FREE MAY 2011 - Fishing and Hunting · PDF fileVOLUME 20, NUMBER 10 FREE MAY 2011 ......

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FREEVOLUME 20, NUMBER 10 MAY 2011

This Issue Compliments of:

FREEIN THIS ISSUE…

• First State Flounder

• Winter Blue Crab Dredge Survey

• Shellcracker, Red-Ear, Chink or Sunfish?

• The Honga or Bust

• The Big Cat / 109 Pounds

Mona Robinson and Andrew Bradley with a pair of nice Spring trophy Rockfish caught down around the mouth of The Choptank River.

Lyme Disease Symptoms1. Unexplained fever, chills, sweats2. Unexplained weight changes—gain/loss3. Fatigue, tiredness, especially around 3 p.m.4. Chronic sore throat/sinus infection5. Unexplained swollen glands6. Testicular/pelvic pain7. Unexplained menstrual irregularity8. Irritable bladder/dysfunction9. Sexual dysfunction/loss of libido

10. Stomach problems11. Constipation/diarrhea12. Chest pain13. Shortness of breath/cough14. Heart palpitations/racing/slowing15. Joint pain, swelling, comes & goes16. Muscle pain/cramps17. Headaches18. Neck creaks/cracks/stiffness19. Stiffness in the joints or back20. Tingling, numbness21. Burning/stabbing sensation22. Bells palsy23. Double or blurry vision/floaters24. Light sensitivity25. Ringing/buzzing in ears, sound sensitivity26. Dizziness, poor balance, motion sickness27. Light headedness28. Confusion, difficulty thinking29. Difficulty with concentration30. Short term memory loss31. Disorientation, getting lost32. Speech—think one thing, another word

comes out33. Mood swings, irritability, depression, crying

for no reason34. Nightmares, night sweats35. Do you feel like dying?36. Have you seen multiple doctors without

success?37. Do people say you are a hypochondriac/

do they say it’s all in your head?

Dr. Gregory P. Bach, D.O., F.A.A.I.M., P.C.

• Board Certified

Family Medicine

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Addiction MedicineDr. Bach is the Recipient of

NRCC Gold Medaland Doctor of the Year Award

from the U.S. Congress

• Congressional medical advisor to Congressman Joseph Pitts andSenator Rick Santorum for the Lyme Disease Initiative Act.

• Founding Board Member of ILADS the International Lymeand Associated Disease Society.

• Member of the Advisory Panel for Glaxo-Wellcome onLyme disease.

• Board member for the Pennsylvania Chapter of the LymeDisease Association.

• Board member of American Board of Integrative Medicine.

• Honorary Chairman of the NRCC Physicians AdvisoryBoard for the United States Congress.

DR. GREGORY PAUL BACH, D.O., F.A.A.I.M., P.C.670 Mill Road • Hamburg, PA 19526

By Appointment Only610-488-8030 • Fax 610-488-8048

Now that it’s warm out and thewinds have settled a bit (what aspring!) many of us are thinkingabout loading the boat on the trailer,and heading for OC. This is ourchance to get in on some pelagicaction, and take aim at fish thatprowl the ocean. You ready? Here’san offshore primer:

SHARK will be the first true big-game oceanic predators to appear inour area, as they follow the north-ward migration of bluefish. Mako arethe main target—great-tasting game-

fish thatoften put onan aerial dis-play whenhooked, andalways fightlike demon when they feel steel intheir jaws. Some time in May they’llarrive, and through June should beavailable. Look for them along the 20-fathom line and near such reliablehotspots as the Jack Spot, the Fingers,and the Ham Bone. Hone your shark-ing skills by reading up: Capt. Mark

Sampson, one of the east coast’s pre-eminent shark fishing captains, has ahow-to book called ModernSharking, (available at www.gup-books.com) which walks you throughlocating, chumming, hooking, andlanding mako and other species.

BLUEFIN TUNAS are the nextmajor-league players to arrive, andthey’ll be on our doorstep as early aslate June. These “early run” fish areon the move, feeding hard as theymake their northward migration.Trolling cedar plugs, GreenMachines, spreader bars, dronespoons, and daisy chains will getthose early run 30 to 60 pounders onthe end of your line. As July arrives

larger bluefin will, too. These will bebig predators in the 80- to 150-poundclass. In past years they’ve beenfound on the Ham Bone, Dump SiteLump, Sausages, and Hot Dog. If youtroll for these fish set out planer,downrigger, and way-back lines, asthey are often feeding sub-surface.Chunkers tossing cut butterfishshould look to find tunas in the sameareas, but be aware that in the pastfew seasons, chunking hasn’t beenthe most effective method of huntingfor these tuna. Those who try speed-jigging, with lures like Butterfly,Williamson, and Benthos jigs, havefound some success once they locatefish on the meter. The technique is

May 2011 www.fishingandhuntingjournal.com 3

Offshore Primerby Lenny Rudow

continued on pg. 5

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Tunas can be found on our inshore lumps, and at the canyons out of OC. Few things match the adrenaline boost of hooking into a billfish.

Fishing & Hunting JournalP. O. Box 399 • Crumpton, MD 21628

www.fishingandhuntingjournal.comFishing & Hunting Journal Name and Logo are Registered Trademarks wholly owned and operated byFishing & Hunting Journal c/o Mitch Quillen, P. O. Box 399 Crumpton, MD 21628. All rights reserved.

© 2009, Fishing & Hunting Journal. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

In This Issue…

Volume 20, Number 10 May 2011

Editor & Publisher: M. Mitchell G. Quillen

Contributing Editors: Steve Huettner,Chuck Prahl, Lenny Rudow, Mark Sampson,

Tim Sherman, Jim Gronaw,Andy Aughenbaugh, Mike Monteleone

Regional Sales Representatives: MD: Lee Buckel

Creative Director: Donna Fisher

Advertising Information:(410)778-6575 • Fax (410)928-5222

CREDITS

FISHINGOffshore Primer by Lenny Rudow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 3

First State Flounder by Tim Sherman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 6

To Simply Catch Fish by Andy Aughenbaugh . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 10

2011 Blue Crab Winter Dredge SurveyVirginia Marine Resources Commission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 11

ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Board InitiatesAddendum to Increase Abundance and Spawning Stock Biomass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 11

Maryland Fishing Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 13

Extra trophy-sized trout to be stocked in upstate streams as DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife celebrates 100th anniversary . . . . . . . . . pg. 14

A Different Kind of Sunfish by Jim Gronaw . . . . . . . . . . pg. 15

State Record Blue Catfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 16

ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Board InitiatesAddendum to Reduce Fishing Mortality . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 23

HUNTINGSharpshooters and Our Suburban Deer Herds by Mike Monteleone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 8

REGULARSCoastal Report by Capt. Mark Sampson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 18

Mid Bay Forecast by Chuck Prahl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 20

Sportsman’s Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 22

4 www.fishingandhuntingjournal.com May 2011

Mona Robinson with a Nyala from Mozambique Africa taken at 200 yds with a 700Remington.

