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Lack of aquatic plant growth natural, not man-made

Mosquito Lake has been a hot topic on social media recently and not just because of the great catches of bass, crappies, catfish and walleyes. The fishing has been productive this spring. Anglers tallied more than 200 limits of largemouth bass during a major tournament on Mosquito in mid-May. A recent catfish derby featured a winning haul of more than 66 pounds and a 48-pound flathead. Crappie anglers are reeling in thick slabs all over the reservoir. Good fishing typically is a happy time for anglers, but many are worried and angry, based on recent dock talk and Facebook chatter ...

Good’s Raceway is a local hidden gem

Good’s Raceway is a hidden gem of a race track located in Deerfield, located just a quarter mile from east of Deerfield Circle. After laying dormant for two years, former racer Jim Good and wife Jen purchased the 1/4-mile semi-banked clay oval and opened in 2000. Racing is every Saturday from April to October. Their seven-division program includes Jr. Sprints, Mod Lights, Jr. Sportsman, 27o Micro Sprints, Sportsman Dwarfs, Mini Stocks, and Side X Sides. Having heard a lot of good things about the track I decided to attend last week’s events. A new grandstand was put in since I ...

Bass Classic benefits the Mahoning Valley

They won’t make their last casts until 2 p.m. today, but the teams competing in the 2024 Muransky Companies Bass Classic already know the winners. The Saturday after Memorial Day is the traditional date of the annual Bass Classic, hosted by Aqua Ohio and benefiting the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. Since the inaugural tournament in 2000, the series of Bass Classics has generated nearly $600,000, which helps support programs that serve children and families throughout our community. This year’s tournament blasted off at 6:30 this morning at bass-filled Evans ...

Old school meets new school on the water

School’s out for many students and teachers across the Mahoning Valley, but learning takes no summer vacation, including for those of us who go fishing. As we trot through life, we gain experience by doing things and watching others. Learning takes time and patience, even trial-and-error, with the reward being a base of knowledge that is firm and stable. It’s what many might describe as “old school.” But we also have “new school” – especially today with technology accelerating learning at a pace unrivaled in history. Today’s column is about “old school” meets ...

Recent failures provide renewed motivation

Two recent fishing trips that delivered meager results are motivating me this weekend as I seek to settle the score against those confounding largemouth bass. Many agree bass are not especially difficult to catch. They’ll strike anything – under most circumstances – but they can be vexing when their moods are contrary. My two most recent visits to favorite lakes apparently coincided with extreme moodiness, as the bass finned their noses and ignored my offerings. Two trips netted me only enough fish to whet my appetite for revenge. So today and tomorrow I’ll be out there ...

Crankbaits a valuable assets on the waters

From about as far back as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed a fascination with hard-body fishing lures. Some call them plugs, while others know them as crankbaits. Regardless of the nomenclature, the hard-body lures sport lips that cause them to dive, wiggle and wobble in ways that entice fish to strike them. My first introduction to the wonderful world of fishing plugs happened many years ago. The tackle store near the cabin Mom and Dad rented for a vacation week in northern Michigan had an aisle and pegboard wall displaying a significant inventory of Rapala, Rebel, Heddon and other ...