Joys of fishing about more than casting, reeling

August 8, 2020

Experienced anglers understand that fishing is a lot more than casting, reeling and unhooking fish. To succeed on the water, anglers need to be prepared. Preparation starts at home, in the garage or workshop, and extends through the drive to the lake and all of the various actions that we execute during our hours on the water. Sometimes, of course, even the best-prepared anglers suffer hiccups. Recently, toward the end of a successful day on the lake, I clicked the trolling motor’s “on” switch with my foot. Nothing happened. The electric motor that turns the prop ...

Decision on season will come eventually

August 2, 2020

Let me start by saying, “I don’t know.” I don’t know what should be done about high school fall sports. I know that plenty of people on various social media know exactly what should happen, but they aren’t the people who actually have to make the decision — and neither am I. I also know that for each person who knows what to do, there is someone else who also knows, but their solution is the opposite of the first person’s solution. Those who will end up making decisions are understandably playing a waiting game, hoping for things to change in a positive ...

Upcoming decision on school sports is difficult

July 26, 2020

Decisions, decisions. That little phrase used to be a funny way of expressing the struggle of a minor choice in life. It doesn’t seem like there are any “minor” choices these days. The state, the schools, the Ohio High School Athletic Association and everyone involved in the potential restart of fall high school sports certainly knows the difficulty of a decision in today’s world. There are an endless number of factors to weigh when considering restarting sports, and there doesn’t seem to be a right answer. After writing tens of thousands of words about this topic, it seems ...

Indians’ games on TV in short season

July 22, 2020

All Cleveland Indians games of the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season will be on television. SportsTime Ohio will air 57 of the 60 games, including the home opener Friday night at Progressive Field against the Kansas City Royals. The Indians will play 10 games each against their four AL Central Division rivals, while the remaining 20 games will be split among the NL Central Division teams. The Tribe will be on national television three times on the Fox network — all road games July 30 at Minnesota; Aug. 29 at St. Louis and Sept. 12 again in Minnesota. WKYC-TV 3 in Cleveland will ...

Golfing can keep families close

July 15, 2020

If the Covid-19 pandemic has kept you from connecting with family and friends, it’s time to play nine. I’m talking about playing nine holes of golf. In fact, you should call a loved one and hit the links right away. Heck, even if you’ve never picked up a club, now is the perfect time to learn a game that has captured the imagination of people for over one-hundred years. My mom and dad, Flo and Joe Zampedro, are now in that 65-plus age bracket. They have basically been in quarantine since March. Although our lives have changed, we still have the game we love keeping us ...

Finding the elusive bass at local lakes

July 4, 2020

Like the proverbial needle in a haystack, the bass in a weed bed can be difficult to find. Bass love aquatic vegetation. Lakes like Mosquito, West Branch and Pymatuning are loaded with a variety of leafy green plants that harbor largemouth bass and the food on which they prey. But thousands of acres of grass flats and lily pads are puzzles with which many anglers struggle. With all that greenery, the bass can be anywhere, so the temptation is to try to fish all of it. Success, however, depends on weeding through the water to find spots likely to harbor the food that bass want ...