# Anyone remember these pay lakes in NE Ohio?



## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

Back in the early 70s we fished nearby paylakes just for kicks. One was Lake Wilako on Western Reserve Road just south of Boardman and the other was Cha-vel Lake down by Westpoint in Columbiana County. I haven't been to a pay lake since those days. Anyone remember?


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

We also fished Hamilton, Evans and Pine. Hamilton had the biggest gills that I've ever caught while Evans and Pine, besides decent bass, had some really nice slabs back in the day.


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## TIN_KNOCKER (Nov 15, 2005)

I fished Medina Fish Hatchery quite a bit back in the day. There was also a pay lake in Elyria that we used to fish also but the name escapes me.


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## bustedrod (May 13, 2015)

fished medina, and there was one on rt 43 just south of moggy lake, and hodgson in kent.


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## Lil' Rob (Apr 11, 2004)

TIN_KNOCKER said:


> I fished Medina Fish Hatchery quite a bit back in the day. There was also a pay lake in Elyria that we used to fish also but the name escapes me.


My dad took me to the Medina Hatchery many times, as well as the one in Elyria. I just remember calling it the Elyria Hatchery...don't remember any other name at this time. 

That's the one that stocked trout in what was essentially a little canal...right? You could almost reach your pole across that thing!


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## UNCLEMIKE (Jul 23, 2014)

Had many good days fishing on Hamilton, Evans and Pine lakes. Was great to have these lakes within a very short drive from home.


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## dugworm (May 23, 2008)

Boy I remember some good times at Medina Hatchery and Hodgsons.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

UNCLEMIKE said:


> Had many good days fishing on Hamilton, Evans and Pine lakes. Was great to have these lakes within a very short drive from home.


It took a matter of minutes to throw my old Evinrude 6hp, a few rods and tackle box into the car and be there in 20 minutes max. I started fishing there on a seasonal youth pass ($5) in the late 60s. We'd ride our bikes to Hammy but there was more adventure driving to the other two when we got our licenses.


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## Lowerider1029 (Jul 8, 2014)

I worked in the Boat house at Evans Lake for two summers while going to college selling bait, tackle and fishing permits. The pay wasn't that great but I got free fishing at Evans, Pine and Hamilton lakes.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

Lowerider1029 said:


> I worked in the Boat house at Evans Lake for two summers while going to college selling bait, tackle and fishing permits. The pay wasn't that great but I got free fishing at Evans, Pine and Hamilton lakes.


My buddy's brother worked there also, sometime in the mid to late 70s. I believe he also got to duck hunt the lake and the swamp south of Calla Rd or Middletown Rd.


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## mike oehme (Aug 17, 2014)

I remember fishing at the Medina Fish hatchery and the one in Elyria, it was off of route 57 and the building that was there had painted on it Trout & Cat fishing. It had a small canal that you could just about jump over to get to the other side of it and several small ponds that were stocked with catfish and one big huge pond that had some big fish in it. I was fishing there one time with my buddy and his dad for a catfish tournament and we were fishing one of the small ponds and not catching anything, so I decided to throw a line into the big pond and see if I would do better in the big pond. Well it was about 2 am and we were going to pack it in and go home when my rod started to move towards the pond, i garbed it and set the hook, I was using a heavy ocean fishing rod my buddy gave me and I almost lost the rod. It took me over an hour to land the fish and when It was on shore everyone ran over to see what I caught. It was a big shovel head catfish that was weighed in at 75 pounds and was about 2 foot long. needless to say I won that tournament with that fish. It was the biggest fish I had ever caught. I won 200 bucks that night. I wish we had a camera to take a few pics, but we did not bring one. That was the best night of fishing I had ever had. I have also had good times fishing the Medina fish hatchery as well. I had caught everything from blue gill to northern pike at that place. Lots of good times and good memories at both places. I wish they never would have closed up. I would have liked to have taken my son out to those places so he could have experienced the fun like I did.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Lowerider1029 said:


> I worked in the Boat house at Evans Lake for two summers while going to college selling bait, tackle and fishing permits. The pay wasn't that great but I got free fishing at Evans, Pine and Hamilton lakes.





stormfront said:


> My buddy's brother worked there also, sometime in the mid to late 70s. I believe he also got to duck hunt the lake and the swamp south of Calla Rd or Middletown Rd.


Did either of you guys know Lincoln Snyder? I know he worked at Evans Lake for a while, way back in the day. He was a friend of a friend. Never fished Hamilton much. Evans was an incredible bass lake, and when the crappie were in, you could catch slob slabs off the spillway at Pine. 

I was never aware of Lake Wilako until after it had reverted to the Mahoning County Duck Club. The fact that it lies near the southern end of Mill Creek Park, and that Mill Creek flows not that far away is a definite plus for ducks. I've hiked a lot in Mill Creek Park, and found spots where the creek is just carpeted with ducks! Especially mallards!


