JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT!

   I've been a fisherman for a long time. I've stated before, that I started fishing at a very young age. When ever my family would be around a pond, lake or stream, I would be fishing! When you're young, the size of the fish doesn't really matter. It's the quanity that counts!
   The Bluegill is the number one fish that most youngins like to catch.
   While in school, I couldn't wait for spring break to get here! Usually, the weather had warmed enough to have melted the ice and I had all day to sit on the bank of our lake and fish!
   I would dig up some worms, grab my fishing pole and away I would go. Nothing fancy, just a spincast rod, hooks, bobbers and worms! It was so much fun just watching and waiting for any sign of movement from the bobber!
   I would generally, release the fish that I caught, until I got older and learned how to fillet the Bluegill. They are a very tasty fish, fun to catch and very plentiful in most bodies of water! This was all the fishing I needed to do at the time. When I became a teenager, my interests turned to Bass fishing and artificial baits. I love to cast for Bass but every once in a while, I still get the urge to put on a bobber and some worms for some old time fishing!
   Today, I think most serious fisherman would laugh at the idea of sitting on the shore with bobbers and worms, but I will bet, it is the way they got started!
   Some Saturday or Sunday, get the family together and head to you favorite fishing spot, and just for the fun of it, string up the old hook, bobber and worms and see how much you enjoy getting back to how it all started!

I LOVE FISHING FOR LARGEMOUTH BASS

  My passion for fishing is no secret! I grew up from age 3, knowing that there wasn't anything that I wanted to do, that I enjoyed as much as fishing!
  Dad was my guiding force and I will forever be greatful to him for sharing this love with me!
  Even though Dad taught me how to catch Bluegill through Northern Pike, my interest soon solidified on Largemouth Bass fishing!
  I studied all the fishing techniques of the 60's and would practice these methods and learned how to modify them to fit my style!
  It diffently helped to have grown up on a 12 acre lake and to have the opportunity to fish every day, weather permitting! This lake was, at one time, the best Bass fishing waters in our area and regularly gave up #3-#5 Bass plus an occasional #6+ fish! this lake really spoiled me and a couple of friends. It was an extreme rarity that we couldn't catch fish on this lake! It was very disappointing to travel to other waters and fish our hearts out but end up getting skunked!
  As I got older, our family started traveling to Canada and upstate New York in search of both Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass as well as Walleye and Pike. We enjoyed some very good trips and a few that weren't so good! Our best year was in June 1971, at Black Lake New York. We had some fabulous fishing! Everyone caught Bass, Walleye and Pike. We limited out each day!
  A technique that worked so well that summer was to wind drift over weed beds and drop black hair jigs through the openings in the weeds. We only used a length of line around the length of our rods. We would drop the jigs and follow them down, bounce them a couple of time, then lift and start over. One old timer, we talked with, called this "DAPPING". This worked on bright sunshiny days where a slight breeze could move your boat across the weed beds. The fish were just piled in under those weeds and we caught Bass, Walleye, large Crappie, Perch and Pike and an occasional Needlenose Gar. This technique will work anywhere!
  Back in Ohio, I fished and caught Bass at a number of locations. Westville Lake in Northwestern Columbiana County is a favorite of mine. This lake is fished heavily on weekends but is very empty during the weekdays. This is an excellent Bass lake and is used by several area Bass Clubs for weekly and weekend tourneys.
  There are a couple of State waters in my area but they are fished hard. It has been several years since I've fished either one but I have heard they have become fairly good Bass Lakes! The State of Ohio doesn't do anything to promote Bass fishing. They seem to be more interested in annual stockings of Saugers, Catfish and Trout!
  I caught my first Bass over #6 in May of 1971 and since then I have been fortunate to have caught Bass up to #8. It is always a thrill to bring a beauty like that to the boat, lip it, unhook it, admire it then release it! The one thing I regret about my earlier fishing days is, I didn't release enough of the big Bass that I caught. These large fish are the brood fish of tomorrow, so with that said, enjoy every fish you catch and release the big ones!

I'VE BEEN AWAY FOR A LONG TIME!

  I don't know how long this return may last! This past 1 1/2 years has taken it's toll on me! I suffered a small stroke in January 2011, which knocked the snot out of me! I was laid up for 4 months, not being able to see very well and my legs suffered the most with extreme weakness! I still have a very hard time maneuvering and have a tendency to trip and fall! Not much fun!
  On July 23, 2011 we lost our youngest son at the age of 33! To this day we are not sure what killed him! After this incident, I basically just gave up! I lost interest in everything and just hung around the house!
  I went fishing one time last summer and have yet to get out this year!
  It's really hard to give up what has been my main interest in life but it's just not there for me anymore! I still feel the love for fishing but being disabled has taken a lot of the enjoyment away!
  My wife bought me some new soft plastic grubs and worms for Easter, hoping I would attempt to give them a try, but they are still in a bag beside my easy chair!
  I have one friend that I did most of my fishing with but he has found other interests this year and hasn't had the time for fishing!
  All that said, let's try to get back to fishing.
  This has been a very warm and dry summer. This has dropped the water levels and created difficulties launching boats in some waters. Mosquito reservior, up in Trumbull county, has three main ramp areas closed and I've heard there are new islands and sand bars showing that we could not see before! Even with the low water, Walleyes, Bass and large Catfish are still being caught. The Bass and Walleyes are around weed beds.
  For Bass, try throwing buzz baits, spinner baits and crank baits around the weed beds,wood and rock formations. Walleyes are being caught trolling worm harnesses around weed beds in the deeper water.
  I guess, if you can stand the heat, the fish are still hungry and can be caught! If you can, Catch a few for me but please, release the Bass!