If my kin had gone South, I'd be fishing right now

This winter has me convinced my family tree is not laden with anglers.
A little research shows the first of the Wollitzes to arrive in America from Germany came here in the 1830s and 1840s. They could have gone anywhere in the good ol' U.S.A., but the branch from which I spring bypassed the opportunity to set up their New World households in the South and instead settled here in Northeast Ohio.
Yes, we have Lake Erie and other good fishing, but the weather -- well, let's just say I would rather fish 11 or 12 months. My boat rests quietly in storage from mid-November to April 1, four and a half months of idle time that becomes almost unbearable every March. Why didn't my kin settle in a more temperate region? They must not have been warm-weather anglers.
Just getting by
So, like many other fishermen in this part of our country, I endure winter with warm clothing and thoughts of better times. Thank goodness for televised fishing, outdoor sport shows and shopping trips to Dick's, Gander Mountain, Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops.
I passed last Saturday and Sunday with a vicarious fishing experience thanks to ESPN and ESPN2's extensive same-day coverage of the 2006 Citgo Bassmaster Classic on the Toho-Kissimmee lakes near Orlando, Fla.
For a tournament angler, the excitement of in-the-boat video of the Classic competitors' casts and catches warmed us up enough to survive the next 30 days until we can get out on our own Ohio lakes.
Outdoor show
But we still have some time to pass. One option is the outdoor show at the Expo Center in Niles this weekend. I can browse the aisles, hook up with fishing friends and share tall tales for hours at the show.
Another idea is the free steelhead seminar March 23 at the Ohio Department of Natural Resource's District Three headquarters at 912 Portage Lakes Drive in Akron. The seminar, scheduled from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., is co-sponsored by the ODNR's Division of Wildlife and Ohio Sea Grant.
Kelly Riesen, Ohio Sea Grant fisheries program coordinator, will provide instruction on where, when and how to catch steelhead in Ohio's Lake Erie tributaries. Another presenter is Andy Burt, a biologist with the Division of Wildlife. He'll talk about steelhead biology and the state's stocking program.
Division of Wildlife communication specialist Jamey Graham also will give an overview of Web-based steelhead resources and how to find information about steelhead fishing. To round out the program, retired Division of Wildlife biologist Vince LaConte will share his secrets for catching steelies with fly-fishing tackle.
Cabin fever got the best of a friend and me recently, so we hopped into the truck and drove to Wheeling to visit the sprawling Cabela's store just east of the city limits on Interstate 70.
By the time we returned home, our wallets were lighter and our souls were lifted with the satisfaction that we were another day closer to getting the boats out on the water.
Not taken for granted
Maybe it's a good thing we anglers have this off-season here in Ohio. I'd probably take fishing for granted if I lived in Texas, Florida, California or some other place where I could fish open water around the calendar. Someday I may pull up my roots and join the snowbirds flocking south. But for now I play the hand my ancestors dealt when they decided home would be here. And in a few more weeks, the winter of '06 will be a fading memory.
jwwollitz@aol.com