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## Lowerider1029 (Jul 8, 2014)

buckeye bowman, yeah Lincoln was my 1st cousin.


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

Also fished all those Ohio water service lakes including Girard. It had massive gills in it. Nice crappies too. Evans had the nicest pike and shallow reed beds for spawning crappies and gills but Pine had it all. Loved fishing those pay lakes back then.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Lowerider1029 said:


> buckeye bowman, yeah Lincoln was my 1st cousin.


Wow! Small world! Linc was a heck of a good butcher, cook, and could swing an axe with the best of them. 



chaunc said:


> Also fished all those Ohio water service lakes including Girard. It had massive gills in it. Nice crappies too. Evans had the nicest pike and shallow reed beds for spawning crappies and gills but Pine had it all. Loved fishing those pay lakes back then.


Yeah, the fishing was great! Back in the day, we'd go fishing in Canada for a week. The lakes we fished basically featured walleye and pike, so we got into pike fishing. And, we caught some real nice ones. My buddy's best was 43", and we figured close to 25 lbs since it was a hog, really fat! 

After one of our Canada trips we decided to go fishing at Evans. As we were getting ready to launch 2 black guys pulled in in another rental boat with 4 pike bigger than anything we had ever caught in Canada!


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## FlyFishRich (Feb 3, 2016)

Surprised nobody brought up Bass Lakes over by Doylestown. Fished that when I was a kid with my parents.....Rich


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## one3 (Dec 1, 2015)

Never fished those lakes. What ever happen to them?


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## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

I remember the Medina Fish Hatchery and there was a few pay lakes up in Sandusky at deer park. Monster crappies in the one lake. Those lakes may still be open but I'm not sure - haven't been up that way in a while.


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## $diesel$ (Aug 3, 2018)

I grew up on Hamilton and Evans. Fished all the OhioWater Serv. lakes including Girard and the other one there, though i can't remember the name.
They were all good bass lakes, but Evans was, for me, the best. Probably because i had so much time on Evans.
Hamilton also had some amazing bass in it once you figured out how to catch them in there.
I remember marking 54 feet of water at Hamiltons dam.

Was the other lake called Liberty Lake?


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

Lived in Follansbee WV growing up and my uncle Harry always talked about Lake Che-Vel and he even brought us a few trout once in a while.

After i got married and got a car, I was a regular at Lake Che-Vel owned by David Tice...who was also a hunting guide in British Columbia.

Over the years Dave and I became very close friends. $6 a day to fish with no limit on what you kept. Catfish, Trout, White Bass, Pike and Walleye. He also rented boats for $6 a day too.
We just loved that lake and most of the people that came to fish.

After Dave sold the lake, he became a charter boat capt. on Lake Erie. I got to go out with hime one time and in 2 hours we had our limit with a couple hogs in the mix.

Wasn't long after that he got sick with lung cancer and passed away within a few months.
Loved him and his wife Winnie. Great times for sure!!


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

TClark said:


> Lived in Follansbee WV growing up and my uncle Harry always talked about Lake Che-Vel and he even brought us a few trout once in a while.
> 
> After i got married and got a car, I was a regular at Lake Che-Vel owned by David Tice...who was also a hunting guide in British Columbia.
> 
> ...


T, is the lake closed now? Any idea when? While on strike one spring, a bunch of us, both Union guys and foremen, went to the lake together to fish. We caught absolutely nothing but sure had a good time


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

,


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

$diesel$ said:


> I grew up on Hamilton and Evans. Fished all the OhioWater Serv. lakes including Girard and the other one there, though i can't remember the name.
> They were all good bass lakes, but Evans was, for me, the best. Probably because i had so much time on Evans.
> Hamilton also had some amazing bass in it once you figured out how to catch them in there.
> I remember marking 54 feet of water at Hamiltons dam.
> ...


Diesel, it was indeed called Liberty. 

I remember going to Hamilton with my dad the first week of June, 1968 right after a thunderstorm. I had just finished 8th grade and received a new Mitchell 304 and a Conolon rod. We were fishing the spillway near the dam and got into some monster gills. I've never caught bulls like that since. They were really dark and really angry. We fished it a couple more times that week but they seemed to have moved off of the redds slowly.


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## one3 (Dec 1, 2015)

OK, every one remembers these lakes. for those of us that do not know, tell us what may have happened to them.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

FlyFishRich said:


> Surprised nobody brought up Bass Lakes over by Doylestown. Fished that when I was a kid with my parents.....Rich


Fished it with a friend that had a ground meat/special cheese mix that was kneaded into cotton for hook retention. We caught cats there when nobody else was getting any.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

one3 said:


> OK, every one remembers these lakes. for those of us that do not know, tell us what may have happened to them.


