The Articles
More than a name on a sign
SOMEWHERE ON THE INTERSTATE, OHIO — They stand at attention, alone and silent at their final deployment. They are not standing in a faraway jungle or desolate desert. They stand guard along Ohio highways. Their uniforms have been replaced with signs bearing their...
Bass fishing at turkey time
DELAWARE, Ohio — Beautiful autumn leaves have parachuted to earth as rake bait, deer are heavily involved in trying to find a mate, and turkeys are about to find out their true purpose in life. That combination of events adds up to Thanksgiving and all the activities...
Bass in the seas, golf balls in the trees
SAINT CLAIR SHORES, Michigan – “Maybe we should take our golf clubs,” was the final touch on the plans Danny Johnson and I had for a couple days of fishing at Michigan’s Lake St. Clair. Danny’s suggestion was born from the weather forecast for the Detroit area. The...
“A thousand miles from nowhere”
MARBLEHEAD, Ohio – Where else can you see a performance by the eagles, lead a stock car race, and catch a dozen bass before breakfast? That three-part question has two answers. The stock car race is the State Route 13 North morning madness from New Lexington to I-70....
Doug's Favorite Fishing Spots
The Hall of Fame
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!
Smallmouth Bass
This lip grip is on a smallmouth bass that hangs around Middle Bass Island.
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.
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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, Lake Erie
A friendly West Harbor bass hammered a Berkley Squarebull 5.5 crankbait on my third cast of the day.
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.
Will Presley, Delaware Lake
Will Presley caught this 3.1 pound largemouth bass on the first day of the ABA Delaware Lake tournament.
Nice smallmouth!
Nice smallmouth bass!
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.
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Jordan Wayne, Rocky Fork Lake
Obviously Jordan Wayne, who took 4th place, lost a side bet in the wardrobe category.
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.
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.
Jeff Smith
My son-in-law from Chicago, Jeff Smith, caught this four pound plus smallmouth bass in late May at Lake St. Clair.
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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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
Alan Wayne, Rocky Fork Lake
Alan Wayne holds two of the three bass he caught to take third place at Rocky Fork Lake.
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Wes Clutter, Rocky Fork Lake
Wes Clutter caught this Rocky Fork Lake largemouth bass on a Berkley Stunna jerkbait.
Dustin Karns
You might even see the owner of Venom Lures, Dustin Karns, fishing at Lake Erie at one of his secret spots.
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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Hadleigh
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.
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.
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.
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.
14″ Bass, Burr Oak Lake
This 14 inch bass was caught on the Will Boss soft plastic lure seen in the photo.
Mike Baughman
Mike Baughman with a nice Lake Erie largemouth bass.
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.
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Ed Snider had a great day at Alum Creek Lake when he won the Perry County Anglers club tournament.
Seth Brandfass, Delaware Lake
Seth Brandfass took big bass honors with this 3.8 pound largemouth bass.
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.
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.
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 & Jeff, Buckeye Lake
Jordan Wayne (L) and Jeff Redfern (R) handled the brief weighing duties at the Buckeye Lake tournament.
Bill Fulton, Buckeye Lake
Bill Fulton holds his winning catch for the Perry County Anglers Buckeye Lake tournament.
Bill Tench, Buckeye Lake
Bill Tench displays the lure that he used to take second place at Buckeye Lake.
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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Rich Zweifel, Alum Creek Lake
Rich Zweifel, my partner on Inland Fish Ohio Day, landed four keeper bass including this one!