The sound of spring is filling the air

April 18, 2026

Every day as we advance toward May, the wetlands around our region’s lakes play a symphony of songs that enchant those of us who love our outdoors. Springtime music fills the air around Mosquito, Pymatuning, West Branch, Milton, Berlin and Shenango. Songbirds play the high notes, while spring peepers set the background beat and woodpeckers tap out the percussion. Anglers’ ears are tuned to the performance day after day. To me, the music means good times and productive fishing. I especially love the playlist as I work the shallows bordered by cattails, willows and spreads of ...

You don’t need to travel for a quality catch

April 11, 2026

One of my fishing friends reels in a pretty penny organizing and promoting fishing adventures in exotic locations in Central and South America. His business serves people who scratch their itch for trophy catches of tuna, marlin, dorado, grouper and all manner of saltwater species aboard skippered charter vessels operating out of lodges and marinas that cater to U.S. anglers. Anglers yearn for amazing encounters with fish that fight hard and break the scales, but most are shy about digging into their retirement savings to pay for trips to Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and ...

The magic of fishing’s ‘Opening Day’

April 4, 2026

Every day after ice out here in northeastern Ohio, a fresh corps of anglers pulls up to a launch ramp with a flood of emotions only a fishing person can understand. Whether we’re at Lake Erie or an inland reservoir, our arrival for our first launch of the season is accompanied by feelings of excitement, anticipation, adventure and, of course, giddy happiness. While many have already christened their fishing boats for 2026, a good many more are waiting for April’s fairer weather to head out on their favorite lakes for springtime walleyes, crappies, bass or whatever else might ...

It’s the perfect time for big bass

March 28, 2026

Spring is our reward for enduring winter, bringing us a new season of baseball, fair weather and big bass to the shallow water of our favorite lakes. April showers are in the forecast, the Cleveland Guardians are undefeated (as I write this) and the largemouths are swimming to the warming shallow water at Mosquito, Pymatuning, Berlin, Milton and West Branch. Spring is in the air. The next several weeks are prime time for anglers who hope to score with big bass. Home run hooksets can happen any time we’re on our favorite lakes in April. The bass are moving to the shallow coves ...

How to earn a Fish Ohio pin from the state this summer

March 21, 2026

Anglers live for noteworthy catches and rarely fail to celebrate and commemorate their successes. For as long as people have gone to the water with intentions of catching fish, the most and the biggest were measures of anglers’ skill and cunning. The ancients rejoiced at outstanding catches as villagers feasted on the bounty. More recently, we got pumped up when the bait store proprietor took a Polaroid and tacked it to the shop’s cork board. Today, we take a phone photo and post it on Facebook for all the world’s oohs and aahs. Whether for sustenance or for accolades, ...

Walleyes are a sign that spring is fast approaching

March 14, 2026

For scores of Youngstown-Warren-area anglers, spring officially arrived the moment they grasp the back of a fat prespawn walleye and remove their jig from the fish’s mouth. Walleye fishing is as sure a sign as any that the promise of spring is real. Like daffodils, dandelions and spring peepers in the swamps, walleyes are the harbingers of another bountiful season. For generations of northeastern Ohioans, walleyes have fueled their fishing fires. They are among the earliest of the game species to get active after ice-out. They are native to Lake Erie and the rivers that are ...