Lakes Hamilton, Pine and Evans were privatized by Aqua Ohio and are used as a water supply source in Mahoning and Columbiana counties. Lake Wilako closed and was later bought out by the local Ducks Unlimited group. I'm not sure if they still own it. Liberty lake was drained because of a faulty dam.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

We also fished Newport Lake in Mill Creek Park in Y-town as kids. While not private, it was owned by the city of Youngstown. We'd always start near Smythe Island and end up below the dam. Lots of average size gills, a few small crappies and yellow bullheads were the norm. We'd keep some panfish from below the dam to fry up not knowing that a lot of septic was leaching into the lake. I've had a crappy attitude ever since. lol


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

stormfront said:


> Diesel, it was indeed called Liberty.
> 
> I remember going to Hamilton with my dad the first week of June, 1968 right after a thunderstorm. I had just finished 8th grade and received a new Mitchell 304 and a Conolon rod. We were fishing the spillway near the dam and got into some monster gills. I've never caught bulls like that since. They were really dark and really angry. We fished it a couple more times that week but they seemed to have moved off of the redds slowly.


Yep, Liberty Lake. Right on Tibbetts-Wick Rd. The lake upstream from it we called Girard Lake, although I've seen it on maps label Upper Liberty Lake. You can see the dam from SR 11 northbound just above Tibbetts-Wick Rd. Even when I was younger and the lakes were still owned by Ohio Water Service, Girard Lake was never open to fishing. When Ohio Water sold to, or changed into, "5 Lakes in the Valley" they tried to reopen Girard Lake to fishing. They brought some rental boats in, and set up a tent as an office. Some local knucklehead burned it to the ground! 



stormfront said:


> Lakes Hamilton, Pine and Evans were privatized by Aqua Ohio and are used as a water supply source in Mahoning and Columbiana counties. Lake Wilako closed and was later bought out by the local Ducks Unlimited group. I'm not sure if they still own it. Liberty lake was drained because of a faulty dam.


Yes, they sold Liberty and, I believe, Girard Lakes to the city of Girard. After the sale, Girard discovered that the dam at Liberty was shot! They tried to sue Aqua Ohio, but I think the case got thrown out of court. They should have inspected the dam before finalizing the purchase. 

Aqua Ohio provides drinking water now, but the original purpose of Ohio Water Service was defense oriented. The Lakes were built to provide extra water to the Mahoning River which supplied the steel mills with water. Liberty and Girard are impoundments of Squaw Creek which flows into the Mahoning in Girard. Pine, Evans, and Hamilton are impoundments of Yellow Creek which flows into the Mahoning in Struthers. 

There has been a lot of real upscale housing built on both Pine and Evans lakes. Even if you live on the lakeshore, it costs $700+ a year for a fishing permit, and to have a boat on the lake, you have to have $1 Mill in insurance. They do hold several charity bass tourneys each year.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

Thanks, BBM. Arthritis in my fingers is acting up tonight and didn't want to type all of that info. I know people who live on Evans now and you're right, upscale homes have gone in there and the other two lakes. In fact, Girard had hoped to do the same with Liberty Lake. Sad, but fishing anywhere along Yellow Creek is prohibited now also. 

Remember Jerry Blinzley always being at Pine Lake selling his jigs? Though I never bought any I was always told that they were as good as anything else on the market. I sure do miss those lakes these days.


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## $diesel$ (Aug 3, 2018)

stormfront said:


> Thanks, BBM. Arthritis in my fingers is acting up tonight and didn't want to type all of that info. I know people who live on Evans now and you're right, upscale homes have gone in there and the other two lakes. In fact, Girard had hoped to do the same with Liberty Lake. Sad, but fishing anywhere along Yellow Creek is prohibited now also.
> 
> Remember Jerry Blinzley always being at Pine Lake selling his jigs? Though I never bought any I was always told that they were as good as anything else on the market. I sure do miss those lakes these days.


Man, so do i, stormfront. I actually paid, at the time, the $500.00 fee to fish as well as added the 1 million $ insurance. Thats how much i loved those lakes.


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

If I remember correctly the MLF circuit fished Pine and Evans lakes when they had their tournament here in Ohio. They caught a lot of quality bass from them!


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## Eastside Al (Apr 25, 2010)

I remember fishing Evans right out near dock casting little tubes for crappie
One day caught 60 in a row on casts
Buddy was using minnows and then switched and had a banner day.

Only kept big fish and every fish we threw back we had guys on bank yelling for us to give the fish to them they would keep them. Lol

Also had biggest pike on ever at Evans. Buddy tangled it off side of net and it got off
Was 40" plus. Big thing
I teased it out of weeds with j11 silver rapala.

