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Specialists are the rule rather than the exception today on our local reservoirs, even though the lakes offer good fishing for the three most popular species here in Northeast Ohio.
Check the boats at Mosquito Lake as their skippers get ready for a day on the water. You will see lots of bass boats with decks strewn with rods rigged for largemouth. You will see many boats with bait buckets and spinning rods sporting jigs. You also will see a number of rigs set up for casting tiny jig-and-minnow combos hanging under adjustable floats.
One thing you'll rarely see, however, is the angler readying rods to cast for bass, crappies and walleyes during the same trip. That's a shame, considering that those who fish at Mosquito often are within a few yards of all three species, as well as aggressive northern pike, just about anywhere they are fishing on the Trumbull County reservoir.
Anglers often catch crappies and bass while walleye fishing. Many crappie anglers catch a bass or two and even walleyes while dunking minnows in the willows. But rare is the angler whose boat's deck has rods with lures specifically intended for walleyes, crappies and bass.
Mosquito is one lake where a fisher might achieve a freshwater grand slam. That would be a day when he or she pulls in a largemouth, crappie, walleye, and even a three-foot-long northern pike.
The grand slam might happen any time during the open-water season, but April is the best month to try it. Each of the four - pike, crappies, bass and walleyes - are peaking in their feeding behavior and often move into the same near-shore habitat.
Anglers who specialize in one of the popular species can increase their odds of catching other game species with a few minor tweaks in tackle and techniques.
Start your grand slam game plan on an area of the lake that is getting ample sunshine and benefiting from light wave action that stirs up the surrounding ecosystem.
For bass, I recommend two simple setups. One is a Texas-rigged beavertail bait with a 3/16- or ¼-ounce tungsten weight on a 17-pound-test fluorocarbon line. The other is a ¼-ounce double willowleaf spinnerbait with a white and chartreuse skirt.
With the spinnerbait, make short roll casts to laydowns and the alleys between willow bushes and buck brush. Experiment with retrieve speeds and stop-and-go action.
The Texas-rigged beavertail plastic should be pitched into the shadows of logs and other thick cover where big bass wait to ambush perch, bluegills, shad and crawfish.
Before you pack up and leave the area, try working a tiny jig tipped with bait on a spinning rod with 6-pound fluoro for crappies that might be hanging next to the willows and buck brush.
On your way in and out of the bays and coves where the crappies and bass reside, cast a jig and crawler or jig and minnow for walleyes cruising the sandy flats, emerging vegetation, and hard-bottom points.
Spinnerbaits and bladed jigs are favorites of Mosquito Lake's thriving northern pike population. As you traverse from one fishing location to the next, cover the water with flashy spinners and bladed jigs tipped with bright-colored boot-tail swimbaits for pike that prowl for perch and bluegills.
With a bit of effort and a little luck, it's possible you will finish your day with memories of leaping bass and dashing pike and a few walleyes and crappies for the dinner table. That's a good day in any angler's life.
Jack Wollitz's book, "The Common Angler," is an immersive look at why anglers are passionate about fishing. Send a note to jackbbaass@gmail.com. 35