Slush Fun

About the only thing interesting here on the Bay lately has been the weather. Every time I think it's about to break, we get another cold front with snow and ice. We've been doing some traveling including a fun snowmobiling trip with Dianne's parents on Drummond Island in Lake Huron, and a trip to Tennessee to see Daniel's Senior Recital. It snowed 3" yesterday, but temps were in the mid-40s today so I walked around and fished from the banks some. The ice is melting into slush and I was casting to holes of open water or thin areas of slush, wherever I could get my lure to sink. The Chain Pickeral must like the weather because they were biting. I caught six including a nice fat one that gave me quite a fight on ultralight gear. Crockett doesn't mind the icy water at all. He went right in after the fish. I need to break him of that before he winds up with a hook in his lip! -S

The Ice

The ice was here
The ice was there
The ice was all around

Brackish Water Clams

One of the little-known secrets of our part of the Bay is the Brackish Water Clam. A glance at the Maryland DNR website will tell you that they don't survive water temperatures below 32 degrees. Don't believe it. I discoverd that we had a large populaton of these clams around our dock last year while watching seagulls. Then, I blogged about how they would dive in the shallows for the clams, then fly up to drop them repeatedly on the dock until they broke open enough to eat. I decided to try catching some myself last year, and found them to be delicious. After some research, I found that they were eaten by native americans, and are considered delicacies in some parts of the world. They're filter feeders, so obviously should be cooked throughly. They're less salty with a smoother consistency than their better known littleneck clam cousins. I prefer to collect them when the water is coldest and cleanest. Today, Jacob and I put on the hip-waders and dug up a few dozen for dinner. Sprinkled with Old Bay and steamed, then dipped in drawn butter and chased with a cold Yuengling, it doesn't get much better. -S

Frozen Magothy

On Wednesday morning, February 7, the Magothy River froze all the way across here at Lake Placid. We had a light snow over night, only an inch or so, and winds were calm. Temperatures were in the low teens all day yesterday. Later in the day the wind picked up and broke up the thin layer of ice. -S

Ice Ice Baby

With forecasts for below freezing temps through the next ten days, I'm wondering if the Magothy river could freeze all the way across. As of this morning at sunrise, the ice reached about 150 yards into the river. It gained another 100 yards during the day today. They're calling for snow tonight and more low temperatures. It sure doesn't look like the same water as when we were tubing last summer! -S

Hillbilly Dishwasher

Socializing the pup

One of the best discoveries since we got Crockett is the Broadneck Dog Park. The park, sponsored by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, looks like most surburban recreation complexes with the usual soccer & softball fields and playgrounds. It also includes a 2+ acre fenced area created just for dogs. The rules are posted and most people follow them. They include cleaning up after your pet, watching them at all times, and no aggressive behavior. That last rule is obviously open for interpretation. Crockett was intimidated on his first couple of visits. Some of the dogs picked on him because of his size. But he's now learned to hold his on with the big dogs. He's even made some friends that he likes to play with more than others. We try to go most evenings. As soon as I pick up his leash he starts jumping and barking happily. Once we get there he goes nuts trying to get out of the truck. We usually stay 30 minutes or so and he runs until he's tired, then walks up to me as if to say, "I'm ready to go home now." One of the fringe benefits is that I'm meeting some of the other dog owners and enjoying the conversation. -S