IDNR releases Upland Hunting Information and Date of application Availability

Hard to think about but hunting season is just around the corner.  On August 7, 2017 the online application for IDNR managed sites will be live.  There's nothing quite like being behind a dog on point, so make sure you apply and enjoy some great upland opportunities.  You can watch our adventures out at Jim Edgar Panther Creek one of the many sites to hunt upland game  Below you'll see the press release from the IDNR regarding the controlled pheasant hunting reservation and information.

2017 Illinois Controlled Pheasant Hunting Reservation Information Now Available Online

Our First Trip to ICAST 2017

Our First Trip to ICAST 2017

July 13, 2017 Orlando, FL - It was a surreal moment walking into the Convention Center in Sunny Orlando Florida to attend the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades show, better known as ICAST. We were among many other media, exhibitors and manufacturers that gathered in Orlando to attend this worldwide conference. This year ICAST hosted about 500 exhibitors and had about 15,000 people registered for the show, including  people from over 70 countries.

On the Water Demonstrations

On Tuesday, we attended the On the Water event which allowed media and buyers the opportunity to test out new products.  This was held at the Orange County Convention Center North Campus.  There were many booths exhibiting their new items. During the demonstrations we had the opportunity to test out the Ultraskiff 360, the first and only patented portable round boat.  As you can see from the video below, it is very durable and has the ability to withhold rocking without tipping over. BOTE was also featuring their new Rover at ICAST, a paddleboard and microskiff in one.  This uniquely engineered product ended up winning Best of Show in the New Product Showcase.  You can read more about the specs for this amazing product here.  Throughout the event we also stopped and talked with Trapper Tackle who were debutting their Trapper Round Bend Treble hook and American Tackle demonstrating their JIGSKINZ “ProSkinz Color Series”.

No Silver or Bighead Carps Found as Sampling Concludes in Illinois Waterway

The last round of sampling has concluded and we can breath easier, at least for now.  

No Silver or Bighead Carps Found as Sampling Concludes in Illinois Waterway

CHICAGO, IL – No silver or bighead Asian carp were seen or caught during two-weeks of intensive monitoring initiated by the capture of an adult male silver carp 9 miles from Lake Michigan on June 22. The silver carp was captured by a contracted commercial fisher below the T.J. O’Brien Lock and Dam. The capture triggered the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee’s Contingency Response Plan. Contingency response becomes necessary when silver or bighead carps are discovered in unexpected places in the Chicago Area Waterway System. With the conclusion of the intensive monitoring event on July 7, barrier defense, removal and monitoring actions will continue to be guided by the 2017 Monitoring and Response Plan. The plan includes two-weeks of additional intensive Asian carp monitoring in the waterway upstream of the electric dispersal barriers in September.

Crews from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Illinois Natural History Survey and contracted commercial fishers conducted the monitoring operation. The U.S. Coast Guard provided notice to mariners of increased activity in the areas above and below the T.J. O’Brien Lock and Dam. The field portion of the operation exceeded 1,950 person-hours. In addition, commercial fishers working with IDNR biologists set more than 43 miles of gill net, while crews with IDNR, USACE and USFWS conducted 365 electro-fishing runs for a total of more than 91 hours of effort.

Four electrofishing crews, three contracted commercial fishers, and a specially outfitted netting boat were deployed daily below the T.J. O’Brien Lock and Dam, in Lake Calumet, and in an area from the T.J. O’Brien Lock and Dam to Calumet Harbor. The operation covered a 13-mile section of the waterway and Calumet Harbor with intensive monitoring.

Preceding the sampling efforts that resulted in the capture of a silver carp in late June, biologists collected environmental DNA (eDNA) samples at four sites above the electric dispersal barriers in the Chicago Area Waterway System. None of the 240 samples, collected the week of June 5, were positive for the presence of genetic material from either bighead or silver carps.

The silver carp captured June 22 was sent to Southern Illinois University for analysis to determine the fish’s age and origin. More information will be shared as it becomes available.

The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee is a consortium of provincial, federal, state and local partners united in their efforts to prevent the spread and establishment of Asian carp in the Great Lakes. For more information, please visit www.AsianCarp.us. Downloadable images of the contingency response are available at www.flickr.com/ACRCC.

http://www.asiancarp.us

Buffalo Rock State Park to reopen on July 4

Just in time for the 4th of July.  Get outdoors tomorrow!

Buffalo Rock State Park to reopen on July 4

OTTAWA, IL – Buffalo Rock State Park in La Salle Co. will reopen to visitors on Tuesday, July 4 at 8:00 a.m.

The park has been closed since significant damage to trees at the park occurred as a result of a tornado that struck the area on February 28.

Buffalo Rock’s River Bluff Trail and Woodland Trail will remain closed until further notice while cleanup of fallen and damaged trees on and along the trails continues. Other areas of the park, including the Effigy Tumuli trail, picnic areas and shelter will be open again beginning July 4.

Holiday weekend travelers are reminded that Buffalo Rock State Park will remain closed to drive-in and walk-in visitors through Monday, July 3 prior to the July 4 reopening.