JACK WOLLITZ Walleye, crappie wait in wings

Isn't it beautiful, that open water on the region's reservoirs?.
The ice is gone, save for a bit of morning skim that forms during sub-freezing nights, and the area's anglers are sharpening their hooks for early season walleyes and crappies.
A few days away: Smart anglers know the good fishing is just a few days away, as walleyes and crappies start their moves toward near-shore feeding grounds. As long as the weather holds up, the next few weeks are likely to produce some bulging strings of big fish.
Rocky structure is one of the best places to search walleyes and crappies in March.
At Berlin Reservoir, good starting spots are the U.S. 224 causeway and the Ohio 14 bridge. A lot of crappies also are caught off the Bedell Road bridge.
At Lake Milton, anglers set up along the Route 18 causeway and catch both species.
Pymatuning and Mosquito Creek reservoirs are two of the better March fishing holes.
Mosquito's dam and Ohio 88 causeway are good for crappies and walleyes, while the Pymatuning causeway east of Andover is productive, as well.
Late winter crappie and walleye fishing is about as basic as you can get.
You'll need just two rigs.
For crappies in the still frigid water, a live bait set-up is perfect. Most anglers employ a small wire hook, with a couple of split shot below a slip-bobber. Set the bait so that it hangs just above the bottom or any brush piles in your vicinity.
Walleye anglers score this time of year most consistently with a jig-and-minnow combination. Some use a 1/16- to1/8-ounce marabou jig, which falls slightly slower than a plain round-head and adds a bit of color to the offering.
Light line best: Best results will occur if you downsize your line as light as possible. Some feel confident with 4-pound, knowing they'll break off a lot, while others go with 6-pound just to add a bit more strength. Those who go up to 10-pound-test may experience fewer break-offs, but they also get fewer bites.
Late afternoon tends to be the better time to visit the lakes during the colder season, as that provides several hours of sunlight to warm the water.
Weather permitting, a good crowd of anglers will be gathering around the traditionally productive spots, so it's a good idea to head to the lake early and stake out your location.
Sick bass: A news release from the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society reports that researchers are confident that the largemouth bass virus will not destroy America's fishery.
The virus hit several southern reservoirs in 2000, but researchers said there was no increase in fish kills compared to 1999. What's more, researchers report that no lakes have experienced fish kills two years in a row.
B.A.S.S. recently hosted the second annual Largemouth Bass Virus Conference in Jacksonville, Fla. More than 75 fisheries biologists, pathologists, veterinarians and other experts sat in.
Share knowledge: While the experts are confident that a bass plague is not likely, they want to solve the mysteries surrounding the viral infections that in 2000 hit about a dozen lakes. They meet to study and share knowledge in the hopes they may learn what it takes to prevent future outbreaks.
It is suspected that fish-eating birds and humans are responsible for moving the virus from one waterway to another. Most of the kills have occurred in the south, but last summer the virus hit Lake George, a 525-acre natural lake on the Indiana-Michigan border.