last days of fishing

this friday at midnight marks the end of rockfishing in the chesapeake bay: so sad...

i will be out there, catching my limit til new year's...might head back to the tunnel/bridge.

the river is frozen

double digits below normal temperatures for seemingly weeks on end has caused the potomac river to freeze...the boats in it are stuck for now...that is a shame because fishing season ends friday night at new years.

serious fishing

the ramp at kiptopeke was out of control...cleared out when the gusts reached 40kph...

striped bass

i wish i was out on the bay tonight, fishing under the full moon during a full lunar eclipse: it would be so awesome! but, the reality is: i'm not...last weekend-during the day- we slaughtered 'em...i mean we caught our legal limit (2 each) but hooked a lot more...

sail with santa

cruise owl creek with old saint nick today at 11 and 12:30...other activities are planned for this annual event put on by the virginia aquarium in virginia beach...

guilty as charged

this year i prepared for our annual kiptopeke fishing challenge by tagging the boat appropriatly: word!

post turkey day fishing

i fished yesterday...i fished today: i didnt catch a thing...the fish finder said they were there, but they really werent. still had fun.

the grand illumination

norfolk will host the grand illumination of the tidewater to kick off the holiday (read: shopping) season. be there tonight @ 7 for the festivities.

another fish kill

Recent fish kills at Kerr Reservoir and Briery Lake in Virginia have been linked to largemouth bass virus (LMBV) by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologists. LMBV has not been implicated in fish kills nationally for nearly a decade. However, the Virginia incidents are a reminder that the organism may still pose some risk to largemouth bass populations. LMBV poses no risk to humans. read the full press release here...

DNR Fisheries Service biologists offer the following guidelines to reduce the spread of this and other more disruptive invasive or pathogenic organisms such as zebra mussels, which have recently been found in the lower Susquehanna River, and Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS), which is a fatal fish virus found in the Great Lakes and some upper Mid-Western states waters:

• Never transfer live fish from one body of water to another
• Never discard fish parts or unused bait in any body of water
• Drain water from live wells, bilges, engines, bait buckets, and hoses and pumps before leaving the launch area and clear mud, vegetation and debris from trailers.
• Disinfect live wells daily and particularly when moving between bodies of water.
• Spray or wipe all surfaces with a chlorine solution, let sit for 5 minutes, then rinse with clean water and flush through lines and pumps.
• Bleach is very toxic to aquatic organisms. Discharge the solution in a grassy area where it will not immediately drain into streams or ponds.
• An effective chlorine solution can be prepared by placing three tablespoons of household bleach in one gallon of water. Use the chlorine solution to clean trailers and other parts of the boat – just be sure to rinse well with clean water.

LMBV may reduce a fish’s tolerance to stress. Anglers can increase the chances of survival of fish intended for release by following these guidelines: 

• Handle the bass gently and return to the water as soon as possible, especially when the water is over 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Maintain good water quality your livewell by keeping the water aerated and recirculated at 3 to 5 degrees cooler than the ambient water. Add non-iodized salt to livewells at a rate of one tablespoon per 10 gallons of water, or use one of the commercially available products for maintaining fish.
• Do not overcrowd bass. One pound of fish per gallon of livewell water is a good maximum ratio.
• Stage tournaments during cool water months, particularly in areas where LMBV has been noted.
• Report dying or dead bass, or bass that are swimming poorly in circles near the surface of the water by calling the Maryland Department of the Environment at 800-285-8195 M-F from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or 877-224-7229 after hours.
• Report a largemouth bass kill with DNR Tidal Bass Manager Dr. Joe Love at 410-260-8257.
MD DNR biologists will host an LMBV and general bass fishing discussion at the 2011 Fishing Expo and Boat Show at the Maryland State Fair Grounds in Timonium at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 15. More information about LMBV in Virginia is available online at www.dgif.virginia.gov/news/release.asp?id=269.

grand national waterfowl hunt

plan now to attend the grand national waterfowl hunt in cambridge this weekend...it kicks off with a grandtastic jamboree friday night featuring music, door prizes and of course, all you can eat! be there by four.

let's celebrate pirates

i have seen pirates here on the potomac river...learn about their activities in the upper bay at the lock house museum's pirate weekend by the bay. the festivities are both saturday and sunday and hopefully involve some form of booty.

oyster roasting

saturday 2-5 is the reedville oyster roast at the reedsville fisherman's museum...its all you can eat with music, dancing and such: you better get there early! if you cant make it, you can have your own oyster roast at your leisure.