Fished Girard after they put trout in and always caught our limit
Fished Liberty by sneaking in the back side during summer. I think we swam more than fished on 90 degree days

Was fun. Too bad they closed them off.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

You guys and stories made me think of old "leave it to beaver episode." I remember watching reruns and dad took them to a pay lake. From what I remember, they were having tough time and dad went into bait shop. Guy told them where to stand and what tree to cast under and they caught a mess of fish. Then when the boys found out, the fish were planted and not wild, they were all disappointed. They were trying to frame a moral argument about a growing country turning wild ponds into put and take ponds and such. Way ahead of its time for that issue. 

I grew up in Elyria and drove by those trout lakes often. I would ask my Dad why we never went there. He said he never wanted to have to pay to fish a lake. I get that. We had plenty of trips to Lake Erie, Findley Res, Spencer, a few highway ponds we would be allowed to access. The times we had whether successful or not were the best. I didn't care where I fish as long as I have a chance to get a tug on my line. My Dad used to tease me saying I would fish a puddle if he told me there were fish in it. He was right.

One time I must have been 10 years old, we visited my uncle somewhere near Dayton for a long weekend. We went canoeing on a lake and I asked why we aren't fishing it. Uncle said it was only 3-5 feet deep so not anything to catch. He said there was a pay lake nearby but we didn't look for it. Next day Dad and I wondered through uncle's property. They had 30 acres 3 horses and no kids. There was a creek as wide as a lane of traffic. We spent afternoon wondering along banks catching crayfish, chubs and a few small rockbass and bluegill. That was one of the best days I had as a kid. Might have been the only day Dad and I shared a stream together. All our trips were usually lakes and ponds. 

Rickerd


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## sylvan21 (Jul 9, 2010)

Growing up in Niles I wasn't far form Liberty Lake. We would ride our bikes there and shore fish in the summer, too young to rent a boat. Don't remember what we paid but it couldn't have been much. That was probably my first experience fishing. Best part was when my dad would meet me there after his work and rent a boat. 
I have a friend who bought property and built a house that had shoreline access to the lake about 2 years prior to Girard breaching the dam and eventually draining the lake. Still feel bad for him.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

There was another pay lake, this being in Austintown where Kirk Road and Turner Road meet but for the life of me I cannot remember the name. I fished it once or twice for pelletheads

Then there was a small lake or medium size pond called Martin's Lake in North Jackson or Ellsworth that would hold catfish tourneys on Saturday nights. I went over with a bud a couple of times, more to just wet a line and shoot the bull over a Coleman lantern than to catch fish. I believe this lake was on Duck Creek Road or close to it. They also had an archery range there. I've no idea if or when it closed.


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## Lowerider1029 (Jul 8, 2014)

For you guys that fished the Ohio Water Service lakes back in the day, there was another lake that was for the Employees of that company only. It was called Beaver Lake and it was just North of Rt. 14 between Columbiana and East Palestine. Since both my father and I worked at Evans and Pine Lakes, we fished that lake fairly often. No motors were allowed and there were only a handful of old wooden boats for use. It was full of large bluegill and giant bass, my dad who was a way better fisherman then I'll ever be caught several 7 lb plus hogs out of that little lake.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

I had a chance to fish it a couple of times with a buddy. I always heard great things about it. There was another in Trumbull County, near Brookfield, called Coalburg. It was owned by the Youngstown Sheet and Tube and also full of big gills and bass. We fished it once in the late 60s but it was during the dog days and we struggled.


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## $diesel$ (Aug 3, 2018)

I fished Beaver 1 time about 35 40 years ago. I don't remember who i was with, but we just caught a few crappie.
I know an old timer who lives on that lake and he still crushes the bass in there. He claims to have caught a 10 lber in there years ago.

I remember the one on Kirk, but i can't remember the name. Always caught pretty decent gills in there, but if i remember correctly, they stocked trout in that lake.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

rickerd said:


> You guys and stories made me think of old "leave it to beaver episode." I remember watching reruns and dad took them to a pay lake. From what I remember, they were having tough time and dad went into bait shop. Guy told them where to stand and what tree to cast under and they caught a mess of fish. Then when the boys found out, the fish were planted and not wild, they were all disappointed. They were trying to frame a moral argument about a growing country turning wild ponds into put and take ponds and such. Way ahead of its time for that issue.
> 
> I grew up in Elyria and drove by those trout lakes often. I would ask my Dad why we never went there. He said he never wanted to have to pay to fish a lake. I get that. We had plenty of trips to Lake Erie, Findley Res, Spencer, a few highway ponds we would be allowed to access. The times we had whether successful or not were the best. I didn't care where I fish as long as I have a chance to get a tug on my line. My Dad used to tease me saying I would fish a puddle if he told me there were fish in it. He was right.
> 
> ...


