Neds

If you know what the title of this blog entry means, you're probably a Maryland fisherman. A year ago, I wouldn't have had a clue, but thanks to Dave & Ed, a couple of Eastern Shore fishermen, I now know that "neds" are what the old-timers call yellow perch. Our plan was to arrive at high tide Sunday morning to catch the white perch run in the skinny water of a tidal river, but the tide was falling when we arrived and the whites were hard to find. Ed pointed us downstream where we found a productive deep pocket holding Yellow Perch. Apparently they're on the downside of their spawn but as you can see in the first picture, the ones we caught were still full of milt. After throwing back a few we decided to keep some of the bigger ones, most over 12 inches. With a limit of 5, it doesn't take long to fill a creel. The bait of choice was a 1/32oz feather fly tipped with either grass shrimp or a twister-tail. I have a buddy back in Mooresburg, Tennessee who ties these flies for me. I haven't seen them here. They're also great for catching crappie. This was my first experience targeting yellow perch, we don't have them in East Tennessee. We also caught several sunfish and a half dozen small largemouth. -S

Patapsco Permit

It seems like it's taking Spring forever to arrive to our corner of the Mid-Atlantic. We had another weekend of ice and snow followed by two very windy days. I'm itching to get back on the water but it might not be too soon. There are small craft advisories posted for the rest of the week. I managed to get out one day last week, cruising from the Magothy up to the Patapsco River just outside of Baltimore Harbor. There is a large power plant there which discharges warm water into the river. Rockfish sometimes move into the area feeding on baitfish, which are attracted by the 60+ degree water temps. I managed a couple of small rockfish and snagged the biggest gizzard shad I've ever seen. This is the same baitfish we catch by the hundreds with throw nets to bait trotlines in the Southeast. The biggest I've seen on Cherokee Lake was about 6 inches. This one went almost 2 pounds! Folks around these parts refer to the bigger ones as "Patapsco Permit" after the ocean Permit that they somewhat resemble. They're still smelly and slimy though, Crockett would only sniff it and walk away. -S

Return of the Ospreys

Ospreys migrate south for the winter, either to the Carribbean or South America. They mate for life and return to their same nesting sites here in the Chesapeake year after year. Most nests are on channel markers along the rivers, but they can build anywhere, I've even seen them on TV antennas. I didn't know to look for them last year, so I'm not sure when they arrived, but I can tell you exactly when they arrived this year.... today. With the warmer weather I expected them this week and was looking forward to the first sighting. When I got home from work this afternoon I heard a call and looked up to see a pair flying over. I fished for a little while tonight and watched them stake out their perches at the mouth of the Magothy river. -S

Naming the Boat

We've tossed around name possibillities for almost a year, but couldn't make a decision. My top pick was "Knoxville Girl," after the bluegrass murder ballad, but Dianne would have none of that. She thinks the song is too morbid and there's also that unfortunate line, "go down, go down you Knoxville girl." Her top suggestion was "WolVOLrene" after our respective college teams. When our little dog took to the boat right away and got so excited about fishing, the name became obvious. Now, I need to write the fiddle tune to match the title! -S

Oysters & Scallops

It's the time of year when you can get Bay oysters for a couple of bucks a dozen. We stopped by Annapolis Seafood Market tonight and picked up a dozen along with some sea scallops and seaweed salad. We ate out a few times last week, but you just can't beat fresh home-cooked seafood. -S

To catch a sunset

I almost forgot, even though we couldn't reel in a fish, we caught a beautiful fisherman's sunset at the Bay Bridge Saturday. I call them that because you have to be at water level to get this kind of perspective - one of the things that makes me love fishing. My nephew Jacob Faist is spending his Spring Break from Michigan State with us, and Cory came up for his Break as well. We've had fun despite the rough weather. -S

Winterizing Again!

Last week it appeard Spring was about to finally arrive. We had
a couple of days with temps in the 60s and 70s. I've recently been working through some boat repairs I put off. In addition to a few little nagging details, I took the twin Bravo III props to the machine shop and had them refurbished, and replaced the tilt/trim motor that has been acting erratically. With the pretty weather and the boys coming this weekend, I thought it was the right time to spash.....

Boy, was I wrong. We managed to get out for just about an hour between fronts Saturday evening. It was more of a trial run than a fishing trip, but we couldn't resist jigging around the Bay Bridge a little. No luck, although we marked a few fish on the depth finder. Since then we've had 30-50 knot winds with temps steadily dropping. It's too windy to take the boat off the lift, so today I drained all the water out of the block again, and replaced it with antifreeze. Tonight I'll put a light bulb in the engine compartment. It looks like we might get into the 50s next weekend so maybe I'll give it another shot. Yes, cabinfever has definitely set in! -S

Fishing Hurts

You might have noticed that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has been occasionally running an ad in the Google Ads section of my blog. Titled, "Fishing Hurts," it depicts a distressed dog with a fishhook in its mouth. Now I've never really had anything against PETA. In fact, I'm a big fan of their "naked women in cages" campaign, but they're barking up the wrong tree with this ad. I really hope they didn't hook that pup on purpose for the picture, but I've heard they've done worse. At the very least the photo itself is evidence of cruelty because it would've taken about 5 seconds (less than the time required to get a camera and take the picture) to snip off the barb and pull it back out of the dog's mouth. But the bigger point is that most fishermen I know are strong advocates for conservation and the environment. I'd easily wager that more animals have been saved by conscientious recreational fishermen than have been harmed. Nevertheless, I've decided not to block the PETA ads. It exposes and confirms the over-zealous and reactionary reputation the organization has earned. It's unfortunate, because if not for that, I might even be a member. -Shawn