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Easter marks the beginning of spring fishing

Regardless of the actual date, Easter in Ohio is a sure sign that spring fishing is peaking. Walleyes, crappies and bass are like Easter basket goodies for anglers in the spring, and no corner of our state is better capable of fulfilling our desires than Trumbull, Mahoning and Ashtabula counties. In fact, April is the best month of the year to catch the Northeast Ohio trifecta: a walleye, crappie and largemouth bass all on the same day. Three lakes are especially likely to yield each of the Big Three to spring anglers. Mosquito would be the best bet, followed closely by ...

Bassmaster Classic set to crown champ

Sometime just after 7 p.m. today, the world of professional bass fishing will crown a new world champion at the 54th annual Bassmaster Classic in Tulsa, Okla., completing another chapter in the long and colorful history of fishing’s biggest event. The field of 56 Classic anglers launched Friday for the first day of competition on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake and will conclude later today at the final weigh-in stage in front of more than 15,000 fans in the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa. Today is the day when the focus of everyone in the bass world is directed on one event. On-the-water ...

Childhood sparks Armitage’s interest in angling

Life’s twists and turns often point us toward purposes that we recognize only after we’re chin deep in achieving them. For outdoor writer Dan Armitage of Worthington, a book royalties check written to his father more than 60 years ago funded the foundation of his angling interest and his mission as a fishing educator. Armitage has been working for decades as a writer of fishing and hunting articles, hosted his own long-running syndicated radio show and is the presenter of his “Kids Fishing Fun” seminars at winter outdoor sports shows from Denver to New York. He now shares ...

Penguins continued upward trajectory

YOUNGSTOWN — This year, Youngstown State proved its historic 2022-2023 season wasn’t a one-off. The Penguins continued to make history in 2023-2024, building on the program’s most-ever Division I wins and first Horizon League regular season championship last year. With almost a ...

Early spring weather is activating fish

Today may not be your idea of fine fishing weather, but sunny days already have inspired many anglers to visit our lakes and rivers, and better weather is returning Tuesday. Warm weather starting in February and continuing into March has activated Northeast Ohio walleyes, crappies, steelhead trout and largemouth bass. It’s still officially winter, but the conditions are clearly early spring-like. Lots of fish are on the prowl for food to build fat reserves for the coming spawning activities. Steelhead anglers John Breedlove and Chris DePaola see a couple more weeks of good ...

Fishing frees the mind for Spehar family

Nighttime is the right time for angler Linda “Lynn” Spehar, but she will make time anytime to fish with husband Ivan or in the annual United Way bass tournament. Spehar has fished most of her life, enjoying saltwater trips for bluefish off the New Jersey coast, family outings and lately as a teammate in the Muransky Companies Bass Classic benefiting the United Way on Aqua Ohio’s Pine and Evans lakes. She’s about as avid an angler as one can imagine, particularly when it comes to fishing after dark. We recently asked her to explain the “why” behind her passion for ...