Just past the rusty sawmills and train tracks bordering Wooster rests an old dirt road that lines itself with overgrown Ohio tallgrass and aged pine trees. It’s the type of setting that easily lends refuge to wildlife and varmints, as Steve Webster will explain to anyone fortunate enough to accompany him how he enjoys carrying an old .22 rifle to ward off the occasional groundhog from sticking its neck up too far. While it can be amusing, the reason for traveling that road has never been for target practice. Quietly resting a quarter mile up the matted dirt sits a sacred pond that, for a lucky few, holds some of the best bass fishing in Ohio.
I began fishing with Steve Webster, the assistant men’s lacrosse coach at the College, four years ago after hearing rumors of a deep hollow packed with bass just past the reach of the town’s industrial air. One late fall day after the sun’s rays had reached deep enough to stir the water awake, I found out firsthand how true the rumors of the Honeyhole were.
It did not matter what was at the end of our rods that day, whether it be top spinners, worms or crank baits, the bass bit everything. Our success did not come from my beginner’s luck either, as Webby rattled off a tale of how he once caught 10 bass on his first 10 casts into the lilies. I have been able to return to the eternal Honeyhole numerous times since my first year. Never once have I left unsatisfied.
Over time, I’ve discovered that my fulfillment has not come from the feeling of a nibble at the end of my rod or finishing the day with the most catches. It has instead come from the most natural pursuit, one bound by the cast of my line into the water, of a union between the outdoors and myself.
Although the Honeyhole will remain secret to the few who fish it, there nonetheless exist plenty of streams and rivers in Wooster that can provide that same fulfillment.
Two weeks ago, Trout Unlimited released 2,500 rainbow trout into the two-mile stream that spines through Grosjean Park just south of campus. If you plan on using a fly rod, the trout will bite nymphs through most of the season while dry flies will be the best option on a muggy day or after a storm.
I have never been one to kill the fish I catch. Because of this, I have been able to forgo the frustration that inevitably accompanies those who use fishing as a tool for their own conquests.
So if you find yourself at Grosjean, please practice catch and release. It will also give the trout an opportunity to survive long enough to find a home in the stream. As Dick Blalock once said, “I will never kill another trout. There are too few of them in the world, and each one is too precious to do something as wasteful as eating it.”
It is easy to get lost in the daily stress and commitments when at Wooster, but as I have found, it is just as easy to rid yourself of that stress. Catching fish has never been easy, but with the right perspective, the experience of fishing will always be rewarding.