The Outdoor Report

Largemouth bass continue to be caught at Hidden Lake’s Round Meadow Lake on a variety of baits including chatter baits, spinner baits and soft plastics. The outside weed edge has been the hot spot, so fishing from a boat is the best option for access. Bluegills have also been caught using a worm on a small hook suspended under a bobber.

Cricket Creek’s Green Lake has been producing crappie, bluegill and yellow bass along the shorelines on small jigs. Channel catfish are hitting chicken liver, stink bait and shrimp in Green Lake.

At Churchill Woods, anglers have been catching carp, bluegill, bullhead and largemouth bass in the East Branch of the DuPage River. At Wood Dale Grove’s Grove Lake, some nice largemouth bass have been reported, including a 19-inch fish caught on night crawlers. At Blackwell’s Silver Lake, worms under bobbers have reeled in largemouth bass.
To share your fishing information, send an e-mail to forest@dupageforest.com.

Now is a good time to watch for butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies. Look for monarch butterflies feeding and laying eggs on milkweed plants. Black swallowtails and tiger swallowtails are common prairie species and, and feature long lobes on their wings. For dragonflies and damselflies, look for them at marshes and slow-moving streams. Common dragonflies of marshes are blue dashers, eastern pondhawks and eastern amberwings.  Look for ebony jewelwing damselflies along Sawmill Creek at Waterfall Glen, as well as along with many species of bluets.

Prairies are starting to come alive with color. Look for yellow flowers on the 6- to 8-feet-tall flower stacks of compass plant and prairie dock. And don’t forget the purple hues of blue vervain, spiderwort, and wild bergamot. Look for culver’s-root, mountain mint and white prairie clover adding a splash of white. If you come across a plant with clusters of vibrant orange, you’re likely seeing butterfly weed, one of the few orange prairie flowers. Some great places to see these colorful plants are at Waterfall Glen, Churchill Woods, Springbrook Prairie and West Chicago Prairie forest preserves. Remember that the picking or collecting any plants is not permitted so that everyone — animals, insects and people alike — can enjoy them.
With over 25,000 acres, 140 miles of trails and 60 preserves all right at your feet, there’s a perfect way to enjoy DuPage County’s forest preserves that's just waiting for you. For information, call (630) 933-7200, or visit www.dupageforest.com.

With over 25,000 acres, 140 miles of trails and 60 preserves all right at your feet, there’s a perfect way to enjoy DuPage County’s forest preserves that's just waiting for you. For information, call (630) 933-7200, or visit www.dupageforest.com.