world.
Illinois hunting
Hunters harvested a record 17,208 turkeys during the spring season, topping the 16,569 in 2006.
Wild things
I saw my first fireflies Thursday while transplanting sedum and planting blue salvia for my wife.
Stray cast
Memo to Audacy: DJs matter to the ’XRT experience, like fillets do to perch fishing. Automated song intros do not.
