Where Two?
By Joe Cornwall
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Rating System
This life
is a test. It is only a test. Had this been an actual life, you would
have received further instructions as to what to do and where to go.
One of the
most intimidating issues an angler can face, whether as a newly minted fly
fisher or as an old hand visiting a new area, is finding a good place to
practice the sport. Indeed, the very reason I wrote the book
Fly Fishing Warm Water Rivers
is partly because of the answer to the question “Where should I go?” I
once posed precisely that question to a regional fly shop owner and his
answer was to point out that the salmon run had just started on the
Muskegon River. Considering that the Muskegon is a 7-hour drive each way
- on a good day - and that I was hoping for a few hours on the water after
work, it seemed to me that more than a few folks were missing the point of
the exercise. Fishing is something everyone should be able to do nearly
anytime they have the opportunity. Water is ubiquitous and quality
fishing can be had in nearly any Ohio flow. To this day the most common
question I get at programs and events remains “Where can I fish?”
Two
talented regional writers have made great strides in answering that
question for the Buckeye angler. John Barbo has targeted the northeastern
corridor with his book Cleveland Fishing Guide and Tom Cross has
grabbed at the even loftier ambition of covering the whole state with
Fishing Ohio. If you live in or plan on visiting Ohio, I can’t
recommend these two books more highly.
Fishing
Ohio
is billed as the only guide with fishing information for every lake and
stream with public access in the state. Cross, a member of the Outdoor
Writers of Ohio and a talented angler and outdoorsman, has undertaken a
mighty task. Ohio can lay claim to more than 29,000 miles of rivers,
streams and creeks. Add in nearly 2,000 impoundments and the shear volume
of material is nearly mind-boggling. Cross had to pare that down to
something useful. It is a task which, by any measure, he has admirably
and successfully completed. Fishing Ohio covers more than 200
easily accessible bodies of water.
Fishing
Ohio
is organized as a guide to Wildlife Districts as defined by the Ohio
Division of Wildlife (ODW). Ohio has four districts that describe the
four cardinal corners of the state and a fifth that covers the interior
region around Columbus. Separate chapters are dedicated to Lake Erie and
the Ohio River, both of which span multiple districts. Each body of water
profiled in a chapter features a list of species you’re likely to hook, an
overview of important details about the body of water, suggestions on the
most productive techniques for the spot under consideration and a listing
of any special regulations. Additional information about camping or
access is added where applicable.
Cross has
used the resources published by the ODW and added substantially from his
own experiences. The author clearly spent a lot of time and effort
interviewing regional experts on each body of water, as well. Unlike a
compendium of maps and names that simply tell you how to get there,
Fishing Ohio actually works to give you a good idea of what to expect
when you arrive. Let’s take Tom’s comments on Caesar’s Creek as an
example.
I fish
Caesar’s Creek on something like a regular basis, both the lake itself and
the tailwaters, and I found Tom’s summary to be accurate and helpful.
Caesar’s Creek is the third most utilized body of water in the state of
Ohio, yielding only to the immense Lake Erie and the mighty Ohio River in
total boat traffic. As you might guess, this 2,800 acre lake gets its
share of pressure. Cross writes; “I receive a lot of mixed signals
about the fishing at Caesar Creek Lake. One angler referred to it as the
Dead Sea, while others were exuberant about its fishing. That tells me
that sometimes the fishing is good and other times it’s bad.” Cross
goes on to detail the opportunities for muskie (good to excellent), bass
(fair to good), bluegill (good), saugeye (excellent) and white bass (fair)
and adds helpful hints about where on the lake, when and how to go about
targeting each species. At the end of the nearly 1,000 word synopsis of
the lake you’ll definitely know this is big, difficult and tempermental
water that is capable of rewarding an experienced angler looking for a
challenge. You’ll also know the lake isn’t the place to pick for a casual
one-day outing, but the tailwaters might be.
Fishing
Ohio
is a worthy addition to the fishing library of anyone who fishes the
Buckeye State. Fishing Ohio is published by The Lyons Press (ISBN
978-0-7627-4326-1) and is available for $18.95.
Barbo, a
high school science teacher and avid angler, takes a similar approach,
only he tends to look at the water through more of a macro lens. The
region from Sandusky, Ohio to Erie, Pennsylvania is considered the
“Central Basin” of Lake Erie and is often referred to as “steelhead
alley.” In Cleveland Fishing Guide we find that Ohio’s largest
metropolitan region has a lot more to offer than cold-weather chrome,
though. “I have tried to give a fair representation of the best nearby
fishing destinations for a wide variety of anglers, something for everyone
regardless of your fishing ability or your level of passion for the
sport,” writes Barbo. His effort is worthy and this is a book that anyone
visiting the Forest City should have available.
Like Cross’
work above, Barbo’s book provides a key to the species available at each
location, an overview of facilities, maps to access and parking areas, and
a narrative that describes the experience of fishing each of the 53
covered spots. This last point is the jewel of this work. Barbo provides
a much more personal look at each location than Cross, giving the emulous
angler a clear sense of expectation.
“Fish
on!’ yelled the fisherman wading waist deep in the Rocky River at the
Scenic Park area. If anything can come close to actually landing a
steelhead, it is watching someone else do it. And I was psyched about
watching this struggle between man and fish.”
Writing
about the Rocky River Reservation, Barbo goes on to note “the Rocky
River is one of several Northeast Ohio streams that are stocked annually
with approximately 50,000 Manistee strain steelhead by the Ohio Division
of Wildlife. Recently, anglers were having better luck for steelies in
the lower portion of this river, especially from Scenic Park to the first
set of riffles.”
The
directions, maps and guidance offered by Cleveland Fishing Guide is
spot-on. I’d personally never set foot in the Rocky until I used this
book to navigate my way to the river, find a place to park and work my way
to a convenient access to the water. It might be too much to ask that
Barbo tell me which log will hold the best fish, but that’s the only way
this guide book could have been made better!
Every
Central Basin steelheader should have a copy of Cleveland Fishing Guide
in his or her fishing vehicle. It’s a great reference that, in
conjunction with a GPS and up-to-date DeLorme Gazeteer, will get you on
the water safely and efficiently. And for those who may be visiting the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame during non-chrome chasing months, the
Cleveland Fishing Guide is even more important. No matter if you’re
looking for smallmouth bass or walleye, bluegill or catfish, Barbo has a
spot for you to wet a line. Cleveland Fishing Guide, 2nd
Edition (ISBN 978-59851-021-8) is available from Gray & Company
Publishers for $14.95.
“Where to?”
is a question that’s now easier to answer thanks to the hard work of Tom
Cross and John Barbo. Even if you’ve been seriously fishing in Ohio for
decades, you owe it to yourself to get these books. I guarantee they’ll
provide some new water to explore. If you’re not a regular to the Ohio
fishing scene, or if you’re just starting out on this journey of angling
adventure, then these books should be on your short list of titles to get
right away. Recommended!
