Maryland Fishing Preview 2010
by Captain C.D. Dollar
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t’s an understatement to say 2009 was a tough year across the board, and it was an especially arduous one for people who make a living outdoors and in the maritime trades. So it’s with vigor that I offer a collective good riddance to last year’s fiscal briar patch and welcome in 2010. Historically, sportfishing has offered a respite from the daily grind, with spring signaling the start to the fishing year. Fishing is often cited as a metaphor for hope; after all, each cast brings the opportunity for something magical and exciting to happen, and ultimately those who hang up there the longest often reap the best rewards. On both the state and federal levels, there’s a fair bit of change on the political fisheries front, including the National Saltwater Angler Registry (countmyfish.noaa.gov/register). See page 73 for news of the new regulations.
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Yellow Perch
he first fish Maryland sport anglers typically chase are yellow perch, colloquially called neds. In some river systems, there is an abundance of neds, thanks in part to a relatively new law that bans commercial nets in upper tributaries where yellow perch gather to spawn.
cling to life. Last year, the Susquehanna, North East, and Choptank Rivers held good numbers of neds. Typically, the run begins mid-February and lasts through early March, but it’s anyone’s guess how this wild winter might affect the fishing. Crappie and pickerel are often caught in these same creeks. A little later in the spring, peaking from mid-April to early May, should be the hickory and white shad runs. Look to the lower Susquehanna creeks to catch these oceanic fish.
Spring Striper Season
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Photos by C.D. Dollar
The benefits of restricted netting were almost immediate. Last year, many sport fishermen hailed the yellow perch run as the best in decades, and for some, it marked the best season ever. These beautifully colored panfish are great sport on ultra-light tackle, preferring minnows fished on light jig heads. They will hit spinners and flies, with white, purple, and chartreuse the favored colors of this writer. Maryland has thousands of miles of tidal and freshwater creeks and streams; many teem with aquatic life, while others barely
68 April 2010 PropTalk
or many fishermen, the arrival of migrating striped bass heralds in the fishing year. And each season, more fishermen are “preseason trolling” for rockfish, usually beginning in March. Both recreational fishermen and charter boat captains take part in this fishery, deploying heavy boat rods, parachutes, and bucktails to troll during the official trophy season, which begins April 17. There isn’t any data to show if this type of trolling adversely affects Chesapeake spawners, which comprise most of the brood stock along the Atlantic coast. What also isn’t clear is how many fishermen actually take part in this trolling preseason. In response to concerns, last fall, Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) held public meetings and solicited input from sportfishing groups, the Sport Fish Advisory Commission, and Tidal Fish Advisory Commission. That feedback, combined with guidance from DNR biologists, formed the bedrock of new regulations, which covers March 1 through the third Friday in April. Specifically, the action prohibits the use of stinger hooks, requires barbless hooks to be used when
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