43
HOOKED ON TV
Outdoor Channel spotlights Valley lakes
By JACK WOLLITZ
Video
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngsters like Chase Yohman and hundreds of other Youngstown-area fishing fans got a rare treat last week and a sneak preview of a great opportunity for the community to bask in the national spotlight.
Thanks to Major League Fishing and the Mahoning County Convention & Visitors Bureau collaborating on arrangements that brought 24 of the world’s best bass tournament competitors here, the region’s lakes and landmarks will be featured in TV coverage that will be broadcast in 2016 on The Outdoor Channel.
Major League Fishing GEICO Select Series action was filmed at Mosquito Creek Reservoir, Lake Milton and Aqua Ohio’s Evans and Pine lakes.
Fans and fishermen alike were impressed.
So what’s the big deal? Imagine Major League Baseball staging the All-Star Game at Bob Cene Park. Or the PGA scheduling a Tour stop at Mill Creek or Knoll Run.
In the world of tournament bass fishing, having Major League Fishing’s 24 star anglers on local lakes is akin to watching Zack Greinke throw fireballs in Struthers or Jordan Spieth draining an eagle putt on Donald Ross’ “Canfield Hole.”
Linda Macala, Mahoning County Convention & Visitors Bureau director, and Tara Mady, the assistant director, did a great job helping the production crew find lodging, meals, entertainment and even locations to shoot.
The result will be a series of seven TV shows that will air on the Outdoor Channel early in 2016 to an audience that could number in millions.
The only Ohioan in the competition was Fletcher Shryock of New Philadelphia. The field also included 2014 Bassmaster Classic champ Randy Howell, 2013 Classic winner Cliff Pace, 2013 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Brent Chapman, former Angler of the Year Gerald Swindle, former Forrest Wood Cup winner Scott Suggs and Bassmaster Elite tournament winners Brandon Palaniuk, Ott DeFoe, Fred Roumbanis and Todd Faircloth.
Professional bass anglers and local fans mixed and mingled throughout the week, from hospitality headquarters at the Red Roof Inn on Tiffany Boulevard in Boardman to the launches at Mosquito Creek Reservoir, Lake Milton and Aqua Ohio’s Evans and Pine lakes.
Everybody seemed to enjoy the experience — fans and fishermen. Social media was abuzz with chatter about the big names in bass fishing competing on Youngstown waters.
“You fishing addicts are in heaven with your heroes right here in Youngstown,” Jaime Guzman-Yohman posted on Facebook. She commented from first-hand knowledge, as son Chase and husband, John, visited with pro anglers at the Lake Milton Pointview launch.
Chase got to meet pro angler Fred Roumbanis of Oklahoma and went home with souvenirs and memories.
Fans got up close and personal throughout the week of filming, as the bass pros shook hands and posed for pictures in the lakeside parking lots at the end of each day’s action.
During a competition at Lake Milton, pro Jacob Wheeler of Indianapolis approached a fishy-looking boat dock. A 10-year-old boy and his mother were on the dock and Wheeler asked whether they minded him skipping a bait under the low-hanging platform.
To the locals’ delight, Wheeler hit paydirt, as a nice bass struck his lure and he boated the fish to add to his score.
Impressed with Wheeler’s charm and talent, the dock owner hopped in her boat and followed the bass pro for the rest of the day. He reciprocated by giving the young fellow lures and signing his cast.
No doubt the boy will be a fan forever. Professionalism like Wheeler’s shined through in case after case of the bass anglers’ encounters with local fans.
The visiting bass pros reported getting as much as they gave during their stay in Youngstown. Swindle, an Alabaman who has earned Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year accolades as well as nomination for an ESPY as outdoor sportsman of the year, has enjoyed a career loaded with adventure. But he’d never been to an art museum.
While here, he visited the Butler Institute of American Art and the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor. While he could relate to the industrial grit of Youngstown as it compares to the coal and steel industry around his home near Birmingham, it was the Butler that left a lasting impression.
“I’m just a redneck from Alabama and I’d never been to an art museum,” Swindle said. “But I gotta tell you, I found out this week that I really am an art lover. That place just blew me away, all those great paintings and sculptures.”
And so it went among the tour-level pros as they sampled Youngstown during their time off the water. High on the list of favorites were Handel’s Ice Cream, Mill Creek Park, Youngstown pizza and the weather.
“The temperature and humidity here is terrific,” Swindle said. “Back home in Alabama, when you go out the door this time of the year, it’s like walking into a wall of hot Jell-O.”
There’s nothing like seeing one’s hometown from the perspective of appreciative visitors.
For two dozen bass pros, Youngstown is a great place to visit and compete.
The outcome of the MLF tournaments here will be revealed when the shows are broadcast.