Field Notes: Summer is the time for catching memories

Before the years of television's multiverse and time-wasting computer games, kids were pretty good at entertaining themselves. Summertime was the best. Friends gathered for pickup basketball and baseball games, jumping into ponds and community pools, fishing for sunfish, catching crayfish and salamanders and riding woodland trails on big-tired bikes before there was such a sport. There were scrapes and bruises, and a few unlucky ones got a new cast for us all to sign; even that became a legendary memory that few would trade. When night enveloped the countryside, you might think that those kid's options became limited — and that may be true by today's standards. A mere generation or two ago, a hot summer night was just another chapter in the day's adventure. Of course, there was a difference between kids growing up around big-city brick and concrete compared to those who had trees and fields for neighbors. Parents of the former worried a lot more, and I suppose that they were right to do so. Most of us rural-raised and small-town kids were given a little more rope as long as we kept everyone informed of our general whereabouts. Without cellphones, that meant that it was our responsibility to use a telephone at a friend's house or carry enough change for the pay phone at the gas station. Failure to follow that simple rule caused that rope to be shortened considerably. Fireflies, backyard tents and wiener roasts were weekly. A campfire often brought nearby neighbors over with their lawn chairs. I didn't know adults could talk and laugh that much. The fire's warmth seemed to melt their years away, and their stories would always begin with, "Do you remember" and "I remember." When only embers were left glowing, the impromptu partiers would say their goodnights. As they'd walk away, sometimes holding hands, they looked happily reflective and, if you watched carefully, you could see those lost years slowly return to their step. It was magical. Probably one of the best invites my brother and I could get on those summer nights was from Dad. "You want to go catfishing?" That meant Orange Crush, bologna sandwiches and chips all comingled with a carton of nightcrawlers in a red and white Coleman cooler. Sometimes Dad would toss in some slimy looking chicken livers, doughballs or cheap shrimp. It required packing two rods for each of us, a tacklebox, lantern and sometimes a minnow bucket and minnow trap. Finally, a blanket and mosquito repellant were packed along with binoculars for looking into the night sky. By this time the dog had usually hopped in, refusing to miss the adventure. That required finding the leash. Night fishing also involved a destination. All this preparation wasn't to just go down to the local pond; we were headed to a real hot spot. For us, two favorites were Guilford Lake State Park and Berlin Lake Wildlife Area. For you, it could be any one of hundreds of places around the state. Our primary quarry was channel catfish, although Berlin yielded the occasional walleye. The doughball sometimes tempted a carp, and those finned muscle machines were just pure fun to catch. Channels were our favorites of the catfish and, besides bullheads, were the only ones we ever caught, although Ohio now has blue and flathead catfish available. Channels occur naturally in most of Ohio including Lake Erie and Sandusky Bay. Averaging 15 to 25 inches and weighing as much as 10 pounds, larger reservoirs and rivers produce bigger brutes that reach the 26 inches required for a Fish Ohio Award. Ohio's record was caught from LaDue Reservoir (Geauga County) in 1992 and weighed 37.65 pounds and was 41.5 inches long, but everyone knows a new record is swimming around somewhere. The Division of Wildlife regularly stocks more than 300,000 channel catfish in more than 100 different reservoirs. If you hope to catch a real whiskered monster, then consider visiting the Ohio River, Clendening (Harrison County) or Seneca (Noble County) lakes, Caesar Creek (Warren and Clinton counties) or Hoover Reservoir (Delaware and Franklin counties). This is where you'll find Ohio's largest catfish: the blue. Regularly reaching 30 to 40 inches, the state record was caught in 2009 out of the Ohio River, tipping the scale at 96 pounds and measuring 54.5 inches. Blues must be 35 inches for a Fish Ohio Award. More than 150,000 were stocked in 2021. The flathead catfish offers a real tug of war, too. Weighing up to 80 pounds, most will be between five and 40 pounds and up to 50 inches long. They're found in larger rivers and reservoirs, with the Muskingum watershed being very popular. Both the blue and the flathead catfish will require heavy equipment and that you be on your "A-game." Flatheads need to be 35 inches for a Fish Ohio Award, and a 76.5-pound, 58.62-inch Clendening bruiser caught in 1979 holds the state record. The kittens of the bunch are the smaller bullheads, the black, brown and yellow. They're found statewide and in a variety of waterways. Averaging 10 to 12 inches, they're the little guys, but they're aggressive and a lot of fun to catch. They need to be 14 inches long for a Fish Ohio Award, and their collective state record is a 4.25-pound, 18.5-inch fish taken from a farm pond in 1986. Catfish spend most of the day in deeper water and tend to be bait-shy, but summertime night fishing finds them vulnerable. The fish will become more active after sundown, moving into shallower water. Try shallow flats next to deep holes and along beaches and near submerged structure. All are omnivorous, with blues and flatheads feeding on smaller fish, favoring baits like gizzard shad, suckers or chubs. For channels and bullheads, try shrimp, chicken livers and nightcrawlers. All catfish have a strong sense of smell and are susceptible to scented baits — some really stinky recipes can be found online. If you enjoy rivers over lakes, these offer some of the best opportunities: Maumee, Huron, Auglaize, Muskingum, Great Miami and the Ohio rivers, and the tailwaters of Clendening, Tappan and Atwood lakes. Regardless of which catfish you're after, the hot spot you've chosen, or whether you're taking a load of kids, going with friends or angling alone, one sure catch will be the memories. I know I have a stinger full. "There will be days when the fishing is better than one's most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse. Either is a gain over just staying home." – Roderick Haig-Brown Step outside • The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has dedicated a popular backpack trail at Zaleski State Forest as the Selinde Roosenburg Memorial Backpack Trail. Selinde worked as a forest technician with the Division of Forestry and trained as a wildland firefighter. She tragically died in a UTV rollover during a prescribed burn at Richland State Forest in March of 2021. ODNR dedicated the trail in her memory and as a reminder to forestry crews to ensure everyone goes home safely. • Tomorrow: Trap shoot; 1 p.m., Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Township Road 186, Forest. • Thursday and Friday: Trap and skeet; 5 p.m., UCOA, 6943 Township Road 243. Open to the public. • July 17: 75-bird trap shoot; practice opens 11:30 a.m., program begins 12:30 p.m.; UCOA, 6943 Township Road 243. Public welcome. Contact Sandy Thomas by emailing sandthm@aol.com • July 18-22: The North American Gamebird Association (NAGA) has scheduled the first conference specifically for hunting preserves at Deer Creek State Park in Mt. Sterling, Ohio on July 18-21, 2022. This event is specifically designed for folks who provide recreational hunting opportunities. Visit www.northamericangamebird.com for complete details. • July 24: 3-D Archery Match-3D Shoot mixed animal targets. Field and Stream Bowhunters; 11400 Allen Township 109, Findlay. Registration opens at 8 a.m. Public welcome. Contact: Harold Spence, 419-423-9861. The club will not be charging shooters an entry fee for this match as a thank you for supporting Field and Stream and to help you keep a little gas money in your pocket. •July 31: Last Day for the Ohio Controlled Hunt Application Period, which opened on July 1. Hunts are held on select areas around Ohio and are available through the Division of Wildlife and the Division of Parks and Watercraft. Find hunt and rules information at wildohio.gov on the 'controlled hunts' page. Jim 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 e-mail at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com.