The Articles
Jr. Champions taking it to the next level
NEW FRANKLIN, OH — A pair of champion junior anglers will be making the jump to the next level of competition once they graduate from high school in the spring of 2025. Hoyt Nicely and Connor Bower have fished as a team while competing in the Prime Time Junior Anglers...
Just Follow the Signs
BEARFIELD TOWNSHIP — The only thing deer hunters enjoy hunting more than deer is hunting for deer sign. From tracks to bedding spots, Ohio hunters have been honing their outdoor skills for generations in an effort to fill freezers with venison. Today the norm for many...
Two baits, 200 bass, and a Mystery Lake
OHIO – My fishing season ended abruptly when elbow surgery put my casting arm in a cast. Actually, I was encased in cotton padding surrounded by an ace bandage that was wrapped around a splint on my right arm. Surgery was November 4, but two fishing trips prior to...
A St. Clair Summer
St. Clair Shores, MI — Autumn has not quite arrived as evidenced by the near 90 degree temps in mid-September. The various hunting seasons are close at hand with a few already started, but there is still plenty of time to enjoy fishing your favorite spots. Lake St....
Doug's Favorite Fishing Spots
The Hall of Fame
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Gov. Mike DeWine, Alum Creek Lake
Gov. Mike DeWine and grandsons had a great day on the water at Alum Creek Lake during Inland Fish Ohio Day.
Rich Carter, Alum Creek
Former “Fish Chief” for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Rich Carter led us on a fishing adventure to Alum Creek Lake last November where we landed 14 largemouth bass all above the 12 inch keeper size. The bait that caught every bass was a JackHammer bladed jig.
Alan Wayne, Rocky Fork Lake
Alan Wayne holds two of the three bass he caught to take third place at Rocky Fork Lake.
Karl Guegold, Delaware Lake
Karl Guegold landed four bass on the second day of the tournament and that effort catapulted him to win the coveted ABA Angler of the Year title.
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Barry Davis & Karl Guegold, Delaware Lake
Barry Davis (on left) is the ABA Central Division Director which means he is the weighmaster at every tournament. He is weighing Karl Guegold’s day 2 catch at Delaware Lake.
Bill Fulton, Buckeye Lake
Bill Fulton holds his winning catch for the Perry County Anglers Buckeye Lake tournament.
14″ Bass, Burr Oak Lake
This 14 inch bass was caught on the Will Boss soft plastic lure seen in the photo.
Barry Davis, Delaware Lake
Barry Davis has been the ABA Central Division Director for 28 years. Davis also competed in the event at Delaware Lake.
Smallmouth Bass
This lip grip is on a smallmouth bass that hangs around Middle Bass Island.
Inland Fish Ohio Day Winners, Alum Creek Lake
The prize winners on Inland Fish Ohio Day included (L-R): Tadgh Dudukovich, Camden Baker, and Solomon Curtis.
Doug Clifford, Lake Erie
Pro anglers say a color change can put more fish in the boat. I changed hat color and style with minimal results.
Doug Clifford, Lake Champlain
Low budget smallmouth bass! Forget high performance bass boats, cutting edge electronics, and all the bells and whistles associated with modern bass fishing. I caught this Malletts Bay (Lake Champlain) smallie as I stood in my boat that was tied securely to the dock. Water depth was a whopping two feet.
Kendra Wecker, Alum Creek Lake
Chief of the Division of Wildlife , Kendra Wecker, showed her “lake creds” when she returned to the marina with plenty of keeper crappies on Inland Fish Ohio Day.
Jacob Wayne, Rocky Fork Lake
Jacob Wayne displays two of the bass that helped him secure second place at the Perry County Anglers opening event at Rocky Fork Lake.
Alum Creek Lake
A couple days after Inland Fish Ohio Day, I returned to Alum Creek Lake and met this angler fishing on the bank for crappies. As you can see, this guy was dialed into the crappies!
