JACK WOLLITZ Walleye are biting all over the U.S.

Does it get any better than this?.
Late April is the pinnacle of the fishing season for many anglers, and the past few days have obliterated any lingering effects associated with the long cold winter.
The birds are singing, the frogs are chirping and, most importantly, the fish are biting. Top all that off with the beautiful lush green that has been painted over the local landscape and the world becomes a beautiful place.
Walleye fishing continues to be productive throughout the region, while the prespawn bass fishing is peaking and crappies are biting with almost reckless abandon.
The fishing, in fact, is good enough that one might be tempted to ignore the beauty that has descended throughout our area.
That would be a shame.
I'm talking about that Canada goose nest on a boggy point at Mosquito Creek Reservoir, where Ma and Pa take turns incubating the four off-white eggs.
And the sprigs of grass sprouting on the sandy edges in sheltered coves at West Branch.
Spring peepers are sounding off loud and clear in the lowlands around Berlin Reservoir.
I'm also talking about the new willow buds ready to burst in the flooded thickets at Shenango near Sharon.
And the cattail stands taking on a fresh verdant hue around the Ellsworth Road bridge at Lake Milton.
My point is this: Pay attention to the little things nature shows off as April turns to May, and you'll get a lot more than a few welcome "bites."
You'll come home feeling a little better about our world and your place in it.
Speaking of walleyes: The fish are biting here in our region, but it's also interesting to note that way out in South Dakota, the walleyes are on the move.
According to reports from the first round last week of the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail, anglers enjoyed 80-degree temperatures and a strong bite.
This, despite the fact that they shoveled snow off their boat covers in motel parking lots around the upper Missouri River waters that served as the competition venue.
The competitors were catching lots of good fish, with productive tactics including jigging the shallows, running bottom-bouncers with live bait rigs and trolling crankbaits.
Most of the fish that were being caught were males hanging around rocks in water as skinny as one foot deep.
After two days, the pro division leader, Mark Martin of Michigan, had boated two 6-walleye limits weighing a respectable 25.75 pounds. But the weights were extremely close among all the top 60 anglers. Just a little over 5 pounds separated first and 60th place.
Lake Erie veteran Mark Brumbaugh was in 21st place with 22.1 pounds. Another Ohioan, Rick LaCourse, was 44th with 20.95 pounds.
John Weiss of Wisconsin led the amateur division after two rounds with 25.08 pounds.
As this article was written, the final round had not concluded.