FishTalk Magazine April 2023

Sight Fishing for Chesapeake Reds

See Your Local Suzuki Marine Dealer For All the Details

All Star Marine Inc | 410-574-8281

2434 Holly Neck Rd, Essex, MD

Bob’s Marine Service, Inc. | 302-539-3711

31888 Roxana Rd, Ocean View, DE

Danny’s Marine LLC | 410-228-0234

3559 Chateau Dr, E. New Market, MD

Fawcett Boat Supplies | 410-267-8681

919 Bay Ridge Rd, Annapolis, MD

Friday’s Marine | 804-758-4131

(Malise Marine Sales & Service)

14879 GW Memorial Hwy, Saluda, VA

Galahad Marine | 410-827-7409

121 Rental Ln, Grasonville, MD

Hidden Harbour Marina | 301-261-9200

600 Cabana Blvd, Deale, MD

JF Marine Service LLC | 443-432-3121

138 Bugeye Sq, Prince Frederick, MD

Legasea Marine | 757-898-3000 821 Railway Rd, Yorktown, VA

Maryland Boat Sales | 410-574-3988

2426 Holly Neck Rd, Essex, MD

North Bay Marina Inc | 302-436-4211

36543 Lighthouse Rd, Selbyville, DE

Pasadena Boat Works | 443-858-2400

4425 Mountain Rd, Pasadena, MD

Pontoon Express | 302-945-0654

22572 Harbeson Rd, Harbeson, DE

Powersports of Crofton | 410-697-5965

745 State Route 3 North Gambrils, MD

PYY Marine | 410-255-1771

1132 Pasadena Yacht Yard Rd, Pasadena, MD

Sandpiper Marine Inc | 757-787-7783

21530 Taylor Rd, Accomac, VA

Scott’s Cove Marina | 410-251-8047

10551 Eldon Willing Rd, Chance, MD

Thornes Marine | 410-957-4481

1237 Greenbackville Rd, Stockton, MD

Total Marine | 410-604-6000

106 Wells Cove Rd, Grasonville, MD

Tradewinds Marina | 410-335-7000

412 Armstrong Rd, Middle River, MD

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37

Bay Bridge Boat Show Special

You say you want to hit the water this spring with a brand-new fishing boat? Now’s the perfect time to make it happen. By Staff

40

Light Tackle Doormats

Coming soon: your chance to score a fat flattie on light tackle. By Lenny Rudow

42

West Side Story

The Western Shore of the middle Chesapeake holds a lot more structure than some surmise.

By Wayne Young

45

Critical Rigging for Beginners, Part II:

Rigging Lures

Learn how to rig ‘em up right! By Staff

47

Orbital Gander

Many offshore anglers glance at SST charts before heading offshore, but the satellite data available today could be telling you much, much more. By Staff presented by siriusXM Marine

50

Eyes Wide Open

Sight fishing for redfish in the Chesapeake zone IS a thing. By Kendall Osborne

52

5 Tricks for City Smallies

Go upriver from a major metropolitan area on the Western Shore, and you’ll be in smallmouth country in no time. By Staff

Amy CRUSHED IT while fishing near Stingray Point. That’s a 45-pound fish caught on 20-pound gear. Amy, there are a lot of jealous people out there right now — us included! Photo courtesy of Scott Heinz

Got a New Boat?

ANGLER IN CHIEF

Lenny Rudow, lenny@fishtalkmag.com

PUBLISHER

Mary Iliff Ewenson, mary@fishtalkmag.com

A SSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Chris Charbonneau, chris@fishtalkmag.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Molly Winans, molly@fishtalkmag.com

SENIOR EDITORS

Beth Crabtree, beth@fishtalkmag.com

Kaylie Jasinski, kaylie@fishtalkmag.com

COPY EDITOR

Lucy Iliff, lucy@fishtalkmag.com

FISHING REPORTS EDITOR

Dillon Waters

ADVERTISING SALES

Eric Richardson, eric@fishtalkmag.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER

Brooke King, brooke@fishtalkmag.com

DISTRIBUTION /BROkERAGE /CLASSIFIEDS MANAGER

Beatrice M. Roderick, beatrice@fishtalkmag.com

ART DIRECTOR / PRODUCTION MANAGER

Zach Ditmars, zach@fishtalkmag.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER / PRODUCTION A SSISTANT

Royal Snyder, royal@fishtalkmag.com

TACTICIAN

Craig Ligibel

COASTAL CORRESPONDENT

John Unkart

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Alan Battista, Jim Gronaw, Chuck Harrison, Capt. Monty Hawkins, Eric Packard, David Rudow, Mollie Rudow, Wayne Young

DISTRIBUTION

Martin and Betty Casey, Gregory G. Greenwell Sr., Dave Harlock, Ron and Colleen Ogden, John and Chrissy Wathen

Rudow’s FishTalk is a monthly magazine for and about Chesapeake and Mid-Atlantic anglers. Reproduction of any part of this publication is strictly prohibited without prior consent of the officers of Rudow’s FishTalk LLC. Rudow’s FishTalk LLC accepts no responsibility for discrepancies in advertisements.

Rudow’s FishTalk is available by first class subscription for $45 a year, and back issues are available for $4 each. Mail payment to Rudow’s FishTalk Subscriptions, 612 Third Street, Suite 3C, Annapolis, MD, 21403.

Rudow’s FishTalk is distributed free of charge at more than 850 establishments along the shores of the Chesapeake and the DelMarVa Peninsula. Businesses or organizations wishing to distribute Rudow’s FishTalk should contact the Rudow’s FishTalk office, (410) 216-9309 or beatrice@fishtalkmag.com.

Member Of:

Rudow’s FishTalk Recycles

Notes from the Cockpit

Greetings FishTalkers, welcome to an utterly awesome time of year. Tidal action is getting ready to bust wide open, the freshwater fish are snapping, and now on some days we can once again enjoy the bite we like in a T-shirt. Woohoo!

Sometimes we examine important issues, fisheries matters, or regulations in the Notes column, but this is not such a month. Instead, I have a question to ask y’all: Are the fish getting smarter?

I recognize that on the surface of things, this sounds downright ridiculous. But we do know for a fact that in heavily fished bodies of water some species can become conditioned to particular types of popular lures, and will stop hitting them. And some of the fish behavior we’ve seen in recent years seems mighty suspicious. Consider:

• 30 years ago bluefish would slam any bait, regardless of hook placement or the presence of wire leaders. Today they seem to have an amazing talent for biting off chunks of a fish or bait without ever taking the hook into their mouth — sometimes even biting off a spot’s head and tail, while mysteriously “missing” the middle section with a hook.

By Lenny Rudow

• 30 years ago if you approached a school of rockfish busting on the surface with your boat at slow speed, quietly and then shifted into neutral, the school would usually remain at the surface while you caught one fish after the next. Today, when you get within 100 yards, the school almost always seems to sound at the first hint of approaching boat noise, regardless of how fast you’re moving or how stealthy you may be.

• 30 years ago chunking for yellowfin and bluefin tunas with 80-, 100-, or even 120-pound test was the norm, and those fish ate the chunks without hesitation. Today, it’s often tough or impossible to get a bite using anything over 30-pound fluorocarbon.

If we were only talking about fish that were 30-plus years old, it might seem reasonable that the more intelligent fish in a school would learn that hooks, boat noise, and visible leaders are dangerous. But we’re not. This goes for the 20-inchers as well as the larger, older fish. So, what gives? After all, there’s no way on Earth that the fish are actually getting smarter. Or, is there…?

A fascinating study published in the journal “Nature” by University of Otago researchers posits the idea that fish may, in fact, be capable of intergenerational learning. The reason? Fish have “DNA methylation.” One of the study authors, Dr. Oscar OrtegaRecalde (who earned his PhD researching transmission and reprogramming of epigenetic information) explains it like this:

“Methylation sits on top of DNA and is used to control which genes are turned on and off. It also helps to define cellular identity and function. In humans and other mammals, DNA methylation is erased at each generation; however, we found that global erasure of DNA methylation memory does not occur at all in the fish we studied.”

Wow. Like, WOW!

Dr. Tim Hore, another author of the study, says, “Mammalian biologists have searched long and hard to find reliable examples of where altered DNA methylation patterns are passed on to subsequent generations; yet only a handful have been verified in repeated studies. However, unlike humans, DNA methylation is not erased at each generation in at least some fish. So, we think intergenerational memory transfer through DNA methylation could be much more common in fish.”

And if you’re not yet convinced, also published in “Nature” was a complementary study from the Garvin Institute in Australia, confirming the findings.

So, is it remotely possible that the fish actually are getting smarter? Could their instincts be evolving? Nahhhhh...?

# Just what in the heck is going on inside that pea-brain???

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More Shellfish Behavior

Dear FishTalk,

Irecently read that last winter’s wild oyster harvest was the “best” since the 1986-87 season, with around half a million bushels harvested. At an average of 125 oysters per bushel, that’s over 62 million oysters removed from the Chesapeake Bay. “Best?” If you ask me, “disgusting” or maybe just “stupid” is a better description. What will it take for people to realize that water quality in the Bay is why fishing has become so bad, that oysters improve water quality, and that one of the best things we could do for fishing is to leave those wild oysters alone?

-Jessica H, via email

Dear Jessica, Removing oysters from the ecosystem certainly seems counterproductive. Of course, there’s a lot to discuss here — stay tuned for a future article on oysters, the Chesapeake, and what might help turn things around.

Two-Percenters

Dear FishTalk,

Will FishTalk be issuing a comment on the unchanged regulations that go against the ASMFC guidelines all while our fishery is overfished and rebuilding goals are likely not to be reached? The Trophy Season needed to go many years ago. Would love to see Fish Talk encouraging others not to participate in killing the future of our fishery. Thanks!

-Evan D, via Instagram

Dear Evan, First off, please see this month’s News section for an update on the results of the latest ASMFC striped bass meeting, in which the public was 98 percent in favor of an action which the ASMFC then decided NOT to take. Go figure… Meanwhile here on the Bay, the unchanged regs do fit into the management structure’s guidelines, though many of the numbers they use are questionable at best and in some cases arguably ludicrous, as we’ve pointed out in the past. We will do our honest best to keep the public informed on the facts of the fishery so that hopefully, decisions are made that will help it thrive for future generations of anglers.

Bright Ideas

Q: How many anglers does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: One, but you should have seen the bulb, it was THIS big.

-Anonymous

School of Tarpon Boca Grande, FL

Fi SH New S

By Lenny Rudow

MD Gets New Leadership at the DNR

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has announced the appointment of Josh Kurtz as the state’s new Secretary of the DNR. Kurtz earlier served as policy and government relations director for The Nature Conservancy in Maryland, and in 2021 took over as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Maryland executive director. He has a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in wildlife conservation from the University of Delaware.

Wait a sec—Maryland’s new DNR leader is an educated environmental policy professional who’s experienced in the field, shows a dedication to science, and has been working to help save the Chesapeake Bay?!? WOOHOO!

Fly Candy

Some of the most awesome, breathtaking, and entertaining fly fishing footage on the face of the planet can be found in the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T), which plays around the nation. New for 2023, F3T is coming to Annapolis, MD. Scheduled for Thursday, April 27 at the Annapolis Maritime Museum, the event begins at 5:30 p.m. and the film starts rolling at 7 p.m. This year’s F3T includes action like fishing for barramundi in Australia, hundred-pound tarpon on the flats, golden trout of the Sierra Nevada, and Gulf Coast redfish. Also on the agenda for the Annapolis F3T event: raffle prizes, beverages, and most importantly a fun evening for all. Proceeds benefit Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. For more information check out flyfilmtour.com and check out the schedule—watch the teaser reel while you’re at it, and we’ll see you on the 27th for sure.

Aerial Alert Signals

DIFFERENT SITUATIONS REQUIRE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DISTRESS SIGNALS

Long distance aerial flares (ALERT SIGNALS) and short distance (3 miles or less) handheld flares (LOCATE SIGNALS) are the brightest most dynamic signals when rescuers have been sighted.

For passive, long duration signaling (when you aren’t sure who is out there), consider the Orion Electronic SOS Beacon. Experienced boaters carry an assortment and Orion has them all!

# Josh Kurtz, the new secretary of the Maryland DNR. Photo courtesy of the MD DNR

More Muskies, Please

This winter the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources continued its adult musky collection partnership with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. All the musky fingerlings stocked in the state are procured via this program, based on collecting brood stock from the lower New River. Last spring Virginia supplied the Commission with five adult fish, two females and three males, and in return received almost 27,000 fingerlings which were released in the state’s waters.

Lucky Lakes

Improvements have been completed at Urieville Lake in Kent County, MD, on the upper Eastern Shore. There’s a new pier, the bank has been cleared, and access is now a bit easier for kayakers, small trailer boats or car-toppers, and shoreline anglers. The DNR also dredged about 450 cubic yards of material from the area around the boat ramp to improve launching access. The restoration was made possible via the State Lakes Protection and Restoration Fund established in 2018.

And…

Another lucky body of water is Deep Pond, in Beverly Triton Nature Park, where there’s a new fishing pier. The park partially re-opened in late 2022 with the fishing pier, pavilion, parking lot, and tot lot complete and the restrooms and kayak launch still under construction. I’m proud of the fishing pier because it was one of the suggestions I put down in every stakeholder meeting. I always saw little kids fishing with parents and grandparents on Deep Pond and sometimes the kids were struggling to fish from the shore. The new fishing pier makes fishing on the pond a lot more fun.

-Lisa Arrasmith (Chair, Public Water Access Committee)

# Urieville Lake enjoyed some nice improvements, which were completed this winter. Photos courtesy of Joe Wright

At this winter’s ASMFC meeting, managers met and discussed Addendum I on transferring striped bass commercial ocean catch quotas. Since some states (such as North Carolina) have seen their commercial fishery evaporate, some people feel the wise course of action would be to transfer their quota to other states, to ensure this uncaught quota could be harvested elsewhere. Currently, such transfers are not permitted.

In total, 2145 public comments regarding the matter were received in written form or testimony at hearings. Of those, 2105—98.1 percent—favored no change in the transfer regulations. Rather than accede to what can only be described as utterly overwhelming public sentiment, although many voiced support for letting those uncaught fish continue swimming in the ocean, managers voted to delay making any decision on the matter until their next meeting.

One for the Record Books?

This past February Maryland angler Herb Floyd caught the pickerel of a lifetime while fishing a minnow on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and participating in the 2022/2023 CCA Maryland Pickerel Championship. “After a couple of slow trips and seeing fish hang deeper on my fishfinder, I decided to try suspending a live minnow just off bottom,” he said. “Funny thing is, an 11-inch yellow perch ate the biggest minnow I had, and the big pickerel actually hit a medium-sized minnow… that’s fishing!”

The fish stretched to an amazing photo-documented 28.25 inches, a new tournament record, and the fish may well have rivaled the state’s by-weight record of eight pounds. Floyd, however, opted to release the fish alive rather than risk killing it by attempting to transport it to a certified scale. Thanks Herb, for the release—and congratulations on catching a pickerel the likes of which most of us only dream about!

# Herb holds up his prized pickerel just prior to release.

230 PrO BAy

Tournamen T n ews

Tournamen T n ews

Open Season on Invasives

The CCA-MD Great Invasives Species Count is back on for 2023, starting on the first of this month. In this unique FREE competition platformed on the iAngler app, each time you log a snakehead, blue catfish, or flathead catfish, you get another entry in the monthly prize drawings—the more fish you catch, the better your chances of winning. And there are a ton of very cool prizes, people! The Count runs through October, and the data collected as anglers register their catches is shared with fishery managers to help them understand which invasives are being caught and where, their sizes, and more. Visit ccamd.org for more information.

Benefitting the Bay at the Boatyard

April 27 is the registration deadline for the 20th annual Boatyard Bar & Grill spring catch-and-release rockfish tournament, which will take place on Saturday May 6. Funds raised via this fishing frenzy go to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Coastal Conservation Association of Maryland, and the Annapolis Police Foundation Youth Fishing Camp, so event proceeds benefit the Bay. There are plenty of prizes in play but the biggest is bragging rights—the tournament winner’s name gets added to a rockfish on the rafters of the Boatyard. This event is limited to the first 100 boats that enter, so act now to make sure you secure your slot. Visit boatyardbarandgrill.com to learn more.

Flat-out Fantastic

Friday, April 28 marks the beginning of the 32nd annual Spring Flounder Tournament in Wachapreague, VA. The tournament runs through May 7 with a whopping $5000 going to the first-place winner. All the action will be at the Island House and Trident Tackle, right in the heart of town; visit theislandhouserestaurant.com for the details.

Bassin’ Blitz

April is the month when most of the smaller local and regional bass clubs hit the water in earnest. There are literally dozens and dozens of these events through the month so we’re not going to try to list them all here, but interested bass competitors can check out the following organizations and webpages to find out what’s happening on waterways nearest you:

• American Bass Anglers, americanbassanglers.com

• Bass Nation of Virginia, vabassnation.com

• Delaware Bass Nation, delawarebassnation.com

• Fishers of Men, fomntt.com

• Maryland Bass Nation, mdbassnation.com

• Potomac Bassmasters, potomacbassmasters.com

• River RunnerZ Kayak Bass Club, on Facebook

• Virginia Bass Chapter Federation, vabass.com

HOT NEW GEAR

Editor’s Note: We wish we could personally test every item that appears on these pages, but that simply isn’t possible. So that you know the difference between when we’ve physically tested a piece of gear and when we’re writing about it because it’s newsworthy and we think you’ll want to know about it, we’ve developed this FishTalk Tested button. When you see it printed next to something in this section, it means we’ve personally run it through the wringer.

Power to the People

You’re looking for MORE POWER? A regular 12- or 24-volt battery can only get you so far. Lithium ion can take you a bit farther, and to maximize the might you’ll want the latest and greatest in marine juice-boxes. Starting this year that comes in the form of the LiFePO4 Mastervolt MLI Ultra series. Available in 12- and 24-volt packages, the MLI Ultra series boosts the energy-to-weight ratio by 20 percent over older lithium-ions. That means a pair of 200 amp-hour lead-acid gel batteries weighing close to 300 pounds could be replaced by a single MLI Ultra 24/6000 weighing a mere 103 pounds. They feature a battery management system with a self-learning balancing algorithm, have integrated carry handles, can discharge to 80 percent (as opposed to 50 percent for lead-acid batteries), and have a lifespan of over 3500 cycles. Price: $3644 and up. Visit mastervolt.com to learn more.

National Conquest

People, there’s a new Shimano Calcutta out there and it’s called the Conquest MD. Yes, that’s right, the fishing in Maryland is so off-the-hook awesome and the state is so uber-cool in so many ways that Shimano actually named a reel after it!! Well, maybe there’s some chance it’s a coincidence. But the cultishly state-loving Marylanders among us know that in reality, there’s got to be at least a subliminal connection. Shimano made the Conquest MD 300 and 400 with the SVS MD Tune Braking system, so you can throw large swimbaits and similar lures with minimal worry of backlashing. These new models also boast a long handle design to work with the Infinity Drive (supporting the pinion gear with the spool shaft rather than a bearing for more power with lighter winding), boosting power when under load. The Calcutta Conquest MD features XProtect waterproof construction to beat the saltwater environment, too, so you can look forward to years of use on the Bay. Beyond all those features and the Calcutta line’s rather epic reputation, it’s critical to also note that this reel is ideal for heaving Heddons off Havre de Grace, bouncing BKDs near Baltimore, and reeling Rapalas in the Rhode River. For you anglers south of the Potomac, hopefully there’s a VA model in the works. Price: $599. Visit fish.shimano.com to learn more.

Itchy Trigger Finger

In yet another entry in the “solving a problem that doesn’t exist” category, we have the Lizhoumil Sea Fishing Casting Trigger. This little trigger is meant to be attached to your rod via a pair of plastic tie-wraps. Then, you can lay your line under the “bale arm,” cock back, and pull the trigger as you cast. Why? We’re thinking it’s most likely because you accidentally clicked the wrong button on Amazon and ended up with this thing by mistake. The manufacturer, however, says “It allows you to release the line without using your finger, so it will let your finger avoid from damage no matter how hard you cast.” Of course, the manufacturer also says “Longer painless cast Essential for fixed spool.” And, “When launching on crowded beaches, make sure you stand on your feet.” No, we’re not making any of that up. Price: $9.77. See it for yourself at Amazon.com but for gosh sakes don’t accidentally click that “Buy Now” button.

Hot New Gear Buoyant Attitude

Ever wish you could find a lipped crankbait that swam vigorously without doing much diving? The Strike King Hybrid Hunter has an Lshaped lip which does a lot more wiggling than digging. Dive depth is just one to three feet, and it’s super-buoyant so it returns to the surface quickly when you slow your cranking speeds. Designed to be fished like a crankbait but allowing you to retrieve over SAV without getting fouled, the 3.5-inch, half-ounce Hybrid Hunter also has loud rattles and 3-D eyes. Over a dozen color patterns are available. Price: $8.99. Visit strikeking.com to learn more.

Shopping Spree

True story: we sort of ran out of cool new gear to talk about this month, so we poked around a few of the websites for FishTalk advertisers (heck, we don’t want to leave any of the family behind!) and ended up on Catch All Tackle… which led to an unexpected shopping spree. Steal number one: they have ball-bearing swivels for $12.49 for a 12-pack. A TWELVE pack. These things usually go for two to three times the price. “Add to cart,” clicked. Then, we found Green Machines — an utter must-have for offshore — priced at 10 bucks. Click! Then, we came across a 100-yard spool of 30-pound fluorocarbon for $26.99, which looked like a decent price since a quick Google search turned up one of the bigname brands for $29.99. Except when we read the fine print we found that was for a 50-yard spool, not 100 yards. Click and double-click. Check it out for yourself, people; this one’s a find: catchalltackle.com.

Baiting Early Bulls

At some point this month the first big bull redfish of the season will show up. Expect them to make their initial appearance at the shoals at the mouth of the Bay and along the lower Eastern Shore in relatively limited numbers, as the early forerunners won’t be in the massive schools that appear later in the season. But after the long wait for spring, getting just one of these bruisers on the line is well worth the effort—who can wait another day!? But, how will you target them? Baiting up is the most common method

• Rig up 40-pound class or heavier rods and reels with fishfinderstyle rigs weighted down by fourto six-ounce pyramid sinkers. Add 50-pound fluorocarbon

leaders terminating with 8/0 to 10/0 circle hooks.

• Get peeler or “buckram” crab (buckrams are recently shed crab that have hardened up just enough to be too tough to be sold as soft), and get plenty. These big fish want a big meal, and a half a crab makes for a single bait. If you can’t get crab, fresh cut bunker, mullet, or spot are the backup baits.

• Anchor up just off the edge of a shoal. These early fish will be cruising along the depth changes, so you’ll want your baits to be sitting right on the edges.

• Go early and stay late. The early

bulls can be caught at any time of day, but the best fishing is commonly in low light especially at dusk. On calm evenings, night fishing can be the move.

Abandoning the Bait

You say you hate fishing bait, or maybe you just can’t locate a good supply? All is not lost if you still want to target those early bulls. While big schools and sight fishing may not be in the cards for a few more weeks, trolling wobbling spoons is another way to get early birds on the line.

• Rig up heavy trolling gear with four- to eight-ounce inline weights, followed by a 10- to 15-foot leader in the 60- to 80-pound range. At the end tie on a large wobbling spoon of around five to seven inches, like a Tony Acetta, Huntington Drone, or Crippled Alwive. Silver, gold, and

green prism are all good finishes and having feathers at the hook doesn’t hurt.

• Set a speed just about as slow as you (and your boat) can stand it. Two to three mph is the sweet spot.

• Shadow the contours of the shoals, keeping your offerings as close to the edges as possible. However you choose to tackle the big bruisers of spring, remember that this is an all catch-and-release fishery, so these reds need to be treated with kid gloves. Snapping off a photo with the fish still in the water is ideal. If you’re going to land the fish be sure to use a net with knotless, rubberized mesh. Support the fish both at the head (but keep your hands and fingers away from its gills) and about two-thirds of the way down its body, and wet your hands before handling them so you don’t rub off their protective coat of slime.

# The shoals and edges in the vicinity of Fisherman’s Island are a hot zone for early bull drum.

# Brian picked up this 43-incher while fishing single-handed in April of ’20.

C HESAPEA k E C ALENDAR

BROUGHT TO YOU BY Fo R C HESAPEAKE B AY B o ATING NEWS , v ISIT PROPTAL k. COM

April through Apr 2

maryland Day in annapolis and anne arundel county

Celebrate Maryland’s birthday weekend! Enjoy 60 events at historic homes, museums, and cultural sites in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County all weekend with free and $1 admission events. Find events at marylandday.org

1-2 mtam safety at sea

Three US Sailing-sanctioned certificate courses and one cruising course will be offered. Held at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Presented by MTAM.

1

- Oct 31

the great chesapeake invasives count In this unique free competition platformed on the iAngler app, each time you log a snakehead, blue catfish, or flathead catfish, you get another entry in the monthly prize drawings. The data collected helps fishery managers understand which invasives are being caught and where, their sizes, and more. Register: ccamd.org

6 liVE with lenny Tune in for an interactive live stream with Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow where he discusses various seasonal fishing tips and tricks for targeting a variety of fish species. fishtalkmag.com/live-with-lenny

8-22

fsff two-part casting clinic

April 8 and April 22 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Two sessions, one on-land and classroom style where you can learn anywhere from basics through advanced tips and tricks. The second class will be on the water, where you will feel what it is like in real world scenarios with water tension and water loading the rod. Both sessions will have instructors for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students. This event is free for members and guests. Guests can choose to join for only $15/ year. Questions: rybeer@gmail.com

12 frederick saltwater anglers club monthly meeting

Frederick Saltwater Anglers meet monthly at 7 p.m. at the Frederick Elks Club, the second Wednesday of every month. Food starts at 6 p.m. and we have speakers, vendors, and raffles with 50/50s. Call Rob at 301.606.0392 for more information.

14-16 Bay Bridge Boat show

One of the largest in-water shows north of Florida, the Bay Bridge Boat Show marks the beginning of the boating season on the Chesapeake Bay. Stevensville, MD. Tickets: annapolisboatshows.com

15 fsff monthly hands-on session

Do you have an upcoming event? send the details to: kaylie@proptalk.com

“A Virtual Fly Fishing Tour of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore Ponds.” Mike Mattia, Larry Oakley, John Rentch, and Mark Bange will each share their experiences fly fishing on a wide array of different Delaware and Maryland Eastern Shore ponds. Free to Free State Fly Fishers members and visitors. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the FSFF clubhouse (behind Ford Hall) in the Davidsonville Family Recreation Center in Davidsonville, MD. Questions: rybeer@gmail.com

15 capca cpr/aED & first aid for Boaters

This program is taught by American Heart Association Certified Instructors who are all experienced boaters. Upon completion of the training, students will receive an American Heart Association Course Completion Card in CPR, AED and First Aid. This certification card has a two-year expiration date, and it is accepted by the USCG for captain’s license requirements. An AHAapproved CPR face mask is required for this course. If you do not have one, a mask will be available for purchase at the class for $15. Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Location: Selby Bay Yacht Club in Edgewater, MD. Cost: $100 for CAPCA members and SBYC members and their families; $115 for all others. Register: capca.net/classes. Questions: alan@safetyinstituteofmd.com

19 Boat Buying 101 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Van Lennep Auditorium at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD. Join Wes Williams, CBMM’s Charity Boat Donations and Sales Program Director, for an evening learning the ins and outs of what to expect when buying a boat. Cost: $25. Preregistration required at cbmm.org

20 a chesapeake perspective

This new series moderated by FishTalk Angler-in-Chief, Lenny Rudow, will feature industry leaders from the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic region with whom viewers will be able to engage with by asking questions during the live stream via Facebook on YouTube. 7 to 8:30 p.m. “Opportunities and Impacts of Invaisve Fish.” fishtalkmag.com/ chesapeake-perspective

PARTY, BAND, GREAT FOOD

Registration Deadline May 3

Limited to 100 boats

Fish Measure-in

Results based on Catch & Release only, using digital photos on the Official Boatyard 2023 yardstick.

Entry Fee

$250 per boat of 4 anglers

$50 for each extra angler

Registration Forms & Rules: boatyardbarandgrill.com

Great Sponsor Prizes! 1st Place fish outline hung from a Boatyard beam!

FRIDAY, MAY 5

Skipper’s Meeting 5-7 pm

Live Music

SATURDAY, MAY 6

Fish Measure-in

Must be in line by 4:30 pm

Party + Band 4-8 pm

Timmie Metz Band & Tambo

Awards Ceremony 5 pm

BENEFITS

Registration opens March 6. More info at boatyardbarandgrill.com

Chesapeake Calendar

A pril

(continued)

22-23 Eastern shore sea glass & coastal arts festival

At the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD. This event brings artisans and craftspeople— many from the local DelMarVa area, and others traveling from as far away as New England—who will exhibit and sell coastal and sea-glass related jewelry, home décor, art, and more.

23 Earth Day, our future planet

At Elk Neck State Park in North East, MD. Stop by the nature center to pick up an Earth Day kit, then enjoy a selfguided walk through the park. Look for local flora and fauna with a scavenger hunt sheet and pick up any litter you may encounter along the way. To earn a stamp of appreciation for your participation on Earth Day, visit the nature center with your completed scavenger hunt and collected trash. Day use fees waived for Earth Day participants.

27 Bosun’s Electronics seminar

6 p.m. at Bosun’s Marine in Grasonville, MD. Garmin Electronics expert, Amanda Funk, will be talking about Sonar and Navionics. Register online at bosuns.com/events, by calling 410.286.1350 or emailing ahaddaway@bosuns.com

27 fly fishing film tour

At the Annapolis Maritime Musuem. Event begins at 5:30 p.m., films start at 7 p.m. Raffle prizes, beverages, and more. Featuring some of the most breathtaking fly fishing footage on the planet, including fishing for barramundi in Australia, hundred-pound tarpon on the flats, golden trout of the Sierra Nevada, and Gulf Coast redfish.

28 cmm maritime performance series

7 to 9 p.m. at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, MD. Doors open at 6 p.m. Beer, wine, soda, and water available for purchase. Tickets: $20 online, $25 at the door. Live music by Lulu’s Fate.

28-30 annapolis spring sailboat show

Ring in the new season with sailing enthusiasts from around the MidAtlantic for an in-water show showcasing the industry’s latest boats, gear, and tech.

28 - May 7

capt. Zed’s 32nd annual spring flounder tournament

7 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Wachapreague, VA. The tournament runs through May 7 with a whopping $5000 going to the first-place winner. All the action will be at the Island House and Trident Tackle, right in the heart of town.

29 all about maryland festival

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gunpowder State Park (Hammerman area) in Chase, MD. Featuring a live demonstration crafter village; butterfly exhibit; crab cake challenge; “Taste of Maryland” vineyard, brewers, and distillers garden; classic car show, and children’s activities. Free parking and shuttle, $10 admission at gate (ages five and under are free).

29-30 carp-a-thon Join Amped Up Outdoors at Prince Gallitzin State Park in Patton, PA. Two-day carp fishing social event.

29-30 pirates invade Yorktown Weekend

Step back into the Golden Age of piracy as Riverwalk Landing and the Watermen’s Museum are invaded by seafaring marauders! Enjoy live blacksmith demonstrations and fun for lads and lasses of all ages. Explore a pirate encampment, sing along to sea shanties, take part in a town-wide treasure hunt, and witness exciting cannon demonstrations. Free. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days in Yorktown, VA.

5-7 Dc Boat show

Inaugural boat show on the Potomac River in National Harbor. There will be a wide variety of vessels from sail to power, and new to quality pre-owned.

6 20th annual BB&g catch & release spring fishing tournament

Presented by the Boatyard Bar & Grill. Registration deadline: May 3 (limited to 100 boats). $250 per boat of 4 anglers. Awards ceremony at 5 p.m.; party and band from 4 to 8 p.m. Proceeds support the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Coastal Conservation Association Maryland, and the Annapolis Police Foundation’s Youth Fishing Camp. Register: boatyardbarandgrill.com

6 Yorktown Blues, Brews, & BBQ festival

Sample more than 30 local craft beers, dig into some amazing BBQ (available for purchase), and listen as some of the best blues musicians in Hampton Roads and beyond take the stage at Riverwalk Landing in Yorktown, VA. Tickets: villageevents.org

10 frederick saltwater anglers club monthly meeting Frederick Saltwater Anglers meet monthly at 7 p.m. at the Frederick Elks Club, the second Wednesday of every month. Food starts at 6 p.m. and we have speakers, vendors, and raffles with 50/50s. Call Rob at 301.606.0392 for more information.

18 finned invaders: fishing for invasives

7 to 8 p.m. online event. Join Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake and FishTalk Magazine as we hear from speakers Dr. Noah Bressman of Salisbury University and Eric Packard, FishTalk Magazine contributor, to explore the impact of invasive fish. We’ll learn about how blue catfish and snakehead impact the Chesapeake and its native species from Dr. Bressman, before learning how to catch them from Eric Packard. No fishing experience necessary!

For links to the websites for these events and more, visit proptalk.com/calendar

# Logan pulled up this beaut of a bass.

# Ryan pulled a fat bass up while casting in the waters of the Pocomoke on a midwinter fishing trip.

# Chris pulled up this nice pickerel while fishing in Smithville Lake.

# Captain Cook sent in pics of these nice tog, after a day of fishing off the Delaware coast.

# It’s a multigenerational first fish pic! Andy and Gary each caught their first rockfish in the Choptank last fall.

# Jake fooled a beautiful trout in Friends Creek.

# “Professional angler Gil” jigged up this strange critter at Love Point — that fish must have been lost!

# That’s one very nice fish for Brian, caught on the jig at Hodges.

# Seth tempted the carp into biting by drowning some worms above Conowingo.

# Rick hit the water in New York and the steelhead came out to play.

# Dillon tied into this pickerel while perch fishing in the Magothy.

# Gary caught a monster of a pickerel, this one 28 inches, seven pounds, and seven ounces.

# Ethan caught a rare February speck while fishing at the power plant this winter.

# Emma the puppy “caught” her first bass.

# Andy jumped on with Capt. Tom Weaver, and enjoyed a spectacular day of February fishing.

# Tim Elliott braved the chill, and was rewarded with a 25-inch pickerel from a Patapsco trib.

# JW and Tom found some winter stripers willing to bite.

# Lucy enjoyed some awesome winter fishing – and holy cow look at the size of that white perch!!

# Chris was trolling out of Playa del Carmen this winter, when a four foot barracuda came out to play.

# Christine hooked into this beauty in the lower Bay – woohoo!!

# vadim was targeting perch, but this carp had a different kind of bite in mind.

# Mike and Greg ran down to Crystal River to enjoy a little Florida fishing in February.

# Herb scored a slab crappie and a fattie bass while on the hunt for pickerel this winter.

Hot New Fishboats

Twin Vee 400 GFX CC: Apex Predator

There are predators, and then there are apex predators. In whatever environment they may prowl, the hunters at the very top of the food chain are big, fast, agile, and armed with sharp claws and teeth. And in the world of offshore fishing boats, the Twin Vee 400 GFX center console is the final link in this chain.

Size Matters

With 40 feet of LOA and 12 feet of beam, as you’d expect, the boat has an extraordinary amount of deck space both fore and aft. There’s also plenty of room to fish your way right around the console and forward console doublecoffin box. Yes, this boat’s so big the coffin box is a double-wide (and also does double duty as a megalounger, of course), with 118 gallons of capacity per side. And while it would take an utterly epic fishing trip to fill both sides up, if you do so you’ll barely be denting this boat’s fishhauling abilities because the twin in-deck fishboxes hold another 175 gallons each. That’s a total of 586 gallons of fish-stowing capacity — you could land a dozen each of tuna, mahi-mahi, and wahoo, toss in a few

swordfish, and then add in a 10-man limit of tilefish, and never even coming close to running out of space to ice them down.

Multispecies hauls like that require a predatorial platform that’s equipped to fish in multiple fashions, something that’s not a problem on this boat. It’s got all the accouterments that are on par for a 40-foot fishing machine, like twin 45-gallon livewells in the transom (fed by Hooker variable-speed pumps), a massive tackle and rigging station in the back of the aft leaning post, 20 flush-mount rodholders in the gunwales plus eight rocket launchers on the pipework and 10 more at the transom, fresh and raw water washdowns, and so

on and so forth. But twin Vee also rigs this boat out with a lot of unexpected features that are ideal for applying diverse tactics. The electric reel outlets you might want for winching up those tilefish, for example, are present and accounted for. Or the underwater LEDs and the T-top floodlight bar you might like when you spend the night swordfishing. Heck, transommounted tuna tubes are even an option, as are dual 22-inch MFDs at the helm.

Ready To Pounce

As for speed and agility, rigged with quadruple Suzuki DF350A outboards you can easily cruise for the blue water

# Long runs to distant fishing grounds will never be a problem on the Twin vee 400 GFX.

The 400 GFX Center Console is the biggest Twin Vee ever to prowl the water.

# The Twin vee 400 GFX is one bodacious powercat fishing machine.

Qu IC k F ACTS

LOA: 40’ 0”

Beam: 12’ 0’

Displacement: 14,500 lbs.

Draft (hull): 2’ 3”

Transom Deadrise: N/A

Fuel Capacity: 750 gal

Max Power: 1600hp

at speeds in the mid-40s. Bump the throttles up to a fast cruise and you’ll go on the attack at around 50, and when you firewall the throttles, bust past the 60-mph mark. You say you want to fish the far side of some distant canyon? Cruising at 4000 rpm and 40 mph the 400 GFX Center Console gets an impressive 0.9 mpg, providing a range of over 600 miles. If you can stand to pull the throttles back even more and cruise in the low 20s, range stretches to a rather amazing 800-plus miles — you could cruise all the way from Miami to Maine with just one stop for fuel in the Carolinas.

part of this speed and efficiency comes from the powercat design, which often out-performs monohulls of the same size and power. But the way this boat is built is also partially responsible. Twin Vee vacuum-infuses the fiberglass parts for the 400 GFX Center Console, while reinforcing critical areas with carbon fiber to keep strength at a maximum while also minimizing weight. That results in a displacement tipping the scales at just 14,500 pounds, significantly less than some competitors of similar dimensions.

Atypical Pinnacle

There are a number of big feisty cats these days, including several at or over the 40-foot mark, but the Twin Vee has a number of features not often seen among its competition. For starters, this boat takes its fishing a bit more seriously than many others. Rather than design in a monster console cabin — which can reduce fishability by eating into deck space — it keeps the console simple and svelte and utilizes the forward section for those gigantic fishboxes rather than belowdecks berth space. Also note the

absence of additional bow-cluttering seating (unless you opt for it) and (God forbid) frou-frou junk like electric dinette tables and wet bars. On top of that the boat has second-row seating, something not commonly seen until you jump up to a larger size class. And finally, we have to circle back to that extraordinary range. Very few center console outboard boats can even come close to it at displacement speeds, much less while cruising at over 20 mph.

Is the Twin Vee 400 GFX Center Console the king of the jungle? We’ll leave that to you to decide. But as for its place in the food chain, there can be no debate — this carnivore sits at the top.

Total Marine, Grasonville, MD, (410) 604-6000 or totalmarine.com

Aquasport 2500: The Bay and Beyond

When you get a 25-foot center console with twin engines it seems reasonable to expect to be able to haul down to the beach and fish the ocean when the weather allows. And sure, you can do so on most boats of this size and nature — but many are woefully under-gunned for offshore fishing. You want a boat that can handle both bay action and bluewater battle? Check out the Aquasport 2500.