The Sportsmen’s Best Friend in Annapoliswww.mdsportsmen.com

Annapolis is where all policy-related decisions impacting the traditional rights of Marylandsportsmen to hunt, fish, trap and enjoy the lawful use of their firearms are decided each year.And who represents the sportsmen’s interests in Annapolis?It is the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation—a non-profit organization comprised ofvolunteer sportsmen who advise the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus…the largestCaucus in the Maryland General Assembly dedicated solely to protecting these traditional rights onthe statutory, regulatory and budgetary front. This unique PARTNERSHIP has resulted, among otherthings, in the following achievements since its inception four years ago:

Enactment of the Maryland Hunting Heritage Protection ActSunday Hunting of Deer Authorized for the First Time Since 1723

Defeated Efforts to Impose a Black Bear Hunting MoratoriumFishing Opportunities on the Chesapeake Bay Protected by the Freedom to Fish Act

“First” State to Earmark Hunting License Fees for the Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry Program

Defeated Efforts to Prohibit the Use of Leghold TrapsOpened up 58,000 Acres of Chesapeake Lands for Public/Private Hunting

Prohibited Offshore Mooring of Boats by Duck Blinds during Waterfowl Hunting SeasonTo learn more about the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation and how you can helpprotect the interests of Maryland sportsmen: (1) visit our website—www.mdsportsmen.com; (2)contact the Foundation’s Vice-Chairman (Bill Miles)—[email protected]; or (3) write to us at:

Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation404 Friendship Lane • Centreville, Maryland 21617

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simple: just drop your jig to thedepth the fish are at, and make thatlure dart through the water as if itwere a sand eel swimming for its lifeby reeling full-tilt with a high-speedconventional set-up.

YELLOWFIN TUNAS, WHITEand BLUE MARLIN, and MAHI-MAHI will show up soon after thebig bluefin arrive, as water tempera-tures reach up into the 70’s andabove. They may be found on thesame lumps the bluefin have beenfeeding on, but you’ll do better if you

cruise to the canyons to target theseother pelagics. Concentrate your bill-fishing efforts at the edge of theContinental Shelf, where trolled bal-lyhoo, spreader bars, chuggers, andother offshore lures will bring themto the surface. When you spot aweedline troll parallel to it, as thesefish will often be found close by.

Anglers seeking mahi-mahi willfind success at the lobster pot buoys,(or any other flotsam larger than afive-gallon bucket) where these fishcongregate each and every year inone of the most reliable offshore fish-

eries on the east coast. Simply bait6/0 – 8/0 circle hooks with a chunk offish or squid, pull up next to a buoy,and toss it as close as possible. At thesame time throw a handful of bait bitsinto the water, to tease the mahi-mahiinto a feeding frenzy. These fish trav-el in large schools, so when you hookone reel it close, and leave it in thewater. The mahi’s pack-mates willstick with their buddy, allowing youto hold the school next to your boat asyou hook fish after fish.

WAHOO may arrive late in theseason, usually not making theirpresence widely known until August

or September. Troll for the ‘hoo withdark-colored lures or Sea Witchesrigged with ballyhoo, swimmingplugs, or Ilanders. Purple, red, andred/black combinations are thefavorites. Wahoo like chasing fastbaits so pick up the pace a bit, andalso run some deep lines, which oftentempt them into striking.

You’ve caught plenty of stripersthis spring, and now you’re ready fora new challenge? Then tow down toOC, and set your sights on thesepelagics—few things in life are half asexciting as hooking into mako, tuna,billfish, mahi, and wahoo. Fish on!


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As anglers, we have enduredever changing flounder regulationsover the past few years. It seemsthat size and creel limits fluctuate asmuch as the ebb and flood of thetide. No matter what the regulatingauthorities decide to throw at us ona yearly basis, one flounder enthusi-ast stays true to his craft. CaptainChuck Cook of First Light Chartersin Lewes, Delaware is a dedicated

f l o u n d e rangler whopursues theflat fishs p r i n gthrough fall.

Cook knows that water temper-ature and clarity are major factorsfor the best bite. He prefers fallingtide and outgoing current for thesetwo reasons. The water is warmer on

an ebbing tide. He’s seen as much asa 9-degree upward swing in watertemperature from slack high tide tothe end of low tide. When the fallingtide is near a quarter of the waythrough its cycle, that’s when hefinds the cleanest water.

Cook spends much of hisdowntime tying he own flounderrigs. One is a plastic squid with aleading spinner; and the other is afloating bucktail of his own design.How he makes it, He’s not saying!Both rigs are tied with 30-poundtest monofilament. Each rig has adropper loop to where a sinker of 11/2 to 3 ounces is attached. Depthand current determine the weightof the sinker. Either rig is tippedwith a strip of squid before beingdropped overboard. Captain Chuckdrifts past sand bars, shoals, anddrop offs in the tributaries. He usesSt. Croix rods and 20-pound testbraided line for maximum feel.

Captain Chuck fishes the tribu-taries that feed Delaware Bay inspring. Indian River and RooseveltInlets and the Broadkill River yieldthe best catches early on. He focuses

ledges that drop right off from thebank in the Broadkill River. He’lltarget the south side of the IndianRiver Inlet, which has more shoal toit then the north side. Farther backin Indian River Bay, the slough nearthe VFW is often good.

By mid-June, big flounder startfeeling uncomfortable in the warm-ing waters of the Delaware Bayfeeder estuaries. They migrate outof the inlets and river and head fordeeper water. The better catchesstart happening at the DelawareBay and inshore wrecks of theAtlantic, which is where you willfind Cook. He starts up current anddrifts over and alongside a wreckuntil he gets a few bites. Each trip isdifferent, but within a few drifts thecaptain has a feel for where theflounder will be. Subsequent driftswill be very much in line withwhere the first hookups were made.

Captain Chuck uses the sametwo rigs from inshore but has to goup in weight, both in sinker and linesize. Sinkers will weigh anywherefrom 3 to 10 ounces and he gradu-ates up to 30 and 40-pound test


First State Flounderby Tim Sherman

Captain Chuck Cook shows a fine example of Delaware's flounder fishery

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braided line at the wrecks. One ofthe biggest mistakes he sees othersmake is having too much scope inthe line while drifting. When fish-ing around wrecks, getting snaggedis a common occurrence. If youhave too much line out, it will behard to salvage the bait rig. Fishingmore vertically is a better approach.As the current dies, Chuck willwind up the flounder rigs in favorof a 3 to 4-ounce bucktail, which hejigs vertically over the wreck.

There are a vast number ofwrecks in close proximity to Lewesand Indian River Inlet. CaptainChuck favors wrecks in 60 to 110feet of water. Some of the wellknown areas are Site 8 in Delaware

Bay and Site 4 in the ocean, wherethere are 4 wrecks that are closeenough to make a milk run to seewhich is fishing the best. Though itis a longer run, Cook prefers wrecksfarther south. He says, “Truth of thematter is, wrecks farther south havecleaner water. They are fartheraway from the tributaries andIndian River Inlet.” He also notesthat incoming current also brings incleaner water to the area wrecks.

At time of press, there were twoproposed daily size/creel limitsthat were being considered by theDelaware Department of NaturalResources and EnvironmentalControl. Option A listed an 18 1/2-inch size limit with four fish per

day for the entire year. Option B list-ed an 18-inch size limit with fourfish per day while fishing would beallowed from January 1 throughOctober 23. When accepted, eitherone of these size/creel limits arereasonable enough to allow anglersa great season pursuing the flatties.

Fishermen know that the firstproductive days of flounder fishingare right around the corner. Driftingthrough the tributaries for fluke is agreat way to get the season’s first bite.As inland water temps warm andflounder leave through the inlets, fol-low them to the near shore wrecks.Captain Chuck Cook’s expertise inflounder fishing will help you catchplenty of First State coastal flounder.He has likely caught his first flounderof the season already.


Delaney Quillen fooled this flounder ona gulp minnow in the O.C. Inlet lastsummer.

Herb Hamilton (L) and Carlos released this nice Pacific Sailfish out of Los SuenosCosta Rica.

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A few weeks ago it wasbrought to my attention that alocal Baltimore County State Park(which I will not mention) thathas never allowed hunting is vot-ing on a possible sniper attack onthe local deer population. Thewords is - the local residents thatown property around the park aredisputing the fact that the deerpopulation need be controlled(even though they are the individ-uals that complain about theirprized flower being eaten anddeer ticks). The other side of thedispute is the local hunting com-munity feels that they should bethe chosen few to help control thepopulation.

