First Night Annapolis

A musician should probably be playing on New Year's Eve. Last year I spent the weekend gigging with Mountain Soul in Ohio. I've yet to do any promotion for the new band, so this year Dianne and I found ourselves sitting home watching football. I think we both needed a change so we jumped in the Miata (much easier to park than the big red truck) and crossed the Severn River into Annapolis. The downtown area was roped off and there were entertainers in the streets. We opted for a quieter window seat at Joss Sushi. This is the sushi bar we discovered one weekend last summer when the boys were here. On that visit, we were plesantly surpised with the best toro we've had anywhere. (Including some top-rated sushi bars in New York City and on the West Coast.) The toro wasn't as amazing this time, but it was still excellent. In fact, the entire meal was great. Afterwards, we walked around on the street for a while, but decided not to wait for midnight fireworks since it was starting to rain. When the clock struck 12, we stood at our sliding glass doors where, in the distance we could see the fireworks at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Happy New Year! -Shawn

Busted on New Years Eve!

Well, not really, but I was boarded by the Coast Guard. I guess one of the winter trade-offs to having the best fishing spots all to myself is that I'm also the only game available for law enforcement. I saw them coming and got a quick cell phone picture, then fired it off to the boys and kept fishing. They pulled alonside and asked if I was anchored. I thought it was a dumb question since I was only about 30 yards off the rockpile at the bridge in a raging current. I told them that I was just drifting and fishing, then they asked when was the last time I was boarded. I told them that I'd been checked by DNR two days ago, but that wasn't good enough. I don't think these guys have been on the Bay too long because they wanted to jump right on, but we would've drifted into the rocks in less than 30 seconds so I asked if we could back away. They agreed and came aboard after we were clear of danger. Fire extinguisher, throw cushion, life jacket, flares, stickers, horn, registration, driver's license, oil discharge sticker, and engine compartment all checked out okay. They gave me a copy of their report with the box "No Violations" checked and told me to keep it with me and they probably wouldn't board next time. I was curious about the process so I asked a lot of questions. About that time my son Cory responded to my cell phone message with, "hope they don't find your meth lab." I couldn't keep from laughing, but thinking they might not see the humor, I quickly clicked off the phone! They left me with a cheerful, "be careful, captain," and went on to other pursuits. Despite the 20 minute delay to my fishing, I don't begrudge the boarding at all. I know those guys are just doing their job and I may need them sometime. -S

Fishing in the Fog

I left the dock today at 1:30 under clear, sunny skies. When I reached the Bay there was a thick fog bank beginning just upstream from the Bay Bridge. I plunged ahead since I've learned to navigate by GPS and compass. The problem was that I had to cross the shipping channel to reach my favorite fishing spot at the east rockpile of the bridge. Visibility at water level was about 20 yards at best. This was the first time since I've been navigating the Chesapeake that I've wished for an onboard radar. My GPS is accurate within a few feet, so it wasn't too difficult to stay just west of the channel until I reached the bridge. I slowed to an idle and waited a while, straining to see into the dense gray. That seemed futile so I turned off the motor and listened. I don't think I could've heard a ship because of the bridge traffic, but they usually sound their fog horns when approaching the bridge. I didn't hear anything, so I dashed across. The current was really ripping and as I expected, the rockfish were biting again at the rockpile. I landed at least twenty 12-15"
fish as the fog burned away into bright sunshine. -Shawn

So I took the wife fishing .....

I asked Dianne to go fishing with me today. It was cold and a little windy, but she agreed if I promised not to stay out all afternoon. She did everything wrong. Used the wrong lure, fished at the wrong depth, casted to the wrong places, held the rod wrong and worst of all, completely out fished me! She hooked a fat 14" rockfish on her first cast and didn't stop until she'd also landed one of the biggest white perch I've seen lately. We stayed for about an hour then she decided to make the proverbial, "one last cast." Sure enough, she reeled in another nice rockfish. -Shawn

More Holiday Rockfish

I'm still finding rockfish down at the Bay Bridge. This post is actually recycled from a fishing report I just did for the Tidal Fish message board. I'm a big fan of that discussion list because it's where I've learned a lot of what I now know about fishing the Bay. I decided to post the report in its original form here. -- A light day at work put me on the water by 2:00PM. I was at the east rockpile at 2:30 with a waning incoming tide and water temp around 45 degrees. Nothing on my FF so I motored over to the west pile and caught a little 12" rockfish right off. No other bites so back to the East rocks I went. Don't ask me what changed, but this time my FF looked like this!

