Something fishy for you

by Jefferson Holland

Was it Einstein who said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”? Probably not. But in my mind, the quote isn’t about insanity at all. It’s about fishing.

My Dad took a black-and-white snapshot of me at the age of 4 or 5, I guess, judging by the striped T-shirt and the skinny crew cut. I’m at the edge of the lake on my greatuncle’s farm in northwestern Pennsylvania, proudly holding a bluegill I had caught on a worm hooked on a safety pin tied to a string at the end of a stick.

The property changed hands long ago, and all of us kids were too young at the time to remember exactly where it was. We had only ever driven there in the back of the family Ford station wagon, after all. But six decades later, I rediscovered its location on Google Earth and found my way there in my own car. The place had hardly changed in all that time. I assembled my fly rod and fit up my line with an ancient fly from my dad’s old tacklebox, dropped it in the lake and instantly caught a bluegill – very likely a direct descendant of the one I had caught and released so long ago. Yay for fish. Yay for dads.

You’ll find a lot of fishy stuff in this spring issue. Starting on page 29, Marty LeGrand reports on Maryland’s new fly-fishing trail, then casts an eye on Tochterman’s, Baltimore’s timeless tackle shop on page 61. We’re pleased to announce that Marty’s article, “Saving Island Birds” in CBM’s November 2022 issue recently won the first place award in the Environmental Awareness category from Boating Writers International.

On page 45, Capt. John Page Williams reflects on the joys of the short season for “bull” redfish, also known as red drum in the southernmost portion of the Bay. And you don’t want to miss his review on page 11 of the Ocean Sport 30, a luxury performance cruiser that’s equally amenable to the angler, with features like a large cockpit that lends itself to jigging, bait fishing and trolling.

But the most efficient fisherman on the Chesapeake Bay turns out to be the elusive river otter, and you can read about how you, too, can help the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center study them by becoming an “otter spotter.” Kate Livie writes a delightful portrait of these cute, charismatic megafauna on page 39. Come to think of it, I’m a sort of charismatic megafauna myself. Emphasis on “mega.”

To round things out, we sent our summer intern, Noah Hale on an overnight voyage aboard the Pride of Baltimore II. You can read his account of the adventure on page 6. Then on page 56, Angus Phillips writes about another Chesapeake-based adventurer, Matt Rutherford, who set off on a hair-raising expedition to chart the fjords of Greenland.

And of course, we can’t welcome spring without participating in the time-honored tradition of burning our socks. The customary ode to recite during the ceremony can be found on page 80.

Happy spring, dear readers, and hope to see you out there in the watershed somewhere, rod in hand, and this copy of Chesapeake Bay Magazine rolled up in your gear bag.