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Lake Erie biting hard for spring walleye

He owns trophies from dozens of tournaments, including major national championships, so Sammy Cappelli has proven his mettle when it comes to finding and catching big walleyes regardless of the waterway or time of the year. Fresh from his big win in the Cabella’s Masters Walleye Circuit season opener on the Illinois River (see last week’s column for winning details), Cappelli offered a few pointers for Northeast Ohio anglers looking to jump start their 2023 walleye fishing. We asked him, “What’s the best bet this spring for Ohio walleye?” He didn’t even hesitate to ponder ...

Cappelli cooks up victory, brings home trophy

Pro walleye angler Sammy Cappelli combined intuition with talent and experience to cook up a major victory in the deep-freeze Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit tournament last week on the Illinois River. Cappelli added another major trophy to his collection at home in Poland thanks to his ability to endure terrible weather and figure out the Illinois River walleyes and saugeyes. He and teammate Tony Karrick of Chicago sacked a two-day limit of 10 walleyes and saugeyes weighing 21 pounds 5 ounces to win the tournament contested in sub-freezing temperatures and 20- to 30-mph wind ...

Lake Erie continues to impress

News from the Ohio Division of Wildlife last week confirmed the 10.15-pound smallmouth bass caught in Lake Erie by an Ohio fisherman in November was a 16-year-old female and likely the largest bass ever reeled from the lake. Erie continues to impress with super catches of walleyes, smallies and steelhead trout. Few can argue that for the small investment in a fishing license, Ohio anglers now have access to some of the finest freshwater fishing in the world. When the weather is right, anglers who know what they are doing can count on unparalleled excitement and angling satisfaction ...

YSU’s 2022-2023 season a mixed bag, but mostly a success

YOUNGSTOWN — From the high of beating Green Bay in the Kress Center to the low of losing four of its final five games, the 2022-23 season was a roller coaster for Youngstown State. But, with an overall record of 19-11 and a conference record of 13-7, it still has to be considered a ...

Trip to Disney jogs the mind of memories

The morning sun still touched the treetops Tuesday as I admired the lake in front of me and recalled the exact same view I saw in the distant past. The lakescape before me was a mirror image from more than 30 years ago. I stood on the dock in 1992 with considerable eagerness to get out there in pursuit of big largemouth bass and experience a day on the water that I shared with readers in a Vindy column that opened with the line, “There’s something goofy about fishing in Disney.” Thirty years ago seemed like yesterday as I admired Bay Lake from Disney’s Wilderness Lodge last ...

NIT still an opportunity for Penguins

YOUNGSTOWN — It wasn’t the ending for which Youngstown State had hoped. Not after the preseason excitement. Not after taking Power 5 program Notre Dame to the wire. And certainly not after months of some of the best basketball in program history, capped by a regular season Horizon ...