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Spring thaw means it’s time to jig for walleye

Nothing says spring to a walleye angler quite as definitively as dragging a jig through the tailraces of the dams throughout our region. For most of my adult life, I have looked forward to the annual thaw that drains fresh cold water to our reservoirs in March. Lakes Milton, Berlin and Mosquito, in particular, grew popular with anglers who knew the dams’ discharges were the places to be once the current hit a certain volume and the water reached the right temperature to activate the walleyes in the downstream river stretches. Around St. Patrick’s Day each year, anglers pull out ...

Fishing licenses play important role for anglers

Spring is the season when many anglers buy their Ohio fishing license to ensure they are properly authorized to fish for their favorite species across our state. While licenses these days expire 12 months after their purchase, many anglers follow tradition and buy theirs in March, just as they did for decades under the former system when licenses expired Feb. 28. A fishing license is required to fish in Ohio’s public waters. Ohio resident fishing licenses cost $25 and are valid for one year from date of purchase. Fishing licenses (and hunting licenses) are important for ...

Anglers anxiously wait for first trip of the year

Around the first of March every year, the fishing itch starts to get unbearable here in Northeast Ohio. The promise of spring, open water and stringers of walleyes and crappies pulls anglers through the winter. Visions of fishing near budding willows with gentle waves swishing a soft beat against an aluminum hull take me back to days long ago when the season’s first fishing trip was a really big deal. It still is, actually, perhaps even more so now that I have more than 50 first trips of the season behind me. The weather in early March may still be a bit dicey for even the ...

Big bucks earmarked for Ohio waterway improvements

Big bucks for important environmental projects are earmarked for Ohio waters as our state and nation continue working to improve our stewardship of precious natural resources. The U.S. EPA announced Lake Erie and three major tributaries will receive $1 billion in investments as part of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. The money is to clean up and restore waters designated as “areas of concern.” They are judged to be severely degraded locations. Without clean air and clean water, what’s the point, right? Nevertheless, some critics will decry the expenditures ...

Confident Penguins on verge of history

YOUNGSTOWN — What a difference some momentum can make. Three weeks ago, Youngstown State had just gotten swept by Purdue Fort Wayne in a tough-to-stomach 82-71 defeat at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. It was the Penguins’ fifth loss in six games, and had sunk YSU to a 10-10 overall record and 4-6 mark in the Horizon League. Now, 21 days later, the Penguins are winners of six straight, seeking their first seven-game win streak since the 1997-98 season and are in contention for a coveted top four position in the Horizon League Tournament. They stand at 16-10 overall and ...

Angler takes advantage of wintry weather

The warnings came early and often. The weather forecasters’ words were ominous. Another polar cold front would blitz our region soon. Everyone was talking about it. The homeless should seek shelter. People were advised to bring their pets indoors and prepare themselves for the bitter weather. So I went fishing. Not much in nature can trigger a hot fishing bite better than the impending arrival of bad weather. The thinking is that fish and other animals sense the big change in conditions—including the barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, and cloud cover—and ...