Why spend tax payer moneywhen there are volunteers (thehunting community) that will savethe local government – the state(Which is already on the verge ofbankruptcy) a “supposed” boatload of money; rather than hire“sharpshooters”.

Here is your answer. Maybe?Regulated hunting has long

been the preferred approach formanaging white-tailed deer popu-lations. Hunting not only providesessential forms of recreation, goodsolid friend and family bonding,and guidance, but it also providesan effective, cost-effective manage-ment tool.

However, over the past 30years, deer in an increasing num-ber of areas have become over-abundant and, at the same time,

inaccessibleto hunters.These situa-tions have typically occurred insuburban communities that con-tain excellent deer cover, or whereparks, reserves or corporate andpublic properties serve as refugesin densely populated areas.

Deer hunting in the burbsmight be restricted or prohibitedfor one of three reasons: Or a com-bination of the three.

1. Real or perceived safety con-cerns about hunters and hunting.2. Conflicting social attitudesabout killing deer to manage pop-ulations. 3. Firearm-discharge bansor hunting ordinances.

In addition, deer herds inrefuges often become overabun-dant, because landowner oragency fears the legal liabilitiesassociated with hunting. Theymight also fear the difficult publicrelation issues that often surroundhunting. Because these conflictingcircumstances, the burbs and other“refuges” have increasinglyturned during the past twodecades to nontraditional tech-niques such as sharpshooting tokill deer.

Factors to ConsiderSeveral nontraditional deer-

removal techniques have been,and continue to be, evaluated.However, before any option can beselected by decision-makers, sev-eral factors are usually considered:cost efficiency, effectiveness,


Sharpshooters andOur Suburban DeerHerds by Mike Monteleone

Rob Freyer took this 8 pt. from Baltimore County last season. Photo courtesy ofMacrotech.

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humanness and social acceptabili-ty. Hunting is often eliminated asan option because of public mis-conceptions mentioned earlier.

The most overwhelmingnotion about hunting appears tobe that it is inhumane and unsafe.Many people oppose sport hunt-ing, because they consider it arecreational activity that focuseson killing sentient animals. Theysee hunters as being concernedabout getting “their deer”, andbeing consumed with shooting abuck with large antlers. They donot consider hunters to be wildlifemanagers whose efforts provide apublic service that result in bettermanaged deer herds.

Many urban and suburban res-idents also believe the use offirearms by non-professionals is apublic safety threat. Again, theyhave images of unshaven, drunkenmen stumbling around in orangevests shooting every animal in thewoods. Further, when hunting isproposed for open spaces wherepeople walk, jog and play, theybelieve the chances are high thatthey or their pets will also beharmed.

The Sharpshooting AlternativeSharpshooting has been imple-

mented in several areas in this

state and around the country withconsiderable success. In fact, it islikely the most effective and effi-cient nontraditional managementtechnique. Professional sharp-shooting entails the use of person-nel trained in the safe and profi-cient use of firearms, and a varietyof other deer removal techniquesneed for sensitive conditions. Allsharpshooters also must under-stand deer management, biology,behavior and population dynam-ics. Most importantly, they mustbe well-versed and comfortablewhen dealing with the public, gov-ernment officials and especially,the media. In most sharpshootingprograms, personnel consist oflaw-enforcement officers, parkrangers, and conservation officersor wardens.

When done well, one profes-sional sharpshooter can remove alarge number of deer in a relative-ly short time. Military sniperweapons equipped with silencers– in states where they are permit-ted – Are often used to ensure pre-cise shots and to minimize distur-bance to the community. Deer aretypically shot at bait stations fromtree stands, blinds or a vehiclewith the aid of a light and/ornight vision equipment. Snipers


continued on pg. 13

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A long time ago when I was ayoung fisherman posted along theOcean City fishing pier waiting for abite, an old man walked up andasked how the fishing was going.“Nothing yet,” I replied. He stoodby my side, laid his hat back on hishead and said, “did you know that90% of the fish live in 10% of thewater and 10% of the fishermencatch 90% of the fish caught by fish-ermen.”

I don’t know how true that state-ment was, but I have come to believethat there is a certain amount oftruth in it. He continued to talk tome that morning, explaining to mehow saltwater fish feed according tothe tides and that a smart fishermanplans his time accordingly. He alsoexplained that tossing any old baitinto the water, and waiting for somefish to find it, is not smart fishing.Instead, he explained, I should targeta species of fish, learn its habits andpreferred foods, and fish smart. Inever got the man’s name, but owehim many thanks for his insightfulwords. They have lived with meever since.

Last summer, I once again puthis words in play. My youngestdaughter and I took to a local pond

to fish it forthe first time.I have duckhunted thepond overthe last fewseasons and have always wanted totry my hand at the floating timber ofthe lake searching for largemouthbass.

We arrived at the pond midafternoon and slid the canoe into thewater. The original plan was for herto toss one of my favorite baits, apurple with black flake tube jig. Iwas going to cast a white spinnerbait. The first thing I noticed was theoff color of the pond. As a result ofthe many inches of rain this summer,the pond was dirty brown and notclear as I had expected. My originalcolor choices were based on clearwater. Within a few casts, I changedour baits.

In the world of bass fishing thelure color selection can be over-whelming due to the endless array ofcolor choices. The standard rule ofthumb to remember is to looselymatch the water’s color with yourbait. For clear water I favor light col-ors including white and semi-clearpurples. In response to the dirty

water, we exchanged the white spin-ner bait for a yellow one, while thetube jig was retired for a yellow /green crank bait.

Paddling around the pond, Iheaded toward the growing shad-ows along the western edge. Fish donot have eye lids and shy away fromdirect sunlight. Combine that factwith the predatory lifestyle of large-mouth (they hide in and aroundsunken logs and tree tops stalkingtheir prey), and we went in search of

fish cover in the shade.We chose to pursue bass while

fishing the pond. In doing so weused the information we knew aboutthe general habits of the species andused it in planning our attack. Hadwe wanted to catch bluegills, or cat-fish our fishing plan would havebeen altered to suit.

A light breeze blew across thepond drifting the canoe. I kept myattention on the boat position whileinstructing my partner in the bow


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A RULER NEVER LIES… Thought for the Day… If you ever go out with a captain and he says that he has neverbeen skunked, he is not telling you the truth, and you can take that to the bank!

where to toss her bait. Instead ofblindly casting out into the pond, weconcentrated on presenting our baitsin the high percentage areas. My part-ner caught two largemouth in shortorder before we completed our drift.

I had noticed when we firstentered the pond that the upper endwas very shallow, maybe 12” deepand muddy, not very inviting forsummer time largemouth. The areawe had just finished fishing was notmuch deeper, but just enough so.

Using my paddle as a depth finder, Inoticed a small section of the pondthat appeared to be the deepest.With the dirty color of the water as asun light barrier, there could be a fewbass lounging around in the deep. Ittook only a few casts from my part-ner before she had connected on andlanded a three pound, spawned out,female largemouth.

Taking a few photographs of mydaughter with her bass, I wasreminded of the young kid standing

on the fishing pier of Ocean City lis-tening to the old man talk of catch-ing fish. Many years have passedsince that day on the pier and I haveseen the sport of fishing grow incomplexity. But the basics remain.To be a successful fisherman, know-ing the habits of the fish you targetcontinues to be the key to a tight line.

