New State Records in Illinois: Shortnose Gar, Freshwater Drum

Game & Fish Online Staff - June 11, 2018

[caption id="attachment_98965" align="aligncenter" width="648"] Click image to read about more state records on gameandfishmag.com. (Shutterstock image)[/caption]

Illinois has two new state records, according to social media postings by the state fisheries agency.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources reported new records for shortnose gar and freshwater drum in the past couple of weeks.

On May 27, Donald Lawrence of St. Louis caught a 6-pound, 15.2-ounce gar out of Horseshoe Lake in Madison County. The previous record was 5 pounds, .96 ounces, caught in 1999 in the Vermilion River.

>> Click Here: Articles about Illinois

Lawrence told the IDNR he purchased his first kayak in 2013, caught a longnose gar soon after and has been hooked into gar fishing ever since.

"Gar are not deserving of the "trash/rough fish" label," he wrote. " They are apex predators and have not changed in millions of years; plus they are a blast to catch!"

Click here for more story, photos

On June 6, the agency posted news of Johnathan Inman's state-record hook-and-line freshwater drum, which weighed 38 pounds, 4 ounces, bettering the 58-year-old record.

The fish was caught on Clinton Lake while Inman was fishing for catfish.

The previous record of 35 pounds was set in 1960.

Conservation Police Sgt. John Williamson witnessed the weighing at Heinkel's Meat Packing in Decatur.

Click here for more story, photos

For information on fishing opportunities in Illinois, go online to www.ifishillinois.org

Keep Itchy Chigger Bites at Bay This Summer with Chigarid

Lynn Burkhead

Chiggers might be tiny little critters that are hard to see but they sure bring big-time...

Experts agree record channel cat caught in 1949 was actually a blue catfish.

Records

Upon Further Review: 70-Year-Old Catfish Record Voided

G&F Online Staff - May 22, 2019

Experts agree record channel cat caught in 1949 was actually a blue catfish.

Perfect for competition or a day at the range.

Other Hunting

New Gear: MidwayUSA Competition Range Bag

G&F Staff

Perfect for competition or a day at the range.

Lure Lock Tackle Cases: No-Spill, No-Scent

Glenn Walker talks us through the soy-based technology that makes Lure Lock cases spill-proof and scent-proof. With Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at ICAST 2019 in Orlando.

Costa and Captains for Clean Water

With the company's heavy involvement in initiatives like Kick the Plastic and Captains for Clean Water campaigns, Costa's Amanda Sabin tells OSG's Lynn Burkhead all about the sunglass maker's unwavering commitment to help the freshwater and saltwater environment.