What was nice about these was that as a kid I could ride a bike to a couple of them. Fishing back then gave me the space I needed from trouble as trouble was so easy to find. As an adult, after working ten hour shifts, I really didn't feel like driving to Pymatuning after work as it took an hour each way. I could make Hammy in five minutes, Evans in about 12 and Pine in 20. So I paid a bit but what I saved in gas probably equaled it all out.


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## $diesel$ (Aug 3, 2018)

My first wife worked in that little grocery store 1/2 mile from Hamilton. 
She worked in the bakery, so i'd drop her off around 6 and walk the shores of Hamilton for 6 hours then pick her up and go home. Almost every day!
Man, those were the days, except for that crazy woman.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

$diesel$ said:


> My first wife worked in that little grocery store 1/2 mile from Hamilton.
> She worked in the bakery, so i'd drop her off around 6 and walk the shores of Hamilton for 6 hours then pick her up and go home. Almost every day!
> Man, those were the days, except for that crazy woman.


I see Crogan's Plumbing took over one of those stores and Save A Lot the other. Remember throwing No-Names for Crappies? I think everyone who fished that lake carried a few in their shirt pocket.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Lowerider1029 said:


> For you guys that fished the Ohio Water Service lakes back in the day, there was another lake that was for the Employees of that company only. It was called Beaver Lake and it was just North of Rt. 14 between Columbiana and East Palestine. Since both my father and I worked at Evans and Pine Lakes, we fished that lake fairly often. No motors were allowed and there were only a handful of old wooden boats for use. It was full of large bluegill and giant bass, my dad who was a way better fisherman then I'll ever be caught several 7 lb plus hogs out of that little lake.


Oh, wow! I'd forgotten all about Beaver Lake! Man, that place was legendary! Nowadays, if you play golf at The Links at Firestone Farms, there are two holes on the back 9 that bring the lake into play. Number 12 is a dogleg par 5 with the green butting right up against the lake. And the green runs away from you so, if you're a little strong you could end up wet. And number 15 is a par 3 that plays across the lake at the dam! The tees are on the south side with the green on the north side. Then you drive your cart along the top of the dam, there's a narrow road, to reach the green! It's a gas.

I love the back 9 there. It's like playing golf in a nature preserve!


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

buckeyebowman said:


> Oh, wow! I'd forgotten all about Beaver Lake! Man, that place was legendary! Nowadays, if you play golf at The Links at Firestone Farms, there are two holes on the back 9 that bring the lake into play. Number 12 is a dogleg par 5 with the green butting right up against the lake. And the green runs away from you so, if you're a little strong you could end up wet. And number 15 is a par 3 that plays across the lake at the dam! The tees are on the south side with the green on the north side. Then you drive your cart along the top of the dam, there's a narrow road, to reach the green! It's a gas.
> 
> I love the back 9 there. It's like playing golf in a nature preserve!


My bud had a part time job there cutting grass and with it came the benefits of reduced or free golf and being able to fish the lake. This was when the golf course was fairly new.


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## Phish_4_Bass (Sep 18, 2008)

My grandmother used to take us to Cha-Vel when we were kids. Remember catching tons of bass on hot n tots at the far end of it. First lake I ever caught anything on artificial lures


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## Hatchetman (Apr 13, 2004)

stormfront said:


> I see Crogan's Plumbing took over one of those stores and Save A Lot the other. Remember throwing No-Names for Crappies? I think everyone who fished that lake carried a few in their shirt pocket.


No Name lures, wow, now there's one from the past. Made in California by a Japanese Family. Sport shops in the New Phila-Dover area could not keep em in stock. They were absolutely deadly on Crappie at Tappan. Have tried to find them but they aren't being made as far as I can find out. Used to buy them at Ralph's bait shop just North of Dover on 21.


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## $diesel$ (Aug 3, 2018)

No kid'n? I haven't been that way in some time. I believe i seen the plumbing outfit but not the other. Isn't the save a lot in the fifth st. plaza?
When the ex worked for La Risha's, i think was the name, it was right near 616 and lyons blvd, just south of where that convenience/gas station is.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

$diesel$ said:


> No kid'n? I haven't been that way in some time. I believe i seen the plumbing outfit but not the other. Isn't the save a lot in the fifth st. plaza?
> When the ex worked for La Risha's, i think was the name, it was right near 616 and lyons blvd, just south of where that convenience/gas station is.
> 
> 
> View attachment 337943


Yep, Save A Lot is in the Fifth Street Plaza. And the store at Lyon Blvd and 616 is the plumbing supply business. Times sure have changed. 

Great pic of the no name.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

Hatchetman said:


> No Name lures, wow, now there's one from the past. Made in California by a Japanese Family. Sport shops in the New Phila-Dover area could not keep em in stock. They were absolutely deadly on Crappie at Tappan. Have tried to find them but they aren't being made as far as I can find out. Used to buy them at Ralph's bait shop just North of Dover on 21.


