Saturday, June 8, 2019
Anglers stuff their tackle boxes and load their boats with enough lures to cover all the bases any fishing day, rain or shine, hot or cold.
Shallow, deep, topwater, subsurface, slow and fast — whatever we need, it is all at arm’s length when we head to the water. The truth is most of us have more than enough baits to equip ourselves and a couple dozen other anglers.
We feel secure when the tackle compartments are stuffed. It’s not unlike the satisfied feeling one gets after a trip to the grocery store to reload the pantry shelves.
A trip to Lake Milton this week, however, underscored the fact that the fish are less than impressed by all of our firepower. Fishing friend Tyler Woak and I caught a four-species slam Thursday on Milton — and consumed just a few ounces of the 100 pounds of lures and hooks packed away in the BassCat.
Local anglers have a love-hate relationship with Lake Milton. It can be a lot of fun or a confounding puzzle.
Impounded by a dam across the Mahoning River more than 100 years ago, Milton served as Youngstown’s water supply in its early years and became known as a walleye and crappie fishery.
After dam faults were discovered in the 1980s, Milton was drained so repairs could be completed. When the work was finished and the gates were closed, Milton was stocked with muskies and largemouth and smallmouth bass.
Milton’s second incarnation proved to be highly productive, as anglers flocked to the lake in the first couple of years after refilling to enjoy some of the finest bass fishing Ohio has ever produced. The muskie fishing quickly returned to the greatness Milton displayed prior to draining.
Twenty-five years later, the descendants of the stocked largemouths, smallies and muskies continue to entertain Milton anglers.
Tyler was the first to get bit Thursday. Two muskies made a pass at his jig as we worked cover in the river section of Milton above the Ellsworth Road bridge.
I had opted for a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver rigged Texas style to flip and pitch for largemouths and soon encountered three keeper-size bass that were convinced the plastic was edible.
At the back of a cove where a small creek drained into the swamp, a 12-inch crappie also liked the beaver-tail bait as it glided into a dark hole in a line of cattails.
After a few hours, Tyler and I’d tangled with muskies, largemouth bass and slab crappie.
Not a bad start for a misty, chilly morning, but the fog was disappearing and the sun was brightening the sky as we chugged back to the main lake to see whether we might entice a few smallmouth bass.
Our first two stops produced no takers, but at our third stop Tyler picked off a pound-and-a-half smallie. We hit several of my favorite stretches of main lake docks and picked up more bronzebacks. Tyler finished our day with a hookset that connected him briefly with another of Milton’s famous muskies.
Interestingly, Thursday’s action came primarily on just two baits: Tyler’s jig and my Texas-rigged beaver. The tandem tricked muskies, crappies, largemouth bass and smallmouths. All the other lures we hauled to the lake simply served as ballast.
I’m often asked how to fish for muskies. I’m no expert, but I’ve found they like bass lures, so I tell folks to simply go bass fishing at Milton if they want to catch muskies.
Apparently the same advice applies to crappies.
Jack Wollitz enjoys writing about the things he’s learned while fishing so that others may discover the fun. He would be delighted to report what you’ve learned, too. Email him at jackbbaass@gmail.com.