+ THE BLADE: TOLEDO, OHIO t FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2005 SECTION C, PAGE 7 + Smallmouth bass elusive, but persistence pays off Follow the Fish By STEVE POLLICK Canada BLADE OUTDOORS EDITOR suggested trying a variety of Michigan Ohio United States East Sister tactics, and when most of the Island hen it comes to guys went with bass gear — live smallmouth bass softcraws or tubes — he imme- Shipping Channel W fishing in Lake diately started with a Weapon, Lake Erie Hen Island Erie this summer, persistence a hybrid mayfly rig baited with Chick Island Little Chick Island pays off, at least a little, and a piece of nightcrawler. It has Bowling Green angler John become a now-favorite walleye Toledo Big Chick Island Harbor Light Harkness is proof. rig in the western basin. He Gravel Pit Northwest On a recent foray into the immediately started catching West Sister reef Ennis Bass Islands region with the walleyes on a gold-blade Transport Wagon Island reef reef Rock Doctor, guide Jerry Abele, homemade Weapon as we West Wheel Sister reef Harkness alone stuck with drifted over Kelleys Shoal. reef casting and dragging olive The wind directions were West North Bass reef tube-jigs, this long after the squirrelly this day, up and A-Can B-Can C-Can Island rest of the party had forsaken down, switching around the Crane Toledo reef Big them for wall- compass, and an Water Intake Little Sugar Island Pickerel Cone Pickerel Middle Bass eye rigs. The approaching reef reef reef Rattlesnake Island Island day was billed cold front was L-Can Niagara South Bass Ballast Island by his buddy taking its time reef and ringleader, arriving. So the Flat Island Rock Crib Tim Ayer, of fish were finicky. reef reef Green Island Grand Rapids, Nonetheless we Turtle Starve Island reef Locust as a small- managed to land Point Starve mouth trip and half a boat-limit reef Island Toussaint Mouse reef Harkness of ’eyes, most in reef Island aimed to make the 15 to 18-inch Round reef Davis Besse West it so. range, not to reef Mouse Island Harbor Which is mention as reef Kelleys Middle why he alone many Catawba Harbor Island produced a 3- sheepshead, or reef Clinton Island 1/2-pound freshwater Smallmouth Bass reef Lakeside smallie worth drum, as we reef seeing at any wanted to play year, but espe- Angler Annie Orth dis- with. And about a ers when it comes to emptying luxury sedan he was driving. a five-day period, trying to Steve Pollick’s Outdoors col- cially this one, plays a fine smallmouth million and three bass nests of untended eggs Some fishermen just don’t locate some larger perch. umn will appears Fridays in when Erie gobies. during spawning. get it, it seems. If you kill all the “These little beauties are the Sports Section, in addition smallmouth action has been Gobies. Abele could turn All of which is not to say big old bass, which take years running from three to six inch- to Tuesdays and Sundays. nothing to write home about. them — and double-crested that smallmouth cannot be to grow to five pounds or bet- es and are very healthy and Contact Steve Pollick at: Earlier he lost a similar size cormorants, those explosively caught. It is just that for the ter, there will be precious few stocky. They are very lively and [email protected] fish. He was the bass master for abundant, dark-feathered fly- foreseeable future, the days of left to share. Supposedly most spunky, and it does your heart or 419-724-6068. the day. ing fish-eaters — into four-let- catching and releasing 50 to of us practice catch and release good just to see that there has As the crew gathered at ter words. This invasive exotic 100 bass are over, Abele noted. with bass. been a large successful hatch, dawn at Channel Grove Marina species of forage fish has But one On a despite the large population of near Lakeside, Abele offered become an unconscionable fisherman brighter note, predators.” the day’s options, acknowledg- pest in the lake. The exponen- we met at area angler Tucker, who has been fish- ing that walleye have been tial expansion perhaps has day’s end Dan Tucker ing with guide Jerry Meyers Sr., more consistent producers been fueled by the explosion of showed us a sends news rightly urges fellow anglers, than bass around the islands’ two other pests, zebra and fine catch of that the future who may be perching this fall rocks and reefs. Even the Pelee quagga mussels, which are a bass he had may be and incidentally catching these Island area on the Canadian