I still have a couple. I found some about ten or fifteen years ago and passed them out except for a few.

fwiw........http://www.chicagolandcanoebase.com/NoNameLure.html


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

Hatchetman, we absolutely pounded panfish with No Names decades ago. Even caught a few respectable bass on them. LOL.......I also buried one in my head, both hooks. Being the whack that I was, when I couldn't free it, I gritted my teeth, gave a mighty yank and pulled it out along with some hair and a piece of scalp. LOL. It all grew back and was hidden by an old ball cap until it did.

Back in those days we'd go fishing and put everything into an old canvas creel. All we really needed were No Names, CP Swings and Thompson Doll Flies and a float or two. We'd also carry size 6,8,and 10 Eagle Claw hooks in case we reverted to bait. I really miss the simplicity of those days.


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## Bluefinn (Jan 26, 2007)

stormfront said:


> Hatchetman, we absolutely pounded panfish with No Names decades ago. Even caught a few respectable bass on them. LOL.......I also buried one in my head, both hooks. Being the whack that I was, when I couldn't free it, I gritted my teeth, gave a might yank and pulled it out along with some hair and a piece of scalp. LOL. It all grew back and was hidden by an old ball cap until it did.
> 
> Back in those days we'd go fishing and put everything into an old canvas creel. All we really needed were No Names, CP Swings and Thompson Doll Flies and a float or two. We'd also carry size 6,8,and 10 Eagle Claw hooks in case we reverted to bait. I really miss the simplicity of those days.


Man, I wish they still made cp swings. Them & doll flies were fish magnets.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

Bluefinn said:


> Man, I wish they still made cp swings. Them & doll flies were fish magnets.


CP Swings are still sold. The price has gone up over the years though. I paid .59-.79 for them long ago.

https://www.fishusa.com/CP-Swing-Spinning-Lures


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## Hatchetman (Apr 13, 2004)

stormfront said:


> Hatchetman, we absolutely pounded panfish with No Names decades ago. Even caught a few respectable bass on them. LOL.......I also buried one in my head, both hooks. Being the whack that I was, when I couldn't free it, I gritted my teeth, gave a might yank and pulled it out along with some hair and a piece of scalp. LOL. It all grew back and was hidden by an old ball cap until it did.
> 
> Back in those days we'd go fishing and put everything into an old canvas creel. All we really needed were No Names, CP Swings and Thompson Doll Flies and a float or two. We'd also carry size 6,8,and 10 Eagle Claw hooks in case we reverted to bait. I really miss the simplicity of those days.


Sounds like you coulda been fishin with me, same deal. Oh what time that was.... I do have the "Lil Skunk" , it's almost the same.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

Hatchetman said:


> Sounds like you coulda been fishin with me, same deal. Oh what time that was.... I do have the "Lil Skunk" , it's almost the same.


I always had a few Shysters and Mepps with me as well, the Shysters being yellow or white and the Mepps were size 1 or 0. They didn't see the use that the CP Swings saw but when I needed one bait to trigger slow fish, it was the No Name.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

$diesel$ said:


> No kid'n? I haven't been that way in some time. I believe i seen the plumbing outfit but not the other. Isn't the save a lot in the fifth st. plaza?
> When the ex worked for La Risha's, i think was the name, it was right near 616 and lyons blvd, just south of where that convenience/gas station is.
> 
> 
> View attachment 337943


I believe the name you're recalling is Lariccia's. They still have an Italian deli on Southern Blvd. in Boardman. It's the best smelling store I've ever been in!



stormfront said:


> Hatchetman, we absolutely pounded panfish with No Names decades ago. Even caught a few respectable bass on them. LOL.......I also buried one in my head, both hooks. Being the whack that I was, when I couldn't free it, I gritted my teeth, gave a might yank and pulled it out along with some hair and a piece of scalp. LOL. It all grew back and was hidden by an old ball cap until it did.
> 
> Back in those days we'd go fishing and put everything into an old canvas creel. All we really needed were No Names, CP Swings and Thompson Doll Flies and a float or two. We'd also carry size 6,8,and 10 Eagle Claw hooks in case we reverted to bait. I really miss the simplicity of those days.


Yes! Those are three for the ages!



stormfront said:


> CP Swings are still sold. The price has gone up over the years though. I paid .59-.79 for them long ago.
> 
> https://www.fishusa.com/CP-Swing-Spinning-Lures


Good to know. I actually still have a couple of my old CP Swings, but never use them because I'm afraid to lose them! I'll have to check some of these new ones out. I remember after the CP disappeared someone brought out a similar spinner called the Swiss Swing. They didn't cast or run anything like the CP's. It seemed like the CP's were made of brass and the Swiss were made from aluminum!