Ab Reed, Rocky Fork Lake
First place winner, Ab Reed, hoists two of the five bass he caught at Rocky Fork Lake during the Perry County Anglers first tournament of the season.
Rich Zweifel, Alum Creek Lake
Rich Zweifel, my partner on Inland Fish Ohio Day, landed four keeper bass including this one!
Wes Clutter, Rocky Fork Lake
Wes Clutter caught this Rocky Fork Lake largemouth bass on a Berkley Stunna jerkbait.
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Doug Clifford, Lake Erie
A friendly West Harbor bass hammered a Berkley Squarebull 5.5 crankbait on my third cast of the day.
Nice smallmouth!
Nice smallmouth bass!
Tony Cannon, Delaware Lake
Tony Cannon displays three of the five bass he caught on the tournament’s second day. His five bass limit allowed him to take first place for the two day event at Delaware Lake.
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Seth Brandfass, Delaware Lake
Seth Brandfass took big bass honors with this 3.8 pound largemouth bass.
Casey Coffey, Burr Oak Lake
Always a good policy to stay employed is showing your boss with a big bass. Casey Coffey, superintendent of New Lexington School District, has the “hourly winner” weighed during the Big Bass Bash at Burr Oak Lake.
Top 3, Delaware Lake
Pictured are the top three anglers in the ABA tournament held at Delaware Lake on August 17 & 18 (L-R) Tony Cannon, 1st place: Dave Slonaker, III, 2nd place; and Seth Brandfass, 3rd place.
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Jordan & Jeff, Buckeye Lake
Jordan Wayne (L) and Jeff Redfern (R) handled the brief weighing duties at the Buckeye Lake tournament.
Colton Blanton
Colton Blanton used a dropshot rig to catch Lake Erie smallmouth bass that were swimming close to the shoreline on Rattlesnake Island.
Jordan Wayne, Rocky Fork Lake
Obviously Jordan Wayne, who took 4th place, lost a side bet in the wardrobe category.
Jeff Smith
My son-in-law from Chicago, Jeff Smith, caught this four pound plus smallmouth bass in late May at Lake St. Clair.
Will Presley, Delaware Lake
Will Presley caught this 3.1 pound largemouth bass on the first day of the ABA Delaware Lake tournament.
Dustin Karns
You might even see the owner of Venom Lures, Dustin Karns, fishing at Lake Erie at one of his secret spots.
Doug with Eleanor, Lake Champlain
Nothing like catching your first smallmouth bass when it’s a 3 lb 15 oz Lake Champlain beauty. Eleanor Farnsworth did the catching while I “guided” her to angling glory.
Ed Snider & Rich Carter, Delaware Lake
Two ABA competitors, (L-R) Ed Snider of Somerset, Ohio and Rich Carter of Grandview Heights fished day two in Carter’s Ranger bass boat. Both anglers had two fish on the tournament’s second day.
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Mike Baughman
Mike Baughman with a nice Lake Erie largemouth bass.
Doug Clifford, Alum Creek
Former “Fish Chief ” for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Rich Carter led us on a fishing adventure to Alum Creek Lake last November where we landed 14 largemouth bass all above the 12 inch keeper size. The bait that caught every bass was a JackHammer bladed jig.
Bill Tench, Buckeye Lake
Bill Tench displays the lure that he used to take second place at Buckeye Lake.
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Ed Snider had a great day at Alum Creek Lake when he won the Perry County Anglers club tournament.
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Perry County Sheriff William R. Barker recognizes a winner from the 2023 Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs event.
Doug Clifford
Sometimes you have to deal with the uninvited muskie at Lake St. Clair like the one I’m holding or maybe it’s holding me.
Doug with Perry Co Sheriff
Makala Hamilton; Chief Deputy Erick Hoskinson; Sheriff William R. Barker; Doug Clifford; Amanda Danison; and Sandy Leckrone. (not pictured Lt. Brandon Forester)