Anchor Boats, Inc. | 410.287.8280 448 N Mauldin Ave, North East, MD anchorboat.com
Campbell’s Boatyards - Jack’s Point | 410.226.5105 106 Richardson St, PO Box 410, Oxford, MD campbellsboatyards.com
Preemptive Measures
Is it time for peak perch fishing right… now? By
Lenny Rudow
40
New Tackle Tech
The latest to look for in modern fishing gear. By Staff
43
Boat Trailers: 3 Things to Consider
Many of us take our trailers for granted, but these three specifics deserve careful consideration. By Staff
46
Redbird Reflections
Time has proven that structure is not all created equal. By Wayne Young
48
Put Yer Dukes Up: CC vs. Pilothouse
Which is better for a Chesapeake Bay angler: a center console or a pilothouse boat? By Mark Scheuerman and Brennan Shute
50
Yellow Perch for Beginners
Yellow perch are one of the most beautiful—and tasty—fish swimming in the Bay. By Staff
52
Stoked for the Pocomoke
The Pocomoke River is a multi-fishery gem. By Staff
Gar are prolific in many parts of the Pocomoke, and are a heck of a fun surprise when you hook one up with perch gear.
612 Third Street, Suite 3C, Annapolis, MD 21403 (410) 216-9309 FishTalkMag.com
ANGLER IN CHIEF
Lenny Rudow, lenny@fishtalkmag.com
PUBLISHER
Mary Iliff Ewenson, mary@fishtalkmag.com
ASSOCIATE 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
Katie Lange, katie@fishtalkmag.com
Eric Richardson, eric@fishtalkmag.com
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER
Brooke King, brooke@fishtalkmag.com
DISTRIBUTION / BROKERAGE / CLASSIFIEDS MANAGER
Beatrice M. Mackenzie, beatrice@fishtalkmag.com
ART DIRECTOR / PRODUCTION MANAGER
Zach Ditmars, zach@fishtalkmag.com
GRAPHIC DESIGNER / PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Royal Snyder, royal@fishtalkmag.com
COASTAL CORRESPONDENT
John Unkart
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Adam Grrenberg, Jim Gronaw, Chuck Harrison, Capt. Monty Hawkins, Eric Packard, David Rudow, Wayne Young
DISTRIBUTION
Martin and Betty Casey, Gregory and Dorothy Greenwell, Dave Harlock, Ron and Colleen Ogden
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 beatrice@fishtalkmag.com.
Rudow’s FishTalk Recycles
navigating peace of mind
Unpredictable waters
THE IMPORTANCE OF BOAT INSURANCE
Embarking on the open water is an exhilarating experience, lled with the promise of adventure and relaxation. Whether you’re a seasoned sailor or a weekend cruiser, protecting your vessel with proper insurance is not just a choice—it’s a necessity. Explore the reasons why every boat owner should prioritize boat insurance for a worry-free voyage.
Navigational exibility
The open water can be unpredictable, with unexpected storms, collisions, or other potential accidents. Boat insurance can give you nancial protection if there is damage to your vessel, providing coverage for repairs or replacement.
Damage and injury
Accidents on the water can result in damage to other boats, docks, or even injuries to passengers. Boat insurance offers liability coverage, which can pay for damages or injuries you’re liable for while boating, up to speci ed limits, and lawsuit costs if you’re sued. This includes damage you cause to another watercraft or if someone on or near your boat is injured and you’re found to be legally responsible.
Theft and vandalism
Unfortunately, boat theft and vandalism are realities that boat owners face. Boat insurance has comprehensive and collision coverage that can protect you against events outside of your control, including theft and vandalism.
Incurred medical payments
Accidents on the water may lead to injuries for you or your passengers. Boat insurance offers a range of optional medical payments coverage limits, helping to cover medical expenses if you are in an accident or someone is hurt on your boat, regardless of fault.
Peace of mind for nancing
If you nanced the purchase of your boat, most lenders require insurance coverage to protect their investment. Having boat insurance not only ful lls these requirements but also gives you peace of mind knowing that your nancial interests are safeguarded.
Some water municipalities and marinas may require proof of insurance for docking or accessing certain areas. Boat insurance allows you the exibility to explore different destinations without worrying about entry restrictions.
Emergency towing and assistance
Progressive boat insurance can include optional Sign & Glide® On-Water Towing coverage. If your boat is disabled or breaks down on the water, Sign & Glide® pays for on-water towing, jump starts, soft un-groundings, and fuel delivery.
Wreckage removal
If your boat sinks, Progressive boat insurance will cover the cost of removing your boat from the water (if removal is legally required).
Investing in boat insurance is not just about protecting a valuable asset; it’s about safeguarding the memories, experiences, and joy that come with your on-water adventures. Don’t let unforeseen circumstances disrupt your journey—navigate with con dence, knowing that Progressive boat insurance has you covered. Ensure a smooth and worry-free voyage, because when it comes to your boat, peace of mind is the ultimate luxury. Scan to get a quote in as little as 4 minutes
to learn more.
Notes from the Cockpit
By Lenny Rudow
We anglers are a pondering lot (pun intended). We go to bed thinking about that hook-set that failed to come tight, dwell on break-offs for hours, and spend days contemplating why the fish appeared here and disappeared there. We wonder if the Purple Goat pattern might have worked better than Trout-Cicle and if we should have chosen a chugger instead of a spinner. We don’t always come to a solid conclusion and when we do, I’m convinced that half the time we’re wrong. Consider the following:
WD-40 is a fish attractant.
Dr. John Prochnow and Mark Sexton, Berkley’s brain trust behind the scented/flavored Powerbaits and Gulp!s, tested WD-40 both on live fish and chemically when Powerbait was under development. They found it was 100 percent neutral, neither stimulating nor discouraging any sort of feeding behavior from the fish. “It’s sort of like trying to put a square peg in a round hole,” Prochnow explained. “Their chemo-receptors (fish taste buds) simply don’t detect it.”
Red hooks and lures look bloody underwater.
The color red fades just five feet underwater, by 10’ down it’s very dim, and by 15’ to 20’ (the specifics can vary with conditions and light levels) it’s completely gone. Not gone as in invisible, but all the redness has disappeared and it looks like a dusky gray. So, while those reds might be red on a topwater lure or a shallow diver, in most cases they’ll just be a contrasting shade.
You might be reeling too fast for the fish to catch your lure.
Measure out a distance of line, use a stopwatch to time yourself reeling it back as fast as you can turn the crank, then crunch the numbers. You’ll discover that it’s virtually impossible to crank a lure to over seven mph, and it’s very difficult to keep up a pace over five mph for more than a few seconds. There isn’t a predator fish on the planet that can’t catch that lure if it wants to. Of course, the “if it wants to” part is critical. While you can’t crank a lure too fast for a fish to catch it, you certainly can retrieve one too fast to attain the ideal presentation, depth, and action.