waterfowl festival

plan on heading to easton friday, saturday or sunday for the 40th annual easton waterfowl festival. in addition to labrador retriever and fly-fishing demos, there will be waterfowl calling contests and a ton of waterfowl artists...and oysters, i would imagine.

happy birthday, marines

the marines have been around for 235 years today! originally organized after the revolutionary war in 1775 to protect the 13 colonies, the marines have more than earned there cake. and, if they are eating cake today, maybe that will make the news...or maybe a marine's rendition of a beyonce or lady gaga song will be shown: i have yet to see in any headline the fact that the 'darkhouse' third battalion fifth of the marines is in a horrendous battle in afghanistan AT THIS MOMENT and have had thirteen members killed since last month. this story must have been buried between lindsey lohan and mel gibson updates.

oysterfest

you still have time to get to urbanna and enjoy oysters and what-not at the annual urbanna oyster festival. it started yesterday and runs til five...you missed the parade, though.

flash flood fishing

i reader asked me if oto can do this: no. neither can i, apparently...

downrigging

bay events always seem to start on thursdays....so, you are a day late for a downrigging extended weekend in chestertown. this weekends celebration marks the end of the sailing season and is filled with lots of boat-centric shiz including fireworks! chestertown has an amazing history and should be checked out.

whale in the bay

a humpback whale was spotted off of windmill point this past week...wow: its getting to be like an aquarium out there!

rockfishing

we slaughtered 'em yesterday on the debra christine.

albacore

a friend's son is the commanding officer on the coast guard's albacore: it docked in dc. he gave us a first class tour: nice boat!

weekend boating events

cambridge is a great place to visit this weekend-either by boat or other motor-driven vehicle- because the opening festivities of the schooner rendezvous begins at 10 saturday and continue through 4 on sunday. you can watch a parade, go for dockside tours of the many skipjacks and other sailing vessels moored there, as well as shop eat and sing-a-long. the weather is supposed to be excellent, so i might cruise over there...

young rock

the maryland department of natural resources just released their 2010 annual report on striped bass in the bay...and the news isnt bad!

nor'easter blows through the bay

im glad sailors like it extreme, because the weather today was insane for the start of the great race with special marine warnings in the upper bay. the rain has ended, but the wind is currently blowing from the north at about 30kts. you can track their progress with this great interactive map.

chesapeake bay great schooner race

wait: a bunch of boats did NOT sail yesterday from the bay bridge to portsmouth....in fact: i am confused and have no idea when this race begins...i believe the whole thing is over saturday...anywho...you can track the schooners whenever they leave here. it is too bad they didnt leave yesterday when it was 85°...or today when it was 70°...they are (possibly) leaving tomorrow when its going to be 60° and rainy. oh, sailors!

great schooner race

a bunch of boats just left the bay bridge to head south and race to portsmouth: yes, the great chesapeake bay schooner race is underway! perfectly beautiful day on the water: just no wind to speak of. 

sailboat show

this weekend is the big sailboat show in annapolis: its always fun to walk around the docks and check out some outrageous rides. you can continue the festivities at six tonight with the boat show bash.

new endangered species

the atlantic sturgeon officially received endangered species status this month, preventing any and all harrassment of the big prehistoric fish in the chesapeake bay and else where. noaa recommended the specific sturgeon populations in the new york bight, the chesapeake bay and off the carolinas for preservation status and stricter regulations to ensure it happens will soon be the law. the sturgeon has been a no-fish/catch for the five years i have been living on the bay...i was fortunate to see one chilling in my creek about five feet off of my pier a few years back: they have a very distinctive, prehistoric look.

middle bay fishing report

according to tidal fish, there is a lot of fish to be had in the middle chesapeake bay-my area! i can look forward to striped bass and bluefish "eating the paint off the bottom of (my) boat"!  apparently, boats are catching their limit of stripers and 1-3 pound bluefish in less than an hour, with decent bluefish action at buoy 62 and the smith point light. there are still flounder being caught at the middle grounds and at buoy 42, and speckled trout and grey trout (up to 10 pounds) are hitting at the tangier target ships. there are lots of stripers (and lots of boats) being caught near the route 200 white stone bridge, and trolling near windmill bar catches a few spanish mackerel with small gold spoons. 

