Anglers rejoice as normalcy returns

August 7, 2021

Normal. Everybody wants it. We love normal. The COVID pandemic disrupted our routines in 2020 and taught us to appreciate every gain we make on the return trip to normal. Anglers want normal, too. It’s good when we go to the lake and find everything the way we expect it to be. When things are normal, anglers can expect to fish successfully. The heavy rains that soaked our region in July added a lot of water to our rivers and lakes. Many of our region’s reservoirs were well above their normal summer levels, pushing popular species like bass and crappies up into the ...

Early-morning fishing makes for a great reunion

July 31, 2021

For many, 6:30 in the morning is too early for anything other than coffee and a glance at the headlines. But for two anglers earlier this week, 6:30 was the beginning of a day on a lake and the opportunity to catch up on the 50 years that have passed since they graduated from high school. Fishing truly is the common denominator for millions of Americans. Such is the case with Jim Ellashek and me. Other than being proud Spartan classmates with more than 500 other Boardman High School Class of ’71 graduates, Jim and I are card-carrying members of the unofficial association of people ...

Column: All good things come to an end

July 25, 2021

I remember the first time I heard the word “guardian.” It was probably around the time I registered for kindergarten, and my dad informed me that he was my “guardian.” He also liked to say the above quote when it was time to end a vacation or go back to school or get me to do other things that I didn’t want to do. Now I feel compelled to accept this “guardian” as the new nickname of the major league baseball team I’ve been rooting for for about 57 years. 57 ... one more game than Joe DiMaggio had consecutive games of hits. Where have you gone Chief Wahoo? A ...

Accurate casting mandatory around boat docks

July 17, 2021

Boat docks attract fishermen like flowers attract bees, but the dock-angler relationship isn’t always a match made in heaven. A variety of species of fish are genetically inclined to seek overhead cover. Boat docks certainly score high in that category, which makes them prime real estate for bluegills, rock bass, perch, crappies and game fish like largemouth and smallmouth bass and even muskies and catfish. Anglers gravitate to boat docks for good reason. Lots of fish live around and under them as they are rich in cover and food for everything from crustaceans and minnows to ...

Sports writer’s farewell thoughts

June 7, 2021

There was never a moment during my childhood where I considered being a writer, not even a sports writer. All I cared about were sports, and my goal was the NFL or Major League Baseball. There wasn’t really a Plan B, not until college hit, and flag football and slow-pitch softball were the only sports I was playing. As a struggling sophomore in college, an English professor named Alyssa Lenhoff brought to my attention that Youngstown State University’s student newspaper, “The Jambar,” was in need of a sports editor. I remember asking: “So, they’ll basically pay me to ...

Give back to community through fishing

May 29, 2021

For 21 years, a hundred or more anglers have gathered at the boat ramps of two Aqua Ohio lakes the first Saturday after Memorial Day to compete for big bass and bragging rights. They will go to Evans and Pine lakes again June 5 to continue the two-decade tradition of anglers raising money that helps fund family services and other programs supported by the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. Today known as the Muransky Companies Bass Classic, the annual fundraising bass tournament has returned to the calendar after 2020’s edition was canceled due to the COVID ...