Long time, no post...

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!!!!!

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

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!!!

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

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

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!!!

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.