The two basic steps of successfulfishing• Learn where the species you seek

spends its time in the water. For

example, largemouth bass like tohide in some kind of cover toambush a passing meal, orbluegills like to gather under anoverhanging tree in the shade col-lecting bugs as they fall off thetree into the water.

• Understand the preferred and sea-sonal foods available for the targetspecies. For example, using whitehair jigs for smallmouth in theevenings when the millers beginto hatch.

Virginia and Maryland fisherymanagers have released results of the2011 Blue Crab Winter DredgeSurvey. The study found that theChesapeake Bay’s blue crab popula-tion is at its second highest level since1997 and well above the target for thethird year in a row.

Overall crab abundance, howev-er, declined due to this past winter’sdeep freeze that killed as many as 31percent of Maryland’s adult crabs,compared to about 11 percent in 2010.

At 460 million crabs, theChesapeake Bay’s blue crab popula-tion is at its second highest level since1997, and nearly double the recordlow of 249 million in 2007. And, forwatermen across the Bay, the unusu-ally high crab abundance last yeartranslated into a harvest of more than89 million pounds — the highestsince 1993.

Commenting on the winter kill,Steven G. Bowman, Commissioner ofthe Virginia Marine ResourcesCommission remarked: “We cannotcontrol the weather. It was a harshwinter and crab mortality was higherthan normal. In fact, it was the worstwe’ve seen since 1996.”

“This drop in abundance shouldbe viewed as a speed bump in ourstock rebuilding program, and justmeans it will take a bit longer to get towhere we want to be with a stabilizedcrab stock of high abundance,”Commissioner Bowman added.”Some stock management challengesremain, but the evidence shows we’regoing in the right direction.”

According to the survey, 254 mil-lion adult crabs survived the bittercold winter in the Chesapeake, abovethe current population target for thethird year in a row. This marks thefirst time since the early 1990s that theBay has seen three consecutive yearswith the adult population was abovethe target (200 million crabs) and theharvest was below the target of 46percent.

Estimates of abundance aredeveloped separately for young of

the year crabs, mature female crabs,and adult male crabs. Together, thesegroups of crabs will support the 2011fishery and produce the next genera-tion of crabs

In 2008, Maryland, Virginia andthe Potomac River FisheriesCommission took action to reduceharvest pressure on female crabs by34 percent. At that time, scientistsdeemed conservation measures nec-essary as blue crab suffered near his-toric lows in spawning stock.

“The coordinated managementof blue crabs since 2008 clearlydemonstrates the conservation gainsthat can be achieved whenChesapeake Bay jurisdictions act col-lectively toward a common vision –in this case a healthy blue crab popu-lation and sustainable fishery, saidPeyton Robertson, director of theNOAA Chesapeake Bay Office.

In September 2008, NOAA’sNational Marine Fisheries Serviceresponded to Virginia’s andMaryland’s request for disaster assis-tance funding for watermen impact-ed by the declining blue crab popula-tion.

The primary assessment of theBay’s blue crab population is con-ducted annually by the MarylandDepartment of Natural Resourcesand the Virginia Institute of MarineScience (VIMS). Since 1990, the sur-vey has employed crab dredges tosample blue crabs at 1,500 sitesthroughout the Chesapeake Bayfrom December through March. Bysampling during winter when bluecrabs are buried in the mud and sta-tionary, scientists can develop, withgood precision, estimates of the num-ber of crabs present in the Bay.

“The overall crab abundance isdown a bit from what it was last yearat this time, but let’s keep that in con-text. We saw a huge bay-wide harvestin 2010, the largest since the early1990s, and despite that the stockabundance continues to be higherthan we’ve seen in many, manyyears,” Travelstead said.

Arlington, VA – TheCommission’s Atlantic MenhadenManagement Board initiated a draftaddendum proposing an interimbiological reference point of 15%maximum spawning potential(MSP) with the goal of increasingabundance, spawning stock bio-mass, and menhaden availability asa forage species. The MSP approachidentifies the fishing mortality ratenecessary to maintain a given levelof stock fecundity (number ofmature ova) relative to the potentialmaximum stock fecundity underunfished conditions. In this case, a15% MSP would equate to a fishingmortality rate threshold required tomaintain approximately 15% of vir-gin stock fecundity. The current MSPlevel is 9%. The draft addendum willalso include a suite of managementmeasures to achieve 15% MSP.

At the same time, the Boardplaced a high priority on continuingwork on developing ecosystem ref-erence points using a multispeciesmodeling approach (MSVPA).Ecosystem reference points areexpected to address the forageneeds of menhaden’s predatorspecies such as striped bass, weak-fish, and bluefish. This work isanticipated to take a few years.

The Board received an updateon the revised 2009 Atlantic men-

haden stock assessment, whichfinds the stock is not overfished butis experiencing overfishing in 2008.Given the current overfishing defi-nition, which sets the fishing mor-tality rate (F) target at 0.61 and the Fthreshold at 1.25, this is the first timeoverfishing has occurred since 1998(see figure on next page). F in 2008(the latest year in the assessment) isestimated at 1.26. This change instock status is a result of a correctederror in the code of the stock assess-ment model. No other significantchanges in estimated stock trendswere identified in the stock assess-ment. The Board accepted the cor-rected stock assessment for man-agement use.

The Board will review and con-sider approval of the the draftaddendum for public comment atthe Commission’s Summer Meetingin August. If approved, the draftaddendum will be released for pub-lic comment in late summer, withstate public hearings occurringthroughout early fall. Final Boardapproval of the addendum couldhappen in November at theCommission’s Annual Meeting inBoston, Massachusetts.

For more information, pleasecontact Toni Kerns, Senior FMPCoordinator, at [email protected] or703/842-0740.

ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Board InitiatesAddendum to Increase Abundance andSpawning Stock Biomass

2011 Blue Crab Winter DredgeSurvey Virginia Marine Resources Commission


The Maryland Fishing ChallengeFeaturing Diamond Jim is a free, year-round tournament sponsored by theMaryland DNR Fisheries Service, recre-ational fishing organizations, and gener-ous donors across the state.

The purpose of the event is to promotethe Free State’s excellent fishing opportu-nities and the importance of kids in theoutdoors as the essential key to futureenvironmental stewardship.

The Maryland Fishing Challenge fea-tures three components:

Award Citation Achievers-anyonefishing legally in Maryland has the oppor-tunity to catch and record an award-win-ning fish by landing any of more than 80eligible species categories above a certainminimum size designated by species. Ifyou catch a fish that meets or exceeds theofficial citation award size, simply submityour catch to any of the many official cita-tion award centers (tackle shops) toreceive your official entry ticket whichclears the way for you to receive your cita-tion award certificate and your invitationto the Grand Celebration. The entry ticketsare available at the citation award centerswith online registration soon to come.Qualifying anglers will be limited to onechance per angler, regardless of the num-ber of citation awards they receive. Prizewinners will be randomly selected fromthe attendees at the celebration, which willbe held during the 44th Annual MarylandSeafood Festival on September 10, 2011 atSandy Point State Park. Catch and Releaseanglers may also participate by submit-ting a Catch & Release entry form usingthis online form and by attending theGrand Celebration.

The Return of Diamond Jim-Beginning inJune, DNR Fisheries biologists and teams ofyoung anglers take to the Chesapeake Bay tocatch, tag and release hundreds of striped bass.Every tag has a unique number designating thestriper as a potential Diamond Jim. The official

Diamond Jim will be worth thousands of dollarswhile the other tagged “imposter” fish areworth at least $500 each.

