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Important lessons from a longtime angler

By my calculations, I’ve gone fishing more than a thousand times in my adult life, so one might guess I’ve learned a thing or two about the ways of the wily fish I target and how I might tempt them into biting my baits. I was thinking about this topic last week as I prepared the 14 rods I stow under the Bass Cat’s deck. Each rod serves a purpose — like the clubs in a golfer’s bag — so they are rigged with the right line for the job and the lures to match the task. It takes an hour and a half before each fishing trip to sort through the mayhem that results from the ...

Be observant of fellow anglers, you can learn a lot

A chapter in my book is dedicated to celebrating the pure joy of experiencing a day on the water solo, with no worries other than which lure to tie to my line and where to make my next cast. Solo fishing days are cathartic. In “The Common Angler,” I wrote, “Fact is I return from a solo fishing trip feeling recharged. It’s like my body’s battery absorbed more energy than it expended.” But I am not a creepy loner fisherman. While solo trips are good, I really do enjoy sharing the water with friends. In a chapter entitled “Fishing with friends,” I wrote, “Fishing and ...

Youngstown State receiver CJ Charleston impressive in return

YOUNGSTOWN — There was a time that CJ Charleston thought he may never play football again. After a productive sophomore campaign that saw the dynamic Youngstown State wide receiver catch 16 passes for 147 yards, Charleston was primed to take another step forward in the 2022 season. ...

Summer’s change to fall brings new fishing possibilities

My black hoodie soaked up the rising sun and radiated warmth to my shoulders Thursday as we pushed from the dock and headed to our morning’s first fishing hole in the 54-degree chill. Everything is relative, so while 54 degrees is hot in December, it’s not in summer. The chilly dawn called for an extra layer of clothing, but the sun would deliver welcome energy as fishing friend Ted Suffolk sought largemouth bass willing to play. Cool evenings had reduced the lake water temperature by 6 degrees down to 72, marking the beginning of the inevitable arrival of the annual transition ...

Keeping an open mind brings fresh perspective

Random thoughts come to mind during a day on the water as we focus on our intended game plan, but with room in our thinking for a fresh idea. On the lake, I’m concentrating on the water around my boat and discovering the best way to put the right lure in front of a fish in a manner that persuades that fish to eat it. That is not to say, however, that I don’t keep an open mind. One recent random thought got me considering my fishing from a new perspective. The thought that crept into my brain as I lobbed my lure to largemouths lurking in the lush shoreline vegetation was all about ...

Macafee: Week one proves to be stormy and action-packed

The first week of high school football in the Mahoning Valley has come and gone, and I’m still hearing about the excitement that came with it. The thunderstorms rolled in Thursday, bringing a halt to a few matchups and delaying another, but they didn’t stick around long enough to cause any worry for Friday, and I’m thankful they didn’t. We had two games in our area — Columbiana/Lowellville and Pymantuning Valley/Mineral Ridge — that came down to the waning moments. In Columbiana, Lowellville quarterback Michael Ballone ran back and forth across the field as the ...