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Fishing frees the mind for Spehar family

Nighttime is the right time for angler Linda “Lynn” Spehar, but she will make time anytime to fish with husband Ivan or in the annual United Way bass tournament. Spehar has fished most of her life, enjoying saltwater trips for bluefish off the New Jersey coast, family outings and lately as a teammate in the Muransky Companies Bass Classic benefiting the United Way on Aqua Ohio’s Pine and Evans lakes. She’s about as avid an angler as one can imagine, particularly when it comes to fishing after dark. We recently asked her to explain the “why” behind her passion for ...

Hustosky reflects on lifelong love for fishing

Al Hustosky was bitten by the fishing bug early, and his resulting angling affliction manifested itself in ways that no doubt raised a few eyebrows. A former resident of Lisbon and Salem, Hustosky resides today back in his childhood town of Maple Heights, where he first experienced the magic of bluegill fishing. He recently reflected on the “why” that drives his passion for fishing and how he became transfixed by muskies and bass. “My passion for fishing started with early memories, but I did not come from a fishing family,” Hustosky said. “I was around 6 years old and Dad ...

Listening, learning, delivering key for Waikem

Businessman and angler Dave Waikem is living proof that the key to success is listening, learning and delivering what the customer wants. Whether the “customer” is a car buyer, fishing tackle shopper or smallmouth bass, Waikem knows he will not win the sale by force-feeding them inferior or undesirable products. Long known for the six Waikem family-owned car dealerships in Massillon, Dave juggled managing businesses with his passion for bass fishing. The Waikem car dealerships now under new ownership, he is focusing full time on building the retail Fisherman’s Central stores ...

Gradishar’s selection a long time coming

It’s over. It’s finally over. It might be 35 years overdue, but the wait for one of football’s greatest linebackers, Champion alumnus Randy Gradishar, has finally come to an end. The cynic in me wants to point out that if Gradishar were a Cowboy or a Steeler, he would have been enshrined in Canton a long time ago. Or how it took his fourth time as a finalist to be selected. But this isn’t a moment for complaining about what should have been. I’ve complained each of the last few years. I want to take this time to celebrate a local legend and someone who has played quite a ...

Muransky sees competitive side of angling

The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers suiting up for tonight’s Super Bowl have something in common with anglers that the casual observer might not realize. But Youngstown businessman Ed Muransky can see it clearly. He is a passionate angler who happens to own a Super Bowl XVIII championship ring earned when his Los Angeles Raiders toppled Washington 38-9 in the 1984 NFL title game. Our series of columns exploring the “Why?” behind anglers’ passion for fishing brought us to Muransky on Super Bowl Sunday. We asked him about football and fishing – two sports in which ...

Schrader’s ‘why’ is enjoying nature, learning

Intuition driven by the experience Bill Schrader of Canfield gained across the Great Lakes region prompted him to flip the switch last June to win the Muransky Companies Bass Classic, hosted by Aqua Ohio at Pine and Evans lakes. Schrader and teammate Eric Sevenich blew up the scales with more than 22 pounds of largemouths to win the Pine Lake half of the 2023 tournament benefiting the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. Fishing aboard Schrader’s vintage Ranger boat, the winners made a mid-day move that proved pivotal in their pursuit of the victory. The defending ...