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A very cool element of fishing is that each angler's measure of success is unique and personal.
For we who live and fish around Youngstown and Warren, a variety of fishing locations and dozens of species await our efforts. Put simply, we have something for everyone out there.
Many anglers specialize in a certain fish species. Some prefer certain lakes and rivers. Others chose a style of fishing. All of us can succeed. It all depends on what we establish as our objectives out there.
So what's your fancy? With but a few exceptions, anglers can scratch their favorite fishing itch close to home without investing a king's ransom in travel and tackle.
I know lots of anglers whose singular interest is crappies. That's understandable, considering they are abundant in our local reservoirs and they are great table fare, especially in the spring and fall.
Catching a limit of crappies is not too difficult at Mosquito, Pymatuning, Shenango, West Branch, Berlin and Milton. Rods, reels and lures suitable for crappies are about as basic as it gets in fishing.
One interesting footnote about crappie fishing is that anglers often encounter surprise catches. If you know a crappie angler, you can bet he or she also has been startled by a leg-long muskie, a lunker bass or a bull-dozer catfish.
And so it goes all around the Warren-Youngstown area. Muskie anglers get their fix at West Branch, Milton and Pymatuning. Largemouth bass anglers flail the waters of all of our local lakes. Smallmouth bass fans love Shenango, Milton, Berlin and, of course, Lake Erie. The walleye crowd practices their favorite tactics on Erie and several of our nearby reservoirs.
Experienced anglers often have their own set of expectations. They include, but are not limited to, bagging a limit and pursuing personal bests. Anglers who score success by the number and size of their fish have their favorite places where they have a history of success.
For some anglers, merely getting outdoors to enjoy a few hours of fresh air, sunshine, peace and quiet is the hallmark of their week. They have their familiar hangouts on the breakwalls, causeways and state park shorelines at Milton, Berlin, Mosquito, Pymatuning and Shenango.
The quiet-waters contingent can spend their fishing energy paddling kayaks and canoes on the streams and nearby lakes that prohibit gasoline engines. Popular getaways include the Mahoning River, Highlandtown in Columbiana County, Mogadore, Wingfoot, LaDue and western Pennsylvania's Tamarack and Woodcock.
Fly-fishing specialists get their kicks on the cool-water trout streams of western Pennsylvania, while those who target bug-eating panfish whip the ponds and reservoirs across our home region.
They also score on the big-game steelhead trout that migrate out of Erie's depths in the fall to spend winter in the tributaries along the Ohio and Pennsylvania shoreline. Fly fishers, center-pin aficionados and spinning rod fans all measure success by their spectacular battles with acrobatic steelheads.
So again, what's your fancy? Our region's abundance of sport fish and variety of waters deliver the means for success in pretty much anything a freshwater angler might desire.
Jack Wollitz's home waters are in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. He enjoys sharing his experiences in his weekly column for readers of the Tribune Chronicle and Vindicator. Contact him at jackbbaass@gmail.com.