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With no Masters, Ohio still has its own spring traditions

The Masters golf championship every April reminds me about one of the great spring traditions. Certainly, the Masters is all about golf, as Augusta National blooms forth in full springtime glory. The azaleas and dogwoods pop on my TV screen in colorful contrast to the rich green of the greens and fairways. But Georgia has no corner on the spring season. The emerging flowers and budding trees here in Northeast Ohio are our annual reminder that the best crappie fishing of the season is hitting full stride. We are particularly fortunate in the Youngstown and Warren areas to have ...

Always keep safety in mind

The water is still cold and the forecasts are rainy, which serves to remind us that proper planning is important if we are to maximize our success on the lakes this season. Whether you are itching to catch Lake Erie walleyes, a limit of Mosquito Lake crappies or a smallmouth bass from the Mahoning River, your trip will be more enjoyable if you are prepared for the conditions. We all know Erie can be a dangerous place when the weather kicks up. Mosquito is not to be taken for granted either. Pymatuning’s 20-horsepower outboard motor restriction means your dash to cover back at the ...

Really? We’re we fighting about Jackie Robinson?

There was some personal debate over whether or not to delve into the cesspool that is American politics. After all, given the current political climate, it doesn’t matter the side or logic someone brings to the table, it always leads to vitriol and petulant behavior. But every so often, a topic comes up on Twitter, a place where proper discussion goes to die, that deserves to be brought up. So even though politics won’t make its way into the sports section with any frequency, lets talk about the recent Jackie Robinson debacle and the U.S. Department of Defense. For those not on ...

Environmental health is key to better fishing

I know a lot of people who long for the good ol’ days when people were polite, bread cost a quarter and the fishing was amazing. The times, of course, are a matter of perspective. What was cool yesterday is not cool today. But as our years pile up, we cling to our past to elevate our own existence. Maybe the music was better when we were kids. Maybe pro athletes were tougher. Maybe schools were better. Sure, you could buy a burger, fries and Coke with the change in your pocket. And a great day of fishing was measured on how many chubs and suckers we pulled from Yellow Creek in ...

ODNR excited about walleye growth

Curt Wagner is smiling this week, and for good reason. Wagner is the fisheries management supervisor in the ODNR Division of Wildlife District 3 office in Akron. He joined the crews staffing the walleye netting and milking operation at Mosquito Lake this week, and is delighted with the evidence he sees regarding the reservoir’s walleye population. “We are getting lots of eggs and lots of large females since Monday,” he said. “Plus, we’re seeing good numbers of 2- to 3-year-old fish in the 13- to 15-inch size range.” That is good news for Mosquito Lake’s anglers and ...

WOLLITZ: Wonderful memories of fishing for walleye

My angling interests are firmly rooted in walleyes, thanks to the proliferation of the species in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reservoirs near Warren and Youngstown. Our local lakes were dammed to serve the region’s steel industry in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s, with the added benefit of supporting populations of walleyes to feed the fish-hungry residents of northeastern Ohio. When I was old enough to strike out on my own to explore our local waters, I quickly learned early spring was a great time to cast jigs for walleyes in the tailraces below Mosquito, Berlin and ...