Maryland Fishing Challenge (MFC) YouthComponent-MFC partners and/or sponsorshost fish rodeo events across the state where

anglers under the age of 16 may be chosento advance to the Grand AwardsCelebration in September, with a chance totake home a prize donated by one of theMaryland Fishing Challenge sponsors aswell as other opportunities offered by sup-porting Maryland Fishing Challenge part-ners. In 2010, 21 youth anglers advanced tothe awards event and won prizes includ-ing tackle packages from Bill’s OutdoorCenter and Bass Pro Shops and a fishingkayak donated by Kent Island Kayaks.These events are in addition to the nearly65 youth fishing rodeo events held annu-ally by local community and fishingorganizations. Although these events arenot a MFC Youth Component event, youcan still be entered for a special drawingby attending one of these events andcatching your very first fish as part of MDDNR “My First Fish” Program.

My First Fish-The Maryland My FirstFish program recognizes an angler of anyage that catches his or her fish inMaryland for the first time. Any species,regardless of length is eligible. However, ifthe fish is below the legal size, the appli-cation must be submitted as a catch andrelease entry, which requires the submis-sion of a clear photograph and a witnesssignature at a citation award center. A spe-cial certificate will be awarded to theangler for this first fish. My First Fishanglers will also be invited to advance tothe Maryland Fishing Challenge GrandAwards Event with a chance to win a spe-cial prize.

The annual contest ends at midnighton Labor Day each year. The followingMaryland Fishing Challenge begins at12:01 a.m. the next day.

For more information about the citationaward program contact Keith Lockwood [email protected] and (410) 226-0078,Ext 107. For additional information regardingthe Maryland Fishing Challenge contact MartyGary at [email protected].


take only head shots to ensuredeer drop in their tracks, elimina-tion of deer from dying on nearbyproperties. In addition, in the pub-lic’s eyes, head shots guaranteedeer are killed humanely.

Sharpshooting’s CostsThe cost per deer for sharp-

shooting programs varies bystudy, ranging from $109 to morethan $350 per deer. The landowneror local government entity – oftena city or county – usually covers alldirect costs of sharpshooting. Thisresponsibility does not fall to thestate wildlife agency because, inmost cases, the local governmenthas an ordinance that precludeshunting or weapons discharge.However, oversight responsibili-ties are covered by the wildlifeagency or DNR, and the adminis-

tration and security of the sharp-shooting program are covered bythe city or county.

Controlled hunts that aresupervised by state agency person-nel have been used to address pub-lic safety concerns while still usinghunters in controversial deer man-agement programs. Most agenciesprefer controlled hunts over non-traditional methods becausehunters are generally consideredthe least expensive way to controldeer herds. However, intensivelaw-enforcement efforts by stateand local officials are usuallyrequired when hunters are used innontraditional settings.

In situations where huntingmust be intensively controlled, thecosts of hunters equals or exceedsthat of sharpshooting. For exam-ple, a highly controlled hunt in the

state of Connecticut cost $175 perdeer harvested, and a heavily man-aged hunt in Massachusetts costabout $210 per deer. Also, the firstyear of an intensely managed 1994hunt in New Jersey cost $622 perdeer, including processing costs;while the second and third years ofthe program cost less than $200 perdeer.

Deer problems in the burbs orother sensitive management areaswill become more common in thefuture. Further, state, county andcity agencies won’t be able to meetthe demand for deer removal withcurrent staffing. Sharpshooting byhired professionals could alleviatesome of this burden, and allowagencies to focus on other prob-lems. In addition, reducing theworkload of wildlife agency staffallows more time for sensitive

statewide management programsthat benefit hunters.

Finally, authorized sharp-shooting helps build public trustand, in turn, helps increase publicsupport for controlling herds withlethal management.

My ConclusionSharpshooting and other alter-

native deer-management tech-niques – i.e., contraception, andtrap and kill – will never replacehunting as large scale manage-ment tools simply because of costand logistical constraints.However, an increasing number ofsituations are occurring wherehunting isn’t deemed compatiblewith current land uses. Therefore,to manage deer in biologically andsocially acceptable manners,sharpshooting will play an impor-tant role.

SHARPSHOOTERS from pg. 9

DOVER - Trout fishermen inDelaware’s designated trout streamshave been enjoying some great fish-ing this spring, and with some extratrophy-sized fish slated to bestocked at the end of the month, it’sgoing to get even better, the Divisionof Fish and Wildlife announced.

In the past, most of the stockedfish were 11-inch rainbows andbrowns that averaged two fish perpound. This year, however, theDivision contracted for a largeraverage size, with most weighing

3/4 to a pound each. A number of“trophy trout” were also stockedjust before the season opened onApril 2 with some real whoppers tocatch the eye of lucky anglers. TheDivision has continued its weeklystocking program since late March,with the last scheduled stocking tooccur on April 28 to ensure plenty offish and plenty of opportunities tocatch fish throughout the remainderof the spring and into the summermonths.

“We’ve been getting a lot of pos-

itive feedback this year, mostly dueto the size of the fish,” said FisheriesAdministrator Craig Shirey.

Shirey announced that anglerswill be receiving an added bonus.Since the Division is celebrating its100-year anniversary during 2011,an extra 100 trophy-sized trout willbe spread over the six upstatestream stocking locations late lastmonth. The trout farm will be sup-plying a mix of rainbow, brook,brown, tiger and golden trout, all inexcess of 2 pounds, with some fish inthe 3- to 6-pound range.

“The 100th anniversary is a bigdeal for us,” said Shirey, “and wewant to do something special for the

fishermen. This is a great chance forour anglers to take advantage of thisspecial opportunity to catch sometruly outstanding fish. Some of thesewill be in the 20- to 24-inch range orlarger, and you just don’t see thatsize fish. That’s a fish of a lifetime!”

These six streams in northernNew Castle County are stocked withtrout: White Clay Creek, ChristinaCreek, Pike Creek, Beaver Run,Wilson Run and Mill Creek. Formore information about Delaware’strout season or to purchase a fishinglicense or trout stamps, visitwww.fw.delaware.gov/fisheries, orcall the Fisheries section at 302-739-9914.


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It goes by a different name. Some call it a shell-cracker, others call it a red-ear. Still other anglersfrom the south call it a ‘chink’, just a nick-namefrom the deep south regions where this big sunfishlives. But wherever it lives, it is a favorite amongpanfisherman for the flavor, size and fight that thiscritter has. It is the red-eared sunfish, the largest ofour many panfish species.

My first experience with red ears, or shellcrack-ers, came back in the early 1980’s when a goodfriend of mine invited me for a weekend of fishingin Amelia County, Virginia. On this hunting prop-erty were a half dozen ponds from one to five acresand they were loaded with bass, bluegills andredears. It was mid June, hot, and we found thesefish in a spawn to post-spawn phase and willing totake tiny jigs tipped with worms. We caught thosebass and bluegills, but the catch of the day werethose powerhouse red ears that averaged 11 to 121/2 inches…big sunfish by any measure. Back then,I fell in love with, and developed, a whole newrespect for this great panfish.

By appearance, red ears look a bit like pump-kinseed sunfish, only not as colorful. They tend tobe slightly more elongated in body shape thanbluegills, but trophy class fish in the 3 to 4 poundrange are far more common than other sunfishspecies, with a current world record of 5 pounds 7ounces from South Carolina. Red ears have a red ororange crescent on their gill flap, with nest guard-ing males flaring their red gills at other intrudersduring bedding times. When bedding, they justpick up and remove objects from their beddingsites, quickly expelling the lure or bait almost as fastas they pick it up. Many waters in the south and

Virginia/North Carolina routinely produce 2 to 3pound fish. The Savannah River currently boaststhe best shot at producing giants that exceed fourpounds.

