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Anglers anxiously wait for first trip of the year

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 ...

Big bucks earmarked for Ohio waterway improvements

Big bucks for important environmental projects are earmarked for Ohio waters as our state and nation continue working to improve our stewardship of precious natural resources. The U.S. EPA announced Lake Erie and three major tributaries will receive $1 billion in investments as part of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. The money is to clean up and restore waters designated as “areas of concern.” They are judged to be severely degraded locations. Without clean air and clean water, what’s the point, right? Nevertheless, some critics will decry the expenditures ...

Confident Penguins on verge of history

YOUNGSTOWN — What a difference some momentum can make. Three weeks ago, Youngstown State had just gotten swept by Purdue Fort Wayne in a tough-to-stomach 82-71 defeat at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. It was the Penguins’ fifth loss in six games, and had sunk YSU to a 10-10 overall record and 4-6 mark in the Horizon League. Now, 21 days later, the Penguins are winners of six straight, seeking their first seven-game win streak since the 1997-98 season and are in contention for a coveted top four position in the Horizon League Tournament. They stand at 16-10 overall and ...

Angler takes advantage of wintry weather

The warnings came early and often. The weather forecasters’ words were ominous. Another polar cold front would blitz our region soon. Everyone was talking about it. The homeless should seek shelter. People were advised to bring their pets indoors and prepare themselves for the bitter weather. So I went fishing. Not much in nature can trigger a hot fishing bite better than the impending arrival of bad weather. The thinking is that fish and other animals sense the big change in conditions—including the barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, and cloud cover—and ...

The glory days of Ohio fishing are here and now

I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again: The good ol’ days of Ohio fishing are here and now. As our world spins faster and faster, it is tempting to decry current times. Many look back with rose-colored glasses and see better times, better cars, better everything—and that includes better fishing. But I was fishing 50 years ago (and more), so I think I have the perspective to compare then and now. “Now” wins, hands down, here in Northeast Ohio and elsewhere in the Buckeye State. I think fishing is better today than when I started buying annual fishing licenses, ...

COLUMN: With UIC leaving, where does Horizon League go?

With Illinois-Chicago’s departure from the Horizon League looming, today’s matchup between Youngstown State and the Flames likely marks the final conference trip into the Windy City. UIC announced Jan. 26 it would be departing the Horizon League, and will join the Missouri Valley Conference effective July 1. The Flames joined the Horizon back in 1994. Their move comes as Murray State and Belmont also join the MVC. YSU men’s basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun said of the decision at a Jan. 27 press conference, “I think they’ve done a good job. I don’t think this is a thing ...