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Let the countdown begin
Football is still in the air, but spring is on the way and fishing isn’t far behind.
Last week, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his den with word that winter is winding down. Sunday, the Super Bowl kicks off the official countdown to the beginning of my 2016 fishing season.
February flies, with the Daytona 500 and the opening of Major League Baseball spring training camps to help us speed it along.
I’m always ready for the first day of each year’s fishing season. Truth be told, I’d be just as happy if we here in our corner of Ohio had 11 months of great fishing weather. But we don’t, so I compensate for my time away from the lakes by using our “offseason” to reload.
In recent years, Super Bowl Sunday has come to signify the time when I start to take serious inventory of my prep work. The hustle and bustle that happens out on the boat during several dozen fishing trips each spring, summer and fall can put a hurting on all the gear on which anglers rely.
Rods? Cleaned. Reels? Oiled and fresh line wound on. Crankbaits? Sorted and bad hooks replaced. Hooks and weights? Inspected and categorized. Spinnerbaits? Skirts replaced and frames straightened. Jigs? Sorted by color, style and size.
I typically mosey through such chores after Christmas. A few hours on snowy Saturdays is time well spent when it comes time to hit the lakes.
My time in the shop is good therapy for the fishing section of my brain. What’s more, it is insurance that covers the potential for equipment failures and lost time spent searching for stuff that would have been lost in the time lapse since autumn’s last fishing trip.
So by Super Bowl Sunday, after a month-plus of tinkering in the shop, my stuff is ready. The days are getting longer and the water will soon enough start warming. Best of all, I’m ready, too.
Steelhead seminar in Akron
Ohio offers a tremendous cold-water fishing resource, but many would-be steelhead anglers are putting off the opportunity to sample the fishing because they aren’t sure about where to go and what to do.
If you are among those who would like to know more about steelheading, Phil Hillman of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife is coming to your rescue. A knowledgeable steelhead fisherman himself, Hillman will discuss basic fishing techniques at a seminar scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 24. The seminar will be at the Wildlife District Three headquarters, 912 Portage Lakes Drive in Akron.
The event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required due to limited space. To register, call Joe Ferrara at the ODNR Division of Wildlife Akron office at 330-245-3030.
Walleye tournament at Mosquito
The growing Walleye Madness Tournaments trail has announced two Youngstown-area lakes on its 2016 schedule. Walleye Madness will open its season at Mosquito on April 24 and then travel to Berlin Reservoir on May 8.
Tournament director Greg Bentz said Mosquito has one of Ohio’s largest walleye populations, while Berlin has the biggest inland walleye in Ohio. Tournaments at Berlin saw five-fish limits weighing in around 20 pounds.
Madness travels to the Black River in Lorain on May 28 for a Lake Erie tournament, and concludes June 25 at Geneva for another Erie experience.