Paddletails should always be rigged tail-down (or tail-up).
It doesn’t make one iota of difference. Try rigging half the rods on your boat one way and half the other, and have the anglers aboard swap rods halfway through the day. Whether that paddle points up or down is completely irrelevant. In fact, you’ll find that some lure manufacturers add a hook pocket for rigging facing up, while others add one for rigging facing down. There are even a few that add pockets on both sides, for rigging in either direction. Pick your poison. (Note: there are some paddletails with very deep bodies that can only be rigged one way, but that’s a result of body shape not the tail).
Trolling motors are silent underwater.
Sorry, but nope. Drop a hydrophone into the water and listen for yourself, and you’ll discover that they generate propeller noise just like any other propeller. It’s a whining/ whirring sound that grows and fades in pitch related to the prop’s size and speed. We can’t say how the fish feel about it, but there is some level of audible noise whenever a propeller is spinning.
Four-stroke outboards are not silent underwater.
Listen to that hydrophone again and you’ll discover that a fourstroke doesn’t make any more engine noise underwater than it does above the water, which is to say little if any when idling in neutral. However, see above—when in gear you’re creating prop noise. Shifting into gear also creates a loud metal-on-metal noise below the waterline. And two-strokes create one heck of a racket that’s audible from quite a distance underwater (probably the origin of this myth).
Now, all of the above withstanding: whatever you do, don’t dare step upon my boat with a banana in your hands!
# Crank as hard as you can, and it’s tough to keep up a pace that brings your lure back at over five mph.
Delaware
Pontoon Express | 302-945-0654 22572 Harbeson Rd, Harbeson, DE pontoonexpress.com
North Bay Marina Inc | 302-436-4211 36543 Lighthouse Rd, Selbyville, DE northbaymarina.com
Sandpiper Marine | 757-787-7783 21530 Taylor Rd, Accomac, VA 23301 sandpipermarine.net
Jett’s Marine, Inc. | 804-453-3611 18477 Northumberland Hwy, Reedville, VA jettsmarine.com
Friday’s Marine | 804-758-4131 (Malise Marine Sales & Service) 14879 GW Memorial Hwy, Saluda, VA facebook.com/fridaysmarine
Legasea Marine | 757-898-3000 821 Railway Rd, Yorktown, VA legaseamarine.com
Fishy Talk
Sad in Saluda
Dear FishTalk, Ihave lived near Saluda for over 20 years and have fished the Rappahannock River from my own boat for over 30 years. This past fall was the worst rockfish season I can remember, bar none. And that’s after year after year of tightening regulations. Is there another moratorium in our future?
Bill L., via email
Dear Bill – You’re not alone in your experience. We heard from many readers that 2024 was the worst October and November fishing they could remember. We can’t predict the future, but we can say that if the rockfish continue to have horrible success reproducing, to call it “worrisome” would be the understatement of the year.
FISH NEWS
By Lenny Rudow
Sore About Stripers
Chesapeake Bay anglers will likely feel additional pain in 2026, as the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Committee (ASMFC) grapples with the new stock assessment following the sixth year in a row of poor spawning success in the Chesapeake Bay. In part because the 2024 Young-of-Year Index was so low (2.0 versus the average of 11.0 in Maryland and 3.43 versus an average 7.77 in Virginia), the chances of rebuilding the stock by 2029 using current regulations have fallen below 50 percent. As we went to press, the ASMFC Striped Bass Board voted to make no changes in restrictions and regulations for 2025, taking a wait-and-see approach. That doesn’t mean individual states can’t make more restrictive modifications if they so choose, but they will not be forced to do so for this season.
# A shortage of juvenile stripers has both fisheries managers and anglers on edge.
Chesapeake Salmon (Again)
After having its proposal to construct a massive 25-acre indoor salmon farm on the banks of the Marshyhope River beaten back by public outcry, Norwegian aquaculture company Aquacon now has its sights set on building a $320 million salmon factory on the lower Susquehanna River in Port Deposit, MD. Targeting a production goal of 20 million pounds of fish annually, the company has not yet addressed issues including the possible release of geosmin and nutrient pollution in purge water, facility stormwater runoff, and the possibility of water intakes sucking in native-born fry and fingerlings. The company has claimed that discharged water would be “cleaner than when it was withdrawn.”
Bringing Back the Beach
Surf anglers dismayed by the significant beach erosion of the north side beach at the Delaware National Seashore at Indian River will be happy to hear that the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has an emergency dredging and beach renourishment project underway. By spring 380,000 cubic yards of sand will have been pulled from the shoal on the south side of the inlet and used to rebuild the beach and dune system. While the project is ongoing, access to the beach is closed. The date of expected completion has not yet been announced but DNREC says the timeline will be shared as progress is made; visit de.gov/irnorth to see the latest updates.
Back in the Black
The Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC) approved a motion at their winter meeting to waive federal measures through conservation equivalency and keep regulations on black sea bass status quo for the time being. Some angst was expressed over the stock being estimated at 20 percent less than the last stock assessment; however, the black sea bass biomass remains 219 percent higher than the target.
January
Axopar
Contender
It’s Showtime!
The Mid-Atlantic Sports and Boat Show is happening January 31 through February 2 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. There will be over 60 boat lines on display and the crew from FishTalk will be in attendance, too, so be sure to swing by our booth and say “Hi!” Hours are noon to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Visit vbboatshows.com to learn more.
February 15 and 16 set aside some time to visit the Pasadena Sportfishing Expo, taking place at Kurtz’s Beach in Pasadena, MD. The show runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days and is jam-packed with vendors of all types from fishing tackle to charter boat captains. Same goes for the Annapolis Saltwater Expo, which will be at the Annapolis Elk’s Lodge on Sunday, March 16 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Note that FishTalk contributor David Rudow and Reports editor Dillon Waters will present a seminar on snakehead fishing at 8:30 a.m., Capt. Tom Weaver will cover light tackle fishing at 10 a.m., Capt. Steve Griffin will discuss using side-imaging at 11:30 a.m., and at 1 p.m. a panel discussion will include Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow, FishTalk contributor Eric Packard, noted angling authority Shawn Kimbro, and Captains Ritchie Gaines and Tom Weaver.
TOURNAMENT NEWS
Honda Marine Dealer
It’s winter people, there is no tournament news! Well, almost none—don’t forget that the CCA Winter Pickerel Championship is still going on through the end of the month. It’s not too late to sign up and join in the competition, and if you can wrangle up those monster fish and snap off a pic on the ruler, you could win all sorts of cool prizes. True, some anglers have a head start at this point, but remember: almost every year the biggest fish of the tournament are caught in February. Visit ccamd.org for the details or to join in the winter fishing fun.
