by Frank Aceto

Associate Sports Editor

All of us have heard the stereotypes: Women enjoy shopping. Men hate it. Men can't get enough of sports. Women can.

Men like to fish and women ... well, some women don't.

A bunch of women are proving that fishing includes them, too.

Thanks to a group known as the "Fishin' Ladies of Ohio," women have the opportunity to spend some quality time along a river or a creek.

The club is strictly for women. Well, sort of.

"We've actually had some guys who showed up at a couple of our events," said Kelly Riesen, who is one of the club's founders. "We can't say no."

One year ago, Riesen, Jamey Graham, who is an information officer with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Suzanne Faeber and Andrea Scott started this club, which now has close to 50 members.

"Kelly and I had been thinking about it for quite awhile," Graham said. "We met a lot of people and made a lot of contacts. I enjoy the outdoors and I love to fish. I met a couple of ladies who felt the same way."

The club has had meetings at Twinsburg Gander Mountain and plans to have more meetings in the future. The club also is expected to have fishing outings in Western Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania.

Most such clubs focus on certain aspects of fishing. This organization, on the other hand, is open to everything on the topic.

"If you google fishing clubs on the Internet, you're going to see a lot of fly fishing clubs," Riesen said. "We want to be involved in all different types of fishing -- fly fishing, walleye, crappie, panfish and smallmouth bass."

The women have heard the stereotypes: Fishing is for men. But they have learned that's not necessarily true.

"There's a lot more women who fish than we know," Graham said. "They do it because their fathers and significant others like to fish. A lot of women took a liking to it but never really pursued it."

Riesen believes the growth of the club is just beginning.

"It's important for us to pass on our knowledge to women who love fishing," she said. "We hope to have 75 to 100 members next year."

The club plans to offer a number of activities for its members.

"We want to fish with a purpose," Graham said. "We want women to get outdoors and enjoy nature. It's a great way to make friends. We also want to get together for barbecues, which sets us apart from other clubs."

For details, contact the Fishing Ladies of Ohio at 440-796-8277 or visit www.xanga.com/floangler1.

E-mail: faceto@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3914