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

buckeyebowman said:


> I believe the name you're recalling is Lariccia's. They still have an Italian deli on Southern Blvd. in Boardman. It's the best smelling store I've ever been in!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I was told at a fly shop in Pa. years ago that the owner of the CP Swing would build a bunch and then cease production for a while and then return to do it again. I've still a dozen but they have tarnished with the years. Guess I'm going to have to polish them up.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

Those Swiss Swings were indeed junk. The CP Swing was so doggone versatile. I trolled the #3 with a crawler attached at Mosquito for walleyes in the 70s but I would drift the #1 and #2 with a 1.5'' Uncle Josh pork rind at Evans and Pine and clean up. Crappies loved them. I also caught a fair amount of smallies at Pymatuning using the same setup.


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## $diesel$ (Aug 3, 2018)

Actually bowman, it just hit me, Listorti's, Joe Listorti's golden dawn.
There was a jig going around Hamilton back in the late 60's, early 70's a guy made at home. He made them in 32's or 16's. They had a chartreuse painted head a pipe cleaner body with a red neck ring and red tail feathers. Don't remember what he called it, but his name was Jerry.
I caught more crappies on that little jig than any 3 other baits. I'd hook that little jig behind a casting bobber and work it around brush and the rock bank south of the dam and just crush'm. 
Man, those really were the days!


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Medina Fish Hatchery, few facts: When I used to go and take my two boys Winter and Summer when they were in grade school, guy owned it named Red Boston and wife Mary. I worked at Goodyear, Red worked there also(so we kinda hit it off well because of that, both originating from WVa also helped!) til he got a "disability retirement" and bought Medina Hatchery(he stocked his 'pay to fish' ponds with adult fish he bought in bulk, mostly trout!) and didn't "hatch" anything. To answer the question what happened to "pay" lakes, Red confided in me once that there wasn't "much profit" in it, mostly a "break-even" situation in most years. He died and Mary tried to keep it going but proved to be too much for her, so it closed(far as I knew, they had no kids/heirs to take it over.) There was a guy, we knew him as "Parma Joe", who created the all black maribou jig that caught most of the rainbow trout at Medina, and the ponds in Elyria. Tipped with a couple maggots and fished under a bobber, it even became the "go to" lure most of us used in the "early" steelhead(hatchery rainbows!) tributary stocking days. Still a good choice today. My kids and I still remember those great times at Medina Fish Hatchery(esp. Mary's Chile after a couple hours of ice fishing!)


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

stormfront said:


> Those Swiss Swings were indeed junk. The CP Swing was so doggone versatile. I trolled the #3 with a crawler attached at Mosquito for walleyes in the 70s but I would drift the #1 and #2 with a 1.5'' Uncle Josh pork rind at Evans and Pine and clean up. Crappies loved them. I also caught a fair amount of smallies at Pymatuning using the same setup.


True that! I edited my prior post to read "the Swiss Swings DIDN'T cast or work like the CP's." Didn't see my mistake until today. Yes, I loved those spinners, so I'm very happy a link was posted here. I loved them for Smallies in Beaver Creek. Funny thing, I tried Mepps spinners and never could catch anything with them!



$diesel$ said:


> Actually bowman, it just hit me, Listorti's, Joe Listorti's golden dawn.
> There was a jig going around Hamilton back in the late 60's, early 70's a guy made at home. He made them in 32's or 16's. They had a chartreuse painted head a pipe cleaner body with a red neck ring and red tail feathers. Don't remember what he called it, but his name was Jerry.
> I caught more crappies on that little jig than any 3 other baits. I'd hook that little jig behind a casting bobber and work it around brush and the rock bank south of the dam and just crush'm.
> Man, those really were the days!


You're right! As long as I thought about it, I could never remember Lariccia's having a store in Struthers. Thought it might have been before my time. They had a store on Midlothian Blvd. near South Ave. When that area turned to crap, they moved to Boardman. And sometimes the simplest lures are the best.


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## Hatchetman (Apr 13, 2004)

When I used to wade Cross Creek in Jefferson/Harrison county, I would cut about a 3/8" wide X 2-2 1/2" long strip off of a car chami(spel) cloth and use it as a trailer, never had to worry about it getting all dried out and useless. Smallies and everything else that lived in the creek loved em


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## Lil' Rob (Apr 11, 2004)

c. j. stone said:


> Medina Fish Hatchery, few facts: When I used to go and take my two boys Winter and Summer when they were in grade school, guy owned it named Red Boston and wife Mary. I worked at Goodyear, Red worked there also(so we kinda hit it off well because of that, both originating from WVa also helped!) til he got a "disability retirement" and bought Medina Hatchery(he stocked his 'pay to fish' ponds with adult fish he bought in bulk, mostly trout!) and didn't "hatch" anything. To answer the question what happened to "pay" lakes, Red confided in me once that there wasn't "much profit" in it, mostly a "break-even" situation in most years. He died and Mary tried to keep it going but proved to be too much for her, so it closed(far as I knew, they had no kids/heirs to take it over.) There was a guy, we knew him as "Parma Joe", who created the all black maribou jig that caught most of the rainbow trout at Medina, and the ponds in Elyria. Tipped with a couple maggots and fished under a bobber, it even became the "go to" lure most of us used in the "early" steelhead(hatchery rainbows!) tributary stocking days. Still a good choice today. My kids and I still remember those great times at Medina Fish Hatchery(esp. Mary's Chile after a couple hours of ice fishing!)


