Persistence necessary in slow start to season

November 6, 2022

Even the most experienced and insightful anglers sometimes struggle to trigger strikes from wily game fish. John Breedlove certainly qualifies as an expert angler. He has caught just about every kind of fish that swims Northeast Ohio waters and rarely goes home without limiting out. Breedlove, a Girard resident, is especially savvy in the ways of the steelhead trout that grow far out in Lake Erie and migrate to the river mouths every fall enroute to their winter homes in the tributaries’ pools. He makes two to four trips a week to troll the harbors and river mouths for steelies, ...

Anglers look to solve each day’s problem

October 30, 2022

When the high-fives are easy and the hoots and hollers are echoing off the water, the fishing is fun and the catching is even better. Anglers live for the days when good fortune smiles on their efforts. But it’s not always fun and games out on the water. Veteran anglers know the good times can be interrupted by long streaks of tough luck and frustration. That’s when good anglers rise to the occasion and find the way to catch a few to save the day. Fishing, in fact, is not so much about catching as it is about solving the day’s riddle. Where are the fish? What is their ...

8-man football a reality some must consider

October 24, 2022

Last week, Sebring announced its decision to pursue 8-man football for the foreseeable future as a way to keep the program alive. Sad? Sure. It’s sad to see a team “close up shop” on a sport. But truthfully, I prefer to think of this move as rebirth more than anything. The football team isn’t going anywhere. The schedule is going to look a little different and there’s going to be a few less players on the field at a time, but at its core, Sebring still has a football team. The marching band will still be there to play and the lights will still shine on Friday night. In ...

Pleasant weather provides grand finale to season

October 23, 2022

After a spell of autumn’s mid-season nasty weather, there is nothing like a few days of unseasonable weather to light the fuse on fishing’s fall fireworks. The forecast shows 70-degree weather, which means prime time action for just about all of the popular game and panfish in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. This weekend is shaping up as a great opportunity to hook up with walleyes, crappies, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and Lake Erie steelhead trout. Walleye are local anglers’ favorite species in the spring, but by the time we get to October many of us are ...

Sebring moving to 8-man football

October 21, 2022

When Sebring closes its season tonight with a road game at Springfield, it will also close the books – at least for the foreseeable future – on its participation in 11-man football. Last week, the Sebring Board of Education held a special meeting to discuss the Trojans’ football ...

October weather provides different opportunities

October 16, 2022

Few things rival a sunny October day when the breeze is southerly at just enough pace to ruffle the water and the bass are in the mood to play. Two recent fishing trips help make my point. Last Sunday and Tuesday dawned clear and crisp. Experience indicated there was no need to try to beat the sunrise over the boat ramp, so I agreed with fishing buddies Tyler Woak of Niles and Ted Suffolk of Canfield to meet mid-morning to give the sun time to warm the air and water. A couple of degrees can make a huge difference in cold-water fishing, especially in the spring and summer. When the ...