Novelty of a good-weather weekend, enjoy: WWW Chicago outdoors

A Canada goose gave us hell and a mallard splashed down on the town pond as Lady, our family mutt, and I took a break from rambling this morning so I could snap an actual sunrise on a clear morning.

What a Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors we have to look forward. The forecast for it to be the warmest weekend in half a year.

For this WWW Chicago outdoors, there’s will be all kinds of fishing, morel hunting, turkey hunting, a couple book-related events and other stuff indoors and out.

Just enjoy. Do something, for God’s sakes.

Oh, the joy of it, if I may channel my inner Walt Whitman. A sandpiper flew off the east side of the north old clay pit and a bunch of red-winged blackbirds trilled as we rambled on after the sunrise photo. I felt more alive than I have in months.

There’s lots to do.

I plan to do coho fishing with Frank Lagodny on Saturday. On Monday, of all things, I plan to cover a young man on signing day, for bass fishing at college.

I also plan to poke around a little bit at some favored spots for morel mushrooms, though I suspect it is early. And today, if I don’t run out of time, I will hang our hummingbird feeder, just in case some early birds, so to speak make their way here.

Considering how many readers dropped notes about seeing woodcocks, I stopped Wednesday at a favorite park near dark, then my daughter and I stood listening for any sky-dancing woodcock until dark. We drew a blank on that, but were rewarded with all kinds of birds. One theory on the plethora of birds is that they are stacked here because of the wintry weather to our north.

With that, on to the regular stuff of this Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors, and it is another eclectic mix of stuff.

MORELS:Morel sightings have not changed much on the Facebook page for Illinois Morel Mushrooms but I suspect that will change significantly this weekend. Had an interesting chat with Lake Michigan Program biologist Steve Robillard on Thursday. He had been looking in southern Illinois and, even down there, he only found some small black ones.

LAKEFRONT: Well, this weekend, with the forecast for the best weather-wise weekend since October, will be a good test of the old theory that coho fishing is better in bad weather. I plan to be one of those testing that theory or its inverse on Saturday. Really looking forward to it. With the weather forecast, I suspect a lot of people will be out trying on the lakefront from shore, too.

DECOY SHOW: On Tuesday, some of the early doings of the North American Vintage Decoy and Sporting Collectibles Show begins at Pheasant Run in St. Charles. It runs through next Saturday, April 28. Click here for information.

WILD ART:Michael Jeffords and Susan Post, authors of “Curious Encounters with the Natural World: From Grumpy Spiders to Hidden Tigers,” will give a special presentation at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Chicago Botanical Gardens (1000 Lake Cook Road Glencoe, IL 60022). Tickets are $15.20 for members; $19, for non-members. Click here for more information.

MORE WILD BOOKS: Tonight, at the Chicago Maritime Museum’s regular feature, “Third Friday,” Richard Lanyon discusses his “West by Southwest to Stickney: Draining the Central Area . . . and Exorcising Clout.”

Here is the word from the CMM:

COOLING LAKES: I expect this weekend to be the first real test of the fishing at the cooling lakes with the first good-weather weekend. The weather for a month has limited effort and the ability to boat. Heidecke really needs to warm up. All three lakes are open 6 a.m. (6:30 for bank anglers at Heidecke) to sunset.

ARCHERS: Blackhawk Field Archers in Rockton holds the Illinois IBO State Championship on Saturday and Sunday with registration beginning at 7 a.m. each day. Contact David Lee at bowhunterlee59@yahoo.com or (708) 476-0305.

TURKEY HUNTING:Turkey season in the north zone opened Monday and I already have some reports of birds taken. And last week, I slightly refreshed by turkey photos with a flock of 20 in a field.

INLAND TROUT: Considering the weather for the first two weekends, it is probably still worth trying for trout. there will still be some trout around. Click here for the statewide release.

Daily bag is five. The other general regulations are that “anglers will need both a fishing license and an Inland Trout Stamp to participate, unless they are under the age of 16, blind, disabled, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the Armed Forces.”

Here are the northeast Illinois sites:

MIDEWIN:Might be a perfect weekend to check out Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.

The Ranger Trailer are open for the weekends, weather permitting, at the Iron Bridge Trailhead at MNTP. The seasonal guided hikes begin on May 6.

Both are something I highly recommend for individuals, families or groups. If you spot bison, it only heightens the visit.

Throughout the season, you can talk to volunteer rangers at the Ranger Trailer from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. During April, check updates–at www.facebook.com/Midewin or on Twitter at @MidewinNatTPon–on whether, depending on weather, the Ranger Trailer will be operating.

Trails are open daily, 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Come out and explore. #ItsAllYours! For the full list of 2018 programs, activities and events at Midewin, see: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd535052.pdf.

SMELT NETTING

Smelt netting is underway. As expected from poor prospects, reports and effort have been slim to none. Here are the general notes and regulations for smelt netting in Chicago, which are the same as last year, from the Chicago Park District’s Carl Vizzone:

That last one, the regulation is to be out of the parks by 1 a.m.

OCEAN FILM, MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY:BBC Earth and OceanX Media’s Giant Screen film “Oceans: Our Blue Plant” is at the Museum of Science and Industry’s giant screen theater.

Here are some details: