43
The depths some will go
Many years ago, at Berlin Reservoir’s Mill Creek launch ramp, I asked a fisherman the question asked millions of times by anglers through the ages: “Are they biting?”
His response still rings in my ears all these many years later. He said, and I quote him verbatim: “Everybody catch nothing.”
Forget the grammar. The meaning is perfectly clear. It’s the lament heard loud and clear wherever people go to the water.
But it’s a lament uttered infrequently by some anglers who quietly catch fish as consistently as any blue heron or river otter. They always catch something, yet they tend to bite their tongues regarding their success. They go. They fish. They catch.
A few, on the other hand, willingly share all of their success with any who will listen. One among that few who tell all is John Breedlove of Girard. His fishing life is an open book.
“Over 50 fish on and somewhere in the upper 40s in [stopped counting],” Breedlove reported in a recent Facebook post about his experience at Conneaut River on Lake Erie steelhead.
Fifty fish on! That’s a lifetime haul for most Ohio anglers. But 50 it was, as a matter of fact.
Those who know John know he’s not bragging. Rather, he loves sharing the wealth and he’s a fountain of knowledge when it comes to lures, tactics, depths and all of the details.
Keep your eyes and ears open around John and brother Jim and you’ll come away a better angler.
Like the declaration “Everybody catch nothing” exactly expressed the situation long ago at Berlin Reservoir, a line made famous by actor Walter Brennan in a 1960s TV Western tells all about anglers who willingly share details about their fishing success: “No brag, just fact.”
While many anglers swear a vow of silence to protect their hot spots, Breedlove revels in others enjoying the fishing he loves so much.
A peek at his posts proves he’s keeping few secrets.
Take a look at the photos and you’ll clearly see the size and color of the spoons and plugs in the mouths of the fish he’s catching.
Read the posts and you’ll discover helpful information. You can eliminate a lot of guessing when you read he’s trolling “1.8 to 2.1 mph on the GPS.”
Lately, Breedlove’s been brushing up on his bass fishing. He loves Mosquito Creek Reservoir. Friend him on Facebook and you’ll soon learn the depths he’s working and the lures he’s throwing.
He’ll even show you the exact lure and the successful color combinations. It all works and it’s all good information he’s perfectly willing to share.
Whether it’s a day trolling Conneaut Harbor for steelhead, drifting for walleyes or casting buzzbaits for bass over the weedbeds of Mosquito, John loves the Robin Hood roll of spreading the wealth to everybody who catch nothing.
For John and others who get a kick out of knowing others are having fishing fun, it just comes natural. And there’s not a hint of ulterior motive in his sharing.
“No brag, just fact.”