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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 sturdiest of fishermen this year. But as sure as the sun rises in the east, we can count on breaking out the walleye rigs sometime in the next several weeks.
Warm rains will fall and the walleyes will move up to shallow water to prowl for food and seek spawning locations.
Over the years, many of my March walleye trips were on foot. I left the boat home and traveled light to my favorite spots at Mosquito and Berlin.
My favorite tactic was crawling a jig tipped with a minnow over the rip-rap on the dams and causeways of the two reservoirs so popular with springtime anglers. Breakwaters at Mosquito State Park and the Ohio 88 boat ramp also produced spring 'eyes.
The weather was cool, but the fishing was hot, especially during the evening and the first hour or two after sunset. In the low light, the walleye seemed to toss caution to the wind and meandered up to water so shallow that anglers often noticed them rolling and splashing just off the rocks on which they were standing.
Anglers with a bit more adventure in their souls leave the shoreline fishing to others and wade out on the sandbars at Mosquito. They toss walleye jigs and slim minnow jerkbaits to tease the fish out in three to four feet of water at locations all around the perimeter of the Trumbull County reservoir.
I confess to enjoying a special thrill when the first walleye of the year bit. It was a great reward after staking out a productive spot on the bank and tying on the right-sized jig to glide lightly over the snaggy rocks and avoid wedging in the crevices. I generally lip-hooked a lively 2-inch on a one-eighth-ounce ball head jig. It's a classic combo still popular today.
The bite sometimes was subtle, as walleyes rarely smashed my jig. A tell-tale tap, a little bit of heaviness on the business end or simple tightening of the line were cues to set the hook. When everything worked out, I reeled in spunky walleyes and quickly re-rigged to get my bait out in front of others feeding in the water in front of me.
I loved those early spring walleyes and a good many ended up in the skillet at home. Not much can top fresh walleye on the dinner plate.
Many are itching to get after the first fish of the year. March's arrival means the time to scratch that itch is near. Just make sure you have lots of jigs for all those snaggy rocks.
Jack Wollitz's book, "The Common Angler," dives into the experiences that combine to make fishing a passion for so many people. He likes emails from readers. Send a note to jackbbaass@gmail.com.