We ran across this model at the Chesapeake Bay Boat Show, and were startled at what we found. Take tackle stowage, for example. Most 25-footers have some form of onboard stowage usually incorporating two to four Plano boxes and maybe a single larger stowage compartment. That’s barely

Hot New Fishboats

sufficient for what you need to fish the bay, much less offshore. The Aquasport has two swing-out compartments in the inwales, one on either side, each holding two large tackle boxes. Then there’s another tackle station built into the leaning post, this one with five more Planos, a bulk stowage tray, and a knife/ pliers rack. Dittos for the livewells. There’s a 32 gallon well in the transom, and a second 32 gallon well built into the back of the leaning post. Sixty-four gallons of livewell capacity in a 25-footer? Youbetcha. That leaning post well has been improved as compared to last year’s model, too, and is now pressurized and has a clear lid. Then consider the fact that there’s an insulated compartment in the transom for pre-rigged baits, which has the space for a dozen skirted ballyhoo. There are both raw and freshwater washdowns. And the fishboxes under the bowdeck have plenty of room for your future vacuum-packed tuna steaks.

Qu IC k F ACTS

LOA: 24’ 10”

Beam: 8’ 10”

Displacement: 5,474 lbs.

Draft (hull): 1’ 9”

Transom Deadrise: 23 deg.

Fuel Capacity: 168 gal.

Water Capacity: 9 gal.

Max Power: 500hp

Speaking of the bowdeck: It’s slightly elevated and cushioned, with swing-out backrests on the inwale for use as forward-facing seating.

Thank you, Aquasport, for mounting those backrests rather than opting for the removable (and difficult to stow) drop-in backrests. The big standout here, however, will be the gunwale depth up forward. While a higher deck elevation might be ideal for gaining casting distance and visibility, the way Aquasport has it set up you could send a trio of ankle-biters up to the bow and they’ll be safely contained. Family anglers are likely to appreciate the arrangement. And on serious fishing trips the cushions can be left at home and the deck used for casting.

Other family touches? Helm chairs are uber-comfy flip-up bolsters with arm rests, there’s a

folding bench seat at the transom, a head compartment inside the console, and a removable cooler with seat in front of the console. Some may argue that integrated seating would be more comfortable, but having the removable cooler makes it easier to load and unload drinks and food for those long days offshore, or those days on the bay. And in this boat, you’ll be able to enjoy both sorts of fishing trips — with a full complement of armaments.

A REA D EALER

Tradewinds Marina

Middle River, MD, (410) 335-7000 or tradewindsmarina.com

Seamagine Ocean Pearl: imagine That

You say you want to learn as much as you can about how those fish think, and will pull out all the stops to do so? Okay, then it’s time to get a Seamagine Ocean Pearl and swim with the rockfish. These two-person submersibles can dive to 300 feet, travel at three knots, and have vertical, lateral, and side thrusters powered by a 28-kWh battery that’s good for a 10- to 12-hour dive with a 96-hour life support backup. The robotic arm is optional. Price: A cool mil. Visit seamagine.com.

By Staff

Bay Bridge Boat Show Special

You say you want to hit the water this spring with a brand-new fishing boat? Now’s the perfect time to make it happen.

Spring is in the air, anglers! The waters are warming, the spring spawns are underway, and the glorious dawn of a new fishing season is upon us. WOOHOO! If you’ve been thinking that a new fishing boat is how you want to start this season out, the timing is perfect thanks to the Bay Bridge Boat Show. This is your best opportunity of the spring to look at row after row of gleaming fiberglass hulls, shining stainless-steel rodholders, and cavernous fishboxes.

This year’s show, one of the largest in-water shows north of Florida, takes place at the Bay Bridge Marina on Kent Island in Stevensville,

MD, from Friday, April 14 through Sunday, April 16. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the show closing one hour earlier on Sunday. Along with all the boats there will be BoatU.S. on-water training available (including courses on basic boating, docking, and open water boat handling, plus courses specifically for women), the PropTalk Demo Dock, and for you anglers FishTalk’s Fishing Pavilion with all kinds of cool angling action and kids activities. Be sure to bring the kids by, because we’ll have some FishTalk fishing freebies on hand for ‘em! This is one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s biggest, bestest boat shows

of the year, and we hope to see you all there. If you’re buying a boat, we also hope you’ll come prepared for some serious shopping. But boat shopping is a bit different than shopping for other major items. As you peruse the fields of fiberglass, remember:

BRING THE FAM

Everyone in the family is going to spend time aboard, and you should hear their input now — not after it’s too late to discover that a freshwater shower, or a head compartment, or a ski tow-bit, or whatever was a musthave to someone in the clan. Added bonus: if getting a fishing boat is a tough sell with your spouse, having

# Courtesy of Annapolis Boat Shows

them there will likely get them just as excited as you are about the prospect. (And if not, it gives you ladies the chance to pump your husband full of libations and then ask again).

TAkE PICTURES

Lot and lots of pictures, and make sure you snap the spec and pricing sheets for boats of interest. You may or may not decide to buy on the spot, and looking at so many boats at once it’s easy to mix them up. Making a photo bank as you go lets you sort through the wheat from the chaff after you’ve walked through all the displays, and decide which are worth going back for a second look.

ADD ON THE OPTIONS

Some boats have a long list of standard features, and others come with a steering wheel and a motor, period. When you add up the cost of all the optional features you want on Boat A, you might discover it’s actually more expensive than Boat B even though the advertised base price was lower. Be sure to use the

calculator on your cell phone and add everything up before drawing any conclusions.

GET TO kNOW THE DEALER

All boat dealers are not equal, and buying from one that’s reputable as opposed to a fly-by-night operation is a very big deal. You’ll probably be taking your boat to them for service and warranty work, and you want to know they’ll treat you right. Proximity to their location should be weighed as a consideration, but many buyers consider it well worth the effort to travel a bit if they’re confident the dealer will treat them fairly and promptly. Take note of details like how long they’ve been in business, if they offer full service, and whether or not they’re willing to share some references with you.

SIT IN THE SEATS

Some builders design uber-comfortable ergonomic seating, while others mold a box then cap it with a cushion and call

it a seat. At the end of the day, there’s a world of difference in comfort levels between the two. And many builders are very adept at making things look a lot better than they really are. There’s only one way to really get a feel for how comfortable the seating on a boat is, and that’s to actually sit in it for a while.

DON’T SETTLE ON ELECTRONICS

Some manufacturers offer only Brand X, others offer Brand Y, and some give you a choice. Whatever the case may be, settling for Brand Z because it “comes with the boat” is a bad idea, especially if there’s a particular feature or function you’re accustomed to fishing with. Most of the time you can get a credit or price reduction by leaving the electronics off and there are plenty of reputable shops that can put in exactly what you want.

Okay: are you ready to set off on new angling adventures to make this new fishing season one of the best ever? A new fishing boat is the perfect way to make it happen — we’ll see you at the Bay Bridge Boat Show! #

Buying Tips

You’ve found the perfect boat for you and yours, and it’s time to stroke on the dotted line? Here are a few important buying tips to keep in mind.

• Order all the covers you can, and if possible get a full boat cover. This will radically extend the lifespan of your electronics, gauges, seat cushions, and anything else that would otherwise be exposed to the sun and salt air.

• Don’t skimp on power choice. As a general rule of thumb getting the max power on a boat will make it easier to resell down the line and boost its resale value. Besides, if you feel like the engine is too potent you can always pull the throttle back. But if you opt for a smaller powerplant and yearn for more oomph down the line, there isn’t much you can do about it.

• Don’t skimp on MFD size. As a general rule of thumb anglers will always be happiest getting the largest possible LCD screen(s), especially if you plan to use goodies like side-scan.

• If the boat’s missing an option you’d like, ask the dealer if they can add it on prior to delivery. Some items can’t be easily retrofitted, but many others are easy to install and the dealer may be able to order the part from the manufacturer.

# The whole family will be out there fishing on that boat, so bring ‘em to the show and get their input before you buy.

Light Tackle Doormats

Coming soon: your chance to score a fat flattie on light tackle.

By Lenny Rudow

For many anglers out there, flounder fishing means drifting around with weighted, baited rigs and relatively heavy gear. And to a light tackle aficionado that’s a darn shame — those flatfish have a unique way of striking and fighting, and going head-to-head with one on light gear is a ton of fun. If that sounds like your idea of a good time then stay tuned, because your chance to hook up with a doormat on light gear is coming up this April.

Spring Feed

We normally picture flounder sitting on the bottom in relatively deep water along a channel edge or next to

structure, in a high-current area, waiting to ambush an incoming baitfish. The traditional method of hooking up in this situation is dragging a Fluke Killer baited with a minnow/squid strip combo (or a Gulp! Swimming Mullet at the wrecks and reefs) along the bottom. And for most of the fishing season, this is a good way to catch these fish. But it often requires a fair amount of weight to hold bottom, and thus, means using relatively heavy tackle. During the spring, however, flatties move into the shallows where they’re vulnerable to light tackle casting and even fly fishing.

Don’t be deceived by the term “shallows.” We’re not talking about five to 10 feet of water — the flounder will push up onto flats and bars that are just a couple feet deep, and sometimes, will be hooked mere inches from marsh grass. What the heck are these fish doing? Traditional theory holds that they move up onto the shallows to enjoy the sun-warmed waters. As the tide begins to fall, they’ll often hunt near the mouths of marsh creeks, which bring both warmer water and a food supply as they drain down. No doubt, there’s truth to this concept. Or, maybe not — who can say what a fish’s motivation is,

# This fine flattie was hooked in the shallows of Isle of Wight Bay last April.

without question? But one thing is for sure: their presence in these shallow waters allows you to bring light gear to bear.

Get Geared Up

What lures are best? In this situation, you can go after them by casting three- and four-inch soft plastics and bucktails in the halfounce range. Some flounder purists stick with a plain white bucktail, some will dress it with a small squid strip, and some will add a Gulp! Shrimp tail. Fly anglers will stick to streamers and deceivers that mimic minnow and shrimp. In low-light conditions or in discolored water, try darker colors like purple, rootbeer, or dull orange. Note, however, that flounder always tend to bite better in clear water and sunshine so on days when it’s cloudy or murky, you have to expect a tough bite.

Cast these lures with a six- to seven-foot light action rod with a fast tip, sporting a reel spooled with braid. Unlike bait fishing for flounder you’ll want to set the hook the moment you have a bite, and the

braid will help you punch through the flounder’s boney jaws. A few feet of 20-pound fluorocarbon leader caps off the rig. After the water levels have fallen it’s time to shift your focus to the areas where the flats meet the channel edges and start working slightly deeper. That may mean either upsizing your lead-head, or changing tactics entirely and using the more common baited hook/drift fishing or trolling methods in the deeper channel waters. And on dead low tides when you’ll be looking to find the fish deep, up-sizing the weight will be a must.

Whatever Floats Your Boat

In order to access the shoals and shallows, obviously, a small boat is advantageous. Anything that requires more than two feet of draft becomes a handicap, and flat bottom jon boats, kayaks, and the like will have the best abilities to work in close to marsh cuts and sand bars. But there are a few critical

notes about working the shallows in boats. First off, don’t forget that the noise you make will have an effect on the fish’s behavior. Loud bangs, such as those created by a slamming fiberglass hatch, can ruin an area for several minutes. Two-stroke outboards running at idle also create a racket. Running an electric motor is stealthy but will still create prop noise, which is directly related to RPM. Accordingly, approach awesome-looking potential hotspots as slowly as possible. The least-recognized fishspooking noise? The human voice. Talking at a regular speaking level, much less shouting, is audible from at least 50 feet away under water. Warn your crew to hush the noise levels before coming close to your hotspots, and try to keep the celebratory shouting to a minimum when a fish comes over the gunwales.

So: are you ready to put your light tackle skills to the challenge? You want to hook a true doormat on fly gear? Now’s the time to make it happen. #

Timing Is Everything

and creeks. When it’s almost full high, shift to even shallower areas and shallow water structure such as

oyster bars and marsh grass patches separated from the “mainland” marsh.

Hop your offering along the bottom at a fairly fast rate, using your rod tip to make the lure jump now and again. If you’re into using fly gear, use short, fast strips and an intermediate sinking line to be sure your offering stays close to the bottom.

As the water turns and begins flowing out cast right up into the mouths of the feeder creeks. And after it’s dropped for an hour or two be prepared to focus on deeper water once again.

When the tide is a couple of hours from full high, try working channel edges and flats close to the shorelines

West side story

By Wayne Young

The Western Shore of the middle Chesapeake holds a lot more structure than some surmise.

Light-tackle, run-and-gun fans are known for targeting Eastern Shore shoreline structure. I’ll go over there on guide trips, but having downsized to an easy-to-launch skiff, Western Shore structures near the boat ramp de jour have become higher on my prospecting list. Is there structure on the west side similar to that found on the east side, you ask? Absolutely. And, the armchair scouting technique presented in “Chesapeake Bay Fishing Reefs: Voyages of Rediscovery” is how I find them.

My search list includes natural structure, rock-hardened points, old rock groins that have settled below the surface, and newer groins that jut out into current flow. Also on my list is rock shore protection that failed and submerged, sometimes with shoreline erosion that puts the remains offshore, segmented breakwater ends and openings, and duck blind pilings. Add these to oyster reefs and fish havens in the tributaries and along the west side at various locations, ruins, and wellknown features such as the Thomas Point rocks.

Charts 1 and 2 provide a partial compilation by general location and type of what’s out there to cast to. For illustration and discussion purposes, structure is labeled as follows:

• A – Unidentified anomalies.

• B – Segmented breakwaters.

