On the water with Big Daddy

The Amazing Bachtel Boys

2009-06-30T07:50:00.002-04:00

I took a look at the bluebird skies and sighed... I knew it would be a tough day of fishing. High clouds were moving in though, bringing with them a chance for rain and storms. If we were going to hook up the boat and go fish, I had to get a move on.

As I was locking the boat to the truck, the boys were picking out what rods to take and what tackle. We were going out to Portage Lakes to do some fun fishing, mainly looking for bluegills and redears, but I had crappie on my mind. It would prove to be tough early, but the end of the day was on. Big time. We stopped at the Fisherman's Shack on S. Main to pick up the bait. The warm greeting the owners yellow lab "SHACK" gives the boys is always a great time. We talked a bit and Nick dropped off another photo for the shop's "Wall of Fame". Three dozen minnows, a couple cups of maggots, 50 waxworms and we were off to the ramp. The excitement level in the boys was rising, the anticipation of hauling in a bunch of big fish growing. I was still looking at the skies.

We got the boat launched, and after some minor motor cleaning, we were off. We passed Matt from the Division of Wildlife along with his camera crew who I assume were shooting a Wild Ohio segment. We talked for a minute about the fishing and moved out. Where would it be, East or Turkeyfoot? The winds were blowing pretty good and that made the decision for me. Much easier boat control on East, so we started down the channel. As we passed Gene's old place, Sam was reminding Nick and I of all the great times he spent there and the fish he caught off the dock. Fishing memories of an 8 year old... Gotta love it. We all agreed on one thing as we passed. Gene and Teri, we miss you guys (and Cooper) a great deal.

Travelling around the lakes takes a little time, as it is pretty much all a no-wake zone. But on the way, there's a lot to look at. We saw several herons nabbing fish and the ospreys put on an aerial show. There was a screeching redtailed hawk in the distance that Sam heard. He said "Hawks are my favorite bird." He really liked the bikini clad cardboard cutout in the window of a house as we entered the Iron Channel. He said he wasn't looking, but I saw him peek. Then I told him it was OK to look and the rule of "what happens on the boat stays in the boat". As we cruised into East, the water got very clear and fish could be seen everywhere. The sight even got me a little pumped. Maybe it would be and OK day. The clouds were moving in...

We headed down lake and slowed down to look for the productive brushpiles I had found in the Spring. There they were on the fish finder and they were loaded with big marks. Over the side went some live minnows under a slip bobber. I had a hit, the slow dive of a slab crappie, but I missed. Sam had a hit. WHAM! It was a nice fish. He was cranking it up from the depths, a real nice two pound bass. The fish broke the surface and shook the hook loose, leaving Sam dejected. But it did get him excited for the rest of the day. We stuck it out on the deep brush, but the fish wouldn't bite. The marks were great, but you can't count those. We decided to move shallow and look for the bigger redears and gills. Moving to another spot, we found some scattered fish on a nice weed edge. They would hammer the pinmin/maggot combo and the bigger fish, would slowly sink the stick bobbers. It was great because after awhile, Sam would recognize the bite and know the bigger fish while they hit. Bluegill after bluegill came into the boat, some real nice 6 to 8 inchers, all decked out with bright colors. After we got the fish going, Nick got his flyrod out and started throwing a black foam spider with green legs. His casts were spot-on, and when the first fish came up and hit it, SLURP, the spider was gone and Nick was laughing.

I helped Sam keeep his hook baited up, and casted for him in the tighter spots. Then I was boat control man. Nick was in Auto Pilot with his flyrod and ultralite, catching fish after fish. There were lots of clouds rolling in now, some of them pretty gray, so we decided to call it a day. Heading back, we stopped at one last place to give it a shot, over in West Reservior. The spot always produces good gills and redears, so what the heck. You can say that when you're on vacation. There was a school of real nice bluegill there and they were biting well. Sam was catching them like a pro and he and Nick put the hammer to the fish. Then, out of nowhere, Sam got bit. His bobber shot across the water in a different way. "Set the hook" Nick shouted. Sam layed back and drove his point into the corner of the fishes mouth. Then the fish got mad. It was pulling drag and running, trying to get as far away from the boat as he could. This was definitely no bluegill. I grabbed the net in anticipation of a bass, but that wasn't it either. Sam was laughing so hard, I thought he was going to wet himself, and in-between his cackling, he would exclaim "MY WRIST IS KILLING ME!" Then back to laughing. Nick was there, giving him encouragement on the fight, and then I had a moment. One of those times when you take yourself out of the scene and just watch. It was the feeling. The reason why I like fishing with kids. They were having so much fun trying to get that fish in the boat, and I was there to see it. The catfish came up and winked at Sam, then I scooped it into the net. He was so happy to get that fish in the boat... "CATFISH!" he screamed. "It's the first catfish I ever caught", he went on. I showed him how to hold Ol' whiskers without getting jabbed but the fish was too big for his small hands. It weighed 3 pounds or so, but you would have thought it was a new state record. We took a picture and dropped him back into the lake, and then it was back to fishing. Sam is hooked forever now.

Later, after we got home and I had backed the boat in, I was putting gear away and he asked, "Dad? Can we get the picture we took of my catfish made into, like a real picture I can keep. When I get old I want to look at it and remember catching it because it was so much fun. Well, not really old, but older." I told him when he gets old he'll want to look at it too. I can only imagine the stories he'll tell his kids about that day of fishing and the whiskered monster he caught. I'll be making myself a few copies of that picture too. Great job Sam.

Six Months Later...

2009-06-29T07:39:00.003-04:00

What a six months this has been! Surgery went well and things have healed up nicely. I can eat hot wings again! WEEEE! Anyway, the fishing has been nothing less than spectacular. Nick and I have had a great first half of the year, going after several different species. Here are a few high points...

The ice fishing season was cut short for me by the surgeon's blade, but we did manage to get out a few times. Don't tell the doc, as I wasn't supposed to be up and around, let alone walking out on a frozen lake. We hit Presque Isle Bay a couple times with marginal success. Actually had better luck at Nimisila catching nice redears and crappies. It was just good to get out.

After ice out and a recovery period, it was crappie time. Nick and I had one of our most memorable trips ever, travelling to PA's Shenango Lake. The slabs were on fire and we caught several fish over 14 inches. Thanks Ken Smith for showing us the way on your home waters. The Microspoons really work. REALLY! Never got to West Branch for the crappies this year, simply because the fishing at Portage Lakes was so damn good. Crappie after crappie, with an average size in the 11 1/2 inch range on the second most utilized inland waterway in Ohio made my Spring. Close to home with numbers of quality fish. The pictures I have taken will keep the fires burning in my memory forever.

As the Spring rolled on, had a curve ball thrown my way. Working weekends. But, as we have to do from time to time, adapt, adjust, and overcome. The fish bite during the week too. Had several great perch trips and very memorable walleye trips, one of which Nick caught his biggest walleye to date. 9.8 pounds and it's pictured above. He's definitely turned into quite the fisherman and outdoorsman. The walleye bite has been all kinds of hot lately and the freezer is full, at least for now. Lots of pictures taken and great times discussed on the radio show and outdoor shows we've had the pleasure of working.

Hopefully the next six months will be as much fun as the first. A lot of things on the horizon, I just have to get there. As I reach those goals, there will be more to come, that's for sure....

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel and I'll see you on the water.

Happy New Year (?)