Obviously, this time I remembered to take the camera. I also had the cam on my cell phone so shot the same pic as the one above and fired it off to my wife since I'd said I might be home early to join her for a shopping trip. Her text message response, "I'll see you after dark." There was only one other boat around, a couple of guys perching out of a Carolina Skiff. Looked like they were having a blast, doubling up almost every cast with their top & bottom rigs. I stayed on the rockfish verticle jigging a redheaded/white Gotcha Lure. I'm really liking this lure lately. Replacing the trebles minimizes the tangles and snags and, unless the current is really ripping, it'll get on down to the bottom. It reacts erratically when jigged which is what I think generates strikes. I hooked up a fat 15 incher on my first drop and the catching was on. Crockett's barking let the guys in the other boat know whenever I hooked up.


At 3:45 sharp the tide turned. I had been motoring down to the lower end of the pile and drifting back, thanks mostly to the wind, but now there was hardly any drift at all. Things really slowed down and the FF showed no marks, but I was still managing a fish once in a while. As the current began to pick back up, I moved up to the north side of the rocks. Fishing the pressure side of the structure is a tip I learned here on TF and it almost always pays off. More marks on the FF told me you guys were right again! About one out of three fish were over 15" with the biggest of the day about 20". I hooked that fish just as a DNR boat pulled alongside. I didn't hear her coming and must have looked startled. I showed her the fish before dropping it back in. She was very nice, asking questions about the size of the fish and making sure I wasn't keeping anything since rockfish are out of season. She even had a dog biscuit for Crockett! She motored off and I got back to fishing. By this time Crockett wasn't too excited about the fish, but couldn't resist an occasional sniff if I brought one over the side.


The bite continued until dark. Actually, as the current increased, even more fish moved in. Unfortunately, that increased the dink ratio. I thought it might be fun to get out the fly rod some evening because, when the currrent started ripping, smaller fish began feeding on the surface. I stayed until well after sunset and left them biting. Cruising by the Christmas lights at Sandy Point I thought how I'm having just as much fun now as I did fishing the breaks back in the Fall. I sure hope this winter action continues! -Shawn

Winter Solstice and the fish are still biting!

Since I'd finished my workday and the sun was still up on the shortest day of the year, Crockett and I decided to go fishing. There was no wind and temps were in the low 50s when we fired up the Sea Ray and motored toward the mouth of the Magothy. There was strong current at Mountain Point, but no fish, so we headed out into the Bay to the shelf at Podickory Point. Once again, no marks on the fishfinder. I decided to cruise on down to the Bay Bridge.

The water was beautiful, very flat, clear, and smooth with not another boat in site. I pulled up beside the big rockpile that anchors the suspension cables on the East side of the channel. The incoming tide was ripping around the rocks. I idled into the current and let the boat drift back while watching the fishfinder . It marked fish everywhere, from top to bottom in the 53ft channel. I dropped over a redheaded Gotcha lure and started jigging. I hooked up in a matter of seconds.

Crockett noticed my excitement and jumped up in the backseat for a better view. He barked as I landed a fat 15" rockfish . The current had swept us off the spot, so I fired the engine and repositioned the boat. Once again, as soon as I dropped the lure over, wham, another nice rockfish . The pattern of idling up and drifting back kept up until dark with two or three fish on every pass. The biggest was 22" with most in the 12" to 15" range. Rockfish are no longer in season here, so it was all catch and release. Crockett really enjoyed the trip. He'd jump up on the edge of the boat, then start barking in anticipation as soon as I hooked up - just the reaction I was hoping for. It won't be long before it's too cold to keep the boat on the water, so I felt lucky to get in this trip before the holidays. -S

Crockett Crosses the Chesapeake

It was a beautiful December Saturday on the Chesapeake Bay. My son Jacob and his friend Daniel drove up from Tennessee this weeekend to see a concert in Baltimore and spend some time with us. With temps in the 60s and the water smooth as glass, we couldn't resist taking the boat out. We turned south out of the river, cruising beneath the Bay Bridge and on down to Annapolis. It was Crockett's first long boat ride. Jacob has a way with animals, and helped him to feel comfortable on the water. He even coaxed him into sitting with him on the bow of the boat as we toured Maryland's historic capitol city. Just off the pier at the Naval Academy, Crockett decided to sit up straight and tall to pose for this photo. Dianne calls it, "Crockett Crosses The Chesapeake." I think it will be his definitive puppy portrait. -Shawn

Rockfish with oyster sauce and german potato salad

Since I'm usually home from work before Dianne, I've taken on most of the cooking chores. I've always enjoyed cooking and I look forward to trying new ideas. Tonight, I decided it was time to start depleting some of those bags of frozen fish in the freezer. I found a couple of nice rockfish (striper) filets we caught over the summer, and thawed them for a couple of hours in cold water. I've decided that we like the taste of fish too much to marinate it in anything strong, so I put together what I thought might be an interesting oyster sauce. Here's my recipe, made up mostly on the spot with some inspiration provided by a show I once watched on the food network.