# The CCA Winter Pickerel Championship continues through the end of the month.
What’s New at FishTalkMag.com
Boats For Sale
From center consoles to sportfishing yachts, search our listings of new and used fishboats.
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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.
Humming a New Tune
Humminbird has an all-new series hitting the water, called the Xplore. Initialy introduced in 9”, 10”, and 12” models, the core concept behind their development is to make it faster and easier to navigate to the hotspots, then spot the fish. An all-new interface stressing ease of use is a key feature, delivered with touchscreen familiarity and a keypad with easily recognizable icons. Another Xplore advantage is the speed delivered by quad-core processors, so you don’t have to stare and wait for redraws and screen changes. Along with zippy, intuitive use, the Xplore delivers some cool new nav perks like a cloud-based waypoint management system that syncs with your phone, and included Lakemaster and Coastmaster mapping that covers an eyebrow-raising 170 million acres of fishing territory.
Xplore units are compatible with Minn Kota trolling motor and Talon anchor systems, the One Boat Network, iPilot Link, radar, AutoPilot, and ethernet, and come fully armed with onboard fish-finding prowess including dual spectrum CHIRP, down scanning, side scan, and compatibility with Mega 360 as well as Humminbird’s also-new Mega Live 2. In fact, the Xplore was designed with a sharp, clear 1280 x 720- or 1280 x 800-pixel LCD screen to display the Mega Live 2’s clearer, more detailed images. Price: $1499.99 to $2699.99. Visit humminbird.johnsonoutdoors.com if you’re sick and tired of fighting your electronics rather than using them.
Jigger’s Delight
We’re circling back on the Penn Carnage III Inshore rods, after putting a 1530S70 through its paces for a full year of use. This is the heaviest rod in the line, rated for 15- to 30-pound test with a heavy power rating. But don’t let that fool you because it’s a surprisingly thin, light rod, even though it provides gobs of backbone and matches up well with a 4500 series reel. With a fast action and 7’0” length we found the setup ideal for tossing 1.5-ounce jigs to winter megastripers, bailing for chicken mahi, and throwing jerkbaits to cobia. It’s built with high-end Fuji K SiC guides, Hypalon handles, and spiral carbon wraps with an outer layer of longitudinal carbon fibers. Two thumbs up! Price: $199. Visit pennfishing.com for the details.
Getting Tipsy
If we get an ice season this winter you may have to wipe a layer of dust off your tip-ups, but checking out the new I Fish Pro Tip-Up 2.0 might be an even better idea. This is a new take on tip-ups, where the tip-up also acts as a rod holder and allows you to use your rod and reel rather than pull in fish by hand. The trigger has three settings (light, medium, and heavy), the base is sized for holes up to 10”, and a wind deflector helps prevent false flags. The I Fish Pro Tip-Up 2.0 works with rods up to 42” and folds for easy transport and stowage.
Price: $60. Visit ifishpro.com to learn more.
Cooler Ruler
Ever wish you could get a fish’s measurement from a photo? The Proofball and Fishtechy makes it happen. All you need to do is make sure the small 1.4” orange ball appears in the picture, upload it to the app, and Ai figures out the fish’s length, girth, and weight in seconds. A coded tag in the ball registers it to your profile so you can track catch history and data, and you can set up the app to record items like temperature, barometric pressure, and catch location. Nifty!
Don’t you wish your Yeti held tackleboxes, rodholders, and knives/ pliers as well as all those frosty beverages? Of course you do! And now it can, with the Side Mounted Fishing Tackle Unit from Boat Outfitters. This add-on rack bumps out six inches off the cooler’s side and is sized for a pair of Plano 2700 tackleboxes. The mount fits into the tiedown points and is easily removable without any tools. It fits Yeti 35, 45, 50, 65, and 105 models, both Tundras and Hauls (though on the Haul it fits only on the side with wheels). Price: $167.12. Visit boatoutfitters.com to make that cooler even cooler.
RRange Matters
eal-time imagers are cool, but in saltwater their range is a bit lacking. Or, at least it has been up until now. Garmin expands the view with LiveScope XR, designed specifically for use in the brine. It gives range a serious boost with views up to 350’ (and up to 500’ in freshwater). Transmit power is 500 watts and sonar waves are blasted out in 265 to 550 kHz. Existing systems can be upgraded to XR just by adding the LVS62 transducer, or can be added to compatible Garmin MFDs with the GLS 10 black box. Price: $2499 for the LSV62; $2799 for the LSV62 and GLS 10. Visit garmin.com to see the fish in near-real time.
Very Veritas
Abu Garcia has come out with a next-gen series of Veritas LTD rods, aiming to boost strength and reduce weight. The trick is in the new Powerlux 100 resin, which distributes nanoparticles through the blank to prevent cracking and increase impact resistance. Abu Garcia puts the strength increase at 15 percent while cutting weight by five percent. The Veritas line also enjoys titanium-framed guides with zirconium inserts, EVA grips, and an exposed-blank reel seat to boost sensitivity. Casting models are available in 6’10 to 7’6” lengths from medium-light to heavy, and spinning rods come in 6’9” and 7’0” lengths in medium-light, medium, and mediumheavy. Price: $129.95. Visit abugarcia.com to learn more.
Getting On Board
Chesapeake anglers are familiar with planer boards, but a nifty new take on the concept can help you catch more… catfish?
Yes, catfish. B-Kat planer boards are designed for incredibly slow speeds of 0.2 to 1.4 mph, allowing you to anchor up in a current or super-slow troll where there is no current, yet still get your lines spread out wide in whatever pattern you like. Made of deburred aluminum with countersunk holes, twist-lock clips, and foam at the top, they’re available in multiple colors and two different sizes for catfish fishing, plus smaller versions for multi-species fishing. Price: $79. Visit bkatboards.com to get the full scoop.
PEnchanté
eople love escargot and snails live in the water, so why wouldn’t the fish love escargot, too? Revibed says they do, and they offer 10 packs of artificial Escargo Snails that allow you to “present something spectacular on the lakebed.” What the heck are these synthetic gastropods made of? We have no idea, because that information is not disclosed. However, they come with “flavoured foam” you can insert into the shell to “outwit the shyest carp.” News flash: if you can’t outwit a carp, you have a problem that can’t be solved with artificial snails. Price: $7.95. Visit eBay if curiosity has gotten the best of you.
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CHESAPEAKE CALENDAR
FEBRUARY
through Feb 28
CCA Pickerel Championship
Enjoy four months of great fishing to catch, photo, and release your way to some great trophies and other prizes. You may register any time before the tournament ends at ccamd.org
through Feb 2
Mid-Atlantic Sports and Boat Show
At the Virginia Beach Convention Center, VA.
