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Fishing from youth can inspire lifelong adventure

Something surreal exists in the minds of young anglers who imagine oversized adventures in tiny waters close to home. That’s the way it was for me. And judging by recently received information, that’s the way it was for a couple of my fishing friends. Friday afternoon, Tyler Woak recounted that day’s great fishing in a little creek that drains into the Mahoning River near his home in Niles. On a whim, Tyler trekked out to the stream where he’d cut his teeth in the fishing game. He grabbed a spinning rod and a pocketful of Ned rigs to drag through the current for the ...

Intriguing games of Week 9, 10

Two weeks from today, teams will be putting on their pads and plunging into their regular season schedules. This will mark the final week of our series discussing the top high school matchups in the area. As such, today we’ll delve into Weeks 9 and 10. Week 9 Harding at ...

Couch Fan: The end of college football

One of my elders back in the day used to tell me that history didn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme. Well, that old adage can certainly pertain to the history of U.S. Presidents when talking about the similarities between Richard Nixon and Donald Trump, but I didn’t thinkt it pertained to sports history. Not until the last day of June, that is. I was in Progressive Field watching the Indi... er Guardians come back on their division rival the Minnesota Twins when my iPhone tweeted out news that USC and UCLA were talking about entering the Big Ten. Two West Coast icons, ...

Watson’s punishment not enough

Monday morning, former federal change and disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson handed down her punishment for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, a decision that interested parties across the country have been waiting for. The action being judged? Watson being accused by nearly two dozen women in Texas of sexual misconduct during massage treatments. In her review, Robinson called the behavior “more egregious than any before reviewed by the NFL.” The ensuing punishment? A six-game suspension that will allow Watson to return for Cleveland’s Oct. 23 road matchup against the ...

Summer fishing better than normal lately

August is supposed to bring the “dog days” of summer fishing, but if recent activity is any indication, I wouldn’t hang up my rods and wait for Labor Day to return to the water. Reports from Lake Erie say the central basin waters off Fairport Harbor, Geneva and Ashtabula continue to produce for anglers working a wide range of depths with a variety of tactics. Inland anglers also are catching fish. Walleyes and bass are biting at Pymatuning and bass, crappies and bluegills are showing up on the edges of Mosquito’s sprawling weed beds. Up on Erie, anglers are catching ...

Daydreaming of returning to angling

As my summer of recuperation grinds on, I’ve memorized every crack in the sidewalk, every leaf on the holly bushes and even named the chipmunk that scurries to and from its den under our landscaping. For an angler, a few weeks away from the lake is difficult. For an angler on the mend, a few months is excruciating. So I turn to my imagination, based on more than 50 years of exploring our Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania lakes. It’s a better diversion than you might guess. July is one of my favorite months on nearby Shenango Reservoir. Created by a high dam in ...