No fossil finds on this day. Also tried my spin on a small midge pattern. Hope everyone is staying home so I can get these on the water soon.
Cracking Mazon Creek Fossils and Tying Flies
Sharing some photos from Day 2 of staying in. I went through the concretions from my Mazon Creek collecting trip from March 1. I cracked about 10 of them total, perhaps about 50 left (I have to pace myself since we still have over 2 weeks of this left). Unfortunately, I came up with just […]
Mazon Creek Fossil Collecting March 1, 2020
A few weeks ago, in simpler times, I partook in my annual fossil collecting trip to the famous site of Mazon Creek’s Pit 11. I was joined by a couple old collecting friends and a few new ones as well. I also saw and met many people on the trails and in the parking lot […]
Mazon Creek Pit 11 Fossil Collecting- March 25, 2019
Mazonia Pit 11 Season Opener (ish) After a long winter, collecting season is finally here and we are slowly coming out of hibernation! The earliest that weather and time allowed to collect Pit 11 for me was March 25 this year. The weather was perfect hiking weather, sunny with highs in the mid-40s. On this […]
Green River Formation Collecting: July 2018 Part 1
Green River Formation Fossil Collecting American Fossil Quarry in Kemmerer, WY, July 25-26 In my ongoing quest to collect and document the last remaining Public Fossil Collecting Sites for the American Fossil Hunt book and collecting guide, I crossed a big one off the list. After visiting Yellowstone National Park this summer, I made a trip […]
Mazon Creek Pit 11 Collecting Report 4/22/2018- South Unit
A Quick Trip To The Mazon Creek South Unit in Late April Like the past 3 years, it has so far been a very late spring here. While the rest of the U.S. is enjoying 60-degree plus weather, Chicagoland is still recovering from the last blanket of snow. This weekend though, was the first taste […]
Illinois Trout Opener- Kankakee River Rock Creek 3/25/2018
This is a short and simple fishing report for my first time fishing Kankakee River State Park in Illinois. It is one of 54 locations in Illinois where the Illinois Department of Natural Resources stocks farm-raised trout for recreational fishing. The full list of locations is here https://www.ifishillinois.org/programs/trout_stocking.html The first 2 weeks of the trout opener […]
Mazon Creek Opener 2018
The days are getting longer, and a bit warmer, slowly but surely. Spring is around the corner. Mazon Creek is now open for collecting from March 1-September 30. I’ve written a lot about the history, terrain, and collecting of this locale, so my next few trip reports will just be a reflection on the day’s […]
Inside Fossil Collecting Mazon Creek Pit 11: The Field Guide
The book is finally done. I’ve spent the past year taking and editing photos, prospecting new sites in Mazon Creek Pit 11, and creating a workable field guide to help others navigate the area. It is now available for purchase as a paperback copy accompanied by an eBook version. The eBook will be available indefinitely, […]
Mazon Creek Pit 11 Collecting Report- Islands and Braceville Hill Late 2017
Mazon Creek Collecting Report #4 Yesterday, on September 30, marks the last day of the Fossil Collecting season of the Mazonia State Fish and Wildlife area for 2017. I did not go collect then, the area is quite overgrown regardless. This post briefly highlights 2 end-of season hunts in the previous weekends. One of which […]