From a sporting standpoint, I have found thatred ears fight harder and more enduring thanbluegills or other sunfish of comparable size. Theyare more skittish on the spawning beds and arechoosy in what they will strike. Good shellcrackerwaters tend to be dark, tannic stained systems orbackwater sloughs that are hard to get to. But theymake out just fine in deeper, clearer waters such asthose in southern California, where they have beenintroduced and grow huge. They do well with farmpond owners, as they do not tend to over run apond with high numbers of stunted off spring, asmay occur with bluegills or other sunfish species.They like to dine on snails and small crustaceans,hence the name ‘shellcracker’, using their pharyn-geal teeth in their throat to crush these morsels. Onthe table, they are delicious, and a favorite in thesouth as a main course for many fish fries.

But the coolest thing I like about ‘crackers istheir size…they just run bigger than gills and that’sgood enough for me! In the Mid-Atlantic region,there are some outstanding ‘cracker water in thelakes of Tidewater Virginia around Suffolk. Cahoon,Burnt Mills, Western Branch and Lake Prince pro-duce hundreds of citation-sized ‘crackers per yearin excess of 11 inches with some fish in excess of 21/2 pounds. Close to home, Maryland has fishablepopulations of red ears in Cunningham Falls Lake,Rocky Gap State Park, Wheatly Lake, LakeHashawha and a remnant population of bigger fishin Piney Run. Over in Delaware, ‘crackers cane be

found in many of the public ponds and lakes inSussex County as Delaware DCNR efforts havenumbers of good fish in Trap Pond, Records Pond,and Waggomons Pond. The current Delawarerecord stands at 3 pounds 1 ounce. One heck of asunfish!

Scattered populations of these fish also are inand around the region and some decent fish couldshow up just about anywhere in small public or pri-vate water. I have heard reports of these fish show-


continued on pg. 16

A Different Kind of Sunfish! by Jim Gronaw

Jim Gronaw with an 11 1/2 inch red ear sunfish he gotat a central Maryland pond. What a fish!

ing up in a number of small, public lakes in south-ern Maryland.

As spring progresses into early summer, thesebig sunfish tend to remain on the spawning bedslonger than bluegills or other species of the clan.Skittish, they tend to aggressively guard the beds asbig, dark males will flare their gill flaps and showthe ‘red ear’ tab whenever another fish of equal orlesser size closes in on a bedding site. I havewatched them spawn in shallow, clear water and itis amazing as to how protective and aggressivethese guardian males can be. Small pieces of wormsor nightcrawlers can usually coax strikes fromthese fish, and, when hooked, they whistle off on adrag-peeling run as strong as any panfish out there.On 2-pound test mono and tiny ultra light gear,they are an absolute blast!

One of my favorite tactics for redears is to dragtiny hair jigs, tipped with a piece of worm, slowlyacross the bottom in and around prospective bed-ding sites. The strike may be light and delicate, or itcan be a sledgehammer smash! In southern waters,most anglers use live worms or crickets on thinwire Aberdeen style hooks at size 6 or 8. Some usefloats or corks to suspend the bait just off the bot-tom and others prefer to tight-line the baits right onthe bottom. Shellcrackers also tend to go for a flyrod approach and will take sinking flies like woolybuggers and small crayfish imitations. What everyou catch them on, they are worthy game and deli-cious on the table. If you ever get the chance to fishfor them where they are abundant, give these meth-ods a try and maybe you’ll catch the biggest sun-fish of your life!


State Record Blue CatfishThe State Record Fish Committee of the

Virginia Department of Game and InlandFisheries has certified a new state record blue cat-fish that is only the second confirmed freshwaterfish over 100 pounds ever caught in theCommonwealth. The monster, which was caughton March 17, 2011, weighed in at exactly 109pounds and measured 53 inches in length with agirth of 41 inches.

The big cat was caught by Tony Milam ofSouth Boston, Virginia, in Buggs Island Lake nearthe confluence of the Dan and Roanoke rivers.Mr. Milam caught his fish using cut shad for baiton surprisingly light 30-pound test line.Amazingly, it took him only ten minutes to bringthe fish to the boat.

The previous state record blue catfish (102pounds, 4 ounces) was caught in the tidal JamesRiver in 2009 by Tim Wilson. These two bodies ofwater have been locked in a battle for the staterecord blue catfish since the 90-pound mark wasfirst topped in 2004 by a 92-pound fish fromBuggs Island Lake. The world record of 130pounds, set just last year in the Missouri River, isnow within sight of Virginia anglers. Mr. Milam’srecord blue cat was only four inches shorter thanthe world record fish.

The blue catfish population in Buggs IslandLake is still relatively young, so a fish of worldrecord size could indeed be caught there in thecoming years. Of course, it could just as easilyhappen in the tidal James River as well.

SUNFISH from pg. 15

Fishing buddies help Tony Milam (right) hold up his 109pound blue catfish.

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Last month I was fishing inFlorida with a friend who had justpurchased a light spinning rod andreel. We hadn’t been at it long whenmy buddy hooked a large barracu-da that struck hard and made off ona fast run. Or perhaps I should say“tried” to make off on a fast runbecause as soon the line came tightthe hook pulled from the fish’smouth and it was gone. A few min-utes later the same thing happenedwhich prompted me to check thedrag on his new reel, and just as Ihad thought, it was tight – reallytight.

When I asked my friend if heintended to fish with such a tightdrag he told me that it really wasn’ttoo tight because he’d wound on30-pound braided line and it could“surly take the strain.” I was com-pelled to explain to him that eventhough the line might be able towithstand the forces of a heavydrag setting the small hook he wasusing would continue to have ahard time staying put in a fish’smouth if he didn’t lighten up a bit.But he was insistent, and the dragsetting stayed where it was.

Later in the morning we startedcatching a bunch of jacks and ceromackerel. At 1-3 pounds these

weren’t huge fish but on light tack-le they were a blast to catch. Eachone I hooked gave me at least fiveminutes of give and take fun beforeI’d get it to the boat for the release.My friend however had each one ofhis fish in and gone in about 30-sec-onds, not because he was catchingsmaller fish, but simply because hisdrag was so tight he just prettymuch “cranked-em-in.” I was hav-ing fun with the small fish but in notime my friend was bored withthem and wanted to move on andlook for something “bigger thatmight give more of a fight.” Eventhough his rod and reel qualified assomewhat “light-tackle” the simplefact that he had his drag crankeddown so much changed the game(and his fun) altogether.

Most of the tackle we buy thesedays is pretty much ready to useright out of the box which makes itgreat for beginning anglers becausethey can usually just connect theparts (rods, reels, line, hooks, lures)and start fishing. But when it comesto “settings drags” there are nohard and fast rules about how itshould be done or any reels that aresold with the drags pre-adjusted forevery type of fishing. It’s up to theangler to adjust the drag setting to

accommodate not just the breakingstrength of the line, but also thefishing conditions of the moment –and that’s exactly what my fishingpartner that day didn’t seem tounderstand.

The amount of force it takesbefore the line starts to slip from areel is the “drag” and this forcechanges not only by how the dragknob or lever is adjusted, but alsoby air temperature, humidity,mechanical condition of the reel,moister in the reel, and amount ofline on the spool. With so manyvariables, there’s no way a fisher-man can get away with setting their

a drag at the beginning of the sea-son and not touching it again allyear. Every time, and I do meanEVERY time I start to fish, the firstthing I do is check, and if necessaryadjust, the drag setting on the reelI’m using. Then, throughout thefishing, day I’ll periodically checkto see if the drag needs any fine-tuning.

Fishermen often make the mis-take of thinking that the only con-sideration for drag tension is thebreaking strength of the line. Thefirst mistake my friend in Floridamade was to put too heavy a line onhis reel, he then made it worse by


Coastal Report by Capt. Mark Sampson

Mark Sampson with a bonefish he caught in the Florida Keys in April.

