Dale Bowman

In my happy place, a small bait shop. In this case, it's Rigg's Outpost in Melbourne, Florida. Should be trying for snook, instead I think I'll play with some panfish later this afternoon. Another time, I'll chase snook when I come to visit our oldest son and granddaughter.

You could say I got a little exuberant with the temperatures in the mid-40s. I planted three pots of spinach, a couple days earlier than I usually do in memory of Grandma Bowman. But it was so nice this afternoon it just seemed right. Hey, it's been a long damn winter.

Visiting brother Bo in San Antonio. Yesterday did the hill country, Pedernales Falls SP. Very different natural world. Saw varieties of prickly pear, yucca (Spanish dagger above), Texas live oak, mesquite, and Texas persimmon. Birds: Bewick's wren, Carolina chickade, Woodhouse scrub-jay, ravens.

Excellent ending to a serious all-day conference on restoration & conservation, Wild Things 2026, first time Downstate in O'Fallon. Biologist Tony Gerard ended the day with a half comedic/half serious examination on the worldwide phenomenon of Bigfoot. Something to mull on my 4 1/2-hour drive home.

Joel Greenberg, Tom Schrader & I tried to spot a golden eagle today. Even without,we had a great time. Here's 2 of the 300 bald eagles we saw in NW Illinois; 250, came at Lock & Dam 13 on the Mississippi. Along the way, we saw a rough-legged hawk & a coyote walking the frozen Mississippi.

Sun-Times Metro editor and I eat lunch around the city every couple months. Today was Peach's, corner of 47th and MLK. I had catfish fillets, like freaking butter so soft and perfectly cooked, greens and cheesy grits. Saji went shrimp and cheesy grits. We shared duck bacon. That's right duck bacon.

Love the new marketing that TightRope finished just in time for the Chicagoland Fishing Expo in Schaumburg. Try to find the Play Pen in the collage. It feels different to be here not to write, but just to wander around, buy a few things and talk to a ton of people.

We need more whimsy like this in our museums (and lives). We're at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

In Baltimore on the first leg of our long Edgar Allan Poe weekend. On a tour at the graveyard of Poe's final resting spot, after several moves. He gives special meaning to it's complicated.

Finally made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time. Good Lord, we should have allotted a lot more time. You literally could spend the whole day here. I'm determined to find the Warren Zevon exhibit before we go.

Capt. Ernesto (Thin Blue Line Fishing) & I double at Riverside Fishing Club tonight. His brother Leo Garza, (14.3-pound lakefront walleye), may also show. Meeting begins 6:45 p.m., Ernesto after 7, me around 8. My topics include lakefront, perch & Fox River dams. Berwyn Moose Lodge, 3625 S. Harlem.

I'll kick off Wilderness Wednesday for the Illinois Extension Service at 6:00 tonight. I'll be talking about public wild spaces along the Kankakee River basin. It's free but you need the zoom link, so register at illinois.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Made Garfield Park Conservatory just in time for the last day of the winter flower show. We took the photo here so that we had Dale Chihuly's glass lilies in the background. I'm never sure what I think of the glass lilies.

Yeah, that is a thought.

We did our First Day Hike at Walnut Point State Park. First time I've been there so I knocked one more IDNR site off my list to hit them all. We had the place to ourselves. I had to chuckle about the name since I didn't notice any walnuts, but saw plenty of shagbark hickory and white oak.

2025 Year in Review: An ode to the outdoors Our top 10 stories run the gamut from a huge walleye to a site change for IHSA bass fishing to piping plovers.

I only retired from the Sun-Times in early November, so I offered to do the year-end wrap on outdoors stories. Enjoy. Chicago is a wonderful place for outdoors. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

My favorite service of the year, the Christmas Eve candlelight service at Flossmoor Community Church. With four adult children, it's special when everyone's together.

Wild birds, too.

I finally drew a permit for Saybrook Pheasant Habitat Area Thursday. Despite wind & rain, we rousted a two dozen pheasants (got 2) before heavy rain ended it. After slogging through wind, rain, leftover snow and thick habitat for 3 1/2 miles, we earned a good feed at Blue Star Cafe in Gibson City.

Had a wonderful time this afternoon hiking 3 miles around Montrose harbor and the bird sanctuary with Bob Mazzoni, who most frequently edited my outdoors column for the Sun-Times. We talked history and life. I took my usual photo because it looks different every time from the harbor's south side.

Well I think the inaugural meeting of the Chicago West Green Drinks went well with Alex Parker of the Green Beer Project. Fascinating topic on the impact climate change is having on beer. Yes I am having fun with my newfound time.

Leo Garza reels in record walleye in Chicago The walleye weighed in at 14.3 pounds on a certified scale

This kind of story pulls me temporarily out of retirement and away from bear hunting. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Dawn popped the remaining color at Allerton on my morning ramble. The multitude of oaks helps with late color and also explains the 40 to 50 gray squirrels I saw on my two-mile ramble. The topper was two pileated woodpeckers, stunningly not making any noise, when I finished at the mansion.

Glad to that thought crossed somebody else's mind.

Winter Fishing Pass Application | Apply Today Join Navy Pier Marina's community by filling out our preferred vendor application. Ideal for charters, dealers, and boat clubs.

The process for obtaining a winter fishing pass at Navy Pier Marina opened on Friday. navypiermarina.com/fishing-pass...

Karyn and I broke up the drive to my youngest niece's wedding tomorrow by stopping at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater over Bear Run just before dark today. Highly recommend it.

So dominant, especially in a dark spot like that.

Orion the Hunter dominated the sky as I walked out before dawn bowhunting deer not far from Cherry Springs in Pennsylvania, one of the best night sky spots east of the Mississippi. Okay, I like the symbolic nature of Orion the Hunter dominating the sky as I go out to the blind.

Appreciate all your work over the years, too.

Chicago outdoors: Chinook draws a crowd, O'Hare buck, fall turkey harvest drop, Stray Cast Raya Redding's Chinook at 31st drawing a crowd, Scott Richard Holm's O'Hare buck photo, the Stray Cast and an update on navigating the Fox Chain O'Lakes are among the notes from around Chicago outdoor...

Final notes package, as always with much help from readers and those who know. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...