1
FSFF Monthly Fly Tying
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Free State Fly Fishers clubhouse (behind Ford Hall) at the Davidsonville Family Rec Center. Join FSFF as one of our members instructs us on how to tie a couple of fly patterns and demonstrates proper tying techniques. All materials will be provided. Please bring your vise and tying tools if you have them. Questions: rybeer@gmail. com
6
Beyond 2025: What Is Next for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Lecture
A group of Chesapeake leaders have worked to identify the future of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and what is next for the conservation efforts in the Chesapeake. 5:30 p.m. at the Van Lennep Auditorium at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (also available virtually). Suggested ticket price $8.
13
AMM Winter Lecture Series
7 p.m. at the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Topic: Resilience in PracticeAdapting to Sea Level Rise in Annapolis. Speaker: Cameron Ramey. $10.
15-16
Pasadena Sportfishing 32nd Annual Fishing Expo
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days at Kurtz’s Beach in Pasadena, MD. Admission $5 each day, ages 12 and under are free. Over 120 tables full of discounted items, new and used fishing tackle, crabbing supplies, custombuilt rods and custom-made lures, nautical crafts, and more.
19 Annapolis Anglers Club
Monthly Meeting
Speaker, food and drink, table raffle, and 50/50. Food starts at 6pm, followed by meeting at 7pm. American Legion Post 7, Crownsville Road, Annapolis, MD 21401.
19
CCA Angler’s Night Out
7 to 9 p.m. at the American Legion Post 7 in Annapolis, MD. Join CCA Maryland and the Annapolis Angler’s Club for a co-sponsored treble hook to single hook replacement workshop. We will also have an area dedicated to ‘tackle craft’ led by Peter Turcik. This event is free and open to the public and seating is first come, first serve, so arrive early.
20 MSFC Monthly Meeting
7 to 8 p.m. at Elks Lodge #1272 in Cambridge, MD. Mid-Shore Fishing Club of Maryland.
Do you have an upcoming event? Send the details to:
20 Unpacking History: Black Packinghouse Workers and Owners in the Chesapeake Lecture
Shoreside communities like St. Michaels were once home to countless packinghouses that processed seafood and produce for more distant markets. Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum chief curator Pete Lesher will share stories of the Black workers and packinghouse owners who drove this local industry. 5:30 p.m. at the Van Lennep Auditorium at CBMM in St. Michaels (also available virtually). Suggested ticket price $8.
22 CCA Southern Maryland Chapter Annual Fundraising Banquet 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, MD. This fundraising dinner directly supports CCA Maryland’s focus on ensuring the health of our marine resources and anglers’ access to them. Tickets include one-year membership to CCA, all you can eat raw oysters, open bar, dinner, live auction, live music, and more.
22
MSFC Flea Market 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the American Legion Dorchester Post 91 in Cambridge, MD. Mid-Shore Fishing Club of Maryland.
24 CAPCA Monthly Meeting 6:45 to 8:30 p.m. at Annapolis Elks Lodge in Edgewater, MD, and online via Zoom. Topic: Taking Action to Protect the Chesapeake Bay. Free. More details at capca.net
27
AMM Winter Lecture Series
7 p.m. at the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Topic: Chesapeake Invaders - The Ecology and Economics of Blue Catfish on the Bay. Speaker: Jay Fleming. $10.
MARCH
through Mar 31
CCA Great Chesapeake Invasives Count Help fishery managers collect important data about which invasive species are being caught and where. Log your catches and get entered to win prizes each month. Free to register at ccamd.org
1 Fishing Flea Market
8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Back River United Methodist Church in Essex, MD. Sponsored by The Middle River Bass Club Anglers. New and used fishing rods, lures, and much more. Questions: contact Scott at (443) 909-9786. Admission $5, ages 12 and under are free. Proceeds from food sales benefit Boy Scout Troop 372.
1
FSFF Monthly Fly Tying
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Free State Fly Fishers clubhouse (behind Ford Hall) at the Davidsonville Family Rec Center. Join FSFF as one of our members instructs us on how to tie a couple of fly patterns and demonstrates proper tying techniques. All materials will be provided. Please bring your vise and tying tools if you have them. Questions: rybeer@gmail.com
5 Interpreting Surface Weather Maps Webinar
Join marine weather expert Mark Thornton for an online lesson in decoding the confusing symbols on surface weather maps to gain a better understanding of the large-scale weather pattern and how it will evolve. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Attend this one webinar ($35) or the bundle of three ($90) to include learning about Thunderstorms and Weather Apps. Register: spinsheet.com/weather-webinar
8-9
Essex-Middle River Fishing Club Fishing Flea Market
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day at the Rosedale Volunteer Fire Company in Rosedale, MD. New and used fishing tackle and crabbing supplies, freshwater, saltwater, offshore, and boating supplies. Food and refreshments available. Admission: $5, kids ages 13 and under are free. Questions: call Frank at (410) 686-2348.
12
Thunderstorms and Weather Radar Webinar
Join marine weather expert Mark Thornton for an online lesson in forecasting thunderstorms and tracking their evolution. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Attend this one webinar ($35) or the bundle of three ($90). Register: spinsheet.com/weather-webinar
13 CCA Angler’s Night Out
6 to 8:30 p.m. at the West End Grill in Annapolis. A talk and Q&A about everything you wanted to know about blue catfish with local fishing experts followed by the Pickerel Championship awards presentation. Free and open to the public.
ENJOY LIFE
Chesapeake Calendar
M ARCH
(continued)
15
CPR/AED and First Aid for Boaters
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Selby Bay Yacht Club in Edgewater, MD. $100 for CAPCA and Selby Bay Yacht Club member; $115 for all others. This course meets the CPR and First Aid requirements for USCG Captain’s License. The certification has a two-year expiration date. The program is taught by American Heart Association Certified Instructors who are all experienced boaters. To register for the class, contact Capt. Alan Karpas: Alan@ SafetyInstituteOfMD.com
16
30th Annual Saltwater Fishing Expo 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Annapolis Elks Lodge #622 in Edgewater, MD. Nonprofit fundraiser event presented by the Annapolis Anglers Club. Informative seminars, local tackle dealers, regional charter captains and guides, food, and more. $5 per person, kids 14 and under are free.
•
•
18
CCA Reef Ball Build 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Patuxent Appeal Elementary in Lusby, MD. RSVP to volunteer with CCA at ccamd.org
19 Annapolis Anglers Club Monthly Meeting
Speaker, food and drink, table raffle and 50/50. Food starts at 6 p.m., followed by meeting at 7 p.m. At the American Legion Post 7, Crownsville Road, Annapolis, MD 21401.
