Ohio's Minnesota

Minnesota might well be the "land of 10,000 lakes" full of outdoor opportunities. But SE Ohio has it's own, albeit smaller version. Call it a "1,000 Lakes" and you wouldn't be too far off. It is the American Electric Power company public areas in Eastern and Southeastern Ohio.

All you need is a free lifetime permit and a valid hunting license to access nearly 90,000 acres of land. That's a lot to cover. Combined with Wayne National Forest and state lands nearby and there is abundant opportunity for the average outdoorsman. There's enough that if you work to get away from the roads you'll likely avoid most of the crowds, especially during the week. At least outside of deer gun season. Just make sure to check the most recent AEP maps before venturing out to make sure to don't venture on to private property. You won't likely see any moose. But you won't have to wear snow shoes either.


For more information, call American Electric Power at (740) 962-1205.

Buckeye Sportsman Radio

If you read much about outdoors in Ohio, you'll soon run into the author Dan Armitage. He's one of the best in the buckeye state, not just hook and bullet stuff, but all types of outdoor writing. But you might not have known that he also hosts a weekly outdoor radio show that is also available as a free podcast on his Buckeye Sportsman web site. It's a new favorite of mine and definitely worth a listen.

Dog House from Scrap Lumber

I had some scrap lumber around from a previous project that had been dismantled. My nieces needed a dog house for their dog Woody (not a hunting dog). Actually Woody needed the house much more than they did. He was crated during the day when they were not home, which was long hours on some days. Because I wasn't starting with fresh lumber I didn't use plans. That always makes is more interesting and adds time, but it really wasn't so bad.

What's Knee-High by the 4th of July?

If you know the answer to that question, you're probably from the midwest. It's corn of course. Legend has it that if the corn grows to knee-high by the July 4th the farmer will have a good season.

For the first time in many years, it's not true in a lot of places around our home in Springfield. Like across the street - see above or the background. But given the advances in farming lately, the knee-high rule has been literally a joke. In years with typical spring rainfall, shoulder-high by the fourth has been a better rule.

I'll be curious to see how this year's crop finishes.

Make Sure Your Dog is Hydrated

Field & Stream had a couple of recent blog post how to tell if your dog is dehydrated and keeping your dog hydrated during training. I can say that I have always been very conscious of keeping my canine athlete hydrated. It probably stems from my other passion, coaching soccer. Athletes of any kind need to stay hydrated. It's also critical to pull them out of the activity before they get to the point where it's an issue. This is especially true if in soccer you want to return that player to the game or if you're hunting and you want to continue. If you get to the point where they can't go, you've taken recovery from would would have been a "splash and go" to "we're-not-going-anytime-soon time frame," in my experience. That said, I've never had an issue with my GSP in Ohio. If I don't provide the water, she'll find it one way or another.

Fishing in Springfield, Ohio - City Limits

The axiom "the best time to go fishing is when you can" really is true. You can't catch fish without a line in the water. It's also true that fish are where you find them. Springfield, Ohio actually does have fishing available within the city limits or within walking distance of the city limits. Many areas are accessible from the various bike paths that run through the city. One of those places is C.J. Brown Reservoir and Buck Creek State Park.

It's very accessible and one of the better walleye lakes in Central Ohio. You can also catch channel catfish, as my son Chris here has proven. But you don't have to go to the big state park to wet a line. You can catch fish almost anywhere if you know where to look. Like golf course ponds behind condominiums for instance. The best time to go fishing? Now.

Whitewater Kayaking in Downtown Springfield

In Springfield, Ohio we're lucky. A forward thinking group has replaced, or is in the process of replacing, all the low-head dams on Buckcreek downstream from C.J. Brown Reservoir with whitewater features. When I heard this last year, my daughter and I went and kayaked the stream. We wanted to see what the stream was like before the features. We started at Carelton-Davidson Stadium and took out in Snyder Parke near the Madonna of the trail

It was early fall and the water was fairly low. Several times the water was too skinny to float and we had to walk out. Getting out for the low-head dams was a pain. While we were in the water it was relaxing and uneventful. But getting out so often on such a short trip was a drag.

We recently had family in town for a wedding and decided to show them the new kayaking features downtown. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we've had a lot of rain. The water was up 3 feet at the time, I was told later. We put in behind the Springfield Art Museum. There were two guys surfing (surfing in Springfield, Ohio!?) the standing wave below the first drop. But there was also a large tree covering 90% of the top. We decided to not chance it and put in below.



It was uneventful and an easy float to the last set of rapids in Snyder Park. You can see that the water is well up over the sides and onto the sidewalks. Those of us less-experienced boaters in recreational kayakers weren't fairing to well. But with warm weather and plenty of help nearby, we went for it.



It was a blast. We'll be back. As a side note, when I was back taking the picture at the top, a couple of guys fishing came by with a basket of decent sized crappies. A great outdoor recreation facility in an urban setting.