How to accomplish the Northeast Ohio Slam | News, Sports, Jobs

Exotic locations with glorious sunrises, pristine waters and abundant gamefish are the storybook dreams of many anglers.

The big three outdoor magazines of my youth–Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, and Sports Afield–teased me with articles about the Florida keys, Alaskan rivers, Canada’s Northwoods, and Siberian rivers teaming with char and taimen.

They were out of reach for a Youngstown boy who needed parental permission to ride his bicycle on any street other than the one where he lived. Even the great muskie waters of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York seemed like a million miles from home.

Many Youngstowners have dreams like mine about great expeditions and magnificent catches and have actually fulfilled them. I have friends who have traveled to Central and South America, Siberia, Alaska, Northwest Territories and Quebec, and battled trophy fish across a range of species.

For many, however, fishing trips to far-away waters are simply beyond their reach. Fortunately, we have nearby fish-of-a-lifetime destinations nearly every local angler can enjoy without draining the savings or gobbling up the family’s vacation time.

Do you dream of 10-pound walleye? Is a 40-inch muskie on your bucket list? Would a 25-pound flathead catfish wind your clock? How about a 5-pound smallmouth bass? Or maybe a day of hooking and releasing steelhead trout of the caliber that Pacific Northwest anglers are accustomed?

All of them are reachable for any Youngstown-Warren angler who can afford a fishing license and a car. Truth is, you probably won’t even need a boat.

With careful planning and a little luck, in fact, we can check off all of the above catches in one calendar year. We have blue-collar fishing at its finest.

Following are a few tips to get you started on what we might call the Northeast Ohio Slam–walleyes, muskies, catfish, smallmouth bass, and steelhead trout.

March-April for steelhead: Start your pursuit of the slam on a nice winter or early spring day on a stream that drains into Lake Erie. You need go no further than the terminus of Route 11 in Ashtabula. The Ashtabula River is a good choice. Rig a long, limber spinning rod with an 8-pound fluorocarbon line, a sixteenth-ounce jig, a tub of mealworms, and a quill float. Set the float so the jig barely ticks the bottom, cast upstream, and let the set-up drift naturally with the current.

May-June for smallies: Lake Erie harbors attract love-struck smallmouth bass in the spring. The rock piles, breakwaters, and sand flats protected from the big lake’s rolling waves are excellent spawning habitats. A spinning rod rigged with a tube jig or weightless stick worm will trick aggressive spawners. The bass season will be closed, so harvest is prohibited. Handle them gently and release them immediately.

June-July for muskies: Muskies abound in Milton, West Branch, and Pymatuning. You can’t go wrong on any of them. But for a shorebound angler, Milton offers the best access to waters that might well harbor magnum muskies. Stake out casting waters near the Ellsworth Road bridge at Carson’s Landing or the Mahoning Avenue causeway. Access areas along Grandview Road and Craig Beach also are good spots.

July-August for flathead cats: Hot summer nights are prime time for catfishing at Mosquito Lake. The breakwater at the state park, the dam, and the Ohio 88 causeway are good spots, as are the various shoreline access spots. After the sun sets, rig up a stout rod and reel with a 17- or 20-pound-test line and hook a chicken liver or chunk of cut bait, then sit back to enjoy the lantern light and a bag of Cheetos.

November for walleyes: Autumn gales cool Lake Erie, which attracts great schools of emerald shiners and smelt to the harbors east and west of Cleveland. Giant walleyes follow the baitfish as they swarm after dark around the lights on piers, jetties, boat ramps, and other harbor infrastructure. Shoreline anglers hook trophy-size fish with lipless crankbaits, wobbling spoons, and magnum Rapalas.

I know of no trophy for those who attain the Northeast Ohio Slam, but it’s darn sure worthy of bragging rights and a fine way to realize big-game dreams on blue-collar budgets.

Jack Wollitz’s book, “The Common Angler,” seeks to answer the “why” behind our passion for fishing. He appreciates emails from readers. Send a note to [email protected].