Each bite is its own clue out on the water

March 27, 2022

You know you’re doing the right thing on the water when the bass are actually competing with each other to get to your lure. Each bite provides the angler with a clue about the fishes’ behavior. Savvy fishers build on each bite to tweak their game plans. They use the clues and cues to make selections and presentations that they hope will generate more bites as the day progresses. When the bites come in pairs, you can rest assured you have the right bait in the right water with the right retrieve. I’ve been noodling around bass ponds in Southwest Florida recently as I ...

Anglers await first fishing trip of the spring

March 20, 2022

With forecasts calling for a week featuring mild temperatures and a little rain, more and more anglers are ready to break out of their winter retreats and head to their favorite lakes for walleyes, crappies and bass. Fishing is full of highs and lows. Every angler has special memories. It’s all very personal. It’s safe to say most of us reserve a special drawer in our memory banks for each season’s first catches. I have logged more than 50 first springtime fishing trips, so my memory bank is overflowing. I will share a few with you today and hope you might be willing to ...

Basketball Classic worth keeping, but needs improvement

March 19, 2022

As the curse goes, “May you live in interesting times.” It’s sure been an interesting few days for those following Youngstown State basketball. The Penguins survived their first-round matchup of The Basketball Classic on Wednesday night in a 70-65 victory over Morgan State. Then, the fun began. The Basketball Classic’s website initially showed that YSU was set to play at Wofford last night. That alone would’ve been a tough sell, as it would have given the Penguins just Thursday to travel. Then, the game was set for today at 2 p.m. Obviously, that isn’t happening. The ...

Spring thaw means it’s time to jig for walleye

March 13, 2022

Nothing says spring to a walleye angler quite as definitively as dragging a jig through the tailraces of the dams throughout our region. For most of my adult life, I have looked forward to the annual thaw that drains fresh cold water to our reservoirs in March. Lakes Milton, Berlin and Mosquito, in particular, grew popular with anglers who knew the dams’ discharges were the places to be once the current hit a certain volume and the water reached the right temperature to activate the walleyes in the downstream river stretches. Around St. Patrick’s Day each year, anglers pull out ...

Fishing licenses play important role for anglers

March 6, 2022

Spring is the season when many anglers buy their Ohio fishing license to ensure they are properly authorized to fish for their favorite species across our state. While licenses these days expire 12 months after their purchase, many anglers follow tradition and buy theirs in March, just as they did for decades under the former system when licenses expired Feb. 28. A fishing license is required to fish in Ohio’s public waters. Ohio resident fishing licenses cost $25 and are valid for one year from date of purchase. Fishing licenses (and hunting licenses) are important for ...

Anglers anxiously wait for first trip of the year

February 27, 2022

Around the first of March every year, the fishing itch starts to get unbearable here in Northeast Ohio. The promise of spring, open water and stringers of walleyes and crappies pulls anglers through the winter. Visions of fishing near budding willows with gentle waves swishing a soft beat against an aluminum hull take me back to days long ago when the season’s first fishing trip was a really big deal. It still is, actually, perhaps even more so now that I have more than 50 first trips of the season behind me. The weather in early March may still be a bit dicey for even the ...