19 Understanding Weather Apps Webinar
Join marine weather expert Mark Thornton for an online lesson to give you a better understanding of how your weather apps work and how to interpret the data. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Attend this one webinar ($35) or the bundle of three ($90). Register: spinsheet.com/weather-webinar
20 MSFC Monthly Meeting
7 to 8 p.m. at Elks Lodge #1272 in Cambridge, MD. Mid-Shore Fishing Club of Maryland.
27 Watermen’s Story Swap
Join local author and emcee Brent Lewis, as well as a panel of local watermen, for a lively evening of stories of the past and present drawn from lives spent on the water harvesting from the Bay. 5:30 p.m. at the Van Lennep Auditorium at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels (also available virtually). Suggested ticket price $8.
# Martin and Neal had a great time pursuing albies on a trip to North Carolina this fall.
# Tony tied into this beefy carp while fishing in Middle River.
# Mark tied into this big bluefin near the Jack Spot.
# Darren and Ashton were all smiles when Ashton landed his very first rockfish.
# Woohoo! Now that’s what we call a fun family fishing trip!
FIS H PIC
OF THE MONTH
# Wade scored a whopping 14.5” white perch while fishing in the Pax.
# Paul tied into some cutlassfish in the lower Potomac.
# Webb wrangled up a Delaware rockfish.
# Drew, Katie, Ryan, Evan, and Emily had a blast rockfishing aboard the Bay Hunter II in late fall.
enjoyed some excellent fall action.
# Who’s more curious: Oliver examining his catch, or the catfish who found his bait? We’re not sure.
# Brendon tied into this 25-pound beast in North East and managed to land it on 10-pound test even after it wrapped a piling… twice!
# Darin enjoyed a great evening of trolling in Eastern Bay late last fall.
# Nick hits the pages of FishTalk with an awesome 23-incher caught near the Patuxent. Nice job, Nick!
# Taylor caught this beaut of a rockfish while out with Dad and Pop. WTG, Taylor!
# Mike
but
# Joshua found some smallies willing to bite at Dam 4, casting a Game Changer fly and slowly twitching the intermediate line.
# Ella caught this 14” white perch while jigging for rockfish. It may not have been the target species
that’s one heck of a perch, Ella!
# Professional angler Gil doing his thing!
# Jesse caught a new PB 5.5-pound bass while casting into a farm pond.
# Eli, Zach, and Silar enjoyed some pickerel action on the Severn.
# Pat tossed a popper up to Baltimore Light and reeled back this 25-incher.
# Cayson and Chase had a great day aboard the Hot Lava.
# Kevin, Robbie, and Garrett celebrate the arrival of bluefin off the coast. Photo by Ryan Musgrave.
# Andrew found some slot rock in E-Bay.
# Jack went casting—with a cast on, no less—and caught a 21” pickerel on Cattail Creek. We love that angling dedication, Jack!
# Ridgely inspects a freshly caught Severn River pickle fish.
# Martin found cutlassfish in the Potomac all the way into November.
# Jim tied into some sweet slot fish this fall, trolling off Podickory.
# Two master anglers, in one photo! (But notice Lucy is the one holding the fish… sorry Dad, we know who the REAL master angler is!!)
# Christopher and Greg battled this beautiful tuna up to the boat at the Jack Spot this fall.
Skeeter SX241: Don’t Blink
By Lenny Rudow
Whether you groove on tossing topwater at daybreak, flinging jigs at riprap and docks, or finessing a swimbait through the weedbeds, no platform can top a bay boat style fishing machine for light tackle angling on the Chesapeake and nearby coastal bays. And one that boasts some cool new design features is the Skeeter SX241.
Wait a sec—Skeeter? Yes, Skeeter. Up to now we haven’t seen many of Skeeter’s bay boats in the region, but Beacon Light Marina in Middle River recently took the brand on and we stumbled across them at last fall’s Annapolis Powerboat Show. At a glance, you’ll see that these boats have the traits that make for a topnotch light tackle center console: broad casting decks, 360-degree fishability, gobs of livewell capacity, and oodles of rodholders plus tackle stowage. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find that a 1’3” draft means you and your anglers will be precisioncasting into spots other boats can’t even
dream of reaching. And with a cruising speed of over 40 mph and a top-end hitting 60 mph (according to Yamaha, with an F350 mounted on the jack plate), you’ll be making those casts well before the competition arrives.
The SX241 offers a few perks that few other bay boats match, too. Pop open the foredeck wing hatches, and you’ll discover that the port stowage compartment has racks inside so it can serve as a rod box. And both port and starboard compartments lock, so you can keep your rigs and gear secure when trailering or leaving the boat unattended for a few days. The rodholder count is impressive, hitting a grand total of 22 including the hard top rocket launchers. As far as those livewells go, while most boats of this genre offer one or possibly two as standard features the SX241 has three: two flanking the aft deck and one under the forward console seat. Tackle stowage is a cut above the norm as well, with four tackle boxes plus a bulk stowage section under the leaning post, and
a swing-out pocket for a large tacklebox built into the console along with an extra slot for safely stowing cell phones or other valuables.
Speaking of the console: it’s minimized to provide the most deck space possible for angling. Though this means a head compartment isn’t in the cards, it also means this 24-footer has the casting territory of many 26-footers. And Skeeter offers a wide range of factoryinstalled Garmin and Humminbird electronics options at the helm, including the Mega Side-Imaging or Sidevu pre-wiring.
Setting all of the above aside, what will really seal the deal for most anglers looking at this boat is the casting deck acreage. The bowdeck is a monster, with room for three to swing rods without hooking each other in the ear. The aft deck is even more interesting—on this boat it runs full width from the edge of the cockpit right up to the very transom, while on many boats a large section of the center aft portion would be
Hot New Fishboats
scalloped out for a motor well and rigging space. Added bonus: Steps up to each casting deck are molded into the corners of the cockpit, which will make anglers with cranky knees particularly happy. Double-added bonus: the steps aft house cup holders and the forward gunwales also have flush-mounted cupholders, which will make anglers who get thirsty particularly happy.
You say you love light tackle fishing, and you’re intrigued by those sleek, low-slung bay boats you’ve seen prowling around the Chesapeake? Well, keep your eyes open. With models like the SX241 trouncing around in our territory, there’s a good chance you’ll be spotting a Skeeter soon.
