Clearfork muskie tactics

To most of our local angling fraternity, a four-pound fish is a big one. And rightly so. A four-pound walleye, four-pound bass, even a four-pound carp. But wouldn't it be exciting to catch a REALLY big fish, maybe a 20-pounder or 30 pounds, something that would rip off line, leap skyward with flaring gills, punish you and your equipment alike? They're out there, and close at hand. They call them muskies. Everybody has heard of these toothy predators, but few indeed ever fish for them, and I suspect most believe that it's just too hard to catch one. Better to spend your time on a local farm pond for bass and bluegills. But that's not so. You're never going to catch 15 to 20 in a day, but at top area lakes like Clearfork Reservoir just southwest of Mansfield, it's not hard to catch a fish a day or even two. Though sometimes none, since they're truly temperamental fish. I've fished Clearfork and caught my first muskellunge just a hundred feet from the dock, but I've also tried for three days in a row and never drawn a bite. They may strike today all over the lake and send in a dozen or more grinning anglers, and for a week go into the doldrums and refuse to strike at all. All of which makes muskie fishing an always interesting business. Many anglers favor heavy duty muskie gear to handle these lunkers, but I've done most of my fishing with a medium action spinning rod and 20 pound test line. Some may argue the point, but I don't believe in steel leaders, either, which can be all too visible in clear water, and I've never yet lost a muskie to line cut. You decide for yourself. And you'll need a half dozen or so muskie lures, which can add up to some dollars, maybe a Berkley Monster Shad or two, a perch finish Creek Chub Pikie, a Mepps Muskie Killer, and a couple of long lipped stick baits maybe six inches long. You've got to pay a little to play. After this, there are two ways to go, the productive way and the fun (and often productive) way. The first is trolling. I dislike trolling because it ranks with watching grass grow and paint dry, but it will catch more muskies, or for that matter, walleye, salmon, bass, etc., than any other method. Take a friend with you to Clearfork, so four rods can be used. Check your fish locator as you go to see where the big blips are hanging, fish two lures at about that depth, and one further back with one more not far behind the prop wash. Then get moving. Troll slow, troll fast, troll change-up, and switch lures occasionally. The basic idea here is that the baits will be in the water and at proper depth non-stop. It has to produce more fish. Casters have their lures at proper depth for only a minute or two, and otherwise it's coming in, in the boat, in the air, etc. But lots more fun, since you have total control. Casters can work the shoreline, cover the corridors and outer edges of weed beds, come in close around Clearfork's mid-lake islands, and do interesting things like jerk fishing, which is suddenly pulling your rod to make the lure speed up, then letting it idle a little. Muskies can be teased into an attack by a lure that suddenly races away, so jerk fishing is always worth an occasional try. And having a big fish try to rip a rod out of your hands is always more fun than reaching for a rod holder. Where to fish at Clearfork is easy. Trollers typically start their day at the first island east of the marina, slant across the lake and cruise down the north shore not too far off dry ground. They'll move on down near the dam, cross over, and come back along the south side and not too far off the islands in mid-lake, then cross over and start again. It's a productive route that produces some dandy fish. Casters will often work around that first island on both sides, move up a bit toward the Boy Scout Camp, then head down the north shore, stopping to cover a little spring abut two thirds of the way toward the dam. They'll cast some more, locate and fish a big sunken island that's fairly close to the dam and toward the north shore, then come back up the south, hitting the islands hard and on all sides, and covering small coves on the south shore. Again, a good route that will produce fish. The whole business is admittedly a little slow and tedious sometimes, but compare a four ounce bluegill to a 30 pound fighting predator. Muskies are worth a try. Hooks & Bullets: • Ohio's Natural Areas and Preserves hold wonderful little bits of ancient prairies with prairie plants often found nowhere else, along with acres of mature forests, swamps, and marshes with rare frogs, salamanders, turtles, and more. So, it's good news when the ODNR can purchase a bit of land for addition to its preserves for the use of future generations. Which is why the ODNR was so pleased to add 66 acres to its Springville Marsh State Nature Preserve. The now 267 acre wetland now holds 26 state rare species including green star sedge, northern adders tongues, tower mustard, and Virginia rail. • The Ohio Wildlife Council recently approved reducing the 2022 spring wild turkey season limit to one bird, instead of the usual two. This regulation includes the youth spring hunting season. The change followed several years of reduced wild turkey reproduction. • The Ohio Division of Wildlife will release more than 14,000 ringneck pheasants at 25 public hunting areas this fall. They will be available for hunting on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 23 to 24, and 30 to 31 for young hunters only, and Friday (opening day), Saturday, Nov. 13, and Thursday, Nov. 25 (Thanksgiving). For details on regulations, licensing, and locations Google "Ohio fall pheasant release locations".