DEERSVILLE — Easter sunrise along the winding banks of Clendening Lake near Deersville provided the first early morning fishing of the year.
It was just us, the lake and all of nature’s beauty.
This has become a tradition for us. There is no significance to it, but our love of it. Although, if I were to articulate it more clearly, I would say, “seeing that sunrise while the poles line the guardrail along the lake, with the aroma of bacon sizzling in the pan, is how Jon and I ring in a new year of fishing.”
We begin thinking about it in January and we never consider changing our plans.
We travel into town the same way, even though on occasion we are tempted to change the route. But after many years, we seem to only change the route coming home to Mansfield, not leaving. Truth be told, by the time we head out on Good Friday, we just want to be at the water’s edge and we know our favorite route will do the job — and do it with a lot of beauty.
The Moravian Trail is our favorite part of the route and it travels you high on a ridge top where the two lanes are tight and lined with old scrub woods and rural farmlands. The trail played an important part in our state’s history. First it was an ancient Indian road and then it was a well-known frontier trail when Ohio was being settled.
It is also known as Williams’s Trail, after Colonel Williams who led the pursuit of Indians down this trail in 1782. Nearby are several small towns, some that are also rich in history. Nearby is the birthplace of General George Custer, who is from New Rumley, Clark Gable (the good-looking Hollywood icon who coined the phrase “frankly, I don’t give a damn”), who is from Cadiz, and the ever so swoon-worthy crooner, Dean Martin, from Steubenville.
At Easter time, the drive is marvelous. You can see the first white blooms of the pear trees, the yellows of the Forsythia bushes popping around every other bend, not to mention the purples of the Eastern Redbud trees.
Randomly, the woods open into valleys and fallow fields that are either freshly tilled or showcasing their fading goldenrod.
If there has been recent rains, the landscape appears more muted with browns and dungry greens. Along the route there is a scenic overlook pull off, but the spot is not as photogenic as the advertising sign would have you believe. However, not much further down the road is a perfect postcard property … literally.
When we first started celebrating Easter in southeast Ohio, this historic log cabin nestled at the bottom of a wooded hill and surrounded by a wood rail fence, was begging to be purchased and loved.
We used to speculate and dream of having this perfect spot in the most perfect setting in our favorite area of Ohio. Now you can book a stay there on Airbnb and it is on one of the Harrison County postcards.
On the last leg of the trip, we speak out loud the familiar signs of springtime in Ohio. Noting the changes to the area we endearingly call Home 2, we recount past sightings or noted memories. Many of these memories have been saved – written on the Gazetteer that travels with us everywhere.
4/16/2017: Rat snake in road as long as Jon.
4/21/2019: Red fox at 5:35 p.m., Dent Road and State Rt 83.
4/12/2020: Nottingham Township…saw the Easter bunny crossing intersection of Elk Run Road and Brushy Fork Road.
4/4/2021: Bark dangling in tree – looks like shape of Ohio.
I love starting our Easter trip by retracing these notes. They bring to life many memories and detail our explorations when the fish aren’t biting, but those tails will be told in another article.
Upon first arriving at Clendening Lake, we set up at one of the designated pull-offs along the lake’s edge. These are popular spots, mind you we are not the only ones who enjoy fishing early mornings. The traffic is scarce in the dark morning hours and the area to spread your poles is plentiful.
If we arrive before 4 a.m., the late night fishermen are packing out and we can snag the “point.” That is a definite Easter Egg in our book!
The point is a primo site for viewing the Easter sunrise, plus we have room to fan out our poles and have a cozy fire to ward off the morning mist. As you may gather, the point juts out into the lake a ways, thus early morning can sometimes be foggy. It is peaceful and quiet to see the fog roll back as daylight spreads rays of light across the water. You can hear the geese before you see them land on the bank’s weeds.
On a good morning, we have pulled in several catfish by this time and the fire needs to be refueled. Sometimes, we enjoy the night sky until the sun’s rays are beaming through the trees on the further shore.
Guaranteed, if it’s not rainy, you will get to hear the peepers and songbirds announce the day’s beginning. That’s about the time I set up the traveling kitchen on the tailgate of the truck, put the kettle on and began prepping Easter morning breakfast – served at sunrise – lakeside.
Per Jon’s request, the simple spread includes scrambled eggs and bacon with cinnamon toast made on the griddle. If we don’t happen to have fresh fish filets to add in the mix, then often Jon requests brats.
Sitting in our camp chairs, taking in the beauty around us, I can’t imagine changing up our tradition of Easter weekend … except maybe in the near future, if we are allowed the opportunity to share it with the grandkids.
That’s a change I could go for.
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