CO-OP PEOPLE

Captain Juls Davis displays a trophy Lake Erie walleye she caught during a springtime trip (photo courtesy Juls Davis).

Gone fishing…

The ‘Lake Lady’ guides Ohio anglers to Lake Erie’s best spots.

BY W.H. “CHIP” GROSS

If you’re an angler, at least once during your lifetime you must experience the unique, majestic beauty of a Lake Erie sunrise. No, not from shore, but rather from on the water — and preferably while skimming across the waves in a fast boat on your way to the latest fi shing hot spot, anticipating a limit catch. There is no better way to check that item off your piscatorial bucket list than fi shing with Captain Julia “Juls” Davis, one of only a handful of women among the 800 licensed captains working as charter-fi shing guides on Ohio’s great lake. She’s been fi shing nearly all her life — she started when she was 4 — and professionally for the past 20 years. The fi rst 10 of those pro years, Juls spent on the walleye tournament circuit; during the last decade, she’s been guiding full time. “I enjoy teaching people, male or female, young or old, the sport of walleye and yellow perch fi shing on Lake Erie’s Western Basin,” she says. “I probably average about 100 guiding trips per year, from the islands east to Huron, depending on where the fi sh are biting.” A typical guiding day for Juls begins well before dawn. “I usually go to bed when most people are just sitting down to supper, so on a fi shing day I’m up in the wee hours of the morning. That gives me plenty of time to drink a cup of coff ee and shower, then gas up the boat and grab ice, bait, or other supplies before meeting my clients at the dock or picking them up at their motel before sunrise.” Juls specializes in one-, two-, or three-person charters, estimating that about 75% of her clients are men. “The others are their wives or girlfriends, or sometimes a daughter,” she says. “The men usually want to learn a specifi c walleye trolling technique, whereas the families just want to be on the lake, have fun, and catch a few fi sh. Regardless, I put them all to work setting lines, reeling, and netting fi sh. Fishing with me is defi nitely a learn-by-doing participation sport.” Every fi shing guide has war stories, both humorous and not so much; Juls is no exception. “When I have three people on board with me, I have them take turns sitting near the bow of the boat and opening the fi sh cooler when we catch a fi sh so I can toss it in. One particular time when we caught a fi sh, I turned to throw it into the open cooler and for some reason the client inadvertently closed the lid just as the fi sh arrived. The walleye sailed through the air and back into the lake, probably wondering what just happened.” How long does Juls plan to continue guiding? “As long as I’m physically able,” she says. “I’m somewhat of a recluse, so fi shing is my social life. I enjoy the interaction with people, many of whom have become my friends through the years. Besides, I don’t think I’m qualifi ed to do anything else except fi sh.” To book a Lake Erie fishing trip with Juls Davis, visit www.julswalleyefishingadventures.com or call 419835-7347. Her calendar books quickly; contact her soon to reserve your preferred date.

Juls’ tools

Captain Julia “Juls” Davis has all the latest in fishing equipment, gear, and technology to make Lake Erie fishing trips safe, enjoyable, and productive:

• 21-foot Ranger model 621 FS tournament-style fiberglass boat • 400-horsepower Mercury Verado outboard motor

• 15-horsepower Evinrude trolling motor • Minn Kota electric motor

• Humminbird electronics

Ask CHIP!

Email Chip Gross with your outdoors questions at whchipgross@ gmail.com. Be sure to include “Ask Chip” in the subject of the email. Your question may be answered on www.ohiocoopliving.com!

Wanna drag?

Holmes County drag strip brings the thunder, draws the crowds, and lights the night — with some help from the local co-op.

BY JAMES PROFFITT

Jeff Gates, a tool and die maker from Republic, was hoping to introduce his 1965 Ford Ranchero to the world during Thursday Night Thunder on this fi ne evening at Dragway 42 in the Wayne County village of West Salem. The car, however, had other ideas. “I’m having charging issues, it’s just not getting enough volts to run the ignition,” he says, standing inside a trailer with his brother Tom. “I’ll just take it home and pull the system apart and see what’s going on.” When asked if he couldn’t just drop it off at a local garage and have them repair it, the veteran racer laughs. “No, this is the fun part,” he says. “At least most of the time, so long as you get to run them every now and then. I just enjoy building this stuff .” Dragway 42 has been home to thunderous speeds — hosting everything from street legals to top fuels and funny cars — since 1957. But a lot has changed there since Ron and Mary Anne Matcham purchased the track in 2013 and started on an almost complete metamorphosis. “I demolished the whole racetrack,” Ron Matcham says while roaming the facility on an ATV, intermittently talking to staff and chitchatting with racers and fans. “I turned it around 180 degrees and we built all the mounds. I designed it after Blossom Music Center. We have stands for about 3,000 but room on the grounds for about 15,000 more.” Matcham’s connection to the drag strip is his own past. “I used to do some drag racing in Elyria,” he says. “I had some Cobra Jet Mustangs and I raced NHRA and really, I just have a love for drag racing. But I choose not to race now. I have very good cars, but all my money goes into the racetrack.” In addition to the repositioned track, Dragway 42 now boasts a massive new announcer’s booth overlooking the track, new timing boards, and 23 clusters of high-intensity

Above: Funny cars are one of the crowd favorites at Dragway 42 (photo by Johnboy Ulman); left: Dragway 42 has undergone extensive renovations, including new high-intensity lighting that lineworkers from Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative helped to install (photo by Eric Miller/Eric’s Wandering Photography); below: Jeff Gates pops the hood on his 1965 Ford Ranchero after it stalled on its way to the starting line.

lighting. The latest addition is a new tractor-pulling track, which has also been used as a venue for monster trucks — events that attract thousands of spectators. Some of the recently completed improvements came with help from a handful of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative linemen. Zach Condren was one of those who donated time and expertise to elevate Dragway 42. “I grew up in West Salem, and I still live there, so it’s always kind of been in my backyard,” Condren says. “It’s a totally diff erent track than what it was when I was growing up as a kid. It’s a top-notch facility now, I’d say one of the best in the state.” Condren and co-workers spent many a night and weekend hour at the track — they installed underground primary power off a street pole and lent helping hands with the most intensely watched point at any drag strip: the timing board, a quarter-mile from the starting line. “I guess they like the park, and they’re a communityoriented company — and so are their people,” Matcham says. “Plus, I think they just like working with me.” According to West Salem Mayor Dale Klinect, the track is a town staple. “Without the sound of the track during the summer months, it would be weird,” Klinect says. “My father actually ran the track way back when, and I grew up out there, so racing’s sort of in my blood. I’m 100% for it. And since it’s been there since the 1950s, it’s just part of West Salem.”

Racing takes place most weekends throughout spring, summer, and fall at Dragway 42, 9161 Rainbow Hwy., West Salem, OH 44287. Call 419853-4242 or visit www.dragway42.com for details.

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