One of my fishing friends reels in a pretty penny organizing and promoting fishing adventures in exotic locations in Central and South America.

His business serves people who scratch their itch for trophy catches of tuna, marlin, dorado, grouper and all manner of saltwater species aboard skippered charter vessels operating out of lodges and marinas that cater to U.S. anglers.

Anglers yearn for amazing encounters with fish that fight hard and break the scales, but most are shy about digging into their retirement savings to pay for trips to Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and Brazil.

Fortunately, the potential for once-in-a-lifetime trophy catches also exists right here in Northeast Ohio. Anglers who invest time in learning tactics and locations to hook up with mega muskies, flathead catfish, walleyes, smallmouth bass and steelhead trout will find lots of trophy opportunities throughout our corner of the fishing world.

For many anglers, “adventure” is wherever they can wet a line. Lakes in the everyday vocabulary of local anglers splash across the landscapes in Trumbull, Mahoning, Portage and Ashtabula counties. Each has fish that can earn bragging rights back at their docks.

Muskies abound in West Branch, Pymatuning and Milton, with West Branch offering perhaps the best odds for boating a trophy fish. The Portage County reservoir’s muskie population has been strong for many years. Fish topping 40 inches are caught every week of the open water season.

Pymatuning has been a muskie hotspot for as long as I can recall. It has gone through a few up-and-down cycles over the past several decades, but Pymatuning has long been a place where a 50-inch fish is not out of the realm of possibilities.

Milton’s muskies continue to surprise visiting anglers. Anglers fishing for bass and walleyes often encounter muskies crushing their light-tackle offerings. Milton has a healthy population of baitfish that ensure its muskies are well-fed. The action swings during the season between main-lake areas and the incoming Mahoning River above and below the Ellsworth Road bridge.

Wall-hanger walleyes are the signature fish of Lake Erie. The population includes lots of citation size walleyes as well as fish topping 30 inches. Good fishing for trophy walleyes is available out of the marinas in Geneva, Ashtabula and Conneaut.

Mosquito Lake and Berlin Reservoir are home to trophy-size walleyes, though not as many as swim in Erie. Mosquito has morphed into more of a big-fish lake in recent years, with many anglers noting a decline in smaller fish.

Smallmouth bass topping 20 inches, which many consider the line between good and great, are available to near-shore anglers off Ashtabula County’s Lake Erie coastline. The harbors and breakwaters will yield trophy catches now through the Fourth of July.

Steelhead are yet another Lake Erie trophy fish. The big silver bullets that have wintered in Erie’s Ohio tributaries will soon be retreating to the big lake, but will return in September and October to give anglers opportunities for memorable fishing trips.

Flathead catfish approaching scary sizes swim in good numbers in Mosquito Lake. Anglers casting cutbait and other traditional catfish lures connect with good numbers of big flatheads, including trophy fish topping 30 pounds.

If you are looking for a wall-hanger this year, look no further than the lakes just an hour from your home. You won’t be boating any exotic species, but you won’t be breaking the bank either.

Jack Wollitz has been writing about Northeast Ohio’s best fisheries for more than four decades. Contact him at jackbbaass@gmail.com