Jerry Bayne caught his biggest mudpuppy Sept. 22 south of Burnham Harbor on a 6-inch Rattlin’ Rogue.
“Thought it was a small burbot until I netted it and noticed the legs,” he emailed.
Mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus) are amphibians native to Illinois and found statewide, but they’re listed as threatened. I think that status is more of protective one because so little is known of them. Anglers rarely encounter them in the Chicago area, though mudpuppies seem to be caught most often in winter around Navy Pier.
I’ll call this Amphibian of the Week, though I’m not sure I’ve ever done that before. Same as Fish of the Week, if you wish to submit an AOTW to celebration them and their stories around Chicago outdoors, here’s how:
To make submissions, email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com) or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), X (@BowmanOutside), Instagram (@BowmanOutside) or Bluesky (@BowmanOutside.bsky.social).