• G – Awash and submerged or partially submerged rock groins.

• J – Rock jetties at entrances to boat basins.

• P – Natural and armored points that jut out and interact with current.

• R – Rock-armored and natural points that have been weathered or submerged such as by scouring, settling on bottoms that lacked sufficient strength for their weight, relative sealevel rise, erosion, or a combination of all of the above.

• S – Stone shoreline protection that failed for similar reasons.

• T – Unprotected and no longer protected shorelines with extensive fallen timber.

• W – Wooden bulkhead and pier ruins. Points themselves are a primary striper prospecting stop because of their interaction with currents. Some points have suspended sediment streams when current is running due to shoreline and

bottom conditions, such as at Thomas Point. The best fishing here is often off the point at the shoal edge where there are scattered rocks, and at the lighthouse icebreakers. See “Thomas Point Rocks” at FishTalkMag.com for a full accounting of how and where to fish the shoal.

A number of spots where stone shoreline protection failed have been improved through construction of rock armor to modern coastal engineering standards. Sometimes the new structures are behind the old structures, which were then abandoned in place. These earlier failed or failing structures have, in effect, become artificial fishing reefs. Features like this are worth a few casts when in the area, though the likelihood of finding them is small unless they’re ferreted out in advance through research.

# Chart 1: Westside shoreline features near Annapolis.

Take special note that some of the failed shore protection structures extend or have outer remnants that are well offshore, or shorelines have receded leaving fallen timber father out than might be expected. Just south of Franklin Point, look for the failed end of stone shoreline armor that has an outer end that’s over 100 yards offshore. On the north side is a field of submerged fallen timber. The waters here are shallow. However, the outer end of the rocks can be approached and cast to. There are also a few areas where there are pilings, some broken off, from long gone bulkheads and piers. Then there are the unlighted and uncharted pound nets. One particularly extensive area of bulkhead ruins is found at Long Point (Image 1) at the mouth of Parker Creek. A

wooden bulkhead formerly protected the bayside shoreline. The outer line of pilings marks where the island edge was before the bulkhead failed. Much of the existing shoreline has been re-armored with rock. An old, drowned groin at the southeast corner is just the type of feature I’m looking for to cast to when current is running. It

can be approached carefully from the southeast.

We’ll close with a mystery structure south of Turkey Point where Ramsay Lake meets the South River. Marked as an anomaly on Image 2, look for a 125-foot linear structure. The southwestern line of material has the appearance of concrete or possibly large cut rocks. There

# Chart 2: General location of west side, upper Middle Bay shoreline structures by type.

West side story

are a couple of tree snags west of the northwest end. Water here is shallow. It’s been there a long time and was obviously deliberately constructed — when and by whom remains unknown.

Digging into historic nautical charts confirms that Ramsay Lake was once closed off. Originally charted under that name, it then appeared as Ramsey’s Gut for a number of years, indicating a tidal connection. There was indeed an opening between Little Island and the southwest tip of Turkey Point Island from before the Civil War that is now filled in. The current mouth breached between the late 1950s and 1962. The anomaly is along the outside of where there was a spit after the breach. We think this was shore protection in the form of a slab revetment with a rock toe that ultimately failed. Regardless of derivation, it attracts fish.

Editor’s note: Since this is right in my backyard and I hit it on a regular basis: The water here is only a couple of feet at high tide, and during high water it can be an excellent white perch spot. High water at daybreak or dusk can produce rockfish on topwater too, and although the vast majority are in the 12- to 18-inch range I’ve seen fish up to 24-inches come out of here. On low water it’s usually barren and so shallow that even my 16’ skiff will run aground. - LR.

So, that’s a quick synopsis of the west side story, at least the advance scouting part. The fishing part of the story is written each time we go out and prospect such features. Many are passed by as boats head out to wherever the fleet is or where yesterday’s fishing report put the fish. But, if you’re adventurous, like to explore, and are looking for a less pressured day on the water, some of the obscure west side sites might be your ticket. #

Wayne Young is the author of “Bridges Under Troubled Waters: Upper Chesapeake and Tidal Potomac Fishing Reefs,” “Chesapeake Bay Fishing Reefs, Voyage of Discovery,” “Phantoms of the Lower Bay,” and “Hook, Line, and Slinker,” as well as several wreck and reef books covering the coast. All are available at amazon.com, and you can find his Facebook page at Chesapeake Bay Fishing Reefs.

# Image 2: Anomaly that’s probably a failed shore protection structure south of Turkey Point in the mouth of Ramsay Lake. Images courtesy of Google Earth.

# Image 1: Failed wooden bulkhead and partially submerged rock groin at Long Point at the mouth of Parker Creek. Satellite image courtesy of Google Earth.

Rigging for Beginners, Part II: Rigging Lu Res

By Staff

Learn how to rig ‘em up right!

There are few things more frustrating than buying a lure, using it without success, and discovering that you had rigged it up all wrong. (Just for the record, dragging a lure around all day long only to discover in the 11th hour that you had failed to remove the plastic hook guard is even worse — been there, done that). Some lures come with instructions, others don’t, and you can learn a lot on YouTube. Unfortunately, a lot of what you can learn on YouTube is also patently wrong. With these basics under your belt, however, any ambitious beginner angler can get rigged up right and start catching fish.

Soft Plastic Jigs

We’ll start with this one first since soft plastics are so incredibly popular and effective in our region. And fortunately, rigging these up is easy. Most will have a slot or pocket molded into the plastic, sometimes called the “hook pocket.” Simply insert your hook in the front of the lure, push it through until the point comes out of the pocket, and push the plastic all the way up the hook shank to the head.

When the bite is red hot and it isn’t as important to get every little bit of action out of the tail, some anglers will flip the tail over and push the hook out through the lure upside-down, to avoid the hook pocket. The theory is that this makes for a tougher rig that will stand up to more abuse from multiple fish. There are also some soft plastics out there with no hook pocket. In these cases, just try to make sure the hook is on an even keel in the tail so it swims level and upright. Should those with paddles point tail-up, or should they point down? There’s a running debate on this, but we see zero difference in the results so feel free to put that tail on facing whichever way you like.

Trolling or Wobbling Spoons

The spoons themselves will be ready to use right out of the package, but how you’ll want to rig them up on the line will differ by tactic by species. Rigging a Clark spoon for mackerel trolling is, for example, quite different from rigging a Tony for rockfish. The variations and variables are too numerous to list out here, but fortunately, we’ve covered them before and you can see these rigs and more by checking out Chesapeake Bay Multispecies Trolling at FishTalkMag.com. Beyond looking up the specifics, there are a couple of commonalities in rigging trolling or wobbling spoons we need to

point out for whenever you may try employing these rigs. First, any time you have a spoon that swims and spins, you need to have at least one ball-bearing swivel inline. Cheap barrel swivels won’t do the job. Fail to use a ballbearing swivel and before you know it your line will become one massive mess of twist, and your cherished rod and reel will amount to nothing more than a tangle factory.

Secondly, as a general rule of thumb you can use heavier leader for rigging up spoons that will be trolled than for those that will be cast and retrieved. Most people retrieve a lot slower than

# To rig a soft plastic jig, insert hook into front of the lure, push it through until it comes out of the lure pocket, and work the plastic all the way up the shank to the jig head.

Rigging for Beginners, Part II: Riggging Lures

they think (a casually paced retrieve is just a couple mph and it’s virtually impossible to crank most reels fast enough to maintain five or six mph for more than a few seconds), so fish will often have plenty of time to eyeball your offering when you’re casting and retrieving.

Commonly called heavy metal, jigging spoons are fished in a completely different manner than trolling or wobbling spoons. They can be tied or swivel-clipped right to the end of your leader. Historically most came with a single treble hook on the bottom but these days some fresh in the package are completely unrigged. You’ll need to add hooks, usually in one of the following forms:

• A/B – Single or twin leadered hook(s) attached to a split ring on the top eye.

• C/D – A single leadered hook on top and a treble or single hook on the bottom.

All of these different methods have their advantages, and none are “right” or “wrong.” Having no treble or bottom hook works great when you’re in a snaggy area, because it minimizes snags. However, top-only rigs often get slapped and missed if and when fish are striking the spoon as it’s falling. Having a treble on the bottom is best if the fish hit while the jig sinks, but rigged this way you can pretty much count on a snag if it gets anywhere near solid structure. And having both makes for an excellent bait-delivery system when you’re fishing down deep and don’t yet know if fish chunks or squid strips are going to tempt the fish the most.

ASwimbaits

Some swimbaits come pre-rigged, and others will need to be rigged more or less like a soft plastic jig. Most anglers will simply tie these directly to their leader or use a “quick clip” as an attachment point. One variation MidAtlantic anglers need to know about, however, is weedless rigging. This style is often used in shallow, weedy waters, when fishing for bass or snakeheads. Some hooks designed for rigging in this fashion have a gooseneck of sorts near the eye. This allows you to slide the hook through the tip of the bait, slide it onto the gooseneck, then double the point back and push it through the plastic. Some other styles have a tiny barbed stake or a spring you spin into the face of the lure to secure it, before

C D

Bpushing the hook through the plastic. In both cases you’ll want to push the hook through so the point pierces the plastic but lies against it, allowing the lure to pass across weeds without snagging. When a fish chomps down on the lure it compresses the plastic body and you can set the hook.

Plugs

Most plugs come pre-rigged (and can be tied directly or clipped onto your leader), but most also come with treble hooks. Anglers who care about protecting the fish they release will remove the treble hooks, by opening up the split ring attaching the hook to the eye with a pair of split ring pliers, and replacing them with single hooks. Will you miss a few more bites than you might with trebles? A few maybe, but not by a huge margin. Plenty of fish will still find the swinging singles, and you’ll feel a whole lot better about unhooking and releasing those fish to fight another day. See the article “Minimizing Mortality,” which has a video on how to change out those treble hooks for singles, at our website.

Of course, there are plenty of other lures — a million and one varieties, actually — that all require slightly different rigging. But with these basics in your back pocket you can catch everything from rockfish to rock bass, as you continue your quest to catch more, bigger fish. #

Editor’s Note: Stay tuned for next month’s installment in our Rigging for Beginners series, Rigging Baits.

# To rig a swimbait on a weedless spring lock hook insert spring into front of the lure, spin it several times, and push the hook through the bottom of the lure until it comes out and is more or less flush.

# There are various options for rigging hooks on heavy metal spoons.

Many offshore anglers glance at SST charts before heading offshore, but the satellite data available today could be telling you much, much more.

Few things are more painful than running 50-plus miles one way, trolling offshore all day, and coming home with an empty fishbox. Ripping open 20-pound bags of unused ice and dumping the cubes over the side rubs salt in your wounds. Refilling near-empty fuel tanks is utterly excruciating. Throwing away packs of thawed ballyhoo adds insult to injury. Then — oh joy! — you get to clean the boat and gear. That’s why offshore anglers generally do everything humanly possible to stack the deck in their favor, perhaps more so than any other type of fishermen. And one of the ways they make it happen is by checking sea surface temperature (SST) data. What some folks may not realize is that from their vantage point 20,000-some miles up in the sky, today’s satellites can deliver a whole lot more.

Harnessing SST

SST remains the basic building block of satellite-provided fishing intel, so before we go off in any other directions let’s make sure everyone has a handle on it. SST charts provide you with a satellite’s view of water temperatures, showing the boundaries between different water masses as they collide, shift, and move with the currents. These boundaries are critical, because in a fish’s oceanic world they’re structure. Where different bodies of water meet they create a “break,” visible via temperature, where they grind against each other. In doing so masses of plankton, weeds, and other items at the mercy of the currents get squeezed together into concentrations. Then, predators move in to enjoy the buffet. Some temperature breaks are more significant than others and some are better defined than others. As a general rule

By Staff

of thumb the bigger and more abrupt the temperature difference is, the better. Then, look for anomalies in the break like fingers or bulges. Next, look for areas where breaks interact with physical structure like canyons or the edge of the Continental Shelf. The more of these fish-attracting factors you can piece together, the better your chances of pointing the bow in the right direction when you leave the inlet at zero-dark-early in the morning.

Subsurface Purpose

Some fishing services — though not all — can also provide you with temperature charts for subsurface waters, in some cases down as far as 90 feet. This gives you another complete dataset to work with; the same principals are at play but now working in multiple dimensions, and you may discover that there are strong temperature breaks that look very attractive from a fishing standpoint but which were hidden from the view of “regular” SST.

# Catching those offshore pelagics is no small feat, so take advantage of everything you possibly can.

Offshore Fishing

presented by

Chloro-What?

We normally think of chlorophyll as it relates to land-based plants, but in this case we’re talking about phytoplankton. Zooplankton naturally gather to graze on the phytoplankton, little critters that eat zooplankton move in, and you know what happens next: buffet time. Just like SST, again, locating breaks or fronts indicates an area fishing might be good, anomalies in the breaks are another item to look for, and interaction with physical structure gets bonus points, too.

Because of the way water bodies shift and move plankton fronts often shadow temperature breaks, so SST and chlorophyll shots will often look similar. But sometimes very strong interactions between the two, or other times a complete absence thereof, will point to the fish.

And Then…

Okay: you’ve thought about these pieces of the puzzle, you’ve spent hours poring over the data, and you’ve located the hotspot you’ll head for, right? Well, maybe. As is often the case with fishing, once you’ve got it all figured out Mother Nature pitches you a curveball. Currents change. Fronts move. Eddies form and disintegrate. What you look at on the computer screen the night before fishing isn’t necessarily what you’ll find when you arrive at the hotspot. It’s critical to look at days of satellite data to get a handle on the direction and speed of all of the above changes, and take them into account. It’s also critical to have the very latest intel in-hand when you push through the inlet, rather than depending on what the satellites were showing days ago.

Wrapping your head around all this stuff may not seem simple (and there is an easy way out — see the sidebar), but considering the investment in time, money, and lost sleep that offshore fishing requires, satellite data is definitely one card you want stacked in your deck. And hopefully, the next time you head offshore all that ice won’t go to waste. #

# In this shot just north of the Jackspot you can see an area where temperature and plankton fronts interact multiple times, and kingfish and mahi are both predicted to be. Start thawing those ballyhoo!

SiriusXM Fish Mapping has been growing in popularity because it not only shows you the raw data collected by the satellites, it also does the interpretation for you. Fish Mapping features all the items we’ve covered here, including SST, sub-surface temperature, and plankton front contours and strength. It also has a few features you won’t see often, including sea surface height anomaly (upwellings and downwellings) and the ability to map the larger weed concentrations.

Timeliness is another strong point of FishMapping, because you can get it piped right to your MFD. That reduces the possibility of looking at a satellite shot the day before fishing, then discovering that it’s moved by the time you arrive on the scene. You can also check all the latest data not only before you leave the dock, but while you’re actually out on the ocean right on your MFD screen (you’ll need a SiriusXM receiver in addition to your Fish Mapping subscription; compatible models are available for Furuno, Garmin, Lowrance, Raymarine, and Simrad MFDs).

Beyond all that, what many anglers find attractive about Fish Mapping is that along with providing all the raw data it can also take a lot of the guesswork out of the game. SiriusXM has oceanographers that check the data and make species-specific recommendations on where to fish, which are overlaid on the charts or on your chartplotter in color-coded species-specific recommendation zones.

We note that in our book, SiriusXM gets bonus points over other services because they’re FishTalk supporters. Whether or not you feel that earns ‘em some extra cred, we’d recommend checking out their one-month free trial offer. Then you can try Fish Mapping and see for yourself if it’s the right satellite service for your personal offshore fishing adventure needs. Visit siriusxm.com/fishmapping

SiriusXM is essential equipment on my boat.

Boater receives complimentary service.

“With SiriusXM Weather, I can track storms and view sea conditions. With Fish Mapping, I get scientific data to help identify areas with the best chance to find fish. And with SXM entertainment, I have a complete, total package. SiriusXM is essential equipment on my boat.”

George Gozdz, Charter Captain, Stuart, FL Host “Unfathomed TV”

Learn more at siriusxm.com/MarineOffers

Trial Offer Details: Activate a new monthly subscription to either: (i) SiriusXM Marine Fish Mapping or (ii) SiriusXM Marine Fish Mapping and the SiriusXM Platinum audio entertainment plan on the same device, and receive your first (1) month free for each activated service (a savings of $109.99 on Fish Mapping and $23.99 on Platinum service), plus get free device activation (an additional savings of $25). A credit card is required on this offer. Service will automatically renew every month thereafter and, at the beginning of your second month, you will be charged at then-current rates (currently, $109.99/mo. for Fish Mapping and $23.99/mo. for Platinum service). Fees and taxes apply. You must cancel your subscriptions during your promotional period(s) to avoid future charges. Please see our Customer Agreement at www.siriusxm.com for complete terms and how to cancel, which includes calling us at 1-800-985-9200. All fees, content and features are subject to change. This offer may be modified, suspended or canceled at any time. Subscription and hardware sold separately. Your Platinum subscription plan may be eligible for a multi-radio discounted rate if maintained on the same account as an activate full-price SiriusXM Marine Weather or Fish Mapping subscription package. $100 Rebate Offer on new hardware with subscription purchase.

NOTE: SiriusXM services may include weather, other content and emergency alert information which is not for “safety for life,” but is merely supplemental and advisory in nature, and therefore cannot be relied upon as safety critical in connection with any seacraft or any other usage. SiriusXM is not responsible for any errors or inaccuracies in the services or their use.

George Gozdz, Charter Captain, Stuart, FL

When anglers think of sight fishing for red drum, they often picture scenes of tailing reds from South Carolina or Florida. But you don’t need to travel to experience fantastic eyeball red fish fishing in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Red drum are found from New England down the coast around Florida and into the Gulf. They are strong fighters and can be tricked by a variety of fishing methods. They grow big, and some of the largest are taken from Virginia and North Carolina. The all-tackle world record is a 94-pound, two-ounce giant caught in North Carolina, and although we call them “bulls,” the largest redfish are usually females. Contrary to popular belief, they can be caught yearround in the lower Chesapeake Bay. I have caught them every single month of the year while sight fishing.

Beginning in March and into May, big reds move into the shoals and inlets at the southern end of the Eastern Shore. These fish are in schools that can be spotted on sunny, light-wind days. They will move into surprisingly shallow

By Kendall Osborne

water where they are more easily seen, but they will also swim near the surface in deeper water. You can spot them on a sonar or side scan, as well. As summer approaches, these fish spread out up the Bay and along the coast.

Don’t forget the watermelon. What… what? Feeding redfish sometimes eat so much so fast that they will regurgitate under water. This creates a slick that actually smells like watermelon. When you pick up that scent, move slowly upwind and keep your eyes peeled for both a slick and/or fish.

Next comes the summer patterns. This is when anglers can see red drum on both the flats and in the flooded grasses throughout the Bay. The large schools have usually broken up into singles or small groups of a handful. At higher tides they will enter flooded marsh to feed, South Carolina style. Yes, redfish do tail in the Chesapeake Bay region, too. The water in flooded grass is usually clear enough to actually see the fish.

They can be seen again at very low tide. Bait has to move out of the marsh as the tide ebbs, and baitfish and shrimp will congregate in holes and

depressions on and near flats. Redfish gather in these same places to feed. These fish can be difficult to spot in the muddy water, and you might cast to wakes and blowups as much as actually seeing the fish themselves.

In more northern areas up to and including the middle Bay, schools of reds can be sighted when they chase bait over open water. Although the frenzies are usually quite limited in duration many anglers “look” for the fish with their electronics, using side-scan at maximum range, when the fish aren’t driving bait to the surface and attracting tell-tale birds.

In the fall, anglers can find smaller reds as they school up again for the winter. As the water clears you can spot them more easily at mid tides and in deeper water, where they may not have been visible in summer months. Schools of larger reds move back into the lower Bay, especially near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Once again, you can find the schools swimming along the surface.

Finally, the big fish move south for the winter. However, smaller reds follow a pattern similar to speckled trout. Schools of reds, often slot-sized, will move into the backwaters of tidewater area rivers and creeks. If you find a school in a certain spot, there is a good chance they will stay close to that area all winter.

Now that you know where and when, it comes to how. Kevin Whitley, commonly known as Kayak Kevin, has probably caught more big reds in the spring than anyone else — and he has caught them all from a kayak.

“I use musky rods and boat rods with the butt cut down to 11 inches,” said Whitley. He fishes “one and a half to two-ounce heavy hook jigheads with seven-inch tails. I use a Diawa Saltist

# Spotting reds is fun, and catching them is even more fun.

with 65-pound braid coupled to an 80-pound leader.”

Fly anglers can target big reds too, with a 10-weight and a sinking line. You can still fish the sinking line in the shallows, and it can also be used on deeper reds if you notice activity on your bottom machine. You won’t have to switch rods. A large Clouser minnow, in white to tan and brown colors, will work well. Always cast to the edge of a school, because you’re less likely to spook fish that way. Bait anglers can use shrimp or cut bait, clams, or crab.

Smaller offerings are needed for fish in the flooded grass. Grass fish can be spooky, and a big splash nearby might send them scurrying to deeper water. Kayak Kevin moves down to quarter- to three-quarter-ounce heads and a 40-pound leader. He likes the Live Target Fleeing Shrimp in pink. Fly anglers can use small Clouser minnows tied in pink or tan colors. Tie some with a weed-guard, and use a six- to eight-weight rod and a floating line.

Another important piece of equipment is your transportation. When the fish are super skinny, a kayak or paddleboard provides the best access. The water is often too shallow for even the highest-tech flats skiff. In slightly deeper water, a shallow draft skiff works nicely. A poling platform provides elevation for spotting fish. Poling is difficult in soft mud, but works well on flooded marsh. You can use a trolling motor if the water is deep enough, but

I have seen larger summer reds spook from the shallows when a motor is activated.

If you’re fishing on foot, many flooded marshes are easily stalked on foot. However, low tide mud flats are usually too soft to wade. Find a marsh with a hard bottom, preferably with some shell in it. Reds like the mix of grass and shells. It’s important to move slowly and pause at times. If a fish is in the grass but not moving you could miss it and spook it, so stand for a while

scanning the marsh and wait to see a tail or fish. Then, make your approach. I’ve had the best success when I find a fish that has found something to eat and is totally focused on the prey. You can make repeated casts to a focused fish until you get your offering close enough to be found.

Sight fishing for redfish, in Chesapeake Country? You bet it’s a thing… all you have to do is open your eyes — put on your polarized glasses and try it for yourself. #

# Sometimes you’ll see the fish; other times you’ll see the puff of mud it made.

5 Tricks

for City Smallies

Historians tell us that cities often grow up near a river’s fall line, where the piedmont meets coastal plains, because a river’s first set of rapids is commonly encountered and this is the point at which easily navigating a boat upstream ends. Thus, the city’s founders would have stopped, unloaded, and set up camp. Balderdash! We anglers know better. In fact, the settlers stopped there because the changing geography meant tidal and non-tidal fisheries were both close at hand — a critical matter when choosing a location to live along a river prior to the invention of outboard engines.

As a result of the great and wise angling foresight of our forebearers, on the northern or western side of most of the major cities located on

By Staff

Chesapeake tributaries there’s some excellent freshwater river fishing. Just a few miles outside of Baltimore, the Patapsco awaits. The Potomac offers incredible potential even as it runs into the nation’s capital. The same is true of the James and its feeder creeks as they stretch towards Richmond. And among the species swimming in these waters is one of the most prized riverrunners of all: the smallmouth bass. Pound for pound, riverine smallmouth can kick a largemouth’s sweet patootie. They strike with aggression, tug like few fish can, go airborne with regularity, and use the river currents to their advantage so they feel twice as big as they actually are. True, river smallies are generally smaller than those slackwater bass, but they punch well above their weight. So, how will

you hook into these near-city slickers? These five tricks will help.

1. Get a Little Cray-Cray

We don’t mean “crazy,” we mean crayfish. Smallmouth absolutely love crayfish, perhaps more than any other potential meal. And in the same waters these fish live it’s incredibly easy to catch your own bait. Simply wade into ankle- to knee-deep water, roll over a rock, and have a dip net at the ready. When you spot a crayfish — sometimes you’ll see them scoot away as you roll the rock and other times they’ll sit motionless and hope their camouflage prevents detection — sit the net against the bottom a foot or two behind the critter. Then move a stick or a toe towards the crayfish until it shoots backwards and into the net.

# With a streamlined body that’s solid muscle, smallmouth bass are ready to rumble. Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Go upriver from a major metropolitan area on the Western Shore, and you'll be in smallmouth country in no time.

Crayfish can be fished in a number of ways. You can put a hook in through the bottom of the tail and out through the back to be live-lined, fish them on a bare jig head hooked the same way and bounced along the bottom, or suspend one under a bobber and drift it through holes and along shorelines. Remember that when fished live and on bottom crayfish have a habit of crawling under rocks in their attempts to hide, and may need to be dislodged every few minutes or the fish won’t find them.

Very large mini-lobster can be tough for the fish to eat, but you can rip the tail off and it often proves as effective as a whole live crayfish. Using the tail alone is also a good move in areas where the fish are generally on the small side, or if you want to catch rock bass, bluegill, and other smaller species.

2. Get a Little Wee Cray

You’ll notice it’s rare we display tunnelvision-level bias towards any one specific brand and model of lure; whether we’re talking topwater or jig tails, we usually offer at least two or three recommendations in the same breath. In this case, however, we can’t think of a single lure that matches up with the Rebel Wee Craw.

If you plan to target smallmouth in rivers, this lure belongs in your tacklebox — period. The Wee Craw is very small (just two inches) and works best with very light gear. It’s most effective

in relatively small waterways and dives to four to six feet, but rarely snags when banging against rocks. Most of the smallmouth you’ll catch on it will be 18 or fewer inches, but you’ll discover it catches a shocking number of them, even when the fish seem disinclined to bite anything else.

In larger waterways when chasing bigger fish, you can upsize to the 2.75inch Big Craw, which dives to eight to 10 feet. And in rivers you can practically hop across (yes, they do sometimes hold smallies), you can downsize to the 1.5-inch Teeny Wee. But for all-around smallmouth-catching utility, the Wee Craw will often prove to be unbeatable. Don’t take our words for it. Get one and try it for yourself, and we bet you’ll never go smallmouth fishing without one again.

3. Do the Hangy-Hangy

This simple tactic can be deadly in high-current areas, where there are boulders or holes the fish often hide near. After identifying a likely-looking spot, rig up a floating lipped diving plug with plenty of swimming action. Then, you’ll need to maneuver yourself into an up-current position. This is best done as much as possible from land versus wading, because anytime you wade you’re likely to muddy the waters a bit and disturb good spots located downstream. When a likely looking spot is right up against shore,

ideally, you’ll be able to do the HangyHangy while standing on shore or perched atop a rock or boulder not far from it.

Once you’re in position toss the lure downstream and leave your reel in freespool. Allow the current to take the lure back until it’s just short of the target zone, then close the reel. Now, you can point your rod left or right, and as the lure swims in the current it will work its way in one direction or the other. Once you’ve fine-tuned the lure’s lateral movement so it’s directly upstream of the target, open your reel again and allow the plug to float up to the surface, then float back in the current until it’s right on target. Close the reel again, and let that wiggler swim in the current right where you believe the fish to be.

If the expected smashing strike doesn’t materialize, try maneuvering the lure around in different positions by moving your rod right or left, dropping the lure back a bit more, or pulling it forward some. And if the strike still doesn’t come, start looking around for another target.

4. Drown Ned

When the fish aren’t acting aggressive and it’s tough to get a bite, try dropping a Ned rig into deepwater holes. Although the plastic worm doesn’t really match up with any of the smallmouth’s favorite snacks, for some reason when they seem to be off their feed they’ll still hit a slow-moving worm. Two notes of caution: first off, come to grips with the fact that you’re about to snag and lose a few rigs. It’s the cost of doing business when you’re fishing a weighted lure dead on bottom in the riverine environment. Second, remember that the fish, which aren’t acting very aggressive in the first place, will probably hit with little more than a gentle slurp. So you need to be on a hook-setting hair trigger to make this tactic work.

# Feeder

can be full of smallmouth and though they aren’t exactly huge, they certainly are feisty.

creeks

for City Smallies 5 Tricks

5. Blades of Glory

One of the issues with any form of river fishing is rainfall and water clarity. In the days following a big storm it’s likely that some areas will be cloudy, and others may be downright unfishable. Most of the time, however, you can still get the fish biting. In some cases slightly off-color water can even produce better than ginclear conditions will. And the ticket to triggering those off-color strikes will sometimes be tossing a lure with vibration-creating blades.

There are a huge number of bladed baits, ranging from inline spinners to spinnerbaits to tail spinners. All can work, with a few details taken into consideration:

• The cloudier the water, the darker a blade you’ll want. In clear water silver is usually best, in slightly off-color water gold is good, and in very off-color water copper or bronze can be the ticket.

• Generally speaking, the rounder the blade is the more vibrations it throws off. Long, slender blades create less vibration (and less resistance) while spinning. The lower visibility through the water is, the more you’ll want to “shout” at the fish by choosing blades that make the most vibrations possible.

• When the water is so muddy it appears virtually unfishable — but you still want to try and catch a fish — switch to a lure with matte painted blades in black or dark red. When visibility is near-zero, for whatever reason, dark matte blades like these can save the day. Remember that for the vast majority of the anglers out there this is a catch-and-release game. Few people keep bass in the first place, and in Maryland both smallmouth and largemouth are closed to harvest from March 1 through June 15 while

Pennsylvania holds the closure from April 8 through June 9 for spawning season. Different Virginia waterways have a number of different harvest restrictions and size or slot limits (visit the Virginia DWR website for the specifics). And Delaware has a no-take slot (12 to 17 inches with only one over 17 allowed). As always,

we recommend checking your local regs before fishing.

Okay: Are you ready to leave the city behind, make a quick trip to the west or north, and enjoy some red-hot river action? You can do it tomorrow — and you have the fishing foresight of those wise settlers to thank for it. #

# Alvie Sickle caught this nice river smallie in a central Maryland creek. Photo courtesy of Jim Gronaw.

Spring Kayak Fishing for White Perch

White perch are a semi-anadromous fish, meaning they migrate into tidal fresh and slightly brackish waters each spring to spawn. White perch spawn from April through June and are found along the Atlantic Coast in both tidal and nontidal waters. They follow the yellow perch spawn, which runs from February and up into April in some areas.

They will be found staging up in tidal ponds and in deep holes in the rivers feeding the Bay and larger tributary creeks when the water temperature gets to between 50 and 60 degrees. There they will be feeding in large numbers as they’re staging up to spawn. That makes them a prime target for kayak anglers, especially on breezy April days when fishing larger open bodies of water may not be advisable.

White perch can be caught on small in-line spinners, small spinner baits, grass shrimp, bloodworms, and red worms. Light and ultra-light rods are all you’ll need to catch perch. Fishing bait under a bobber on a small jig will work best. Find out more at “Early Spring White Perch,” at FishTalkMag.com.

As for kayak anglers, where you find white perch will depend on the individual fishery. You can find them staging in holes waiting to move up to spawn, and the depth of a “hole” can be simply a difference of a few feet, or it can be a dozen or more feet.

A good example is the run on the Patuxent River. The perch will move up the river

By Eric Packard

as far as Wootons Landing and farther to spawn, but they will start staging and gathering downriver before the run in deep water near Jug Bay. There, look for them in depressions on the river bottom

Wayson’s Corner. There is a soft launch there that you can utilize and seek out holes holding fish. Don’t be surprised if you catch largemouth bass and a lot of blue catfish too.

Another area where you may find fish is the Choptank River out of Greensboro. Again, as on the Patuxent River, look for deeper holes or depressions that may hold fish. There is a public launch at Greensboro Boat Ramp and you can head downstream on an easy paddle looking for white perch staging areas.

Tuckahoe Creek is another site to launch from to hunt fish. There you may find holdover yellow perch, and you’ll find pickerel, bluegill, and largemouth bass. You can launch at the small boat ramp that is located in Hillsboro and work your way downstream looking for holes that hold staging fish.

Tidal ponds such as Deep Pond at Beverly Triton Park also hold big white perch. Check out “Tidal Pond White Perch” at the website for more information about tidal pond white perch fishing.

and in river bends where the river has washed out deeper holes and channels. Fishing minnows on a small shad dart under a bobber is a great method to catch them early in the season on Jug Bay. Don’t discount the river between Jug Bay and Wootons Landing. When the fish start to move you can catch them out of

After their spawn, you can catch fish in these same areas as they head back downriver and eventually, back in the open waters around docks and piers, rip rap, and shaded areas where they thrive all summer. Oyster bars hold them, too. Target docks, piers, bridge pilings, and channels. And don’t overlook casting a Beetle Spin over grassbeds. The feeder creeks of the rivers feeding the Bay will hold these fish well into the fall. #

# White perch fishing can mean fast and furious catching.

Fi SH i N g F O re CAST

Editor’s Note: We all know printed fishing reports are generalized, and weeks have passed before the report gets into your hands. for timely, up-to-date reports, visit our website fishtalkmag.com current reports will be published every friday by noon — just in time for your weekend fishing adventures. in the meantime, here’s our monthly prognostication.

Coastal

There aren’t many times of year when fishing on the beach and in the bays is likely to produce bigger catches than long offshore runs out into the ocean, but April is one of ‘em. This month we should see big drum blasting baits cast from the beach, with a few stripers showing up as well when they stop for a bite or two on their way north. By the month’s end bluefish should be in the mix, too. Expect tautog to be biting sand fleas and crab baits fished around inlet rocks. And the muchawaited run of flounder will almost certainly take off at some point during April in the coastal bays.

Freshwater

April is such a big month for freshwater anglers that we’re not even sure which fishery deserves top billing. Some anglers would point to trout, as spring stocking is in full swing. Others will be heading for the reservoirs, where many species are in pre-spawn patterns as they engage in a post-winter feeding frenzy. Yet others might be focused on the shad runs taking place in the Bay’s tributaries. And then there are the snakehead finaddicts, who are sure to hit the water as soon as we get some warm, sunny afternoons.

Way North

In all Maryland waters of the Chesapeake: remember folks, no targeting of rockfish in any way, shape, or form, including catch and release, is legally allowed this month. If the past is any indication, this month we’ll be seeing a mix of white perch and catfish dominating the attention of area anglers with much of the focus on the Susquehanna. Of course, weather is a big player and the level of spring rainfall can be make or break. If the waters get riled, remember that some of the smaller tribs in this zone (like the Bush and Elk) can offer great fishing, too, and don’t get mucked up quite as easily.

u pper Bay

In all Maryland waters of the Chesapeake: remember folks, no targeting of rockfish in any way, shape, or form, including catch and release, is legally allowed this month. Get in your last licks on the perch run, because by the time April turns into May it’ll be ancient history. Early in the month there should still be plenty of whites in the tribs and salt ponds, plus a few straggler yellows you might encounter as they head back downstream.

Middle Bay

In all Maryland waters of the Chesapeake: remember folks, no targeting of rockfish in any way, shape, or form, including catch and release, is legally allowed this month.

White perch will be the main target in this area as well, with shad running in the rivers that see ‘em producing another option to consider. As it warms up the snakeheads will be getting back into action, too — and need we mention the every-present catfish?

Lower Bay

In all Maryland waters of the Chesapeake: remember folks, no targeting of rockfish in any way, shape, or form, including catch and release, is legally allowed this month. In the Potomac and Virginia waters, you’re still allowed to go have some fun but all rockfish must be released.

As the perch run winds down in the lower Bay tribs a bit earlier than it does in the tribs up north, the shad runs crank up a bit earlier. Plus, from the Potomac south the shad are usually available in better numbers. Still, the big April winners are the catfish anglers. Huge numbers and huge specimens are often captured at this time of year so get your circle hooks and seek out some fresh cut bait.

Gathered over the past month by Dillon Waters

# our intrepid reports editor Dillon Waters is undoubtedly out enjoying some spring angling right about now.

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore

In all Maryland waters of the Chesapeake: remember folks, no targeting of rockfish in any way, shape, or form, including catch and release, is legally allowed this month.

At some point later this month we’ll likely hear the first reports of specks and reds from the Sounds and ESVA waters. And we’ll also be hearing about flounder in the coastal bays, which will draw many of the area anglers to head east. But the biggest draw of all will likely be the lower Eastern Shore snakeheads. As the waters warm up, expect them to start popping!

Way South

Anglers living near the mouth of the Chesapeake will have a LOT to celebrate this month—while everyone to the north will still be waiting for summer visitors to arrive, redfish and speckled trout can be counted on to provide some action in the inlets and southern Chesapeake river-mouths and bays. Tog should come back to life in this zone too, just as soon as water temps climb north. And by the end of April we’ll likely see a bluefish or two plus flounder return to these waters as well.

# The guys at Apex Predators have a history of proving that April is a prime month for snakeheads.

Can You guess The Fish?

Charters, Guides, and Headboats

One of the most difficult ways to learn how to fish the chesapeake Bay and atlantic ocean is trial and error. then there’s the boat issue; we don’t all have one. luckily, the Bay is full of knowledgeable guides and charter captains ready to show you the ropes. Below you will find a directory of professional guides, charter boats, and head boats to get you started on your quest for the perfect fish. Whether you like to fly fish, troll, or bottom fish, there’s likely a local expert who can lend a hand.

BRO k ERAGE & CLASSIFIED SECTIoNS

2020 Bayliner VR5 Bowrider 200M MPI/A1 4.5L ECT Carb Compliant Mercruiser, Hours - 127, Karavan Trailer, Solid Blue Hull, Boot Stripe, Graphite Interior, Stainless Steel Upgrade Package, Bimini Top with Boot, Bow Well Cockpit Cover, Cockpit Flooring-Grey Mat, Helm Bucket Seat, Bow Filler Cushion, Cockpit Table, Swim Platform-Gray Mat, and more! $35,995 Riverside Marine, 410-686-1500, sales@riversideboats.com www.riversideboats.com

Parker 23’ Center Console Boatel stored Annapolis. T-top, 2012, Model 23SE, 200 Yamaha w/ low hours. Excellent Condition, Captain’s Chairs, and lots of extras. Bottom not painted. $46,000 Call 301.651.9704

2021 Sportsman Heritage 241 CC

Yamaha F250XB w/ warranty remaining until 5/8/2024, Under 100 hrs, Boat has been lift kept, trailer not included new trailer available, White Hull sides, Desert Tan Upholstery, and more! $99,995

DONATIONS

DONATE

21’ Trophy ‘99 $8,500 Jack Kelly 609.517.2822 jack@curtisstokes.net www.curtisstokes.net

Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com www.riversideboats.com

2021 Sportsman Open 242 CC

27’ Grady White ‘18 $209,000 David Robinson 410.310.8855 david@curtisstokes.net www.curtisstokes.net

2019 Sportsman Open 282 CC Twin F30XCA Yamaha outboards, Extended Warranty until 4/19/2025, 231 Hours, Triple Axle Trailer vATB10625, Island Blue w/ White Bottom, Platinum Gray, Windshield Close-out, and more! $184,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com www.riversideboats.com

2021 Sea-Doo FishPro iDF & Sound System, Rotax 170 HP, Karavan Trailer with Spare Tire, Storage Cover, Bait Cooler, Bow Storage Hatch, Removable Transom Cooler with Rod Holders, Stereo, Garmin DF / FF /GPS, Trim Tabs, In-Dash Hour Meter, (5) Rod Holders, and more! $17,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com www.riversideboats.com

2020 Mako 19 CPX Upgrade to Mercury 150 4-stroke w/ only 175 hours, warranty remaining until 8/25/23, 2020 EZ Loader bunk trailer, Lowrance Elite 9” GPS/Fishfinder, Garmin EchoMap 74Sv GPS/Fishfinder, and more! $39,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com www.riversideboats.com

22’ Shamrock ‘96 $17,500 David Robinson 410.310.8855 david@curtisstokes.net www.curtisstokes.net

2020 Striper 230 WA F250XB Yamaha outboard, Y.E.S. Warranty until 6/16/2026, 2021 Load Rite Tandem Trailer, Hardtop w/ Electronics Box, Rocket Launchers, Spreader Light, Hardtop Light Bar, Trim Tabs, Stereo, Garmin DF/FF/GPS, Uniden vHF, and more! $84,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com www.riversideboats.com

2021 Sportsman Heritage 231 Center Console Lift kept since new and is excellent condition. Turnkey and ready to get out on the water. Contact Chris Beardsley at 804.885.4090 or Chris@NorthPointYachtSales.com www.NorthPointYachtSales.com

F300XCA 4S Digital Throttle Yamaha outboard, Yamaha Extended Service until 3/2/2026, 234 hours, venture Commander CoM-6500T Aluminum Tandem Trailer w/ Brakes and Spare Tire, Solid Island Blue Hull, and more! $119,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com www.riversideboats.com

2021 Sportsman 252 Open

Yamaha F300UCA digital controls and custom painted white! only 87 engine hours and extended warranty until 2/18/26, optimus power steering system, venture vATB-7225 aluminum bunk trailer, Storm Cloud Hull Color, Sileather Ash Gray Upholstery, Hardtop w/ tempered glass enclosure, matching underside color, and more! $139,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com www.riversideboats.com

2021 Sportsman Heritage 251

CC Twin F150XCA Yamaha outboards, Yamaha Extended Warranty until 8/7/2024, 51 hours, new trailer available, Steel Blue w/ White Bottom, Desert Tan Upholstery, White Powder Coating, Hard Top, and more! $139,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com www.riversideboats.com

2022 Pursuit DC 266 Dry stored and dealer maintained since delivery May 2022. Take advantage of this lightly used boat. Contact Grady Byus at 410.533.9879 or Grady@NorthPointYachtSales.com www.NorthPointYachtSales.com

2021 Cobia 280 CC Upgraded Yamaha F250NSB w/ Fully Electric SteeringHARD To FIND! only 28 Engine Hours, Extended Warranty until 4/28/2026, Custom Ameritrail Trailer, Custom order hull color, Anthracite Gray, and more! $199,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com www.riversideboats.com

2000 Tiara Yachts 2900 Coronet original owner, offers a huge cockpit with great seating making it the ultimate date boat and enough cabin space to accommodate an overnight for a couple. Contact Anthony Flake 410.280.2038 or Anthony@NorthPointYachtSales.com www.NorthPointYachtSales.com

2022 Bruckmann 29 Hard Top Perfect for short cruises and day trips. All woodwork is beautiful and well maintained. Contact David Cox at 410.280.2038 or DavidCox@NorthPointYachtSales.com www.NorthPointYachtSales.com

29’ Tiara ‘00 $44,500 Curtis Stokes 410.919.4900 curtis@curtisstokes.net www.curtisstokes.net

2008 Sea Ray 340 Sundancer very well-maintained with several recent upgrades ready for cruising. Contact Chris Beardsley at 804.885.4090 or Chris@NorthPointYachtSales.com www.NorthPointYachtSales.com

2021 Tiara Sport 34 LS Checks all the boxes with entertaining spaces and the ability to spend the night highlight this boat. Professionally maintained and ready to go. Contact Bob oberg at 410.320.3385 or Bob@NorthPointYachtSales.com www.NorthPointYachtSales.com

2011 MJM 36z Downeast Truly unique in its combination of comfort, performance, efficiency and good looks. Well-equipped and in very good condition. Contact David Malkin at 410.280.2038 or David@NorthPointYachtSales.com

www.NorthPointYachtSales.com

2021 Pursuit DC 365 very wellequipped with factory options as well as additional dealer installed upgrades. Lift and dealer maintained with very low hours and up to date service. Contact Chris Beardsley at 804.885.4090 or Chris@NorthPointYachtSales.com www.NorthPointYachtSales.com

2018 Tiara Sport 38 LS Low hours (160) on triple Yamaha 350’s, full encloser for helm, dealer maintained and well cared for by sole owner. Contact Jack McGuire at 401.290.7066 or Jack@NorthPointYachtSales.com www.NorthPointYachtSales.com

2012 North Pacific 39 Pilothouse An excellent platform for extended cruising or the great loop. very well maintained with many convenience upgrades. Contact Chris Beardsley at 804.885.4090 or Chris@NorthPointYachtSales.com www.NorthPointYachtSales.com

(Game Hog) 40’ Robbins ‘99 $139,000 David Robinson 410.310.8855 david@curtisstokes.net www.curtisstokes.net

2008 Regal 4060 Commodore All new Garmin electronics and other upgrades - ideal boat for a family that wants social spaces and cabin privacy. Contact David Malkin at 410.280.2038 or David@NorthPointYachtSales.com www.NorthPointYachtSales.com

(Martini & Me) 42’ Post ‘81 $65,000 Andy Stratton 908.265.7670 andy@curtisstokes.net www.curtisstokes.net

(Hot Pursuit) 30’ Pursuit 3000 ‘00 $59,000 Curtis Stokes 410.919.4900 curtis@curtisstokes.net www.curtisstokes.net

(Severn Sunrise) 31’ Tiara 3100 Open 1982 Dual Crusader 454, Furuno Radar, Plotter, Sounder, Digital Yacht AIT 2500. Spring commissioning is planned for the end of March 2023. $24,900 Call Charlie Iliff 410.227.1066

(Busted Flush) 32’ Stamas ‘78 $38,500 Bill Sudek 443.463.2583 bsudek@curtisstokes.net www.curtisstokes.net

33’ Bertram ‘80 $45,000 David Robinson 410.310.8855 david@curtisstokes.net www.curtisstokes.net

MAR k ETPLACE & CLASSIFIED SECTIoNS

HELP WANTED

Dock Hand/Dock Staff FT & PT April-october. Hourly pay plus tips $$ to tie-up boats located at a busy dock bar location in Annapolis. Boating knowledge is a plus. 410.263.1981 Download application at www. schoonerwoodwind.com/employment/

Electronic Marine Annapolis is looking for a Full- or Part-Time installation technician and an installation assistant to install and service marine electronic and electrical systems on boats. Prior boat maintenance experience preferred. our Full Time Tech’s work Monday to Thursday, 10-hour days. Pay and benefits based on experience. our office is located at Bert Jabin Yacht Yard in Annapolis. Please email your resume to Sales@ElectronicMarine.com

Electronic Marine Annapolis is looking for a Full- or Part-Time Sales/office Manager or Assistant. Duties include meeting with customers, scheduling projects, boat shows, preparing invoices and estimates. Prior QuickBooks and boating experience preferred. office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM. Pay and benefits based on experience. our office is located at Bert Jabin Yacht Yard in Annapolis. Please email your resume to Sales@ElectronicMarine.com

P/T Delivery Driver - Baltimore City for three-day-amonth magazine distribution route in Baltimore City & surrounding area. Compensation based upon quantity of stops. Must have a valid driver’s license in good standing, reliable vehicle, and be able to lift up to 25 lbs. Contact Beatrice at 410.216.9309 or beatrice@spf-360.com

Yacht Sales - Curtis Stokes and Associates, Inc. is hiring new salespeople for our Chesapeake area operation. Candidates must be honest, ethical and have boating experience. This is a commission only position. Contact Curtis Stokes at 410.919.4900 or curtis@curtisstokes.net www.curtisstokes.net

MARINE SERVICES

SCHOOLS

Virtual About Boating Safely Certification NASBLA Maryland State approved. April 1st & May 6th, 9:00am-3:30pm. Register: https://form.jotform.com/ 230036811329449

Alltackle.com 2062 Somerville Road, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410.571.1111, and 12826 ocean Gateway #9548, ocean City, MD 21842, 410.213.2840, www.alltackle.com

Anglers Sport Center 1456 Whitehall Road, Annapolis, MD 21409, 410.757.3442, www.anglerssportcenter.com

Dangle Lures Tested and proven to help you catch MoRE fish! danglelures.com

The Tackle Box 22035 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park, MD 20653, 301.863.8151

Biz Buzz

Chesapeake Perspective

The Coastal Conservation Association Maryland and partners announce a second season of “Chesapeake Perspective:” three, live-streamed roundtable events featuring leading experts from the Chesapeake and Atlantic region who will engage in entertaining and thoughtprovoking conversations designed to spark innovative and real solutions to some of the most pressing issues confronting Chesapeake recreational anglers today, tomorrow, and in the years to come. Chesapeake Perspective is presented in partnership by the Coastal Conservation Association Maryland, American Sportfishing Association, BoatUS, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Yamaha’s Rightwaters, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and the Marine Trades Association of Maryland. The moderator is Lenny Rudow, FishTalk magazine’s Angler-in-Chief. The events take place the third Thursday in April, June, and September from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Topics include: April 20 – Opportunities and Impacts of Invasive Fish, June 15 –Expanding Angler Access, and September 21 – Habitat Preservation and Restoration. CCA Maryland Executive Director David Sikorski issued the following statement: “Now more than ever, it’s crucial that we implement effective solutions that begin to address some of the most pressing issues confronting Chesapeake recreational anglers. Our Chesapeake Perspective series is a step forward in that effort…” Join the conversation during the live streaming. Register today for free at fishtalkmag. com/chesapeake-perspective

New Location

Yacht Brokers of Annapolis announces their new location in Port Annapolis Marina, located across from the pool in the heart of the marina. “We are very excited to announce our new location in Port Annapolis Marina! We’re happy to join the marina community and provide our clients with exceptional services in a beautiful waterfront location,” says owner Matthew Sansbury. Yacht Brokers of Annapolis is a boutique yacht brokerage specializing in quality used power and sail boats. yachtbrokersofannapolis.com

New Officers

The National Marine Representatives Association (NMRA) welcomes its new officers and board of directors. Taking the helm as NMRA president is Aaron Freeman of Tideline Marketing. Joining Aaron on the Bridge is Mark Goodman, vice president (SGL Sales and Marketing), Craig Cochran, secretary (GSW and Associates), and Mike Steiner, treasurer (West Coast Sales). The NMRA Board of Directors includes returning board members Rob Guerrieri (Atlantic Marketing Company) and Kurt Fromherz (Waters and David Company). Joining Rob and Kurt on the NMRA Board are Jack Groseclose (North Pacific Marketing), Chris Martorana (The Merifield Company), Nick Gove (Midwest Outdoor Marketing), and Jim Cermak (Thundercat Marketing). nmraonline.org

50th Anniversary

AkzoNobel is marking the 50th anniversary of its world renowned Awlgrip brand with activities throughout the year to celebrate. Awlgrip originated out of an Aerospace coating, Alumigrip, in 1973. Over the five decades since its inception, the Awlgrip range has expanded to encompass finishes, primers, fillers, and varnishes, becoming a world-class brand that can be found in almost every port and country around the globe. Its superlative finish has seen it earn the truly unique accolade of becoming a verb, with proud customers referring to having their boats ‘Awlgripped.’ “To reach this milestone is a real testament to the dedication, professionalism, and passion of all applicators and boatyards who have devotedly applied Awlgrip products on boats of all sizes and helped shape the brand over the last fifty years,” says Jemma Lampkin, global commercial director at AkzoNobel Yacht Coatings. “As a result, we wanted to take a moment to highlight these achievements and pay tribute to all those who have made and continue to make Awlgrip what it is today and tomorrow.” awlgrip.com

Sold

Rick and Valerie Smith of Smith’s Marina in Crownsville, MD, shared this news with their customers. “Our family has been honored to provide marine services to you and our many friends and neighbors over the years. After much reflection, we have come to the conclusion that we need to play more and work less. So, effective March 1, we are retiring! Smith’s Marina has been in our family for three generations. It is part of the fabric of our local community. We have chosen to sell Smith’s Marina on the Severn to two local families, the Conroys and the Sullivans. Apart from the ownership, nothing will change. Larra and Lindsey will still be in the office ensuring you get the best possible service. Our yard staff remain and are dedicated to servicing all your maintenance, repair, and storage needs. And you will likely still see Rick around the marina working on boats, but he will finally have the time to work on his own! The Conroys and the Sullivans have been longtime customers and friends. They know the marine industry inside out, as lifelong boaters and industry insiders with decades of experience. We are confident we are passing the torch to two local families, who will continue the legacy that was begun by Rick’s grandfather, Alonzo Smith, back in 1936. Thanks for supporting our family all these many years. We aren’t going anywhere. We are just freeing up some time to play more. We look forward to seeing you all on the water.” smithsmarina.com

RBFF Grants

Through its State R3 Program Grants, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) has awarded funds to 10 programs in nine states. Now in its ninth year, the State R3 Program Grants’ goal is to support state recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) initiatives to increase fishing participation. RBFF is providing approximately $207,000 in grants this year with nine state agencies contributing an additional $232,000 in project funds and in-kind support. The programs must focus on one of three areas: communicate the relevance of fishing and/or boating to urban, multicultural audiences; implement angler and/or boater customer engagement strategies to retain and/or reactivate anglers and boaters to increase participation; and enhance the capability of agencies to develop and implement effective angler and/or boater recruitment, retention and reactivation efforts. Proposals are reviewed and selected by RBFF staff and a Proposal Review Working Group made up of industry, federal agency, and NGO representatives. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources was one of the 2023 grantees for its Welcome to Boating and Fishing! program. takemefishing.org