Shotgun sports are popular pastimes for many sportsmen and women.
Trap, skeet, sporting clays and variations of any and all of these skills testing, clay busting contests attract lots of us — and too, they build our shooting skills for the coming hunting seasons.
So why not enjoy one or more of these clay bird contests and at the same time raise money for a most worthy purpose while we bang away?
Clay bird shoot
Leetonia Sportsman’s Association has the answer and it happens July 17, at the club grounds, 311 E. High St., in Leetonia.
The name of the game is what club organizers call the Ironman Clay Bird Shoot, an all-day event that combines a very affordable combination of trap five stand, and sporting clays into an imaginative and enjoyable fundraiser to benefit a disabled veteran.
Funds raised will go toward the purchase of an all-terrain wheelchair that will help the recipient regain access to outdoor sports.
Event organizers promise that 100 percent of the over-cost funds raised will be donated to this purpose. Other organizations also contribute with a goal of $15,000. Last year, wounded veteran Robert Helems received a new all-terrain, track-powered chair and can now move freely around most outdoor areas.
For more information, directions, and details contact Bill Harding at 330-822- 0100, or Jim Eckman at 330-502-0447. The club website is leetoniasportsmansclub.com.
Latest fishing gear
Outdoor gear just keeps getting better and there appears to be no end to the technology-driven upgrades.
For anglers, bright, lifelike lure are the rage with details so real that one can easily compare a lure to a live forage fish.
It’s a debatable subject as to the effectiveness of one of these finely detailed fake fish but one thing is sure: they do indeed attract shoppers.
MinnKota, one of the major players in electric trolling motors, is currently showing tackle dealers their latest generation of GPS-directed bow mounts that can easily be connected to a GPS unit.
MinnKota calls their newest motors “GPS enabled” meaning the motors are hands-free and accurately follow courses set by GPS and depth finder signals.
It’s trade show time in the fishing industry and its show time for manufacturers and retailers who, if they are impressed, will place orders as they plan for next spring sales.
Humminbird Electronics is on track to set record sales with their Helix line of the depth finders that do everything but cast one’s lure.
The latest models are wider and brighter than ever with screens which offer detail and color every bit as good as an expensive flat screen TV.
MinnKota and Humminbird produces are designed to be technically compatible as are Lowrance and Motor Guide electric motors
Top fishing holes
It looks like northeast Ohio anglers are winners when it comes to rating good fishing places.
So says author Anna Balentine, who reports for the Outdoor Hub outdoor news service.
She claims that the top five Ohio fishing places are as follows: Lake Erie, Sandusky Bay, Mosquito Creek Lake, Lake Milton and the Ohio River.
I agree that all are good places to fish but are they superior to all other Ohio water? Ms. Balentine might have a problem defending her choices.
(Information in this column was provided by the Boat Owners Association of The United States.)
