How to get through the winter doldrums

January 22, 2023

Around about this time every winter, those who are bitten by the bass bug start to feel the ill effects of two or three months away from their favorite fishing. While this January has offered up a few days when it was possible to launch a boat and cast for largemouths, the calendar doesn’t lie. It’s the toughest month for open-water fishing in Northeast Ohio, so most everyone has stowed their gear and winterized their boats. With at least another six weeks of winter bleakness, we have few options: watching our stockpile of recorded TV fishing shows, scanning magazines and the ...

Valley offers great venues for football

January 16, 2023

Back during high school football season, there was a lot of talk surrounding football venues given schools’ hesitation to host playoff events. Obviously with OHSAA taking gate revenues, there’s less incentive than ever for schools to prepare everything. It’s a shame, because we have plenty of great places to watch a game in the Mahoning Valley. And of course, I’d love for our playoff games to stay local as long as possible. It’s a lot cheaper on the gas tank. This situation led my brain to think about some of my favorite venues in our area to catch a football game. Obviously ...

Anglers should be multifaceted, not one-dimensional

January 15, 2023

So you think you’re a pretty good angler. You’ve caught your limit of your favorite fish and learned a thing or two about your favorite lake. But are you a one-trick pony? Have you simply memorized fishing spots or do you understand why and where the fish will be biting? Can you hit a triple on Mosquito Lake? Can you catch a steelhead on a fly? Can you pinpoint the smallmouth bass on the Ohio River? Have you boated a 45-inch muskie? All of these feats are possible for anglers in the Youngstown-Warren region. But many are sadly one-dimensional in their approach to fishing and the ...

Valley anglers possess truly unique characteristics

January 8, 2023

Youngstown and Warren have many distinguishing features and successes that add up to differentiate our corner of the world in a uniquely satisfactory way. From GF desks, Sheet & Tube steel and Lordstown Chevies to Penguin football, Brier Hill pizza and Mill Creek Metroparks, the Mahoning Valley is unique in our nation, our world and, most of all, our people. To be a Mahoning Valley native really is a pride point. We are special in a way that nobody from elsewhere can claim. We have our own pizza, our own dialect, and our own gritty determination about hard work and fair play. I ...

Buckle up Ohio, sports betting is here

January 1, 2023

At 12 a.m. this morning, sports betting officially became legal in the state of Ohio. At 12:01, I placed my first bet of the new year — Bills money line. As a New York native, and a Pennsylvania resident before moving to Ohio, I was more than excited about this moment. It just brings another layer of excitement to sporting events that wasn’t present before. No rooting interest in a game between UCLA and Washington tonight? Place five dollars on the Bruins and see what you can win. Do you have some confidence in DeShaun Watson today? Throw a few bucks on the over for his ...

Take time to reflect on 2022’s successes, failures

January 1, 2023

The new year is a welcome change as we look to a fresh start for a long run of days filled with promise and opportunity. Hope, optimism and enthusiasm reign supreme on New Year’s Day. Everybody is jumping to get going — including the anglers and everyone else who reads this column. But not so fast, people. Before we charge headlong into the unknown, let’s take a moment to reflect on 2022’s experiences, successes and, yes, flops. I’ll get the conversation started with a few of my own favorite and not-so-favorite experiences while fishing my way around Northeast Ohio and ...