2009-01-01T08:09:00.002-05:00

What a year 2008 was... As I look back and review, I have to tell you, there were very few bright spots. Maybe it's the time of year, the recent loss of a friend, or the approaching abdominal surgery, but for me 2008 really sucked.

What has kept me going has been the fishing. Whether it was on the ice, fishing the willows for crappie, Nick and I trying our hand in a few bass opens, the Erie walleye bite, or wading rivers for steelhead, it really helps me get away from all the other "stuff" I get served every day. The catching was great, that's for sure, but what really takes the pressure away is the friends I've made and people I've met. That's the important part of all this outdoors stuff.

Where it goes in 2009 is anyones guess. Top priority is getting my health back, then we'll see what happens. Life is what you make it and my resolution for 2009 is to make mine better. Man, do I have a lot of work to do....

Happy New Year everyone. I'll see you on the water....

Chagrin Steelies with Nick

2008-11-01T15:49:00.003-04:00

Decided to head out this morning to the Chagrin to try our luck on the steelhead. Conditions looked great for a promising day. Didn't get as early of a start as I had wanted, but sometimes that warm bed is tough to get out of. Roused Nick up at 7 or so, grabbed a couple cups of coffee, and headed North. It was a tough decision. There are a lot of great steelhead waters in NE Ohio, but we decided on "Ol' Faithful". We've almost always caught fish in that part of the Chagrin. Easy access, decent amount of room, even if there are a few other anglers there. We got in the water just before 10AM.

As is more and more the case, Nick got the first fish. Click PLAY on the video above and you'll see the fight. It was a good 6+ pound hen steelie and she took a white Mini-Foo tipped with a few maggots. Fish was released to fight again.

I hooked into one a few casts later, but a BIG jump and it was gone... And I was left fishless for the day. Had a few other bites, but no catches. Oh well, that's why they call it fishing and not catching!

I like these trips with Nick. He's grown into a real good fisherman in his short 11 years. Looking forward to many more.

Tonight, starting at 12:01AM the 2009 Fish Crazy Fall Walleye Derby starts! Three weeks of intense walleye fishing action. I'm fishing with Walt again and hopefully all the luck wasn't used up in the Spring. Should be a lot of fun, if the fish cooperate!!!

Anyway, I'll report how that goes and anything else that comes up. I'll be back on the radio next week, hopefully, with Reno and who knows, we may expand our outdoors media coverage.... More on that later.

Off to gas up the truck and sharpen some hooks. Talk soon.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel and I'll see you on the water.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2008-09-08T20:30:00.003-04:00

Another year GONE! But, at least I spent half the day on the water, perching with Nick and Cfish. It's that time of year. The yellow perch are coming in to get the Fall feedbag on. Right off Cleveland, there are tons of fish.

We headed out early, as the weather man said building waves and rain coming in the afternoon. I think he should check his watch! After stopping at Shine's Bait and Tackle on E.55th for bait, ice, and a good report, we headed down to Gordon Park to launch. Lake was beautiful, a nice light chop, partly cloudy sunrise. Great morning. A small pack of boats was out in 41 foot, just North of the breakwall, so we went and set up. Within a few minutes, the perch were coming in the boat. Anglers in other boats all around us were hauling them in too. After an hour or so, the fish slowed down. There were quite a few dinks we had to weed through, but we put 25 or so in the box. The pack seemed to grow a little North, and the waves were building, so we moved deeper.

The radio chatter was about the up and down action all along the Lakewood/Edgewater/E. 72nd/Bratenahl/Euclid area, with the fish coming in from 38 to 45 feet of water. Like I said, there were a lot of fish out there. Heck, "The Holiday", the "Linda Mae", and "The Express" all were reporting hot action, a couple of boats even reporting marks on the depth finder 20 feet thick in perch! Now is the time! we ended up in 45 feet of water and hammered the bigger fish. It was a ball.

And it's only going to get better. The perch are feeding voraciously and limits are fast in coming. We ended up with 77 fish between the three of us, but the waves chased us off before we could limit. The rains also came, and there we were, no rain gear.

No matter. With perch being so tasty, it just takes your mind off the misery as you're yanking them in. Going try something a little different with the fillets this time... Nick has the right idea at the end of the video!

It was a great way to spend a birthday, that's for sure. At least it was until I watched the Browns... Oh well. There are always more fish to catch and who knows, maybe they'll improve. Long season. Fishing season too!

Any questions, comments, whatever.... Send me an email at cbachtel@wkyc.com and I'll get back with you.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel and I'll see you on the water.

The Volunteer Spirit

2008-09-01T07:41:00.003-04:00

When it comes to fishing, I consider myself a very lucky person, having the opportunities I do. But, and I know this may be hard to believe, I haven't always been the fishing legend(HA!) I am now. It all had to start somewhere. When I was a kid, it was fishing with my Dad and older brothers. In this day and age, with life keeping folks so busy, there may not be opportunity to get out and fish, or even, heaven forbid, a lack of interest. That's why passing the knowledge and passion of the fishing experience is so important.

For the past couple of years, I've volunteered in the Natural Resources Area at the Great Geauga County Fair. What an experience. They have a youth fishing area where the Ohio Division of Wildlife introduces kids to the joys of fishing. They stock the area with a variety of fish and provide cane poles, tackle and bait. Us volunteers, we help the kids and their parents, if needed, providing worms, helping get snags free, and taking fish off the hook. It's pretty much organized chaos and after working all day in the hot sun, it does tire you out, but when a kid catches his first fish, and you see the excitement, it makes it all worth it.

There were two kids that stood out this year. One young girl who caught a little sunfish. When she brought it in, I could tell she was excited about the fish. She was saying "I don't want to touch it, keep it away!" But I saw she was curious. I took the fish off the hook and held it for her to look at. I showed her all the different colors of the fish, the different fins and how it swims. She even touched the fish, then held it and threw it back in, all by herself. Later, I saw her do the same thing with another she had caught.

The second was a young man, about 3 or 4 years old. He was fishing with his Mom and Dad, and Dad was helping him out. His bobber slammed under and he pulled up a tiny, baby largemouth bass about 3 inches long. By the kid's reaction, you would have thought he caught a whale! He was laughing and doing a fishing dance on the shore. He just couldn't control his excitement. He was high-fiving everyone in sight and gave BIG hugs to his Mom and Dad. All coming from dropping a worm hooked on a cane pole into the water. It's that joy, that excitement, that feeling you get. It's what I feel when hook into a fish to this day.

I hope you like the videos. Look for more "On the Water" segments next week. Any questions or comments, send me an email at cbachtel@wkyc.com and I'll get back with you.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel and I'll see you out there.

Perch are biting!

2008-08-25T21:00:00.003-04:00

August is almost over, and that signals a great time for us fishermen. The big perch will be moving in to strap on the Fall feedbag. I got out this past Sunday with my son Nick and buddy Walt. No walleye this day. It was a perch fest from the start!

We watched the wind and wave forecast again and the morning brought a Southerly breeze and nice chop on Lake Erie. After getting some minnows at Shine's Bait and Tackle, it was off to Wildwood State Park to launch. I had heard reports of perch hitting off Cleveland, all the way East to Conneaut. The magic depth was 52 feet of water, so out we went.

After a nice ride, I slowed to check the sonar. It read 43 Feet and man, were there marks! Great ones. We decided to toss the anchor and give it a shot. No need to go deeeper if the fish are in close. First couple fish were dinks. I mean small, probably last year's babies. After about 5 or 6 of them, and just as I said "maybe we should move", WHAM! A keeper! Then a couple more! Then a double! It was ON! Some big fish had moved in and the action was up and down. At one point we managed FIVE doubles in a row! It was awesome!

