Kids only! Little Turtle Pond, Akron, Ohio

Little Turtle Pond is at 2338 Harrington Rd, Akron, OH 44319. Park in the lot (no charge) and stroll maybe 500 feet past the no fishing pond and you will be at the fishing pond. On the way you might see a beaver ambling across the grass, a blue heron poking about the waters, and frogs splashing.

It’s a nice pond with a dock. You can fish all sides of it. But only if you are a kid, or with a kid. So a couple of us dads could have a line in the water while helping our junior anglers chase bluegill. A bobber and small worm proved very effective.

The pond also has largemouth bass, which I twice saw come marauding into the shallows chasing bluegill fry. I also caught eye of a carp. There are plenty of walkers and joggers who use the path around the pond, so do be mindful when you are casting.

Places to fish in and around Akron, Ohio

Photo: Summit Metro Parks.

The site Akron.com carried a July 16, 2020 article by Sean Patrick on fishing opportunities in the Akron area. The full story is here, and highlights are below. Some of these leads provided will require additional investigation—oh, darn, I’ll just have to go fish them!

• Little Turtle Pond at Firestone Metro Park: Kid-friendly bluegill and bass fishing.
• Brushwood Lake in Furnace Run Metro Park: Bass, bluegill, catfish and perch.
• The Cuyahoga River in Cascade Valley: It “is an extremely productive small-mouth bass fishery.” Where exactly one should go is something I need to investigate.
• Summit Lake: Large-mouth bass (especially), panfish, channel catfish, warmouth, and perch.
• Nimisila Reservoir: Largemouth bass, sunfish and channel catfish. Not clear where to park and fish—it is a sizable body of water.
• Mogadore Reservoir at Mogadore Reservoir Park: Largemouth bass, sunfish and channel catfish. I previously caught bass here on a boat. Park at the boathouse. Some shore fishing is possible.
• Michael J. Kirwan Reservoir at West Branch State Park: Muskellunge! Not clear if there is good shore fishing here. This is a huge body of water, so where to park and fish is unclear.
• Berlin Lake: Smallmouth bass and walleye. Another huge lake, so it is not clear where one should go and fish.
• Lake Milton: Smallmouth bass and walleye. Same deal as Berlin Lake and Kirwan Reservoir, although one might park at the marina and try there(?)

To locate additional fishing opportunities in the Medina County Park District, surf to http://www.medinacountyparks.com.

For other fishing opportunities in Summit County, see https://www.summitmetroparks.org/fishing.aspx.

Chasing bass and bluegill at Meadowbrook Lake in Stow, Ohio

Here’s a nice little find—Meadowbrook Lake.

You enter the park at 5069 Hudson Drive. There is a swing set and small playground. You can shore fish from the grass around the end of the lake or you can use one of the little fishing platforms. Bluegill and bass can be found there, and you can also chase them in the creek that is fed by the lake.

It was there that I got the hog above. He jumped on my boy’s Zebco 33, which had a bobber and nightcrawler.

Oh, and the lake also has carp. We failed to bag any, but I saw one surface near the asphalt ramp.

 

Fishing the Calvert Cliffs pond in Lusby, Maryland

Calvert Cliffs in Lusby, Maryland is famed for its little beach, where one can find fossils and shark teeth. It also has a freshwater pond—with fish!

The pond is very easily accessed—drive into the lot, park just pass the restrooms building, and there it is. It is kid-friendly.

I saw panfish (bluegill and sunfish), small rock bass, and largemouth bass in the water. One can fish either side of the pond, and either standard tackle or fly are usable.

The ivdeo above shows the fish interest in the small, top water flies I chucked. But a small bobber, small hook, and litle wriggling worm will also score fish easily.

Fishing Little Falls Branch in Maryland

Little Falls Branch, or creek, can be found just north of Washington, DC. You can park in the small lot at the intersection of Massachusetts Ave NW and Little Falls Parkway. Then hike eastward and you will find spots where the water gets a few feet deep and is still, and you may find panfish and small bass in these spots. (To date, I’ve not landed a bass and so I can’t be sure if they are smallies or largemouths. I am guessing the former.)

The fish can spook easily as the water is crystal clear. A fly rod chucking a rubber version of the San Juan worm works very well. Or you can cast a meal worm or earth worm on a small hook (size 8 or less) with a small bobber a couple feet above the bait. (The water is shallow, but you need distance between the bobber and bait or the fish will be hesitant to bite.)

How to Catch Snappers at Louse Point in East Hampton

Louse Point is a nifty spot where the young bluefish (“snappers”) come in to feast upon minnows.

You can chase them with really simple tackle: light monofilament line (4 to 8 pounds) and a lightweight rod. My kids used the classic Zebco 33 with great success. Harvey at the Tackle Shop in Amagansett can sell you popper rigs, which consists of heavy monofilament line, a cone bobber, and a long shank narrow hook with either a flashy skirt around it or a rubber fake eel cover on it. Both word great, and a popper rig costs maybe $8 or $9 and will last forever. If you really want the snappers to go berserk, add a dead minnow to the hook. (Harvey also sells those, and other bait.) Its is simple fishing—cast and reel. And look for surface disturbances—the big busy patches that happen when a school of snappers encounter a school of minnows.

Fishing tends to be best when the tide is coming in. So check the tides online.

Fly fishermen can bag snappers with ease. Use floating line and chuck a Clouser Minnow or other streamer. Harvey also sells flies with stainless steel leads, as snappers have vicious teeth that will shred line. If you chuck one of your own flies, best include tippet that is thick enough to take the abuse. And strip as fast as you can—bluefish are blazingly fast and love rocketing baits.

Fishing at Claridon Woodlands in Claridon Township, Ohio

Claridon Woodlands is part of the impressive Geauga Park District. The park system is about a 45-minute drive east of Cleveland. Claridon Woodlands is a nice area to walk and take in the beauties if nature. It has a nature center and features a climbing wall and high ropes course.

We gave the pond a whirl, and found bluegill and bass hitting on red wriggling worms. My five-year’s experiment in using McDonald’s french fries to catch fish did not succeed.

More fishing at Lock 3 in Akron, Ohio

We saw fish in the canal every visit we made to Lock 3 in downtown Akron, Ohio. In summer, they are there. (Not so in winter—the shallow water is too cold.)

We’ve caught largemouths, little catfish, rock bass, sunfish, and bluegill. Here you see us contend with panfish who were skittish. But, with a little cunning we quickly scored one.

For more info on this fishing hole, see my previous Lock 3 video and blogpost.

Fishing Louse Point in the Hamptons

Louse Point is a little spit of land in the Springs section of East Hampton. It is a fine place to fish for young bluefish (AKA snappers), porgy, and more. At times it can  be a bit buggy, what with teeny buggers landing on one’s hands (which is annoying) or greenhead flies and deer flies. So consider wearing long pants and long sleeves, despite the heat. And bring bug spray, which helps. To get the gear you need to catch snappers and porgies, try the Tackle Shop in Amagansett.

Lake Medina Surprises Me with a 30″ Northern Pike

Lake Medina is a sizable, beautiful lake where you do not need a fishing license to enjoy its waters. The water is clear, the shored are rocky, and there’s a huge amount of space to shore fish. Kayaks can be put in on the northern side of the lake — although it is about a 500-foot haul from the parking lot just off Granger Road. (I have not clue what the southern side of the lake looks like. I never made it there.)

When we arrived around 9am, my eyes popped—a couple of largemouth bass a short distance from the shore! And bluegill and other panfish immediately began hitting worm on bobber.