Be patient; fishing will get better

The fierce winds that whipped down from the north last Saturday churned Mosquito Creek Reservoir into a frothy maelstrom that made boating to fishing spots a bone-jarring endurance test.

Not surprisingly, the cold wind also throttled down the bass bite.

This spring has been a mercurial season. The ice left early, but the water temperature at local reservoirs has been slow to warm. Water that gained heat on sunny days re-chilled during below-freezing nights.

Mosquito’s shallow cover soaked in sub-50-degree water most of last Saturday, and that’s not good news for anglers who enjoy stalking the sticks and bushes for largemouth bass. By midafternoon, the bright sun finally pushed the mercury to 51 degrees, and I got my first bite.

It was a 3-pound largemouth tricked into mouthing the black-and-blue jig I dropped into the twigs of an oak that fell into the shallow cove a few seasons back.

The bass’ fight was sluggish, but it was a good icebreaker on a day when I was content to tuck into sheltered water rather than work the main-lake cover. Even motoring out and around the points to move into new water was a chore as the wind whistled through the treetops and blew spray from the waves into my face.

Twenty minutes later, a 2-pounder took the same jig from a submerged boulder in another cove.

A mid-April day on Mosquito should yield more than two bass, but considering the nasty cold-front conditions, I was pleased to have caught anything at all.

The good news is that fishing will continue to improve. The walleye are busy already in the chilly water. This weekend’s nice weather and warmer nights will continue to bring up the water temperatures to levels more suitable for crappies and bass.

Reports from Mosquito are that walleyes around 15 inches and longer are being caught in good numbers by those trolling crankbaits and waders tossing jigs.

Berlin’s white bass and crappies are active. Anglers are using bobbers and minnows or jigs. Walleye continue to hit around the U.S. 224 causeway.

Things also are heating up at West Branch and Milton. All in all, this weekend could very well be the most productive so far in 2009.

O’Charley’s Bass Classic

Several spots remain for pro and amateur entries in the May 30 O’Charley’s Bass Classic, benefiting the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.

The pro-am fund-raising tournament will be contested in two divisions on Aqua Ohio’s Evans and Pine lakes. Pro anglers team with amateur partners for the event, which over the past nine years has raised more than $100,000 for the Youngstown-area United Way.

In addition to the exciting fishing action and live weigh-in on the afternoon of May 30, entrants are treated to a delicious pre-event dinner at O’Charley’s restaurant on South Avenue in Boardman. The weigh-in will start at 2 p.m. on Heron Bay property, the location of the former boathouse on Evans Lake at the end of Calla Road.

In addition to the pro-am tournament, The Muransky Companies is sponsoring this year’s children’s Fish ’N Fun Event. It will be at Evans Lake, starting at 10 a.m. May 30, and feature fishing and games for children, all of whom will go home with prizes.

Pro entry fee is $150. Amateur entry fee is a $300 donation to the United Way. Contact Tara Mady at the United Way office, (330) 746-8494, for entry and sponsorship information.

jack@innismaggiore.com