The whole time, we were all laughing, digging on each other, telling bad jokes, and most of all having a great time catching fish. It didn't matter they were small. We weeded our way through them and put together a nice 3 man limit of fish. Took about 3 hours and 7 dozen minnows, a lot of which were cut in half. The fish didn't care. They were HUNGRY.

It was a great trip. One of those we'll all remember for a long, long time. That's one of the reasons I love to fish. Sharing fun like that. With all the stresses of daily life beating you up all week, it's good to get out and have some fun.

With the Fall bite just getting started, there will be a lot of opportunity for more fun trips! I can't wait.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel and thanks for stopping by.

If you have any questions, shoot me an email at cbachtel@wkyc.com and I'll get back with you.

Catch a bunch!

Wave Forecasts???

2008-08-17T16:28:00.004-04:00

I have to tell you... I really look forward to fishing Lake Erie. What a phenomenal fishery. I've been going with friends and have been taught the ropes by some of the best, but I've really been trying to get my own boat out on the lake and do it myself. I watch the ever changing wave forecasts on the NOAA site, both open lake and near shore. If I had a dollar for each time they were wrong, I could retire!

Today was no different. Forecast was 1 to 3's with winds SSW 5-10. So, Nick, Walt and I packed up and headed North. We got to the ramp at 6AM just as the sun came up. There was another boat heading towards the sandbar just East of Lorain, and as soon as he cleared the breakwall, there they were. 2 to 4 foot rollers. Definitely not what I wanted to see. Safety is always first, and taking my 18 ft Crestliner Canadian into building seas makes me a little nervous. Winds were out of the NW, but were supposed to change up, so we decided to give it a shot.

We headed NW, but the waves pushed us back. Much easier running, trolling with the waves. After a while, we got set up in 38 ft of water and started trolling NE. we had two crawler harnesses out, mixed veggies and Mi Hi, and two spoons, monkeypuke and double orange crush. Orange has been the HOT color this year for sure.

We trolled out to 50 ft of water, crossing several areas of good marks on the Garmin. We pulled 3 sheephead, a white and yellow perch, and the winds were changing. More West, but they were'n't slowing at all. We decided to turn for the ramp and troll in. After about 15 minutes, the monkeypuke spoon got hit. I handed the rod to Nick, who was trying to balance himself in the back of the boat. The rod was set 80' back, dipsey on #1 setting, and the fish slammed it in 48 ft of water. I thought it was another sheephead, but I was wrong. He got it to the side and I saw the white spot on the tail. It was about a 4 pound walleye, and there I was, without the net! I grabbed the leader and when the wave rolled, I lifted the fish in the boat on the momentum. SWEET! The hook then fell out of the fish's mouth, but he was in the boat. We got a walleye.

Wasn't where I wanted to fish, but we took what we were given and worked with it. That's what fishing is really all about. Without the help from lots and lots of others I've fished with in the past, I'd have never even tried. Now, we have a couple real nice fillets to fry, bake, or grill. That's going to be a tough decision too!

Any comments or questions? Email me at cbachtel@wkyc.com and I'll get back with you.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel and I'll see you on the water.

Portage Lakes 8/9/08

2008-08-17T16:10:00.004-04:00

Hit the water with Nick and Cfish... Lake Erie wave forecasts weren't compatible with my 18 ft semi-V boat, so we went bass fishing. Portage Lakes is a great resource for several types of fish. Bass, bluegills, crappies, catfish. There are even a few straggler walleye and saugeye from stockings years back.

Winds were howling pretty good out of the West, but we hung in there. Tried crankbaits, stick baits, soft plastics. Fished shallow, fished deep, but it was extremely slow. As you can see in the video, Nick pulled the first fish. The thing had a big head and very little body. The fish, not Nick... HA!

Portage Lakes is usually a lot better. It's been a tough year there, at least for bass fishing. The weed killer plus the huge amount of fishing/boating pressue may be taking a toll. I'm looking forward to cooler nights, the shad schooling up, and lots of Fall topwater action.

Any questions about fishing or the outdoors? Shoot me an email at cbachtel@wkyc.com and I'll get back to you.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel and I'll see you on the water.

Vermilion Walleye 8/02/08

2008-08-03T09:01:00.003-04:00

Got the call from Chris McKimm, captain of the "Inside the Great Outdoors" fishing team, to join him and a few friends on Lake Erie. There have been great fishing reports from our friends at Ohio Game Fishing, so we headed out. One of our crew, Paul, had never been fishing before, so we had to get him on some fish.

After a bumpy ride out to the sandbar, we were greated by a pack of 60 or so boats. There were drifters and trollers, and every once in awhile, you'd see a net go in the water. The fish were there, but action was spotty. After the lines were set, it wasn't long. First fish was a scrappy little sheephead, but Paul didn't really care. It was his first fish.

Shortly after resetting the dipsey again, a rod on the other side went off. The time had come for his first walleye. Paul did great, keeping pressure on without horsing it in, and brought it right up to the net. SCORE! First fish in the box and Paul's first walleye. Check out the video above and you'll see it all.

A nice eater, that's for sure. We ended up with 8 nice eyes for the day. Not a lot of fish, but as is always the case, it was a lot of fun. Lots of laughs hauling in walleye between sheephead and white bass. Chris's buddy Glen hauled in a GIANT sheephead, almost took the rod out of his hands when he saw the boat! Fish was around 8 pounds or so, a real slob.

The trip made some great memories for us all, and we got in some more trolling practice. There's a lot to learn about boat speed and direction, lure depth, lure type and color, and putting it all together in a pattern that catches fish.

Thanks Chris for a great day of fishing. We'll get 'em again soon.

Any questions about anything? Shoot me an email at cbachtel@wkyc.com.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel and I'll see you on the water.

Great day for a hike!

2008-07-26T16:56:00.003-04:00

Instead of using the gas to haul the boat today, I decided to head down to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to do a little exploring with my two sons, Nick and Sam. It's always fun to get outside, and walking the beautiful Furnace Run was a blast.

We were looking through all the gravel deposits, gazing at fossils, watching for different kinds of rocks (sedimentary or igneous), looking for animal sign, watching for minnows and whatever else we could stumble on. It was a ton of fun and very educational.

We found a TON of fossils from corals to shells. The kids really thought they were neat. Every once in a while, we'd see a pair of goldfinches fly by in all their yellow splendor. A Great Blue Heron almost dragged its legs on Nick's head as we disturbed it from its roost. We saw deer tracks, raccoon tracks, and even beaver tracks, along with the trail between the prints made by its big, wide tail. Like I said, a lot to see if you look close enough.

We saw a few butterflies, including a big tiger swallowtail, and the pesky black flies dined well on me, I can tell you. I don't think the boys noticed them too much. They were too excited about the discoveries around every turn and under every rock.

The CVNP is a great place to get out and see a lot of diverse wildlife and habitats. I know my kids really enjoyed themselves today. Any time kids can get their feet wet chasing minnows and toads, or running down flying grasshoppers is a great time. I know I really enjoyed it and can't wait to get back out. The boys will tell you their favorite things of the hike in the video, but for me it was seeing their eyes light up when they saw new things, the questions they asked about the area, and the pleas to return to the creek as soon as we could for another day of exploring.

Great day for sure.

Talk to you later.

Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel

Wildwood Woes 7/19/08

2008-07-19T18:18:00.002-04:00

Headed out bright and early this morning for some more trolling practice. The weather has been hot lately, but stable and allowed me to take my own 18 foot Crestliner Canadian out on Lake Erie. Gotta love the 2 foot or less wave forecasts.

Anyway, I've trolled Erie quite a bit on my fishing buddies boats, but have little experience on my own. I've managed to build up a small collection of trolling gear and when the weather cooperates, I head out. It's mostly in preparation for the Fall night walleye bite, that if you experience it, you'll be spoiled on Lake Erie walleye, guaranteed.

My buddy Walt and I hit the ramp around 6 or so. The lake was looking good. We headed North for a few miles, looking for the plentiful marks we found last week. I stopped in 50 foot of water and there they were. The marks were showing up between 15 and 40 feet down, just like last week. We trolled 61-68 feet last week, but decided to stay close today. We got caught in a storm last week and it took 4 days for the color to come back to my knuckles. No fun in an 18 footer, that's for sure.

Anyway, we got our spread set up and started. Dipseys on the 3 1/2 setting, 100 back on one side, 85 on the other with crawler harnesses. On the inside, they dipseys were set to #1 and we trolled spoons. Small double orange crush and Listerine were it. I had a BIG hit on the orange crush, but it pulled off. Sharp hooks will do that, but it felt like a sheephead anyway. After a time, we switched to all orange. It worked last week, but this week, all we could manage were a couple farm animals. No walleye.

Not sure, but I think the full moon last night may have shut them down. Usually, the fish will come up and keep feeding all night and the next day, have lockjaw. It was tough.

I couldn't help wondering if we had been in deeper water, we may have found active fish. Who knows? Maybe next time. The waves and wind were building, so we headed in.

Something different with the blog now is the addition of video. I'll take the Flip camera along and shoot some highlights of my outdoor experiences. I hope the fish aren't camera shy!

Anyway, with some experimentation, I'll get it down and make it interesting. I'll see you on the water.

Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel

Long time, no post...

2007-12-04T19:49:00.000-05:00

It is amazing how fast a couple of months goes by.

Not really surprising though, with everything that is going on. OGF is rolling along, still steady in its growth. The "real" job at WKYC is really frustrating though. I've been put back on the "news" rotation and have limited time to keep providing content for the WKYC Outdoors page. It has so much potential, being we're the only TV station in the Cleveland market to offer any outdoors related news coverage. The stories are visual, interesting, new, local, and shows a side of our area that some folks don't even know exists. I've had a lot of support from some folks at the station, and man, do I appreciate it. Others, well, they have no idea the WKYC Outdoors page exists. I've only been doing it for the last year... The toughest part is trying to convince the news managers there is some value to providing outdoors coverage. Sometimes I think they have the mindset that the WKYC Outdoors page is my own personal web page, and not part of the WKYC brand. Why? I have no idea. Maybe they aren't "outdoorsy" types and feel that if it doesn't interest them, then who cares... I sure hope not. I have more faith in people to "see the light" I guess.

There are so many positives that come from time spent outdoors. I know a lot of folks understand that, and I think showing our viewers that in the mainstream media is important. There is so much more to life, so many more positive things that happen in our community than crime, victims, and negative "news".

I've been pretty burned out lately over it all. Can you tell? LOL! But a couple things happened this past week to get my perspective back in focus. I talked with someone I consider a true friend about it, and he suggested I get outside. So, last Sunday, in the wet, cold weather, I put on the rainsuit and headed out with one important piece of gear. My son Nick. We were going on a hike, wildlife watching, binoculars and bird field guide in hand, searching for signs of animals and birds. Well, that's what I told him. I think I was searching for something else.

We headed to Cascade Valley Metropark, in Akron. Good place to look for birds, deer, beaver... Lots of animal sign. As we made our way through the cool, damp woods along the Cuyahoga, I told Nick the stories of when I was a kid. How I had run those woods and fields with my friends, hunting and even running a short trap line. Raccoon, fox, rabbits, squirrels... They were all my quarry way back when. I showed him beaver tracks and slides into the river, and even a small sapling that one of those buck toothed rascals was chewing on. We'd follow a deer trail and see how it split up, then, when we passed a thicket, watch as the chickadees would come around, looking for rose hips to feed on. The cardinals, a kingfisher. The holes left behind in a dead tree trunk by some hungry woodpecker. We even spooked a few deer, their white tails waving goodbye to us and they disappeared over a small hill.

Didn't take long and Nick was showing me sign. Discovering deer trails on his own, finding tracks, bird nests, even a few spots where deer were bedding. He was taking it all in. We even manged to see a couple deer feeding on a ridgeline. The small buck and doe would look up every now and then, just to see we weren't too close, then go back to foraging for acorns. Eventually, they disappeared over the rise, and we headed back to the car. There is so much to see outside. So much to experience. And if you just slow down, get out there and let it in, it really can clear your mind.

I think he found what he was looking for. I found enough of what I was looking for. Enough to keep pressing on.

See you in the woods.

WHIRLWIND!!!!!

2007-09-30T09:34:00.000-04:00

WOW! What a busy, busy month! Over the past few weeks, it's been an exciting time. There's nothing better than
having the opportunity to combine your passion for something with your career. Some say it's getting paid to fish. It is, in a way, but for me personally, it's more than that. it's trying to show as many people as I can the great resource we have here in Ohio. Not just the fishing, but all of the outdoors.

Last week, it was the Ohio Game Fishing "Vermilion Hawgfest" open walleye tournament. I fished, took pictures, shot video, did interviews, called in wkyc.com/outdoors website updates. It was a 16 hour day last Saturday, but even though I was exhausted and sore by the end of the day, it was a "good" tired. 104 boats, hundreds of anglers and spectators, it was a real success. The best thing I saw were all the smiles. Folks were talking after the event, sharing stories of what worked, the big fish they caught, or in our team's case, the ones we didn't catch. The memories those events build are priceless. Vermilion is a great town, a wonderful fishery, and the fishing is only going to get better over the next few months, both perch and walleye.

Just as I was catching my breath after Vermilion, the FLW Tour came to Cleveland. Not a suprise or anything, as we at WKYC had plans to help promote the event, but once again, reality blew away any expectations I had in my mind. Tuesday, I had the opportunity to head out with a few FLW pros along with Cleveland Browns rookie left tackle Joe Thomas. What a great trip! Joe fished with FLW pros Julia Davis and Rick LaCourse and Dean Arnoldussen was my host on the camera boat. The pros found the perch just North of "The Crib" in 53 ft of water and we all hit them pretty good. Joe had a great time, as you can see in the picture in front of the "Gain" boat. I'm looking forward to getting Joe into some steelhead too, as they're starting run up the tribs.

It's really been a whirlwind, but it's been a great ride. Where it goes from here, who knows? As long as I'm able, I'll be out there trying to capture the enjoyment that spending time in the outdoors brings. The smiles, the memories, the great times. Mainstreaming outdoors news hasn't been easy, and there are still challenges. The folks at WKYC have been great in their support, and as long as that's there, I'll be here. I'll see you on the water or in the woods soon. I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel, thanks for stopping by.

Any comments, ideas you have are welcomed. Send "Big Daddy" an email at cbachtel@wkyc.com and he'll get back with you.

