Monday, June 05, 2000
Anglers can cast until dawn
By William A. Weathers
The Cincinnati Enquirer
John Northcutt of Covington fishes at Cedar Lake.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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GOSHEN TWP. — The sun is setting at the old fishing lake. It's time to put the poles away and call it a day.
Not!
At least not at Cedar Lake, Ohio's oldest pay fishing lake. On Fridays and Saturdays during the spring and summer, anglers can fish until the sun comes up.
Night fishing has been popular at Cedar Lake for years, and the lake's operators do their best to accommodate, said 42-year-old manager Monica Jones.
“We give them (glow-in-dark) light sticks,” Miss Jones said. “They tie them to their bobbers.”
On a recent Friday night, the glowing bobbers created a light show on the glistening water of the 7-acre lake on Smith Road in Goshen Township, about 20 miles east of downtown Cincinnati.
JoAnne Jones, and her late husband, Bill, bought the lake 32 years ago (it had been a pay fishing lake since 1930) and it's been a family operation since. Four of their six children, along with their spouses and children, are involved.
“Monica's been behind the counter since she was 9,” Mrs. Jones said.
“My mom would like to say she's retired,” Monica Jones added, “but she puts in 40 hours a week.”
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IF YOU GO
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• What: Cedar Lake.
• Where: 6644 Smith Road, Goshen Township, Clermont County.
• When: Open year-round sunrise to sundown. Open overnight Fridays and Saturday from Memorial Day to around Labor Day.
›Cost: $10 per adult for 12 hours of fishing; $6-$8 for children; free to children under 6.
• Directions: Take Interstate 275 to the Milford/Blanchester exit; go east on Ohio 28 (toward Blanchester) about 5 miles to Smith Road. Turn left; lake is on the right.
• Information: (513) 575-0124.
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The goal is to provide a tranquil, family-oriented environment, Miss Jones said. Night fishing is part of that effort. “Peace and quiet is what we want to offer. We've had men (fishing while) waiting for babies to be born. They said "Call me if I get a call.' One fisherman spent his wedding night here.”
Two Covington residents, Don Northcutt, 44,
and Gary Cooper, 43, had several lines in the water.
“Big fish feed at night,” Mr. Northcutt said, explaining his love for night fishing. “We've caught most of our big fish at night.”
Mr. Cooper agreed. “They bite better at night. They move around more.”
“We take turns sleeping and watching the poles,” said Mr. Northcutt, who has been fishing “since I was old enough to tie a string to a stick.”
Call them avid after-dark anglers.
Nearby is 32-year-old Winnie Steel of Fayetteville, and relatives, including her husband, two brothers and a sister.
“It's family time.” Mrs. Steel said. “We've been fishing every weekend for the past month.”
Elsewhere around the lake, two fishermen are stretched out on the ground waiting for a strike. Across the lake, a man wearing a hooded sweat shirt sits in a chair keeping watch on his four poles. At least one night fishing enthusiast pitched a tent.
After buying a candy bar at the lake's tackle and snack shop, Rob Bynum, 23, of Milford, headed back to the action.
“They bite a lot better at night,” he said, echoing the local wisdom. “That's when I've had my best luck.”
Miss Jones says Cedar Lake — 30 feet deep at its deepest — has a reputation as a good fishing hole — both day and night.
“We're known for putting in a lot of fish (including farm-raised channel catfish, blue gills and rainbow trout),” she said.
Mr. Northcutt agreed. “I drive past four pay fishing lakes to get here.”
The biggest fish caught during the Joneses' reign was a 77-pound shovelhead, landed in September 1998. The biggest catch this year has been a 73-pound blue catfish.
Miss Jones recalled one customer complaining that he hadn't had any luck. Shortly after he registered his complaint, she said, “A carp jumped out of the water and landed on the bank in front of him.”
If you have suggestion for Night Watch, call William A. Weathers at (513) 768-8390: fax: 768-8340.
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