Area Dealer:
Beacon Light Marina, Middle River, MD, (410) 335-6200 or beaconlightmarina.com
Quick Facts
LOA: 24’1” | Beam: 8’5”
Displacement: 2925 lbs. | Draft (hull): 1’3”
Fuel Capacity: 75 gal. | Max. Power: 350
Sportsman Open 212: Age of Innovation
If you’ve been reading the boat reviews in FishTalk for a few years you may have noticed a certain pattern when it comes to Sportsman boats: I’m a fan. IMHO the bang they deliver for your boat-buying buck is very, very tough to beat. On top of that, they’re clear and upfront about pricing, and their list of standard features is shockingly comprehensive. Another reason why Sportsman boats stand out from the crowd is that they’re as teched-out as a modern megayacht. You
say no way? The new Open 212 Center Console will have zero problem proving the point, because it carries more modern marine technology than plenty of boats twice its size and 10 times its cost.
Start with the Seakeeper Ride system, which is one of those included standard features. Sensors taking up to 1000 measurements a second chat with an onboard computer brain, which then adjusts paddles similar to trim tabs, to the tune of 100 times per second. Running
at 30 mph in one to two-foot seas, by Seakeeper’s measurements (which we’ve validated with our own measurements on other boats) that nets you a 58-percent reduction in roll and a 61-percent reduction in pitch as you cruise to the hotspots. Next, consider this boat’s control systems. It’s digital switching, with everything from pumps to lights activated with a swipe at the also-standard Garmin GPSMAP 1243xsv MFD at the helm. Then take a gander at that helm station, and notice that a pair of standard-issue inductive IPX6-waterproof cell phone chargers are integrated into the top of the console along with USB charging ports.
Did we mention that all of this cool
Performance
Sportsman publishes a 29.1 mph cruise at 3500 rpm while getting 3.8 mpg, and a 48.1 mph top-end with a Yamaha F250 on the transom.
# The SX241 has a centered seat that folds flush into the aft casting deck, flanked by a pair of livewells. Pop the latch and swing it up for wide-open bilge access.
# You might expect a pair of wireless cell phone chargers and USB ports integrated into the console on a yacht, but on a 21-footer? Sportsman says yes.
Quick Facts
LOA: 21’5” | Beam: 8’6”
Displacement: 3618 lbs.
Transom Deadrise: 18 degrees
Fuel Capacity: 70 gal.
Max. Power: 250 hp
tech comes… standard?
On the non-technical front, note that the new Open 212 is larger than their old 212 (by six inches of LOA and one inch of beam), and it stays true to Sportsman’s usual fishing/family balance. The bow has flanking seats with stowage underneath (note the use of paddle-style latches so you don’t have to fight cushions to access the hatch), including removable backrests. There’s a small seat on the front of the console with a cooler underneath, and a compact but useable compartment inside the console for those who need a head. Aft of the console there’s a leaning post with flip-up bolsters and a cooler underneath, a flip-down transom bench seat, and a starboard-side aquarium-style 25-gallon livewell.
Additional angling armaments include four gunwale rodholders, four leaning
post rocket launchers, and five hard top rocket launchers plus a pair of kingfish holders; a raw water washdown; tackle trays under the leaning post, and cockpit coaming bolsters. On the family side of the equation you’ll enjoy having a 10-gallon freshwater system; sitting in seats upholstered with Sileather silicon fabrics (which has better UV, mold, mildew, and temperature resistance than the usual vinyl); and sitting behind the helm station’s three-sided enclosure.
Who wants to guess how much gets added to the stock boat’s price tag by everything we just mentioned? Right again—all of this stuff comes standard. Take an Open 212 for a sea trial, do some comparison shopping, and break out the calculator. I’ll bet you become a fan, too.
Area Dealer: Riverside Marine, Essex, MD, (410) 686-1500 or riversideboats.com
Joysway Fishing Surfer: Oh, What a Joy!
We’ve poked fun at remote controlled fishing bait-boats before, but when we ran across the Joysway Fishing Surfer we couldn’t resist revisiting the topic. Mostly, because this thing looks like it would actually be a ton of fun to fish “from.” The Fishing Surfer claims a 1500’ range and 45 minutes of run-time, which is more
Quick Facts
L OA: 2’10” | Beam: 0’8”
Displacement: 7.8 lbs.
Draft: Not much
Fuel Capacity: 16.2 Ah
Max. Power: 9.6V
Top Speed: Allegedly 15 mph
than enough to empty that spool. It also has a GPS return-to-home function. You can save hotspots and set the boat to return to them on autopilot, and a cargo bin locks down your bait until you deploy. The boat is even self-righting and waterproof. Upgrade to the RTR model and you get an onboard fishfinder that sends wireless
views of the underwater world your way. Nifty! Price: Approx. $650; $950 for the RTR. Visit joysway-hobby.com to learn more (and see their entire fleet of RC bait boats).
Area Dealers: The internets
Preemptive Measures
By Lenny Rudow
Is it time for peak perch fishing right... now?
The perch runs have always signaled the arrival of spring in Chesapeake country. Before the run began you could pluck these fish out of the deep holes downriver of spawning sites, but as March progressed the run would be busting loose in a fishcatching frenzy. Year to year the exact timing was different and the fish arrived and departed in pulses so it was always a bit of a hit-or-miss fishery, but generally speaking you could catch yellow perch in huge numbers for weeks at a time. Shortly after their masses started dropping off the white perch moved in to fill the gap. All spring long we enjoyed the sound of perch nuggets crackling away in the frying pan.
Through the years, however, fishing the perch run seems to have become tougher. There seem to be fewer days you hit it big, and more days you go home with a
skunk in the cooler. Is this a matter of lower numbers of fish? Stock assessments indicate that perch aren’t in dire straits; the DNR’s latest population numbers on Choptank River white perch, for example, currently sit slightly higher than they were in the early 90s. And we do still have some banner angling afternoons—including times when you can catch fish as quickly as you can rebait the hook. Could something else explain the change?
The Heat of the Moment
Depending on what source you refer to, yellow perch begin to spawn in the lowto mid-40s and white perch like the lowto mid-50s. The Choptank has always been a great spring kickoff point, so let’s start there. According to the USGS, in Greensboro water temps 15 years ago averaged 38.3 degrees in January. In 2024,
the average was 42.1 degrees. Of course, every winter and every spring are different and one single season doesn’t tell a complete story. But all the way back in 2014 the USGS also said that average annual stream and river temperatures in the Chesapeake Bay watershed had gone up 2.52 degrees from 1960 to 2010. Hmmm…
I’m no scientist, but those numbers sure get me thinking: could the perch be spawning earlier than they did when I was a kid, tugging on my dad’s shirtsleeve and begging him to take us perchjerking on an early April afternoon? Or, could it be that the run has become more protracted, so we don’t see the same numbers of fish all at once? Could it be more condensed, so we’re less likely to hit the hotspot when the run is on? Tough questions, all. But…
# It may not exactly feel spring-like, but perch-jerking in February may be your best shot at success.
The Cat’s Out of the Bag
Again emphasizing that I’m not a scientist, one thing the science guys and I agree on is that the recent blue catfish population explosion could be affecting the populations of perch of both varieties. The USGS stance on this is that blue catfish prey on perch, however, the impact hasn’t been quantified. My personal experience is that at my favorite local perch run spot, the upper Patuxent River, in the exact same spots I used to enjoy over a month of good perch action per season I now get a couple of weeks. And a decade ago I might have caught a channel cat or two while perch fishing with shad darts and minnow (yellows) or darts and grass shrimp (whites). But today it’s impossible to not catch multiple blue cats, often including monster fish in the 20- to 40-pound range. How is the presence of these fish affecting the run?