Yep...the chili and the hot cocoa. I was allowed to be out of school quite a few times in the 70's going there and Elyria.


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## stormfront (Feb 18, 2016)

Hatchetman said:


> When I used to wade Cross Creek in Jefferson/Harrison county, I would cut about a 3/8" wide X 2-2 1/2" long strip off of a car chami(spel) cloth and use it as a trailer, never had to worry about it getting all dried out and useless. Smallies and everything else that lived in the creek loved em


Awesome idea. That danged pork rind was a B to get off a hook once it dried. I can't tell you how many times I bent a hook or stuck myself trying to remove the stuff.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

I used to love those thin, white pork rinds. Wouldn't change the action of the lure at all, just add to it! Great idea.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

To bad pay lakes ain't the same anymore. I grew up fishing 2 in columbus,at the time they had channel cats,trout,bass,gills,crappies... we would titeline for cats an cast inlines and jigs for trout. 
My uncles used to travel to northern ohio and camp and fish the bigger pay lakes up there,catching tons of bass an the occasional pike or monster crappie. 
I'm not aware of any local paylakes anymore that are suited for bass/panfish/trout/farm raised channel cats... 
I wont go into what most paylakes are now a days, to keep the thread on track.
But it sucks.


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

one3 said:


> OK, every one remembers these lakes. for those of us that do not know, tell us what may have happened to them.


At first, you could buy a pass to fish ALL five lakes...Hamilton, Liberty, Girard, Pine, and Evans. It was called “Five Lakes In The Valley.” They staggered the dates so that not all five lakes were open at the same time.
The pass was dirt cheap... about $35 for all five lakes and basically you could fish from April thru October.
If you didn’t have a boat you could rent a boat and a motor too! (I had my own)
In the end, one lake (Liberty I think) was drained and Girard closed. And a few years after that ownership of the remaining lakes changed hands and all were closed to the public. Today, if you own property on Pine or Evans you can buy a pass for $500 a year.
I fished the lakes HARD for 18 years. One thing I’m not sure has been mentioned yet, is the incredible Northern Pike fishing on Lake Evans...it was THE best kept secret in Ohio for a long, long time. It was Canada class pike fishing in Ohio!

I remember one day I was launching my boat at Evans and there were a bunch of the “old timers”’sitting at a picnic table near the ramp... they were complaining about how the cost of the pass had just gone from $30 to $35. I laughed at them all and told them, “You guys don’t know how good we’ve all got it! For a lousy $35 you got a beautiful lake within 15 or 20 minutes of your home. You’ve got bass, pike, blue gill, cats, and crappie! On top of that, they sell bait, rent boats, maintain security for your vehicle while you fish, and cut the grass and clean up all the trash. One day this will all be gone and you’ll have to drive all the to Misquito or Pymatuning to fish.”

Then, one day, someone bought a lot on the north shore of Evans and started building a huge new home. As my buddy and I drifted past it casting for Northern Pike, I turned to my buddy and said, “See that house? That’s the beginning of the end.” Once the property around the lake was sold off, the lake was closed to public fishing. Expensive homes and condos went up all around and the fishery was eventually only available to those property owners.

But I’m not bitter about it. Actually I’m very grateful for all the wonderful years I had on those beautiful lakes. It was excellent fishing and it was close and very reasonably priced compared to driving 45 minutes to over an hour one way just to fish.


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

I use to travel over an hour to get to Evans and Pine from western Pennsylvania to fish those lakes every weekend in late March thru the season they were open. Pine was usually the last to open. Always caught big pike at Evans. Even got a 27” walleye there once right out from the boathouse on the roadbed. Pine would open first week of May. Big crappies would be in the shallows then. Bluegills would bed there too later. Girard would open early June and the bass and bull bluegills would be spawning and smashing everything we threw at them. Loved those lakes. About 7 or 8 years ago I had the opportunity to fish Pine for a day with a friend that had a pass. We caught 13 to 15 inch crappies and bluegills up to almost 11 inches. Took about 20 of each. I kept the gills and he kept the crappies. Never went back. Shouldn’t have outfished him so bad. Haha.


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