Oyster Sauce
1/2 can oyster stew
2 oz enoki mushrooms
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp horseradish
1/4 stick butter
dash of salt
sprinkle of dill
Bring oyster stew to slow boil (use at full strength, do not add water or milk), add seasonings and lower to simmer. Stir in lime juice and enoki mushrooms 5 minutes before serving.

I've tried a lot of different ways to cook rockfish. I usually just season and broil on low heat, but decided to try something different this time. I melted a stick of butter then brought it to a rolling boil. I dusted the filets with a little bit of flour before putting them in the pan. I didn't turn the fish until right before they were ready to serve, but I leaned the pan sideways over the heat and continually spooned the hot butter over the filets until they looked done. I turned them just as the flour became golden-brown. I think there's a french name for this method of cooking, but I don't remember what it's called.

I accompanied tonight's meal with a chilled german potato salad which I made with sliced potatoes, chopped onions, chopped celery, chopped dill pickles and lots of seedy brown mustard. I also chopped up a few cherry tomatoes and marinated them in balsamic vinegar and dill. Finally, I had a few left-over asparagus stalks in the fridge which I sauteed lightly in the rockfish butter. I stacked it all in the center of the plate with the potato salad on the bottom, then the rockfish, next the tomatoes, and last the asparagus. I drizzled a little of the oyster sauce on top with more around the plate. I thought it tasted pretty good and Dianne was very complimentary. -S

Learning to fetch!

Now, here's your stick.

Hey, turn loose!

C'mon boy, bring it back....

Good dog!

Winter's Chill

We were nailed this weekend by a cold blast of arctic air. The north winds have kept the tides very low, so I still can't get the boat off the lift. Not that it matters because the lake at the boat ramp is frozen over. It's taken a while for winter to arrive, but when it came, it was with a vengence. -S

Yule Moon

I took Crockett out to the beach last night to watch the full moon rise over the Bay. Dianne called to ask if I was watching. She was just leaving Capitol Hill. Her view looked a lot like this! -S

What I've learned....

About living in the Mid-Atlantic. I've been here nearly a year now, so I thought it might be fun to post some random observations about our corner of Southern Maryland. Of course, these are all generalizations and based solely on my own experience. I don't mean them to be negative or insulting. In fact, I really like it here and have no regrets about moving. I'm still learning and I expect to think of more as we pass through the Holidays, so I'm sure more observations will follow:

1. You can't buy beer at gas stations! In Tennessee, it's not surprising to see a big stack of 12 packs beside the Pilot Station checkout, and a barrel of iced-down tall boys by the door. In Maryland, they don't even sell it in grocery stores. It's a liquor store with limited hours, or nothing.

2. Fishermen are friendlier than musicians! I've found hardly any of the camaraderie and sense of community here that so comfortably characterized the East Tennessee acoustic music scene. I really miss WDVX and all the good things the Knoxville station does for musicians. On the other hand, I've yet to meet an unfriendly Chesapeake fisherman, and several complete strangers have given me outstanding advice and personal assistance. You don't see that near as much in the Southeast where fishing secrets are carefully guarded. My best friends here enjoy both fishing and making music.

3. Get in the turn lane early, and speed up! People will actually cut over into the breakdown lane just so they can beat you to the exit ramp and cut you off. I've never experienced that anywhere else before. Add to that that there are way more cars than there are roads to hold them here, along with a sense of entitlement to the left lane, and you have a recipe for driving misery. The traffic-jams of Knoxville's "Malfunction-Junction" pale in comparison. A 1 hour drive to work here is considered an "easy commute," and a turn-signal is sometimes seen as a sign of weakness!

4. Don't get above yer raisin'! At first, I tried my best to blend in with the faster, less personal lifestyle. When I quit that nonsense and resumed my hillbilly sensibilities, life got easier and I started getting along with people much better. Not too many people who live here are from here, but when I meet a native Marylander, I usually like them.

