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Don’t focus on success, learn to live in the moment

Anglers who go to the water with the sole purpose of catching fish are missing some of the best experiences one can have out there. Gauging success strictly on how many fish we catch fails to take into account the rewards that come from simply being out on the lake and paying attention to what’s going on around us. While some of my best fishing days have been those when the bite was red hot, I can say with a straight face that I rarely regret even the slow days. No kidding. I look at fishing with a frame of reference that is broader than some anglers’ expectations. Now ...

Wollitz: Changing temperatures a ‘good sign’ for anglers

Water temperatures throughout Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania are slowly dropping after peaking in the mid-to-upper-80s a few weeks ago, which is a good sign for anglers yearning for the autumn uptick in fish activity. Several days ago, I was seeing lake water temperatures ranging from 74 to 76 degrees, around 10 degrees lower than what I observed in late July. Whether you are chasing largemouth or smallmouth bass, walleyes or crappies, cooling water brings high hopes for anglers. Dips in temperature trigger increased feeding behavior, making it more likely that fish will ...

Some older reels still have a little more fight left in them

It is easy to put the past behind us – often for good reasons – but from time to time I like to reach back and pull up some of the stuff that influenced my passion for fishing. While rummaging around my fishing shop recently, I came across three fishing reels that I treasured as a young angler: a vintage Pfleuger Pelican 1020 spinning reel handed down from Dad, a venerable green Johnson spincast and my pride and joy Mitchell 308. They were the reels of my youth, their twirling bails spinning the foundation for a lifetime of joy on the water. The old 308, a scaled-down version ...

Wollitz: A day of fishing over 30 years in the making

More than 30 years after a Poland Middle School student penned a letter describing his great interest in fishing, we finally made good on a suggestion about getting out on the lake together. Kevin Schaffert’s heartfelt letter to me struck a nerve. That a seventh grader would take the time to so earnestly express his love for fishing made a big impression. I replied with encouragement for his fishing. Kevin, his father, Eric, and I soon bumped into each other in town. A youngster as smitten by fishing as Kevin deserved an invitation to hit the lake. But as often happens, lots of ...

Sharon Speedway honoring Lou Blaney

Sharon Speedway will honor the late, great Lou Blaney this Saturday for the 18th annual Lou Blaney Night. During his long racing career, Blaney won more than 600 feature events, was Lernerville Speedway champion eight times, and he was also track champion at Tri-City and Jennerstown, Modified champ five times at Sharon and three at Lernerville. He was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, Pittsburgh Circle Track and Twin State Auto Racing Club Hall of Fame. The Curbstone Coaches also made him an inductee. Blaney passed away in ...

Cavaliers put all their eggs into one basket

It took three weeks of waiting, but the basketball world -- really the sports world as a whole -- finally discovered where LeBron James will play next season. James left the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this offseason. And immediately after, basketball fans around the world wanted to know where the future Hall of Famer would potentially end his career. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat quickly came to mind. They made sense due to prior experiences with the franchises, and he already brought championships to both teams. There were also two others: the Golden State Warriors and ...