favorite goby food back where taken on brighter for young bass, to return them to side has not been as productive they both came from. So much softcraws Erie smallies, the water unhurt and to keep as in years past. for so-called federal control of “up in Cana- if conserva- their time out of water to a “There’s a big hole in the polluted ballast-water from da.” At least tion is widely minimum. bass population,” said Abele, a overseas shipping, the source two of them The round goby, above, is a practiced. “Maybe some day we can veteran known for his years of blamed for mussels and gobies. were five- bait-stealing pest in Lake Erie. “We have return to the fantastic small- “rock-picking”experience. Oth- In any case, Abele agrees pounders been catching mouth bass fishing, like it used ers in the crew included Greg that little can be done with and the rest hefty. Unfortu- an unbelieveable amount of to be.” Carson, of Grand Rapids, Eric gobies, other than to tolerate nately they all were dead in his young smallmouth bass Notice to readers: This will “Itch” Evans, of Grand Rapids, them and hope their numbers cooler, headed for a fish-clean- around the reefs and rockpiles be the last installment of the Ernie Tebeau, of Gibsonburg, eventually level off. But they ing station. The guy must have while fishing for [yellow] perch Follow the Fish feature for the John Harkness, of Bowling and yours truly. are bait-thieves extraordinaire, been starving, unable to keep with minnows. We caught at season. It is scheduled to Green, and his Erie prize. It was telling when Abele not to mention vacuum clean- up payments on the shiny new least 150 or more of them over resume next spring. In its place AUTO RACING Glass City 200 is best of Fisher takes stock of her future season-ending specials ASSOCIATED PRESS It’s been a long, strange jour- By C.J. LANDRY ney for Sarah Fisher from most BLADE SPORTS WRITER popular driver in the Indy Rac- As the 2005 short track racing ing League to the minor leagues season draws to a close, many of stock car racing. tracks are holding season-end- Before anyone had heard of ing specials. Danica Patrick, Fisher was the One of the top events for super driver who appeared ready to late models in the Midwest will have injured their sons, Doug and fi nally clear a path for women be the Budweiser/NBC 24 Glass Randy, Fremont Speedway promot- into open-wheel racing. ers Jim and Joanne Ford have can- She came up on the dirt tracks City 200 presented by the Great celed the remaining races for 2005. of the Midwest, earning the Lakes Chevy Dealers set for Sat- Anyone holding rain checks for urday and Sunday, Sept. 24-25 at the 2005 season should send the rain respect of some of the toughest Toledo Speedway. check with their address to Fremont drivers in American racing. That One of the fi rst entrants in this Speedway, 19101 Orchard Drive, reputation, as well as a handful year’s Glass City 200 is defend- Elmore, Ohio 43416, and a refund of victories in midgets and sprint check will be sent. cars, helped the determined ing race winner Steve Sauve of w Saginaw, Mich. Sauve is looking Fisher reach the IRL in 1999 for Winning the 2005 410 winged one race after becoming, at 19, to become the only four-time sprint car title, Mike Linder joins his winner of the fall classic. father Jim to become the fi rst father- the youngest driver to pass the Other early entries include: son track champions at Fremont league’s rookie test. Jack Landis who captured last Speedway. Jim has seven super In 2000, she raced in the India- month’s Summer Sizzler at modifi ed/sprint titles at Fremont. napolis 500 for the fi rst time and New Paris, Ind.; Lee Anderson Paul Weaver is the 305 sprint later that season fi nished third at track champion, while Bobby Davis Kentucky Speedway, the young- who won the Kalamazoo Klash edges the track’s 2001, 2002 and est woman in IRL history to lead in July; John Grega has a Main 2004 champion Steve Sabo by six ASSOCIATED PRESS Event win on his resume; Ron points for the 2005 Coors Light Dirt laps and record a podium fi nish. Allen who has made a great Truck title. The next year, Fisher became the Sarah Fisher started three Indy 500s and was voted the most popular IRL driver three times. comeback from a crash at Tole- w fastest woman qualifi er at Indy do in May and is a former Toledo From April through October, Bran- with a four-lap speed over 229 along came Richard Childress, McAnally with the support of the said, smiling.