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WOLLITZ: Biding time in winter till spring fishing returns

Let’s face it. Not everybody is cut from the same cloth. Just as some people like fishing and others do not, some people will walk out on a frozen lake, drill holes and sit for hours in sub-freezing weather jigging for whatever might happen to swim within range, while others question whether ice fishing really ought to be a thing. I have several friends who love ice fishing so much that they grow overly anxious that a January thaw will ruin their winter. Fishing buddy Tyler Woak of Niles is rigged and ready weeks before the freeze and claims to love the white-out experience ...

Take time to clean gear while waiting for warmer weather

We’re in the “tween” season for anglers, a period during which most fishing options become nearly impossible to exercise. This is not to say we are without opportunities to get out to the water (if not “on” the water), but the weather is too cold for many anglers and the ice is not yet ready for those who will drill holes and jig for crappies, walleyes, bluegills and yellow perch. The sub-freezing temperatures next week may add inches to the ice over Mosquito, Pymatuning and other waters, but until then, what’s an angler to do? I have a few ideas for we who are caught ...

Down year doesn’t mean a bleak future for Lake Erie fishing

Sooner or later, life teaches us, we will experience a hiccup in the unprecedented run of years of fantastic Lake Erie walleye fishing. In fishing, as in baseball, basketball and football, we fans know we cannot win them all. Undefeated is as good as it gets, and nobody I know is undefeated. Lake Erie has come close, however, though recent news reveals a reminder that the big water is not to be taken for granted. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife recently reported Lake Erie western and central basin walleye hatches were below average in 2024. The report ...

Thinking of the past, present and future

Reflections look back to the good times that provide context for the opportunities that stretch out in front of us as the new year draws near. While many are chronicling the highlights of the past 12 months as a first history of 2024, my time of reflection is my initial look-see at the 12 months yet to come. During my time on the water, I gaze in real time at the surface of the lake in front of my boat and see endless sky. My mind today is my mirror as I reflect to see fun times and fulfilling experiences in 2025. Reflecting back to last summer, I remember several outings with young ...

It’s not a College Football Playoff flaw, it’s just the year

Last Saturday, the college football world got it’s first look at the expanded 12-team playoff. The College Football Playoff ads were plastered all over television, YouTube channels and social media since the start of the football season. It was marketed as a chance to see more teams with the national title on the line. So, jump forward a few months later and how did it go? Well, that depends. For casual fans and members of the ESPN staff -- oh, lord, the television media complaining -- you would have thought this was the worst thing to happen to American sports since Major ...

Another memorable year of fishing

But for some twist in the road back around about the time John F. Kennedy was president, I might be writing today about a topic other than fishing. Indeed, something about fishing lit a fire in my soul when I was a youngster. I often reflect about my earliest fishing experiences, and I’ve reached way back in my brain to try to pinpoint the moment I was bitten by the fishing bug. Despite trying, I still don’t recall the exact event to spark my fire, but I’m happy the flames today are as hot as ever. Indeed, fishing and thinking about fishing helps melt snow, thaw ice and warm ...