Chicago outdoors: Velvet buck, white suckers, pink salmon, updating Illinois fish records

Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.

BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED

This nice buck in velvet is my kind of two-fer. It was photographed by Jay Damm while he hunted chanterelles in Will County in late July.

BOTW Unplugged, the celebration of live big bucks around Chicago outdoors, runs as apt in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Saturday. To make submissions, email [email protected] or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or Instagram (@BowmanOutside).

DALE’S MAILBAG

“I caught this white sucker on the Chicago River and was wondering what the state record is in Illinois. I couldn’t find anything on it. I tossed it back after the picture and looks like it measured in a little north of 20 inches.” Philly Cheese (Phil K.)

A: I found it odd that a fish that common did not have a listed record. “The published state records have been a source of agitation for Fisheries lately, but we have been working somewhat relentlessly to find all glitches in the system and are about set to put the complete list of records up on the website, and then the full list will also be in the fishing digest for 2023,” fisheries chief Mike McClelland emailed. Marc Majewski caught the record white sucker (1.3 pounds) from the DuPage River in 2010. It was 15 inches long. Philly Cheese’s white sucker would have obliterated the record. “Dang,” McClelland responded.

BIG NUMBER

4.9: Pounds of the pending Illinois record pink salmon, caught Thursday by Karre Cromwell out of North Point Marina. Click here to read a brief account of the catch.

LAST WORD

“The white sucker is the most widespread sucker in Illinois and occurs statewide.”

An Atlas of Illinois Fishes, page 98

WILD TIMES

FISH GATHERINGS

Tuesday, Aug. 9: Capt. Jim Mueller of Stormtrooper Charters, Salmon Unlimited, Thornwood Restaurant & Lounge, Wood Dale, 7 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com

Thursday, Aug. 11: Stream biologists Tristan Widloe and Steve Pescitelli, tribute to John Mach and Hofmann Dam River Rats, Riverside Fishing Club, LaGrange American Legion, 6:30 p.m., RiversideFishingClub.com

CONSERVATION WORLD

Thursday, Aug. 11, to Aug. 21: Located in the northwest corner of the Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily during the Illinois State Fair. Click here for details.

HUNTER SAFETY

Next Saturday, Aug. 13-August 14: Kankakee, (815) 935-2700

Aug. 20-21: Momence, (815) 472-4900

WINGSHOOTING CLINICS

Next Saturday, Aug. 13-August 14: Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area, Rich Carlson, (815) 757-2949

Aug. 20-21: Aurora Sportsmen’s Club, Waterman, [email protected]

ARCHERY DRAWING

Aug. 15: Deadline, drawing for archery deer permits at William Powers SRA. Go to https://huntillinois.org/sites/william-w-powers-sra/, then the site-specific regulations

U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY

Next Saturday, Aug. 13: Boat America, Chicago, Dan O’Connell, [email protected]