Buckeye anglers itching for Mosquito Lake action
CORTLAND, Ohio – The Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Buckeye Division season continues on June 8 at Mosquito Lake.
Tournament details
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Buckeye Division
Cortland, Ohio
June 8, 2024
About the fishery
This 7,200-acre fishery attracts multi-species fishing pressure with its strong walleye and panfish populations and a mix of smallmouth and largemouth bass. But its largemouth population has flourished in recent years with the expansion of aquatic vegetation, particularly in its middle reaches and shallow upper end.
The lake runs north and south with 42 miles of shoreline over its roughly 10-mile length. The shallow upper reaches feature lily pads, laydowns, milfoil and marshland. Milfoil covers much of the mid-lake area, which also features stump rows and settlement remains. Anglers can work deep structure as well, particularly at the lower end and parts of the middle section where roadbeds, stump rows and drowned home structures cover lake bottom down to 20- to 30-foot depths.
A veritable smorgasbord of forage offerings ranges from crawfish, shad, and yellow perch to bluegill and other sunfish.
Though generally friendly to bass anglers, Mosquito can grow moody. Its typically stained water with two- to three-foot visibility can be rendered murky or muddy with heavy rains and high winds.
What to expect
Kyle Weisenburger’s career record includes a Mosquito Lake BFL win and multiple Top 10 finishes. “I’m a shallow water power fisherman,” said Weisenburger. “Mosquito has been a good lake for me, one that fits my strengths.”
Grass had come and gone with sporadic chemical treatment over the last decade. But in recent years, the Ohio DNR has let the lake’s milfoil grow, boosting both bass numbers and weights. “At times now it takes 20 pounds to win a one-day event,” said Weisenburger, “That small lake fishes a lot larger with the grass in play.”
The grass will mat up late in the season, but most of the growth should remain subsurface for the June 8 event. He expects bladed jigs, buzzbaits, hollow-bodied frogs and an assortment of topwater baits to help cash checks. “Flipping and pitching into grass or working swim jigs could do damage as well,” adds Weisenburger.
Bass are likely to be in in post-spawn retreat or an early summer pattern with a few bass guarding fry or hovering near bluegill beds. Weisenburger expects the winning total to be in the 16- to 18-pound range, though conditions could move the needle on either side of that band.
Weisenburger will bring a simple yet flexible strategy to Mosquito Lake.
“My first focus will be on finding the best stretch of grass with the best quality of bite,” he says. “There’s so much life around that grass, and you can get bit with a lot of techniques. But if I can’t get good fish in the grass, I may go to deeper areas – by those foundations and roadbeds – to get that better quality of fish.
“The key question will come down to ‘what can I do to get the best quality bite?’”