Sharing a Day On the Water

2007-08-19T09:51:00.000-04:00

A few months back, I had the opportunity to meet some fine folks at a "Fishing Rodeo" at Cook's Pond in Canton. It was a two day catfish derby. One day for senior citizens, the next for kids. Everyone had a great time, even though the fishing wasn't the best. But, with fishing, it's not about catching, it's the whole experience. There was a young man there, James Tabler. He was one of the volunteers who shared his passion for fishing and the outdoors with me. I told him then, that I'd take him out with me sometime this Summer, and the opportunity presented itself a couple weeks ago. I picked him up in Canton, and we headed, along with my son Nick, to Portage Lakes. It was "one of those days" that you have once in awhile. Fishing was tough. Very hot weather, lots of boat traffic, and the fish weren't active at all.

The day started off with a boat safety check at the Old State Park ramp. Everyone should get their boat checked and get their safety sticker. It's imperitive you stay safe on the water, especially with kids on the boat. Everything went well, except for one thing. I couldn't find my boat registration card. I thought I put it in my wallet, but I have so much junk in there, it got buried! I went through it 3 times, then finally found the fold between the business cards and old reciepts where that rascal was hiding. Finally, we got launched and on our way. I also wanted to thank the gentleman from the Coast Guard Auxilliary for his patience with me.

We started off fishing a weedy flat with Texas-rigged plastic worms. The only thing hitting the ribbon tail worms was the numerous bluegill and redears that like the action of the tails. We casted and casted, changed water depth, worm color. We fished boat docks, drop offs. All with no bass. I figured the heat and bright sun had the fish in TIGHT to cover, so I made our way to a lily pad covered shoreline. I also rigged up one of my favorite weedless topwater baits. The ZOOM Super Fluke.

We proceeded to cast the shorelines, right in the middle of the pads. The boys were using weedless plastic frogs, against my suggestion, but the action was great, even though it was too fast. I was twitching the fluke slowly through the pads, and as it hit the small openings in between them, I'd stop the bait and let it slowly sink. Over one of those spots, the water exploded. It was a nice 2 1/2 lb bass. Nothing like catching a fish in the front of the boat to get the guys in the back to change baits. We ended up catching 4 bass all together, and both James and Nick had some action, but lost the fish in the lily pads. It's tough to get them out of there sometimes.

We also tried to get some panfish. James' grandmother is a big fan of fresh fish, and from what James tells me, he brings a few home with him when he has the opportunity to get out. He's quite the fisherman, that's for sure. Even though we didn't catch a bunch, we did get 10 for grandma's fry pan. We also had a great time watching the ospreys hover and dive-bomb fish, we saw a juvenile bald eagle getting harrassed by some red winged black birds, and we saw a big snapping turtle that looked like an underwater Volkswagon. James is a seasoned shore fisherman and this was only his second boat trip. It was a pleasure having him along. I wish the fishing would have been better, but the trip, when taken as a whole, was a big success. And that's what it's all about.

WKYC OUTDOORS UPDATE

Everything is going well with the website(www.wkyc.com/outdoors) and we've got a busy month of September coming up. Small game hunting will be starting up, the fishing is going to get HOT, both inland as well as on Lake Erie. And speaking of Lake Erie, we'll be out at the Vermilion Hawgfest OPEN walleye tournament September 22, and the week after, we'll be in downtown Cleveland with the FLW Tour's PWT Championship. For details you can check out www.vermilionhawgfest.com and www.walleyetour.flwoutdoors.com respectively.

If you have any questions, comments, story suggestions, whatever, please send me an email at cbachtel@wkyc.com and I'll get back with you. I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel. Thanks for stopping by.

Let's Eat!!!

2007-07-22T15:11:00.000-04:00

They don't call them panfish for nothing! Bluegills, crappie, perch. All just right for the frying pan. Nothing better than a batch of freshly fried fish, even during the summer months. Here are a few tips to getting your catch ready to cook and some ideas to kick up the flavor a little.

I hear it all the time, especially with summer crappies, that the meat gets "mushy". As the water warms, the meat in them does get softer, and if you've eaten crappie caught through the ice, and compare them to crappie caught this time of year, you'll notice, there is a difference. So, what to do? Ice them down. Chilling the fish right after you catch them will firm up the meat. I would also, after cleaning them, keep them in an ice water bath for a couple hours.

I also hear that during the summer, bluegills can get to tasting "green". Sort of weedy flavored. Must be the change in habitat from the cold water months that does something to them. I'd do the same thing as with the crappie, keep them on ice. After you clean them, you can soak them in salted water or milk, and that should take care of that "weedy" taste. I'd soak them for a couple hours in the refrigerator, then rinse them well.

With all fillets, before you bread them for frying, dry off the fish well. I have some time tested secrets to both add flavor and keep the breading on the fillet too! Now, the classic way is to set up a dredge. A dish with flour, one with a beaten egg and milk mixture, then breadcrumbs. Works great, but can be messy. Be sure, though, to season the flour and bread crumbs with whatever spice combo you want, and to YOUR taste. There are a lot of really good spice mixtures out there, so do some experimenting.

What I like to do is a little different. I found a trick that REALLY enhances the flavor of the fish, plus will help keep the breading on while frying. Dry off the fish like before, then coat the fillets with, get this, YELLOW MUSTARD!!! Then, bread them just as you usually would. It may sound strange, but it works. Bluegill are already sweet, but there's just enough vinegar in the mustard to really make the fish POP. It really does work, and the mustard flavor doesn't overpower. It only enhances.

Another trick is to use ranch dressing to coat the fish. Milder flavor for sure, but the buttermilk in the dressing, plus all the added spices really hit the mark. I like to use a cajun spice blend in the breading, as the flavor really works well with teh ranch dressing spices.

The fish have really been cooperating this summer, especially the crappies. I still have a freezer full of walleye though, so at this point, they're all going back in the lake or getting sent home with fishing partners.

WKYC OUTDOORS UPDATE

There is now an email update service available to you from WKYC. It's an email update of Betsy Kling's Friday Fishing Forecast plus our weekly video story. To sign up, go to www.wkyc.com/outdoors and the form is at the bottom of the page.

This week, look for PART 2 of Trolling Tips with walleye pro Gary Zart. This week, Gary will be discussing trolling with jet divers. Part 1 covered dipsey diver basics and is available on-line through the link above.

Big week coming up, as Monday I get certified in "Passport to Fishing" training, plus Thursday I'll be exploring Yellow Creek in Bath, Ohio with Mike Greene from Metroparks, serving Summit County. Should be a fun story to shoot, unless the weather goes rotten!

For FREE fishing reports from around Ohio, please log on to our partner site at www.ohiogamefishing.com and check them out.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel, thanks for stopping by.

To contact Carl with feedback, story ideas, outdoors photos, anything at all, you can email him at cbachtel@wkyc.com.

