Bluegill and many other panfish provide a respite between travel baseball and school restarting

After 46 travel baseball games, Mac Miller earned a break.

The 9-year-old from Mount Greenwood caught this bluegill from the Chippewa Flowage while fishing with guide Jim Leahy, emailed his dad Billy.

“Our Chippewa Flowage trip was a great way to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the Northwoods,” Miller emailed. “We caught bluegills, pumpkinseeds, yellow perch, crappies, rock bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and a warmouth. Best of times.”

Some schools restart in two weeks.

“Mac and his cousin Anna caught over 300 panfish, mostly all from the piers while staying at the Chippewa Shores Resort on Chief lake!,” Miller emailed. “God’s Country.”

FOTW, the celebration of big fish and their stories (the stories matter, as this one vividly shows) around Chicago fishing, runs Wednesdays in the paper Sun-Times. The online posting here at chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors goes up at varied days of the week, depending on what is going on the wide world of the outdoors.

To make submissions, email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com) or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or Instagram (@BowmanOutside).