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KAREN-RAY IICUSTOM 51' SPORTFISHER

Small or Large Parties • 6–49 PassengersCrisfield, Maryland

We Welcome Individual ChartersBusiness Outings • Office Parties

• CHUMMING • LIVE BAITFISHING • SPINCASTING• LIGHT TACKLE • BREAKING FISH

Now Booking for BigSPRING Stripersin the Lower Bay “Stop in here before you head out there.”

410-820-5599 • 800-263-2027

8232 Ocean Gateway • Easton, MD 21601Next to West Marine on Rt. 50

410-213-2442www.bigsharks.com

Specializing in Shark Fishing• Tuna, Marlin, Dolphin• Wreck Fishing• Saltwater Fly Fishing

& more with Captain Mark Sampsonout of the Ocean City Fishing Center

adjusting the drag to the breaking strength ofthat line. Had he set the drag for line in the 10-15pound range he would not have been pullinghooks on big fish or killing the fight from smallones. For any fishing line there is a range of dragsettings that might be appropriate to use. Thereare certainly times when a tight drag at the upperend of the spectrum is best, like when dealingwith a larger than expected fish or when fishingin close proximity to fishermen or other obstaclesthat could tangle or cut a line if a fish is allowedto run too far. There are also times to lighten-upon the drag such as when dealing with smallhooks, light leaders, or smaller fish.

It’s good to be in the habit of checking dragsetting throughout the day because once a fish ison the line it’s very difficult to properly makeadjustments, although sometimes it’s necessary. If

a fish runs around an underwater object such asan anchor-line or propeller one had better loosenthe drag quickly or run the risk of the line chafingthrough. Another time to lighten the drag wouldbe if the fish pulls out half a spool or more of line.Under such circumstances water pressure createsa tremendous amount of stress on the line and thereduced diameter of the remaining line on the reel

means that the spool must turn much faster foreach bit of line that’s pulled off it as the fish runs.Those two factors can equate to a lost fish foranglers who don’t know to back their drag off.

Reels have drags not just to stop fish in theirtracks but also to let them run as needed - wisefishermen keep their drags adjusted to facilitatewhatever action is most appropriate at the time.

Charlotte Sampson with a bonnethead shark shecaught in the Florida Keys in March.

Wayne Wallace took this nice 10 pt. with amuzzleloader. Photo courtesy of Cypress CreekArchery.


Billy Coxon captured this 38 in. rockfish off of KentIsland.

Alyssa Holliday with her first deer, a 180 lb. 7 pt. takenin Dorchester Co. Photo courtesy of Shore Sportsman.

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Outpost 544Rt. #544 & 290 Crossroads

Crumpton, MD 21628410-778-4200

Open Early

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I look forward to my trips downto the Honga River in May.Shoreline casting is much betterhere at this time of year than in theBig Choptank where I do most ofmy angling. Estuaries are still off-limits for keeping stripers until June1st, but the good possibility of aspotted trout in the Honga is anextra special bonus.

While the majority of the fish-ing population are chasing largerfish in the Main Bay, some of us willbe enjoying the solitude and beautyof this out-of-the-way estuary insouthwestern Dorchester County.You will not be bothered by lots of

boats andyou won’tbe dodgingp l a n e rb o a r d s .These shore-lines are probably similar to whatthey looked like hundreds of yearsago “untouched”.

The Honga is not really a river.We generally think of rivers as hav-ing a freshwater source then flow-ing downstream towards saltwater.This river taps into Bay watersthroughout its length and waterflows in all directions as the rivertries to match rising and falling

tides through its various openingsinto the Bay. These tidal flows cre-ate some beautiful rips as the waterlevel tries to catch up with the tide.

Stripers, trout, plus a few floun-der and white perch seek out theserips to intercept a profusion of baitthat come tumbling through theswift current. Small crabs, grassshrimp, silversides, menhaden, andmumichogs (bull minnows) are alllikely prey for the awaiting preda-tors.

Stripers are the most aggressiveand they will dominate your catch.Stripers are likely to be between 16and 21-inches but every year weland a few that push 28 inches. Ihave caught some really big floun-der in the Honga while casting arti-ficial for stripers and trout in shal-low water. White perch are plenti-ful in the river, but only the biggestwill attack your striper offerings.There is nothing more pleasing thanthe sight of a 13 or 14-inch perchthat you thought was a striper.

I usually throw smallish pad-dle-tail shad bodies in the moreshallow rips. I find a narrow-bod-ied 4-inch “Rip Tide” mullet inglow a particularly effective bait. Itimitates an adult silverside to a “T”.Silversides seem to be the predomi-nate forage in the thin water.

Bucktails work well, however,they sink too fast for a more moder-ate retrieve. I like them better in 4plus feet of water. I have developeda new pattern that I call “Chuck’sAtlantic Silverside”. It is a perfectimitation of its namesake and hasproved to be quite deadly in semi-shallow waters.

The Honga fishing stays activein the shallows until the rays show

up sometime after mid-May. Oncethe rips get muddied it’s the end togood shallow water casting. Thebridges are about all that is left forcasting and they can be quite pro-ductive.

If you’ve got to bring homesome meat, then target areas southof the Honga like Bloodsworth,Holland, and Marsh Island. Theypresent fishing situations similar tothose in the Honga, however youcan legally keep 2 stripers over 18”after May 15th since they lie inTangier Sound.

Starting on May 16th, the Big


Mid-Bay Forecastby Chuck Prahl

Brandy Wink with her first buck, a nice 8pt. taken during rifle season. Photocourtesy of Wink's Sporting Goods.

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Choptank opens up for catching andkeeping from Black Walnut Point toHolland Point at the mouth of IrishCreek in Talbot County across to thelower point at the mouth of ChapelCreek in Dorchester County.Portions of those two shores includesome prime shoreline casting loca-tions. Most notable are Cook’s Pointat the southern tip of the river andTodd’s Point several miles east ofCook’s Point.

Cook’s Point holds some primestructure in the form of old jettiesthat have, in recent years, becomedetached from the mainland by ero-sion. If you can find them, theyusually hold fish.

Falling trees and a new cut-through present a more and ever-changing shoreline. Even in mylifetime this shore has changedbeyond belief. A wooded islandnear the end of the point laterbecame a tangle of underwater treesthat I fished up to a few years ago.It is now gone, but the spot is atleast 1/3 of a mile off-shore.

Black Walnut is itself a greatcasting area. I only fish it with my

motor running because in roughseas you could total a boat in shortorder, not to mention your body.

Rockfish love to hang close tothis rip-rap. It is about 9-feet deepat the waterline and the tide rips atgreat speed as it swings into theriver. In calm weather, I’ll get asclose as possible and cast down theline of rocks in order to retrieve thelure through the most productivewater.

Black Walnut is not the place forextremely light tackle. If you ordi-narily use 20-lb. test, go to 30, andtighten the drag accordingly. Astouter rod is called for. If you hooka good fish near the rocks in choppyseas, you’ll need to put the enginein reverse and hang on until you’reclear enough to fight him in theopen. Make sure your transomdrains are open.

Don’t even think about retriev-ing lures that won’t shake loose.Break them off and tie on another.Use your slightly worn bucktails orshad bodies. Surface plugs livelonger than sinking lures and oftenwork equally well.

Are you ready for crabs? Itlooks like we’re going to haveanother good season. Crabbingremains poor in the Big Choptankduring May, but running a recre-ational trot line in the Honga Rivercan get you an early crab feastwhile retail prices are still astro-nomical.