Good Luck Gene and Terri

2007-07-12T10:21:00.000-04:00

I've met some real fine folks through my time on the water and in the field. In a week or so, a real good friend is saying "goodbye" to Ohio and moving on to greener pastures in Texas. In all honesty, I'm sort of sad to see him go. He's a heck of a good fisherman, and we've built many memories out on the waters of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Whether it was bass fishing at Nimisila or Portage Lakes, steelhead fishing the tributaries of Lake Erie, or drilling holes in the ice at Presque Isle Bay, we ALWAYS had a ball. His name is Gene Pitman, and I'm happy to call him "friend".
One of our more memorable trips, Gene's wife Terri came along on a walleye charter with Captain Gary on the SARA-J. What a great time. Terri even caught the biggest walleye, plus a GIANT sheephead she wanted to have mounted. Lake Erie was good to us that day, with walleye limits for everyone. I know Gene and Terri love the outdoors, sharing trrips to Lake St. Clair musky fishing, charters, camping trips. And, they were always great hosts. We'd fish a lot at Portage Lakes, and Gene's house was the meeting place before and after, as he was right on the water. My kids really enjoyed playing with their beagle, "Cooper". What a smart pup! Ah, the kids... My son Nick is really going to miss Gene. He loves to fish too, and was always asking if he could come out with us in the boat. Gene always had a spot for him too, whether it was bass fishing, hunting the big redears, or night time crappies, Nick was always welcome. I'm sure as heck going to try to get him down to Texas sometime for some BIG bass fishing. I know Gene knows the spots...
I can't really say which trip I had the most fun on. They were all great in their own way. Even the time on the ice at Mogadore, when we really shouldn't have gone out. The ice was just over 2 inches thick, but we slowly made our way out. We stayed for 20 minutes on the ice before it got to be too much. One of those "life experience" trips, i guess. The night walleye trip we took in January of '07 was great. Gene caught his biggest walleye, and I think he's still smiling about it. So many trips. Different places, different times of year, different species of fish caught. When someone is moving out of that circle of experience, it gets sort of sad, that you won't be making memories with them anymore. The friendship we built over the past few years will continue, and I'll chronicle my trips with others, and Nick's growth as a fisherman and the family's goings-on, and we'll always have the memories.

Thanks Gene. Thanks for all the good times and great fishing. I wish all the best to you and Terri, so until we meet again, so long.

Any questions, comments, fishing reports, photos, anything at all, please email me at cbachtel@wkyc.com and I'll get back with you.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel... Thanks for stopping by.

Vacation Highlites

2007-06-29T16:16:00.000-04:00

Had the week off work to get a few things in order. Upgraded my boat to an 18 foot Crestliner Canadian with a 50hp Honda 4-stroke on it. Boat is really nice and is very fishable. After spending a morning getting the titles and registration in order, the next decision had to be where to go and what to fish for?

Wednesday nights, at Portage Lakes, a local bass club puts on an open tournament. Well, I know you've all seen pictures of my son Nick, and heard how much he loves to fish. This past Wednesday, I entered us in the tournament, our first bass fishing event. He was very excited. He spent all day Tuesday checking his gear, going through tackle bag after tackle bag, changing set ups, trying to figure out where to start. I have never fished a bass tournament either, so it was new ground for the both of us. There were a couple friends of ours in the event who we met through OGF (www.ohiogamefishing.com) that we've fished with before. And, we've bass fished Portage Lakes a good number of times, so we thought we'd catch something... We sure did, and it was a better showing than I thought we'd make.

Now, this is no small affair. The entry fee is $20 per man, two person teams, with a $10 one time initiation to enter, so I dropped $60 on the tournament. It was less about winning the money back, and had everything to do with getting on the water with my son.

There were 30 or so teams in the field, and some really good, experienced tournament fishers. It was pretty intimidating, being he's 9 years old, and I'm , well, me. LOL! But, what the heck. We started out fishing crankbaits in 8 to 10 feet of water along some weed edges. Within 20 minutes, we had boated 3 fish. They weren't big enough to keep, but at least we caught something. What happened next was very scary. The skies grew dark and the rain began to fall. It was a very intense thunderstorm, with some brutal lightning. Playing it safe, I beached the boat and we got out, opting to wait out the storm, rather than fish through it out on the lake, in a boat, holding graphite fishing rods. Well, as late afternoon summer storms do, it moved out quickly, and in no time, we were back on the water. The crankbait pattern went away, so we moved to a big weedy flat and started throwing Texas rigged worms. Within 3 casts, Nick caught a NICE keeper, around two pounds. Then, it was on. We ended up catching 15 fish, and brought our 5 fish limit to the scales. We weren't even close to the 15 pounds it took to win the tournament, our 7 pounds and 9 ounces set us squarely in the middle of the field. But for me, it was one of those life-moments, one I'll remember forever.

Out on the water, Nick asked me if he could run the boat's trolling motor. He'd never run a foot controlled motor before, so I showed him the ropes, and he was off. I just sat back and watched him work the motor, cast, reel, set the hook on fish after fish. It was great. He's a real good fisherman, and I was proud to share the boat with him. I couldn't be more proud. And, our buddies from OGF, TxTransplant and johnboy, they weighed in 7 pounds 9 ounces, same as us. Thanks for suggesting the tournament guys. We both had a ball out there, rain and thunder too! We'll definitely get 'em next time!

If you have any questions, comments, feedback, or just want to talk fishing, send me an email. I'm at cbachtel@wkyc.com and you can also find me on www.ohiogamefishing.com, where I'm known as "Big Daddy".

Until next time, I'll see you out on the water. Thanks for stopping by. TAKE A KID FISHING!

Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel

BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!

2007-06-06T09:06:00.000-04:00

WOW! What a six months. So much going on, it's hard to know where to start. The website, Ohio Game Fishing, (www.ohiogamefishing.com) is exceeding all our expectations. Our growth continues to amaze, from fishing reports, tips, tricks, and we've also seen an upswing in our hunting forums as well.

In the past few months, we've added a couple media partners too. First, on the radio side, there's "Inside the Great Outdoors" radio with Reno Reda. The only LIVE outdoors radio program in NE Ohio. It's on 1420AM WHK Sunday mornings from 8 til 10AM. OGF sponsors the "Fishing Report" where our members provide the hot spots where the fish are biting in lakes, rivers, and streams from all over the state. I've also had the opportunity to co-host the show from time to time, which is a lot of fun. So, turn on the radio on the boat and listen in, or if you're surfing the web some Sunday, you can link up to the show, as it's streamed LIVE on the Internet. Link is available at www.whk-radio.com or through Ohio Game Fishing.

Our newest media partner is someplace near and dear to me. It's WKYC TV 3, the NBC affiliate out of Cleveland. Dear to me, because they're my employer! For a while now, I have been trying to get more and more outdoors stories on the local newscasts. They're visual, informative, and can at times be inspiring. I like shooting them, posting photos, and sharing fishing and outdoors experiences. Well, the powers that be decided to give me my shot. Together, we have developed a place for outdoors news off the WKYC news website. It can be viewed at www.wkyc.com/outdoors. Fishing reports, outdoors related news stories, information, weather reports, plus video stories that run on the air during our weekend morning newscasts. It's actually a dream come true. We have enormous outdoors resources here in Ohio, and WKYC Outdoors is your doorway to discovering them. Fishing, hunting, boating, camping, exploring, and a resource page are all in the works and being developed. We're even going to have a feedback area for viewer comments, plus a photo hosting page for your outdoors pictures. Look for the announcements on that real soon.

School is just about over and the Summer is heating up. There are so many opportunities to get out and enjoy the outdoors, and I sure hope you can. Check the WKYC Outdoors site for updates as to events going on you may be interested in.

If you have suggestions for the site, or any outdoor photos you'd like us to post, send them to me at cbachtel@wkyc.com and I'll get them to our webmaster.

Gotta run. Even though I'm on the outdoors beat, I still need to shoot "regular" news too. Like I said, BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel. Thanks for stopping by.

Early Spring Tactics

2007-04-01T12:28:00.000-04:00

After a good, cold Winter, I was looking forward to getting away from the outdoor show circuit and off the ice to some warmer weather and open water fishing. This time of year, if you can get the pattern down, can be very productive. The water is still cold, but warming, and the fish are getting active, strapping on the feed bag to prepare for the spawn.

