For love of family and fishing

As the cooling October waters churned crimson leaves around my legs, I carefully watched the air for insects drifting on the warm fall breeze. Nothing stirred, yet stubbornness insisted that I attach an elk wing caddis and try to force a trout to the surface. I cast into pockets, pools and eddies edges without a rise. Dirty Harry would have given me his best scowl as he growled, "A man has to know his limitations." I guess it's finally time I admit it: I'm a lousy nymph fisherman. To understand why this is important, we need to understand that trout only feed at the surface about 10% of the time. Ditto for the subsurface, those few inches below. The middle layer of water adds another 5% to their diet; while the majority 75% of a trout's diet is foraged along the bottom. If your goal is to catch more fish, it's imperative to learn to fish where they feed. It seems elementary, but the thrill of a fish taking a dry fly drifting lazily on the surface is a spectacularly irresistible experience. Unfortunately, that persistence can lead to some fishless days when the bugs aren't airborne but are still underwater in their larval stages. As much as I've worked nymphs in the water, I never quite had the feel for the strike. Lately, I've contemplated adjusting my equipment to better fish that streambed feeding zone. Euro-style angling had caught my eye and while doing some research, I ran across some photos of an Ohio man and his young son with some beautiful steelhead. Steelhead are lake-run rainbow trout that return to streams to spawn. The duo were holding long rod and reel combinations that looked like fly rods on steroids. I had to talk to this guy. Ken "Kiki" Willis and I traded texts and set up a time to speak. He asked specifically to have his son, Julian, included in the conversation. That was the first hint of the type of man with which I'd be talking. We shared part interview, part conversation, part education and all fun as we learned a little about each other. Best known by his nickname, Kiki grew up in the Youngstown area, just a short ride north of my own hometown. He was an All-Ohio athlete at Cardinal Mooney High School who still holds both school and state soccer records. He played a stint in the professional leagues and then found his way back to his home grounds in Poland, Ohio. Now 35, Kiki still works with kids on their soccer play, but his concentration has never faltered when it comes to the world of angling that his mother introduced him to at age 6. Besides fishing, his wife and sons Julian and Xavier are his world. As long as Julian maintains his school grades, he's a regular by Kiki's side during his fishing trips. Four-year-old Xavier is limited to panfishing, but I expect he'll graduate to the next level in a few short years. I told him of my problems while nymph-style fishing and he said that he understood those issues. He'd started steelhead and trout fishing with spinning gear and wasn't as successful as he thought he could be. Having a naturally competitive spirit, he started paying attention to what one of his friends was using. "It was an exceptionally long rod fitted with an oversized reel called a centerpin," he explained. When Kiki said the rods were long, he wasn't kidding. Measuring 13 feet and longer with reels 4-6 inches in diameter, they're formidable but balanced. Using heavier monofilament lines with a float, swivel, leader and carefully placed split shot, the gear allows a natural drift of bottom-bouncing lures — exactly where the fish feed the most. The rod's reach allows the angler to follow above the float as it travels, permitting a tighter line — all the better to feel a fish taking the aquatic insect imitations. His preferred lures are black stoneflies, egg-sucking leaches and white-death zonkers (his favorite). As for rods, he favors Loomis GLX, Lamiglas Closer and the Shimano Clarus. Reels are free-spinning designs, and both rod and reels are available at better fishing shops or online. Kiki added that anyone new to centerpin fishing should read up on the sport and purchase the best equipment that their budget allows. As for his favorite steelhead rivers, Kiki likes the Conneaut, Elk, Grand and Ashtabula — especially in the late fall through winter months. Does centerpin fishing work? "While fishing my favorite rivers, daily catches five years ago could be counted on one hand. Today, Julian and I have netted as many as 30 in a day," Kiki said. All I can say is WOW! What does he do with all those fish? "Every single one of them goes back into the water," he told me. I could feel the smile in his voice as he explained that he hopes that he releases a fish that his son catches once it becomes a state record. Having caught steelhead and salmon, I know the thrill of the strike and the fight. I would have thought centerpin fishing would have really hooked Julian. "I like it, but it's not my favorite," said the Girard's St. Rose School student. "Dad and I have fished for hybrid striped bass. We use top-water jerk baits and they really hit them. I like the way they fight in the current. I might have even caught a record for a person under 10 years old. It weighed between 12 and 13 pounds but we turned it lose." I know how he feels. Top-water fishing may not always catch the most fish, but it catches a lot of anglers. I couldn't help but ask Julian a couple more questions. "How have you learned to be such a talented angler, and what about your little brother, will he crimp your style when he starts going regularly?" "I read about it and watch YouTube, but Dad taught me most of it," he explained. "Xavier panfishes already and it will be good when he gets older. I'll be able to help him like Dad is helping me." Spring and summer will find them spin fishing at Berlin, Mosquito and Pymatuning reservoirs, where they can also take along Xavier. They also like to test their luck along the Ohio River. We wrapped up our talk and said our goodbyes. I walked into the pantry, retrieved a decent bottle and poured an ounce over ice. As I sat back to reflect on our conservation, I began to wonder if their story was about catching steelhead and pin fishing — or if maybe there was more. I drifted back to another time ... another boy, his dad and a little brother tagging along on fishing trips to some of the same places that Kiki, Julian and Xavier explore. Some say that we must be careful because history too often repeats itself. But sometimes, I'm glad it does. "Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad." — Wade Boggs "When I fish, the boundary between nature and me disappears. I am simply another part of it, not a man isolated from his source." — D. C. Reid Along the way Nov. 29 opened Ohio's statewide deer gun season. By the end of the day, 21,754 deer were checked. During the past three years, hunters took an average of 13,349 deer on opening day. The weeklong hunt ended Dec. 5 with 70,413 deer harvested as compared to the 65,280 three-year average — an 8% jump in harvest numbers. During the week, hunters bagged 25,263 bucks (36% of deer taken), 36,096 does (51%) and 8,021 button bucks (11%). Bucks with shed antlers and bucks with antlers less than 3 inches accounted for 1,033 deer (1%). The top five counties were: Coshocton (2,403), Tuscarawas (2,204), Muskingum (2,107), Ashtabula (2,039) and Knox (2,023). Coshocton also led the state in 2020 with 2,281 deer checked. Local deer harvests with the comparative number from last year are: Allen, 352 (338); Hancock, 606 (520); Hardin, 640 (534); Henry, 438 (351); Sandusky, 305 (278); Seneca, 927 (800); Wood, 340 (339); and Wyandot, 722 (739). Deer gun season will finish up with one final weekend, Dec. 18-19. Step outside • Sunday: 5-stand shotgun shoot, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., UCOA, 6943 Township Road 243. Email sandthm@aol.com for more details. • Sunday: Ham shoot, noon, Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Township Road 186, Forest. Includes 10 shoots, still shoots, protections, Annie Oakleys. Contact Bob Yoder at 419-273-5057. • Thursday and Friday: Trap and skeet, 5 p.m., UCOA. • Dec. 19: 75-bird trap shoot, traps open at 11 a.m., program at 12:30 p.m., UCOA. • Hunter and Trapper Education Class information and registration is available at www.wildohio.gov or by calling 800-WILDLIFE. Locally, call 419-424-5000. Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via email at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com