If you put in at Gootee’s, theBay outside of Wallace Creek canusually be depended on in lateMay. Before making the trip, checkwith locals to be sure of a successfulouting. Between overhauls tryshoreline points on Hooper’s Islandor Wroten’s Island with a shadbody for a possible stray striper.


Wes Crabtree caught this nice 20 in. 4 lb. rainbow trout out of Deer Creek. Photocourtesy of River Rock Outdoors.

Deep-Fried Wild TurkeyHeat the oil to 300 to 350 degrees. Rub the turkeywith your own seasonings and/or inject with furtherseasonings as suggested above, if desired. Hook awire coat hanger around each of the drumsticks andcarefully lower the turkey into the oil. Cook for 3 1/2to 4 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometerinserted into the white meat registers 180 degrees.The turkey tends to float when cooked through.Remove the turkey from the oil and drain well. Wrapin foil to keep warm. Let stand approx. 20 minutesbefore carving.

Yield: 10-12 servings depending on the size of thebird.

• 3 to 5 gallons peanut oil

• 1 wild turkey cleaned

• Seasonings of choice (both injectable and dry rubs work well)

We suggest 1- 4 oz. package of Deep FriedTurkey Marinade Roasted Garlic and ButterFlavor (Sportsman's Table Item #CYC3135)or 1 -4.5 oz package of Deep Fried TurkeyMarinade Cajun Flavor (Sportsman's TableItem #CYC747).

Recipe submitted by Sportsman’s Table, the outdoor enthusiast’s resource forpreparing, cooking and serving fish and game, located in Hellertown PA. For more

information Visit www.SportsMansTable.com or Call 1-866-640-6802.

Wink’s Sporting Goods

Princess Anne, MD 21853 • 410-621-0400 • [email protected]

W.O. Coxon IIIW.O. Coxon IV 5639 Church Hill Road410-778-3462 Chestertown, MD 21630

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FOR SALE

23' 1976 MAKO – Offshore CC T-Top

351 Fresh water cooled engine with new

floor on tandem axle trailer. A must see.

Call Mark at 443-677-3311.

2006 ARGO BIGFOOT – Wide track,

winch, 166 hrs. Excellent condition.

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1 PENN INTERNATIONAL IGFA 50 LB.

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Call 443-262-9665 or 410-604-2663.

2001 38 FT. DECKLEMAN ALUMINUM

WORK BOAT – Furono NavNet and

depth finder. V.H.F., 8V92TTI 650 HP

Detroit, recent rebuild. Trolling valve, 30 kt

cruise, $90,000. 410-708-3416.

1984 BASS TRACKER & 25 HP

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& gas tank. Galvanized trailer, new tires &

new lights. 3 pedestal seat holders &

anchor. $2,500 OBO. 443-876-3022.

25 ACRES WOODLAND – Western

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turkey. Septic approved. Call John 302-

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2007 BAD BOY BUGGY – 4x4 roof rack,

front rack w/toolbox, gun rack, winch,

windshield. $6900 OBO 301-643-9999.

2002 14 FT. TRACKER – Used only inLiberty Reservoir. Many extras. All elec-tric. Make offer. Must sell due to illness. 410-789-8219.

LEAD FOR SALE – Recovered fromrifle range. Excellent for fishing anddecoy weights. Any quantity. Tonsavailable. 410-742-2023.

MISC.

DEER HUNTING – Cecil County Farms,558 Ac. $900/yr per hunter for all sea-sons. Good hunting. Call 302-462-1505.

HUNTING PROPERTY FOR LEASE –Dorchester County - Waterfront farmsand inland farms with ponds. Waterfowl,Turkey, Sika, Whitetail and small game -410-228-6965.

2 MEMBERS wanted for Goose Huntingclub in Kent County, Maryland - 443-860-1073.

NEW CAMPGROUND opening May2011. Eastern Shore, Tangier Soundarea. Seasonal, daily camping. Fishing,crabbing close by. Call 410-591-4027.

HUNTING FARMS FOR RENT – Call410-708-9715.

WATERFOWL & DEER HUNTINGproperties for rent. Call 443-309-1728.

FARM FOR RENT – Kent Co. Deer &goose. 410-708-9715.

ILLINOIS DEER & TURKEY HUNTINGin Adams County. Meals and lodgingincl. www.McKeeCreekWhitetails.com.

FOR LEASE 2011-12 SEASON – Deerhunting rights. 77 ac. farm northernCaroline Co. MD. Call Jim 410-482-6716.

DORCHESTER HUNT CLUB – 400±acres. Sika, whitetail, duck, goose,waterfront blinds, ponds, marsh,lodge on property w/Texas Towers.Dan @ 443-534-9690.

WATERFOWL HUNTING – Farmsand blinds available for lease or by theday hunting on the Eastern Shore. Call410-708-1276.

PRIVATE HUNTING CLUB MEMBER-SHIPS available. 1200 acres Talbot,QA Counties. Deer, turkey & water-fowl. Impoundments, ponds, off-shore and shore blinds, and floodedtimber. 410-708-9851.

WATERFOWL HUNTING CLUB inKent Co, MD is looking for newmembers. Visit our websitewww.rockhallgunningclub.com orCall Phil @ 410-708-2831.

OUTFITTERS, GUIDES, GUNCLUBS, AND HUNT CLUBS – look-ing for affordable and accurateinsurance? Call Kiser CommercialAgency for a quick quote at 410-255-8100.


ASMFC Atlantic Striped BassBoard Initiates Addendum toReduce Fishing Mortality

Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass ManagementBoard has initiated development of Draft Addendum III with the goals ofreducing striped bass fishing mortality (F) up to 40% and further protectingspawning stock when it is concentrated and vulnerable. The addendum wasinitiated in order to allow managers to promptly respond to the results of thestock assessment update in the fall if necessary. Provisions of the addendum,if passed, could be implemented prior to the start of the 2012 fishing year.

The Board’s action responds to recent trends in the fishery and resource,including a 66% decline in estimated recreational catch from 2006 to 2009; a25% decline in estimated striped bass abundance from 2004 to 2008; and low-ered recruitment in recent years. Additionally, states in the northern extent ofthe fishery have expressed concern over decreased availability of striped bassas a result of the diminished water quality in theChesapeake Bay during the summer months thatmay also contribute to increased prevalence ofmycobacteriosis in striped bass.

Draft Addendum III will propose a range offishing management measures including, but notlimited to, adjustments to commercial and recre-ational minimum size (for jurisdictions outsideChesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound/RoanokeRiver), reductions in annual coastal commercialallocation, reductions in recreational bag limits,revisions to the target F rate (for Chesapeake Bayand Albemarle Sound/Roanoke River), and reduc-tions on fishing for striped bass in known spawn-ing areas during the spawning season by at least50% (for jurisdictions bordering the Hudson River,Delaware River, Chesapeake Bay and AlbemarleSound/Roanoke River).

The commercial and recreational fishery is cur-rently managed through Amendment 6 to theStriped Bass Fishery Management Plan. TheAmendment, passed in 2003, allocates the coastalcommercial quota and set a two fish bag limit anda 28 inch size minimum for the recreational fishery,with the exception of the Chesapeake Bay fisheries,Albemarle Sound/Roanoke River fisheries, andstates with approved alternative regulations.

The Draft Addendum will be developed for pre-liminary review by the Atlantic Striped BassManagement Board in August. For more information,please contact Kate Taylor, Fishery Management PlanCoordinator, at [email protected] or 703.842.0740.

Doug Collison bagged this nice whitetail near Woodbinewith a bow. Photo courtesy of Macrotech.


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Youth Day: Mark your calendar for our annual exciting andhands-on Youth Day, Saturday, May 7th. This free event is greatfor youth of all ages. Archery, Air Rifle Activities, Retriever Dog

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