Short time in Ohio

I took a trip Ohio to the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony for the Us Army/Pro Football Hall of Fame Scholarship program for one of my wrestlers from my team. I was messaging Aaron Stiger, Jackson fishing team director about possibly fishing Lake Erie on Friday morning as I wait for my co-workers who were coming up as well. I ended up crashing at his house and embarking on the mystic of Ohio fishing the next morning.

Aaron was kind enough to loan me two rods with two lures I am confident in; 3/8th oz jig and a black Yamamoto 5 inch senko…. Wacky rigged. We rigged rods and map surfed looking over different areas we would be fishing the night before like most do.

We woke up and were on the road around 7-730 am to meet fellow JK Fishing Team member, Luke Williams at his house and headed to Lake Loramie. This lake had a little bit of everything I like to fish with boat docks, shore walls, lay downs a bridge and lily pads.

I paddled around in Luke‘s Mayfly flipping a jig and skipping a senko with no bites. Determined that I would catch a fish I paddle to find the familiar structure I am confident I can catch a fish on in any body of water. So after seeing a bridge I decided to paddle to it immediately.

Upon paddling up to the bridge, I watch two anglers in a bass boat catch a few good fish so I felt my plan to fish the bridge pillars would be a good one.

I skip my senko in front of a current seams that the wind was forming and I feel my line get heavy so I set the hook…My senko came flying out the water at me. At this time, I continue to throw at seams and I could feel the bluegill and panfish nipping at my bait. As I go around flipping I decide to try to sightfish since it was a shallower lake and I could see some of the structure beneath the surface.

I go to the lily pads and I start pitching a senko into the holes in pads. I see a bass flash on the senko…. Again, I set the hook and it comes flying at me. I continue to drift as the wind picks up and I drift towards a lay down where a snake is sitting. I paddle as fast as I can away from the snake because I couldn’t tell what type of snake it was.

I tell Luke and Aaron what I saw and ended up seeing a second snake. So we decide to start heading back to the ramp. I work my way back to the bridge pillar. I have to take down a rod so I do not snap it.

As I am going under the bridge I sling the senko into a nice current break. I let it sink down to get to the strike zone….. WHAM; I got bit and set the hook quickly.

As I reel it in I had to keep the rod down because I was coming under the bridge. As soon as I get under it I flip in the fish. When I flipped it in I caught it in my hand getting spiked from the bass.

As I smile because I have accomplished something I wanted to do which was catch a bass in every state I fish in this year. (Which is up to 8 so far this year)

Aaron also said, “That fish right there is a tournament winner in Ohio.” I found this to be hard to believe, which I have been told from quite a few people this as well to be true. After I told them how tough the fishing was they all said the same thing.

But I know my next trip to Ohio will be for another type of bass in the family. The big brown fish that I know are hiding in the rivers.

Thanks again Aaron for the hospitality and Luke for letting me borrow your Mayfly. We shall embark on another adventure again soon!

– Anthony Shingler