Went out to one of my favorite early Spring spots, Long Lake. It's one of the Portage Lakes chain, located just South of Akron. It's a good lake to learn on, as it's not that big, but offers several different types of cover and species of fish. There is plenty of wood to fish, tree-falls and a few beaver huts, some good weed flats, steep shorelines, and creek channels. A MAJOR plus is the bait shop on it's South shore. If you get into the fish and run out of minnows, there it is!

Went out with my friend Chris, looking for crappie. I've always done pretty well at Long, but Chris refers to it as "The Dead Sea" as his luck hasn't been great there. Determined to change his mind, we headed out. Started on a drop-off near a channel in 6 ft of water. I had caught crappie and bass there in the past, and it's usually a good Spring spot. If there's good ice, it's a GREAT spot to ice fish. Anyway, we stopped there and gave it a good hour with no success. Was it too early? Were the fish still deep or had they moved shallow, tight to cover? These are the things you have to figure out when learning a lake.

Close to the weed flat/drop off we were fishing, there was a channel that I knew had LOTS of cover and an old beaver lodge. We eased back in there and started fishing tight to the wood. So tight, in fact, we got several snags and lost a few jigs along the way. It's the price you pay for fishing the sticks, but that's where the fish are. At least they were supposed to be. Warmer temperatures, cloudy, light rain, all are factors that SHOULD turn the fish on. All we got in that channel were a few bluegill and a real nice yellow perch. We spent a lot of time there, working the cover as best we could. I did have a small bass come up and WHACK the float I was using. Never took my jig, though. Oh well, that's why they call it fishing.
After we wore out the small gills in that channel, we decided to try another, bigger channel with two beaver lodges and a wealth of weeds, lily pads, sticks, and all sorts of places for the fish to hide. Again, we found some real nice bluegill and redears, and I caught a big, fat perch that was pushing 13 inches! But no crappies. The pattern was the same in both areas, so that clued us in that the fish weren't in shallow yet. So, what"s next? Deeper water. In my experiences on this lake, I knew of 4 real nice weed flats that, from time to time, hold fish. We fished one with no success, so this time I headed to the deeper of the weed beds. It was a good move.

It was the right move. We set up on the edge of the weed flat in 7 1/2 ft of water. There was very little wind, so we just drifted around for awhile, until we found some fish, if any. Well, didn't take long and the first slab was hooked and on his way in. Anchors went down and we proceeded to go through 5 or so dozen minnows. We had figured out the pattern. The fish wanted a minnow on a plain hook. No jig, to plastic tube or twister tail, just a plain old minnow. We were fishing them under a slip bobber, set at a depth of between 6 and 7 foot deep. When fishing in the Spring for crappie, I like to use 4# test line and either my 7 ft medium action rod with my drag set fairly loose, or my 10 ft medium- light action rod. They cast well, they'll let you fight the bigger fish with the rod, and let you play them. Sometimes, you will get a big bass or catfish on the minnows as well. That's what happened to us. Along with 25 or so crappie, 10 perch, uncounted gills, we hauled in six channel cats that ranged in size from 2 pounds to 7 pounds. On 4 pound test and a long, limber rod, there is nothing more fun that a hard fighting catfish.

It's a very satisfying feeling when you "figure it out". It's almost as much fun as the catching of the fish. But, you have to be able to adapt. I could give you GPS coordinates of where we caught them, and you could go there and get skunked. You should try and be aware of what different lakes have to offer, and be able to change what you're doing to fit the pattern the fish are in. It goes for all species of fish, too.

For more on fishing or anything outdoors, check out www.ohiogamefishing.com.

That's all for this entry. I'll be more consistent in my reports now that the outdoor shows are done and I have a little more time to get out. If you have any questions on anything "outdoors" you can shoot me an email at cbachtel@wkyc.com and I'll get back to you. Now, I'm off to put a new fish finder on the boat.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel. Thanks for stopping by.

Ice Fishing and the "F" Word

2007-02-23T09:25:00.000-05:00

Now, just which "F" word am I speaking of? Fish? Freezing? Firetruck? Nope, none of those. The "F" word that comes to mind when I take a trip on the ice is F-U-N. There is nothing like it in fishing, and for hardcore hardwater fanatics like me, it's my favorite way to fish. This past weekend, I took a trip up to Erie, PA to Presque Isle Bay State Park. I went with my son Nick and my good buddy Gene. The fishing was pretty slow, but we still had a GREAT time. It just amazes me that I can walk out on the ice, drill a couple holes, and start catching fish. Presque Isle Bay is the premeier place to experience ice fishing heaven.

As is getting to be the case the more I take him fishing, Nick was on the board first with a 7 inch pumkinseed. Presque is LOADED with big, hungry panfish, and it's not uncommon to catch hundreds of those hungry gills. On a good day, you can drop your bait in water and before you can count to ten, you're hooked up. Great place to take a kid fishing, as they will be busy hauling in fish after fish, of quality size and beautiful color. There is a limit of 50 on panfish (bluegills and crappies mixed) but perch are another story. Late February is per-spawn for some of the biggest perch I have ever seen caught. If you can find them, they will amaze you. We lucked into a couple up there last week.

There's Nick with a nice jumbo. My buddy Gene, who went up two weeks ago while I was in Columbus, pulled in one that measured 16 inches. YES! He has photos of it as well. The baits we use are small ice jigs in assorted colors from chartruse, orange, white, red, purple, silver, just about any color at all. Experiment to see what works best for you. Some anglers jig small Swedish Pimple spoons tipped with maggots to get the perch interested. It's not only panfish that swim in these waters though. Every once in a while, a roaming steelhead will hammer your jig, and the fight is on. Have those drags set on your reels becuase once the feel the hook, they go nuts! You can also catch some quality largemouth bass and pike through the ice using minnows.

We only brought home 25 fish between the three of us, but fishing is about more than catching. It's sharing time with friends. It's spending some real quality time with your kids, teaching them what wonders exist in the world around them, and how they fit into the system. And, if you go it alone sometime, it's a great way to relax and let all the worries of the day melt away. And, you'll build a great memory that all revolves around that one, little "F" word. Fun.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel and thanks for stopping by.

Questions or comments? Drop Carl a line at cbachtel@wkyc.com and he'll get back to you.

Indoor Winter Fun

2007-02-16T09:02:00.000-05:00

What a wallop Mother Nature hit us with this week! Doesn't bother me too much, but it will make dragging an ice shanty pretty difficult. Oh well!

If you're more a fair weather fisher, and the cold, snow, and ice doesn't appeal to you, there are some things you can do to pass the time. One is to get on the Internet and research some techniques, tips, and tricks to improve your fishing. There are some very informative discussions going on right now at ohiogamefishing.com about trolling for walleye on Lake Erie. Just go to the "Lake Erie" section and jump in with both feet. The guys there are very helpful and will answer any of your questions.

This time of year is also outdoor show season. If you want to get out of the house, look at boats, plan trips, or find a tackle deal or two, this is a great way to pass the time. There is a list of Ohio outdoor shows on ohiogamefishing.com as well!

Our site will be manning a booth at the Vic's Sport Center/Summit Archery and Tackle Outdoor Show in Cuyahoga Falls on Feb 23, 24, and 25 and I will be doing ice fishing seminars the same weekend at the Select Hunting and Fishing Show in Strongsville the same weekend. Now, all I have to do is figure out how to be at two places at once, and I'll be all set!

Lastly, after you get tired of typing, and the shows are over, there's always the yearly task of organizing your tackle box, or in my case, BOXES. It's good to do, then you'll know what you have, know what you need, and most importantly, know where it is!