5. Most good-ideas work anywhere! I've found that especially true with fishing. My tried-and-true fishing techniques, most handed-down by my father, have resulted in lots of fish in the freezer this year. I've also adopted many local techniques, adding the occasional Tennessee twist where appropriate. In fishing, so in life. (See #4 above.)

6. Marylanders know how to eat seafood. Simply put, the best crabcakes anywhere, and at almost any local restaurant. I wouldn't dream of ordering a crabcake in Tennessee now. Steamed crabs and Yuengling at a dockside crab-shack may be the finest eating experience in the world. The sushi rivals that of the West Coast or Hawaii. Also, Old Bay generally makes *everything* taste better.

7. There are many funny place-names! I guess that's true anywhere, but "Pohick Hollow" and "Assawoman Bay," are two names that crack me up every time I hear them!

8. Everything costs more! From food to taxes, hardware to fishing tackle, and especially housing, it's just expensive to live here. The house we lived in back in Tennessee would probably cost a million bucks here. That's not an exaggeration. There's no such thing as a $150,000 house in Southern Maryland (a respectable residence in Tennessee). Don't expect to eat out anywhere for less than 30 bucks. The excuse is usually, "salaries are higher here." Don't bet on it.

9. There are still lots of fun free things! For me, that means the Bay. In the summer, I can bring up a hundred bucks worth of seafood nearly anytime I want. (That doesn't mean I haven't spent way too much on tackle and gear!) Also, the museums on the Washington Mall are all free. There are free concerts there, free movies, the monuments are great, and most of the cultural events don't cost a dime.

10. Many good things come from the Eastern Shore! That's the part of Maryland between the Chesapeake and the Atlantic. There's a different attitude there. It's way more relaxed and laid-back. You can feel it as soon as you cross the Bay Bridge. It reminds me more of South Georgia than anywhere. I like it there.

More to come...... -S

Ella May

Dianne stopped by the Moto-Foto tonight and picked up a picture of me and my grand-daughter when we were down south for Thanksgiving. Ain't she a doll! I think our interest is centered on granny Dianne as she rakes leaves. -S

Meet Crockett Lee

A 10 week old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the latest addition to our family. We drove over to Marydel on the Eastern Shore today to pick him up, my early Christmas present from Dianne. Technically, his name is Chesaloosa's Crocket Lee Kimbro, but we've taken to calling him "Crow." After giving him some time to adjust to the house, I took him out to the beach. It was the first time he'd ever seen the water his breed is named for. He romped right in, then stood dumbfounded as he tried to figure it out. After a few seconds he started jumping and splashing. I think he's going to make a good fishing partner.

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever breed originated in 1807 when an English ship with two Newfoundlands on board wrecked off the coast of Maryland. The dogs were saved and bred with local retrievers for hunting waterfoul and guarding boats . They're strong and muscular, resembling Labs but with a slightly longer, curley brown coat. Here's a web site with more info if you're interested. I'll keep you updated on how we progress with his training. I expect it will be quite a challenge! -S

Worth getting up for....

It's the time of year when the sun gets to the right position to give us amazing sunrises. They rival the ones I enjoyed in Hawaii when I was stationed there in the Army. Dianne shot this picture from our guest room balcony last week. I like the panorama from our boat on the left, across the Magothy river to Gibson Island, then out to the main channel of the Chesapeake. The water was very still providing a perfect reflection of the technicolor sky. -S

Float your boat keys!

One of the first things I did when we bought the SEA RAY was get a floating key chain. I got the kind that opens so you can put your registration inside. I learned to do that as a teenager when I managed the boat dock at Fall Creek on Cherokee Lake in Tennessee. I was always dropping keys over the side, and it doesn't take too many dives into murky, 35 degree water to teach you that keys should float. Since its always good to have your registration with you on the water, the most obvious place is with the keys. That lesson-learned-the-hard-way paid off this week. Since returning from our Thanksgiving holiday, I've turned our house upside down looking for the boat keys. I haven't seen them since the storm of two weeks ago, the one that flooded our dock and yard. I've been sick, so I couldn't fish, but it was driving me nuts not to find the keys. Today, we awoke to find a message on our home voice-mail. It was from a nice-sounding lady named Joy who lived on the Pasadena side of the Magothy River. Her husband had found the keys on their beach! Apparently, they fell out of my pocket after I docked the boat a couple of weeks ago and floated the 5 miles upstream and across the river to their house. I'm very fortunate that the keys were found, especially since it was by someone who knew to open the float to find the paperwork inside, then cared enough to call us. Whew! -Shawn