Springlike weather shows there's relief in sight

Nothing like a few days of springlike weather to make one forget about the winter blahs.
Now we're thinking about walleyes, crappies and steelhead, rather than sniffing, sneezing and shoveling. The skim ice has faded fast and the first opportunities for open-water fishing are finally real -- not figments of our imaginations.
The steelheaders have it relatively easy compared to those who wait out winter in their houses. The trout gang has been busy throughout the first 10 weeks of 2006, working Lake Erie's tributaries and catching lots of cold-water steelies.
Those who prefer the flaky white fillets from walleyes and crappies now have relief in sight.
Late-winter action
Mosquito Creek Reservoir is the first of the area reservoirs to yield late-winter action. If the wind lies down and the rain isn't too bad, this weekend could very well be a great time to get out for the season's first fishing trip.
After the ice melts clear of the launch ramps, it's a safe bet that at least a few anglers will be putting their boats on Mosquito today and tomorrow. And when the wind is right, Mosquito's causeway, dam and state park wing walls will be lined with anglers lobbing baits.
The fishing won't be fast and furious -- not yet, at least. But a few bites can be expected.
Mosquito is shallow, so it's the first of the bigger local lakes to warm. That means favorite species such as walleyes, crappies and bass move up to their spring locations relatively early.
The "bite" is on at Mosquito when the wading anglers start to be evident. They ease out on points and flats where they can reach prespawn walleyes that are feeding on the shad and perch that thrive in Mosquito's waters.
Waders' preferred offerings are jigs tipped with minnows. The same baits also produce for those who take up casting stations along the dam and the Ohio 88 causeway.
Crappie anglers, meanwhile, prowl the docks and deeper drops for the first fish of the year. Good-sized fish lurk around vertical cover -- dock poles and bridge pilings -- where anglers can dabble small minnows and jigs tipped with maggots.
Schools of crappies also suspend around rocky points that break to deep water and near sunken brush piles. Boaters use their sonar to locate the depths where the crappies are holding and lower baits into the likely strike zones.
Early spring also is a great time to hook up with Mosquito's abundant bass. It's not unusual for largemouths to move right up to the shallow cover within a few days of the end of ice-cover.
Sharper points
Mosquito's shoreline is punctuated by numerous points with sand and rock bottoms. The sharper points with the hardest bottoms are the best places to look for spring's first bass. Knowledgeable anglers pay close attention to water temperatures, recognizing that even a two- or three-degree spike above the average will be enough to attract bass.
The fish won't be at their peak activity level for another month, so mid-March is no time to use speedy presentations. A slow-moving Shad Rap or a slow-rolled spinnerbait will work, as will a rattling jig bumped along hard-bottom locations.
As the calendar moves into the official beginning of spring, the sprigs of coontail and other aquatic vegetation that grow all around Mosquito's perimeter waters will be holding game fish of species. Northern pike, walleyes, crappies and bass cruise the 6-inch sprouts growing just off the bottom as they hunt for baitfish.
Nature is amazing. Just about the time when we can't take another weekend cooped up in the house, along comes a dose of spring. Now it's just a matter of getting out to the water and getting back in touch with the fishing.
jwwollitz@aol.com