Chicago outdoors in review: Big lakefront walleye to big land acquisition to lakefront questions

Some important stories around Chicago outdoors and beyond repeat annually, others pop up proudly briefly.

Here goes 2024.

Apex predator fish on the Chicago lakefront

Northern pike grown in size and catches in recent years, quite different from a couple decades ago when the lakefront pike fishery was hush-hush. Plus a rare big walleye catch downtown came, too.

Capt. Ernesto Amparan of the Thin Blue Line Fishing charter caught and released a massive northern pike Oct. 20 near the Playpen while scouting for smallmouth bass with buddy David Vasquez.

“I was casting a 3/8-ounce smokey pearl jig plastic tube and started around 5:30 a.m. along the northwest wall,” he emailed. “On my fourth cast, the jig was crushed. Using 12-pound fluorocarbon, I quickly loosened the drag to avoid a break-off. My buddy David managed to net this monster.”

The 43-inch pike weighed just heavier than 20 pounds. Another reason I think the lakefront will eventually deliver the Illinois record, currently 26 pounds, 15 ounces, caught by Walter Klenzak from what's now called Monster Lake in Kankakee County.

Brian Markham caught and released a 26-inch walleye, weighed at 8.1 pounds, on Nov. 15 while smallmouth bass fishing with guide Ryan Whitacre near DuSable Harbor. Walleye are an extremely rare catch on the lakefront.

The changing world of Illinois deer hunting

Changes continue in both firearm and archery hunting for deer in Illinois.

In the second season of being able to use certain rifles for deer hunting in Illinois, hunters adapted quickly. As Jan. 1, 2023, select single-shot centerfire rifles were legalized for deer hunting. Younger hunters in particular changed.

“Preliminary data from the 2024 youth season [in October] shows a significant jump in rifle use; approximately 52% of successful youth deer hunters used rifles this year," emailed Dan Skinner, forest wildlife program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. "This surge in youth rifle usage coupled with the fact that I cannot walk into a sporting goods store’s hunting section in Illinois without walking past a wall of Buckhammers, Blackouts, Legends and the like lead me to believe that we will see use of rifles in the 2024 firearm season continue to increase.”

Seeing the numbers of rifle usage on opening day of firearm deer season, Skinner opined that by the end of the season he expects rifles to account for 25 to 33 percent of harvest, up from roughly 20 percent the first year.

Rifles have less recoil, better accuracy and longer distance than slug guns.

The rapid rise of use of crossbows by bowhunters in Illinois, after being legalized for general use in 2017, appears to be leveling off. In 2017, 30.2 percent of the bow harvest came from crossbows, then steadily climbed to 53.4 percent in 2022. But it held at 53.4 in '23-24.

Changes on the Chicago lakefront

Navy Pier Marina began construction. McCormick Place made some changes to kill fewer migrating birds

Pile driving for NPM, between the north side of Navy Pier and the Jardine Water Purification Plant, began in November with plans to be operational by the 2025 boating season. That area is the No. 2 winter spot for perch fishing in Chicago, but both Navy Pier and NPM plan to continue to allow fishing there with some changes.

Parch anglers also freaked with the announcement of plans for a Quantum Campus at the former U.S. Steel South Works plant on the South Side. That's the No. 1 winter perch spot at 85th (North Slip) and 89th. But a series of grandiose plans have been announced and fizzled there before, however, this one appears likely to actually happen, So far, no clear response on how fishing will fit, other than fishing will continue at the Chicago Park District spots.

Under much public pressure after a massive die-off from glass strikes in the 2023 fall migration, McCormick Place moved to install bird-safe film on the glass.

Advancement in public lands

A major land get came for the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge. In March, The Conservation Fund, Illinois Audubon Society and Openlands announced the acquisition of the 985-acre Tamarack Farms for Hackmatack, that's nearly 10 percent of the land within the approved boundaries.

State record fish

After no state record fish last year, there were only two in 2024. (bullet) Steve Pohlmeier caught the record shovelnose sturgeon (12.95 pounds) on Jan. 4 from the Rock River.

Michael Farniok caught the record saugeye (10.85) on June 4 from Argyle Lake.