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Summer provides a wide variety for anglers

Bass anglers are entering the season when they can practice catching fish on a variety of lures and tactics. The largemouth bass spawn is finished, the females have recovered and the bucks have abandoned their guard duty over this year’s fry. Water temperatures at our local reservoirs are in the mid 70s, and the bass are feeding throughout the day. Early summer bass are active and scattered in all kinds of cover and structure where they can eat crawfish, perch, bluegill and shad. All of this means those who want to try their luck on bass can experiment with tried-and-true ...

Testing fishing truisms at Lake Erie

The afternoon sun burned a hole in the clouds as another classic fishing truism was about to be re-enacted. I pitched my jig to the end of the rock jetty as the sky brightened. It sank only a couple of feet before I felt the “tick” of the bite. The fuse was lit, so I set the hook and a three-pound smallmouth bass rocketed to the surface and cartwheeled across Lake Erie. It was exactly the aerial show I’d envisioned as I planned a visit to Erie last week with fishing buddy Ted Suffolk of Canfield. Experiences over the decades painted vivid pictures of what we might expect as ...

Father and son build special relationship through fishing

First fish, biggest fish, fun fish. All of them are special, but even more so when they are experienced with special people. As fishing buddies go, none are more special than dads, the fellows who thankfully introduced most of us anglers to the oohs and aahs of the sport we love. Today we salute our fathers and the values they instilled and the lessons they taught their sons and daughters. I am grateful Bob Wollitz is a fisherman who despite his many years of long hours of overtime at Packard Electric still made time to take his son fishing. Now 94, Dad’s “fishing” ...

All anglers should take advantage of Fish for Free weekend

“If it’s free, it’s for me” is a popular saying among consumers who love the ultimate bargain. And so it is for Ohioans who would like to enjoy a day of fishing, but haven’t invested in a license. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources once again has declared a Fish for Free weekend for June 17 and 18. As in years past, the Father’s Day weekend is intended to showcase Ohio’s fishing resources and introduce new anglers to the opportunity to catch a few. “We encourage everyone to come out and experience the abundant fishing opportunities Ohio has to offer,” said ...

Grassroots racing continues to grow nationwide

While NASCAR is beginning to rebuild some of its lost fan base, a growing attendance in grass roots racing just gets bigger and better. No one has done more for dirt racing than three-time NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart. His race promotions and huge payouts attract racers and fans alike. On June 10, he has the Late Model Dream, a race that pays $129,000 to the winner at his Eldora Speedway in Rossburg. July 13 will be the largest paying Sprint car race in the nation with The Eldora Million paying $1,002,023 to the winner. Then, the 40th annual Kings Royal for Sprint cars paying $175,00 ...

WOLLITZ: Anglers find ways to take advantage of novelty baits

Novelty fishing lures have been around for as long as people have fiddled with artificial bait. Clever crafters applied their imaginations to repurpose everyday items to trick fish into striking. It’s reality as art. Think Andy Warhol as a lure designer. Meant to occupy shelf space more than tackle box compartments, novelty lures nevertheless do catch fish. Plugs shaped and painted like beer cans, bottle cap spinner bodies, kitchen spoons and even replicas of body parts all have fooled fish. This might lead us to judge fish as gullible and witless. Maybe, but the truth is we ...