February Fishing
While I can’t answer all the sciency questions, I can say one thing for sure: these days I catch a lot more yellow perch during February in prespwn zones than I do in March during the “run.” And my best days on whites are in March, not April.
A deep dive into the past five years of our FishTalk Fishing Reports also
# These days, when you go spring perch-jerking it’s not unusual to encounter those big blue cats. Just how are they affecting the run?
provides a few clues. There are annual exceptions (2021 was an oddball, for example, with an unusually deep freeze in mid-February), but looking at this snapshot in angling time on the whole we see that:
• Each and every year it’s been extremely hit-or-miss with one day hot, the next day not. Often a single week’s report includes skunks for some anglers yet banner action for others—so the perch fishing can turn on a dime on a daily basis.
• Success is more highly localized than it used to be. In the same week we see reports of an awesome bite and reports of skunks (sometimes even on the same day) on the same river at areas just a few miles apart.
• The month of February into the first week of March seems to provide the most consistent bite for yellow perch (usually on minnow) overall.
• The month of March has the best white perch action (usually on grass shrimp but bloodworms on bottom rigs can shine at times), though it usually extends into early- to mid-April in areas where the run tends to be later.
Pending Announcement
• The run on the Eastern Shore seems to kick off a week earlier than the Western Shore.
• Way North areas enjoy a good prespawn bite (in deep holes) through the early period but the actual run is delayed by another week or so as compared to the Lower Bay tribs.
• The Way South and Coastal zones are difficult to get a read on via the reports, because perch reports are fewer and farther between. That’s not necessarily a function of the fish, though, because action on species like reds and tog is already beginning and steals the limelight in these areas at this time of year.
The bottom line? If you want to welcome spring with a red-hot perch bite, start earlier in the season and target areas just downriver of historic spawning zones. Once the run is on if the bite is lackluster be quick to try changing spots, because a small move could make a big change. Bring multiple baits to cover all the bases. And if you strike out don’t lose hope, because just a day or two later it could be a completely different story—and you’ll be listening to those perch nuggets crackling in the frying pan after all. C’mon dad, can we please go? Please? Puh-leeeeeeze?
Many Maryland anglers will be wondering about last season’s confusion regarding a spate of warnings issued for not using circle hooks when perch fishing, even when casting a minnow on a shad dart. The DNR said at the time that new rules would be clarified by this season’s perch run. As we go to print an announcement regarding these clarifications has not yet been issued, so we suggest checking the DNR’s website for the latest before going fishing.
# Wait until T-shirt weather arrives and you might miss the bite.
By Staff
The latest to look for in modern fishing gear.
We generally think of tech in terms of digital doodads and programmable products. But technology changes the way things are built, too. Advances can make our boats, fishing gear, and end tackle more robust, lighter, more sensitive, and/or easier to use. And it can help us come up with lures that are more effective in this situation or that one. But you’ll only know to opt for this or that if you stay up to date on rapidly changing developments. So, what’s the latest in tackle tech?
Fishing have grown better by leaps and bounds as most manufacturers follow the pattern of developing advanced features and parts for very high-end reels, then adding them down through their lineup of less expensive reels over time. As a general rule, the $200 reel you purchase today
has a long list of advancements that were made on a $400 reel four or five years ago. Corrosion-resistant coatings, seal systems, and composite parts that reduce weight without sacrificing strength are all in this mix. The specifics will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Consider one-way roller bearings, for example, which were first introduced in the early 90s on pricey Van Staals to eliminate that annoying “kick back” you used to feel when setting the hook (a feature commonly referred to as infinite anti-reverse). Within a couple of years similar systems appeared in all of the
# Okay, let’s not get too carried away here, people… Image by OpenArt AI Image Generator.
major manufacturers’ high-end lineups. And today it appears in virtually every reel on the market, excepting the cheapest of the cheap.
To get an idea of just how advanced a specific reel is or isn’t, look at the features and parts found on a particular manufacturer’s most expensive offering. Then, see how many of them are mirrored as you look at the specs for each model dropping down in cost through the lineup.
What will we see in the future?
Digital tech has begun creeping into fishing reels and there are now a couple of models on the market boasting Bluetooth connectivity. While most seem pretty gimmicky, KastKing made quite a splash when they introduced their iReel in 2023. Many will argue that the gimmicky description applies here, too, but when we tested it we found some surprisingly useful functionality like tracking casting distance, and
keeping tabs on which cranking speed was producing the most bites. The reel even “talks” to you via speakers in a set of paired sunglasses. It’s a bit weird and spooky, sure, but can be advantageous as well and may portend some of what we’ll be seeing in future fishing reels.
The we fish with today are lightyears ahead of the old fiberglass noodles of decades past. Obviously the use of graphite changed the game, shooting sensitivity through the roof
# The new K-series guides from Fuji feature five times the corrosion resistance of regular stainless-steel.
#
while radically reducing weight. The downside was increased cost and decreased ability to withstand damage when stressed in unintended ways. More recently, materials and engineering in these thin hollow tubes make rods even more sensitive while reducing the likelihood of damage.
In the strength and longevity department look for the use of carbon fiber as a reinforcement, which some manufacturers claim boosts strength by as much as 10 times. Oven-cured rods also get a significant strength boost (generally said to be in the 20- to 30-percent range) as the resin is cured in a more controlled fashion. As for sensitivity, there’s no doubt that the newer construction materials and techniques have given it a tremendous boost. And in recent years many manufacturers have also moved to exposed-blank designs which allow you to keep a hand or finger in direct contact with the blank at all times, so you can detect every vibration.
Rod guides have seen some techy tweaks in recent years, too. The new Corrosion Control system used by Fuji, one of the largest and best-known rod guide manufacturers around, replaces coatings and beading with a molecular treatment that changes the surface of the metal and increases corrosion resistance five times longer than
standard stainless-steel. It can be found throughout their K-series guides, along with Alconite or SiC inserts which are best at withstanding the wear and tear of braid.