Well, I'm off to put some new line on a couple ice fishing reels. I'm on vacation next week and will take full adavntage of the cold and good, thick ice. Look for pictures again next entry, plus (hopefully) some GREAT fishing reports!

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel and thanks for stopping by.

You can contact Carl at by email at cbachtel@wkyc.com

Some of Us LOVE the Cold

2007-02-04T13:53:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful time of year. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. But for me, I absolutely love it. The feel of a cold wind on your face. The squeak of the snow under foot. The quiet. Ever been out on a hike alone, or on a frozen lake, and just stop? What do you hear? Nothing but the wind through the trees and the occasional chickadee. Then, it's on to the pond or lake, auger and shanty in hand, to do some fishing.

I had the great opportunity to fish some private ponds with a couple friends from ohiogamefishing.com. We had access to a few old strip mine ponds in southeasten Ohio, and everyone had a ball. Brandon, in the foreground, had never been ice fishing before. He'd heard me and his shaty-mate Lewis talk about it all the time, as well as see the pictures. Well, within an hour after they started, Lew annd Brandon had 25 or so quality bluegill on the ice. Needless to say, Brandon is now hooked, and will be looking for frigid temps and hardwater, just like the rest of us "crazies".

Also joining us on the ice was my friend Gene, another ice addict I've shared many fishing trips with. On this day, we caught in the neighborhood of 150-175 fish, mostly bluegills, with a few bass and chunky slab crappies mixed in. The fish averaged 8 inches, but we did have a dozen to 15 Fish Ohio class bluegill. Gene had said they were the biggest bluegills he had ever caught, and in no time, we had a 5 gallon bucket full of those tasty fish. And here's a tip. When dragging your gear downhill to a farm pond, don't forget that you need to drag all the stuff back uphill. PACK LIGHT! Either that, or get in shape. LOL.

I can tell you from experience that a lot of bluegills fit inside a 5 gallon bucket! I spent 2 1/2 hours filleting them this morning, as I listened to "Inside the Great Outdoors" with Reno Reda on WKNR 850AM. It's sure great to hear some fun, entertaining, and knowlegeable guys talk about the outdoors. We need a lot more of that sort of thing. Anyway, the time flew by, and now the freezer is full. Nothing is better than cold water panfish fillets. They're sweet as can be.

Well, that's about it for this entry. If you do head outside, dress for the weather. It's brutally cold and that can be dangerous. Limit the amount of exposed skin and don't stay out too long. Thanks again to Lewis Ramey and my friends from ohiogamefishing.com. The site is going through a major upgrade, but we should be back up and running later this evening. If you want to experience ice fishing, or have any tips or stories to tell, you can contact me at cbachtel@wkyc.com or leave me a message at Ohio Game Fishing. I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel, and I'm going to get under some blankets. It's COLD out there! Talk with you soon and thanks for stopping by.

FINALLY!!!! Ice Time

2007-01-24T21:14:00.000-05:00

Well, the cold temperatures have finally stuck around long enough for some ice to form. For the hardcore hardwater angler such as myself, it's been two long years since we had good enough ice to go to a variety of places to fish. Will it last? Who knows, but I can tell you this, I am going to take full advantage of it while I can.

So, what makes a person WANT to go sit on a bucket on top of a frozen lake, in subzero temperatures, to try and catch fish through a hole in the ice? There are all sorts of reasons! First and foremost, there are fish to be caught. And if you've never tasted cold-water bluegill fillets, you don't know what you're missing. Contrary to popular belief, fish do bite in Winter. They are slower, more sluggish, and your presentation needs to be smaller, but they do have periods of aggressive behavior. Whether it's bluegills, perch, crappie, walleye, or bass. Right place, right time, right bait, and you'll have a nice fish pile of your own working.

What else drives us out on the hard stuff? Friendships. Ice fishermen are some of the most friendly folks in the fishing world. I guess there are a lot of people on the ice that are the same kind of crazy! Sharing stories, coffee or hot chocolate, bait, lures, lanterns for light and heat, it really is a bonding experience. There is also something else. There can be some real solitude on the ice, where it's nothing but you, the fish, and the cold wind. Sort of soothing, when you look around at the stark beauty of a frozen lake, listen to the wind howl, watch a lone hawk circle, and right when all the stresses and worries of life ease their way out of your system, your bobber disappears under the water. Nothing like it in the whole world.

With the cold weather, and the lakes icing over, just don't get too anxious. Remember, there is no such thing as safe ice. There is good ice though, and most folks recommend a good, solid 4 inches of ice before heading out.

Another good thing to do is to go with a buddy. You can keep an eye on each other and stay safe that way. If you're alone, go fish where there are other anglers around so if anything does happen, help will be close by. For more information on where to go, ice thickness reports, and safety tips, go to http://ohiogamefishing.com and check out the "Hardwater" forum. I'll be heading out to Mogadore Reservoir in Portage County this Saturday, East of Congress Lake Rd. to do some scouting, and hopefully some fishing. I'll post a report next week.

Well, that's about it for now. I need to put some new line on a couple ice rods and get ready for the weekend. Maybe I'll see you out there sometime.

I'm Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel... Thanks for stopping by.

2007 Starts with a BANG!

2007-01-11T19:56:00.000-05:00

With fishing, a lot of the opportunities you get depend on the weather. With teh unseasonably warm Winter we've had, it has extended those opportunities for walleye fishers right off Cleveland. Here's our group from a few nights ago. We sprent the evening with Captain Virgil of Fish-Crazy charters. Virgil hasn't put his boat up as of yet, and is still catching those marble-eyes. The fish are huge, too! This night, we got 16 total fish, 5 over 10 lbs! Biggest weighed in at a whopping 12lb 6oz! Definitely a trip of a lifetime. It was great to share the water with a great group of buddies. Trips like this is what fishing is all about.

Now, we forge on into 2007, and things are amping up. The Cleveland Boat and Waterfront Lifestyle Expo starts today and runs through January 21 at the I-X Center, kicking off the outdoors related show season. I'm even getting involved, and will be doing a couple seminars on using the Internet to improve your fishing experiences. I'll be concentrating on ohiogamefishing.com, the website I'm part of the ownership group of. Still not exactly sure what I'm going to say, but I'll manage something. It's a lot more difficult getting up in front of a crowd and speaking rather than typing it out.

Next on the plate, my annual "Ice Fishing 201" seminar, to be held 1-3PM at the Gander Mountain store in North Canton. Mother Nature has sort of thrown a curve, as there's no ice anywhere to get out on here in NE Ohio! I'm hoping, and praying, that we'll be able to get out somewhere by then.

After that, it's off to Columbus to their Sport and Travel Expo. Ohio Game Fishing will actually have a booth there, and will also pull the ticket for our "Ice Raffle" prize giveaway. Details on ohiogamefishing.com. Later in February, there's the Summit Archery and Tackle/Vic's Sports Center show(Cuyahoga Falls) and the Select Fishing Show (Strongsville). OGF will have a booth at the Vic's show, I'll be doing ice fishing seminars at the Strongsville show.

This is a busy season, but I really do enjoy it. I like getting out from behind the computer and meeting people. Only problem is it's cramping my style by taking away from time fishing!

There are lots of other things in the works as well, but I'll save that til later. If you're out at one of the shows, stop by and say hello. If you need info on any of the shows, where the steelies are HOT, or where teh water is frozen enough to fish, go to ohiogamefishing.com and check us out. It's all there, all free, and all for you.

See you at the shows and tight lines everyone!

Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel