Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I’ve found I’m staying in compliance with doctor’s orders to lay low this summer.

Fishing takes a lot more effort than I ever imagined. I admit I’ve taken it for granted that I can get to the lake whenever I have a few hours to spare and can cast up to shore cover and offshore structure.

The doctors say it will be around Labor Day before I can hitch up and launch the BassCat and stand on the foredeck to fish in the style that gives me satisfaction. So I bide my time until then and enjoy fishing vicariously through social media posts from fishing buddies.

Was thrilled to see some nice catches of smallmouth bass from friends Tyler Woak and Destin DeMarion last week. They were fishing off Lake Erie, in Près Isle Bay in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The big, fat, acrobatic little mouths get my blood boiling more than just about any other species I might encounter. As I scrolled through photos of DeMarion and Woak, I could feel the bites, getting caught on the hooks and hanging on as the bronzebacks rose from the depths and leapt onto the Erie chop.

Then there were the photos that John Breedlove posted of a limit of big mouths that he picked up in the “good” Mosquito Lake grass.

All of the fish Breedlove showed were well-fed bass that attacked the spinnerbait he was throwing.

Several of my buddies also visited Erie last week and returned with 18-20 inch walleye coolers. I could almost smell the fillets as they sizzled in the hot oil.

Ryan Martino hit me next with a gallery of photos taken during a break in drag racing action at Virginia International Raceway last week.

He and his father, Tom, campaign for one of America’s fastest cars in the top class of drag racing and they maintain a busy schedule at the track and between scheduled events. Ryan relaxes around the house fishing in the MetroParks at Mill Creek and on the property pond race tracks.

His recent outing in Virginia produced bass, pike and pumpkinseed – all super fun on light tackle.

Jim Hamilton and Tom Rolland recently teamed up for some Lake Erie cubs, but the photo they posted on Facebook was of the big catfish that gave them the chills. The fish was long and muscular, no doubt enjoying an easy-gathering lifestyle among the schools of round gobies that now form a leg of the base of Erie’s food chain.

It’s always fun to see photos of mosquito masters like Harry Emmerling and Nathan DiGiacobbe. Their fishing styles differ, but their results are generally enviable as they show off some of Mosquito’s biggest mouths.

Michael Durkalec always has photos to share on Facebook. Last week’s selection included muskies. He didn’t reveal his location, but I think West Branch is a safe guess. Muskies in the West Branch are usually eager to take lures from anglers.

My visits to Facebook frequently reveal fantastic photographs of sunsets taken along the northern Ohio coast between Ashtabula and Geneva by retired photojournalist and sailor Bill Lewis. Bill has a lifetime of Erie images in his personal collection, with summer sunsets so spectacular that if he ever published a book, I’d be the first to buy it.

Thank you for the photos! Each of them brings me even closer to the day I’m back on the water.

Jack Wollitz’s book “The Ordinary Fisherman” explores the fun things that make fishing a passion for so many people. He appreciates emails from readers. Send a note to [email protected]