5 months ago
- Outdoors
- Published: Jan. 01, 2026, 4:17 p.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - A acold threat this week is building crystal screen connected section ponds and lakes. Ice that is 4 inches, and hopefully thicker, is needed to support crystal fishermen connected nan smaller waters this weekend.
To beryllium safe, trial crystal thickness arsenic you task connected nan stiff surfaces.
Small ponds will beryllium ice-fishing magnets for panfish, and bluegills and crappie should beryllium biting connected mini jigs and maggots.
The Cleveland Metroparks was already attracting a batch of anglers this week. With nan chance for decent crystal this weekend, they are hoping to drawback a fewer food among nan 3,500 pounds of rainbow trout and rainbow trout hybrids that were released, including immoderate trout successful nan lunker category.
The Northeast Ohio rivers and streams had areas of unfastened h2o lately, and steelhead trout were being caught astatine mid-week. Expect nan frigid overnight temperatures to soon grow nan crystal cover.
Cleveland Anglers big alert tying session
The Cleveland Anglers nine will big A Fly successful My Beer, a fly-tying program, astatine nan Beach Club Bistro, 21939 Lakeshore Blvd., Euclid, connected Wednesday, Jan. 14 from 6-8:30 p.m.
Bring alert tying devices and materials and scheme to stock a favourite alert pattern. Beginners are invited and tin get a complimentary alert tying starter lesson.
Count your blessings for nan New Year
Anglers, hunters and outdoors folks astir Ohio are heading into nan caller twelvemonth pinch a affirmative attitude. It hasn’t ever been Ohio’s outdoors outlook, truthful it’s a clip to count our blessings.
As I dug heavy into The Plain Dealer files this week, I recovered a file by Outdoor Editor Lou Gale from February 1962 that described nan temper of nan Outdoor Writers of Ohio, who gathered successful 1962 for their yearly gathering successful Columbus.
“Fishing should turn poorer successful Lake Erie and amended successful our inland lakes nan adjacent fewer years. Many of nan writers expect a further driblet successful nan Lake Erie walleye population,” wrote Gale. “If nan caller precocious count of yellowish perch slips successful Lake Erie, we will astir apt ore our sportfishing location for smelt, sheepshead, achromatic bass and carp pinch immoderate smallmouth achromatic bass successful rocky spots.”
Slightly much than 2,000 cervid were bagged successful 1962, a acold outcry from a harvest this twelvemonth already topping 200,000 bucks and does. Ohio’s first modern time turkey hunt had yet to beryllium established successful 1962.
“Pheasant, rabbit, waterfowl, grouse, quail and partridge each look sliding connected a downward cycle,” Gale wrote. Rather than hunt aliases fish, sportsmen will attraction connected archery, shooting, boating, h2o skiing, tegument diving and “more plain relaxing successful nan out-of-doors.”
Venturing into 2026, we are now enjoying an bonzer era of outdoor adventures.
If you wonderment why that is truthful important, publication Richard Louv’s outstanding book, “Last Child successful nan Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder.”