boat builder's showcase

go to higgins yacht yard to meet modern boat builders working in the 400 year old traditional style of workboats on the chesapeake bay. the boat builders showcase in st. michaels will feature deadrise and other work boat styles built by Broad Creek Marine, Composite Yacht, Eastport Yacht Co., Judge Yachts,and Mathews Brothers til 8 tonight and 10-6 saturday...its free

marine warnings

marine warnings abound on the potomac river and chesapeake bay in the wake of a month's worth of rain fall...i think its all clear tomorrow.

sailing aircraft

a rich captain commissioned this flying boat, called 'the sailing aircraft'...we will see if it makes it to production...

pirate adventure weekend

attention hippy freaks: the renaissance fair is live and local. i hate that festival...except for the turkey legs: i need to remember a sippy hat filled with mayonaisse this time...apparently, this weekend is pirate adventure weekend at the festival...which doesnt coincide with talk like a pirate day...but anyway, people: it's on.

trawler fest

im going to baltimore to check out the

trawler fest today thru sunday.

skipjack tale

i have seen the chesapeake bay skipjack claud w. somers many times at the reedville fisherman's museum...most recently two weeks ago at the antique and classic boat show held there: the plaque on the 99 year old virginia-made work boat explains the sign painter accidently left the 'e' off of 'claude' when painting the skipjack's name...that is about all it said in addition to a little info on the builders...then today i ran across this article about a storm story that took the captain and his oyster crew of five's lives in a spring squall back in 1977.

yikes: it might have ghosts!

another fishkill

the dailytimes.com reports of yet another fishkill in the chesapeake bay...this time in cobbs creek in mathews county, virginia. they think the tens of thousands of dead menhaden and other small species were in this tributary of the piankatank river to escape the hungry bite of the rock fish...tide got low+no oxygen= aphixiated fish. so sad... this year had the most large kills of any previously recorded year...i love that they only commentor on the post lives on the creek and wanted to know how to prevent this cuz it stunk: really?

delmarva-lious motorcycle rally

delmarva bike weekend was great: tons of bikes...tons of rides! ocean city did a great job of welcoming riders...and the weather couldnt be beat. i did not go fishing...instead i attended a midget wrestling event at a bar: good times!

off shore fishing

i am in ocean city for bike week, but the off shore bill fishing sounds fantastic: maybe i can convince my brother to take us out tomorrow for some serious catch and release?

weekend water events

    

if you missed the show in reedville last weekend, head to jersey for this antique and classic boat society-judged show. there will be marine vendors, artists, custom cars, radio-controlled boats, and lots of antique and classic boats to check out at the New Jersey Museum of Boating in Point Pleasant, New Jersey from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

fishing in the potomac river

i did not catch a bull shark while fishing in the potomac...i did not catch anything.

antique & classic boat show

this weekend was the reedville antique & classic boat show..there were some sweet rides there. 

this turquoise one was my favorite...love the wings...

the annual event and parade is held at and around the reedville fisherman's museum.

they have some beautiful chesapeake bay wooden workboats there...

 

the skip jack claude w. somers is listed in the national register of historic places.

we missed the parade.

chesapeake bay weekend events calendar

we have had stellar weather for many days...now the weekend begins...

september 10-12 

•though classic hatteras yacht owners will meet up in cambridge this weekend to show off their beautiful boats,  everyone is invited to celebrate the hatteras  style by attending  the yacht open house saturday at the cambridge yacht club.

•mathews market days    

mathews county's fall festival will feature an art show, crafts demonstrations, live entertainment with outdoor dancing, children's activities and more. 

•maryland seafood festival    

sandy point state park hosts the annual seafood festival again. besides seafood, there will  be arts and crafts vendors, wine tastings, beer tastings, a crabcake eating contest, a crab-picking contest as well as a crab soup cook-off: delicious! Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. 

•hampton bay days    

celebrate the chesapeake bay at hampton bay days with an indoor juried art show, arts and crafts vendors, two carnivals, live music and fireworks. educate yourself at the exhibits and display workboats and research vessels, sat. 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; sun. noon-6 p.m.


•its a star spangled banner weekend!

commemorate the writing of our national anthem in baltimore at fort mchenry, where visiting ships, military re-enactments, concerts and a symbolic naval bombardment complete with fireworks will round out the weekend. Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., concert 6 p.m., fireworks at dusk. sun. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. 

•september 12 

watermen's rodeo
taylors island works it out with a  workboat docking contest hosted by the local volunteer fire departments. there will also be an after party with live entertainment, food and games.