Before moving on from rods we should note one overarching trend: more and more often rods are designed with a high level of specialization for specific fisheries. Go-between rods you’d use for everything from jigging to casting topwater receive less and less attention, while more and more anglers buy a rod specifically intended for jigging and a different rod specifically designed for working a topwater lure. undergo a never-ending evolution—most of which seems far more focused on selling than on catching fish. That said, there have been a few tweaks and developments of interest in the past few years. Though we don’t as of yet have any data-driven proof to work from, plugs with internal reflective foil suspended on springs, which create a flicker and flash even during pauses in the retrieve, do seem to be highly effective. The range of soft plastics able to withstand teeth has become wider, as has the selection of scented and flavored lures on the market. But the biggest recent tech development in the world of lures has to do with… electronics?
Yes, electronics. We’re not talking about digital lures, but about lures designed specifically for fishing with real-time imaging sonar. Berkley got this ball rolling last year with the introduction of the Krej, the Finisher, and the Power Switch. All of these lures are designed to be paused, hovered, or go back and forth right in front of a fish that you’re watching on-screen, allowing you to try different actions and presentations until identifying one that will get the fish to strike. At last summer’s ICAST fishing tackle show several additional manufacturers announced their intention to jump on the bandwagon. And there are also “sonar intensifier” pastes on the market to make your lures more visible to the real-time imager. While most of the imaging fuss has been focused on freshwater fishing for largemouth bass, its utility has been proven in some saltwater fisheries in recent years (targeting bull reds at the CBBT islands immediately comes to mind). So, it’s likely we’ll see more and more similar offerings hit the tackleshop shelves sooner rather than later. What does all his nifty tackle tech add up to? For one thing, a great excuse to go out and buy a bunch of new gear. And for another, hopefully, you’ll soon be catching more fish.
You can literally see your lures using LiveScope real-time imaging, so lure manufacturers are now focused on creating lures you can keep in the strike zone and manipulate in different ways to see what works. Image courtesy of Garmin.
Boat Trailers: 3 Things to Consider
By Lenny Rudow
Many of us take our trailers for granted, but these three specifics deserve careful consideration.
It’s zero-dark-early in the morning as you cruise across the asphalt at 65 mph, heading for the boat ramp. Wait a sec, what’s that strange vibration in the steering wheel? Why do you suddenly hear a grindy noise? You take your foot off the gas as you glance in the rearview mirror and see… a cloud of smoke?! Yikes! So much for catching the sunrise bite. If you’ve been hauling a fishing boat for a decade or more, you’ve probably lived through this trailer-boating nightmare. And unfortunately, it’s just one of several potential trip-ending trailer disasters. In the best case you can patch things up and get back on the road with little delay, and in the worst, your teary eyes will be gazing at fiberglass spilled across the asphalt. The best way to minimize the mayhem? Good maintenance is key, but on top of that, be sure to consider these three things before buying a boat trailer in the first place.
Bunks vs. Rollers
It’s pretty easy to boil this debate down to a single sentence: trailers with bunks are simpler, less expensive, and require less custom fitting to a boat, but rollers make it a lot easier to get the boat onto and off of the trailer. That big advantage, however, can also be a huge disadvantage if the boat decides to launch itself at the wrong time. Back down
a ramp without the bow sufficiently secured or fail to strap the stern down tight, and it won’t take much to roll that boat right off the trailer and onto the concrete.
That’s a pretty significant downside, so for most of us—especially those with small or light rigs that are easily manhandled—bunks win handsdown. However, there are times when going with rollers is the smart move. If you’re regularly hauling a larger boat to a ramp that’s barely angled it may be more or less necessary. And if
you trailer all over Chesapeake country using many different ramps through the course of the season, you’ll encounter places and tidal swings where the easy launching and loading is a huge advantage. If you do go with rollers it’s critical to make 100-percent sure your bow winch strap, safety chain, and stern tie-downs are more than sufficient and in excellent shape. If they aren’t, hitting the gas pedal can be enough to launch your boat onto the roadway and slamming on the brakes can send it into the bed of your pick-up truck.
Straddling the Lines
If bunks make for difficult launching and the thought of hauling on rollers scares you, consider a bunk trailer with “slick boards.” These poly boards (which can be added to existing bunks) let the boat slide more easily than carpeted bunks, but not quite as easily as rollers.
# You want to get up in the middle of the night, launch before the sun is up, and catch the morning bite? Y-E-S!
# Rollers help that boat slide off the trailer a lot easier… but sometimes, a bit too easily.
Boat Trailers: 3 Things to Consider
Beatific Bearings
Grease bearings have always been the norm on boat trailers, but oil-filled bearings have been gaining ground for well over a decade and are now seen on a number of new boat-motortrailer packages. As one might expect, the manufacturers of each product say theirs are “best.” The oil-filled hub manufacturers make some big claims, and the grease guys spend their time shooting them down. Reality lies somewhere in-between.
Although grease bearings are generally considered reliable and inexpensive, oil-filled bearings offer easier maintenance and their manufacturers claim you can trailer up to 40,000 to 50,000 miles without changing the lube (5000 to 10,000 miles is generally the norm for grease bearings, depending on who you ask). Plus, they reduce bearing wear and friction (which contributes to a gain in tow vehicle efficiency). And on top of that they are easily monitored via a see-through cap on the hub. But their downsides can be significant: this type of bearing may allow condensation to form in the hub, leading to internal rust and ultimately, bearing failure.
The kicker here is that while oil bath bearings can be expected to go much longer distances than grease, how often they get used makes all the difference in the world. Let them sit for a few weeks and that condensation can form in the hub. Then corrosion and pitting sets in, and the next breakdown is just a few miles away. This is easily prevented by moving the trailer a few feet every week or two that your trailer is laid up, so the wheels rotate and the bearings are always freshly covered in oil. The bottom line? You’ll find oil advantageous if you trailer long distances with regularity and/or stay on top of moving the wheels every couple of weeks. But grease will likely win out if your trailer sits for long periods of time between uses.
The Hubs Have It
If you have the option, get a spare tire that’s pre-mounted on a quick-release hub. Then if you blow out a bearing (or get a flat), all you’ll need to do to get back on the road is jack it up, pull the release pin in the axel, and swap it out. Otherwise, if a bearing goes bad you’ll have a lot of work ahead of you and if you don’t have the tools and spare parts, you’ll need to call for a tow.
As for efficiency, talk is cheap and there’s only one crowd who’s making the claim that oil-filled hubs have a substantial advantage—the oil hub manufacturers. We have yet to see any quantifiable real-world data to back it up, so we’re laying this claim aside until someone proves it. As for the easy monitoring, however, it’s grease that takes a bath and oil bearings are a big winner, because you can look at their clear covers and see that everything’s looking good at a glance. On the flip side of the equation, plastic shatters
on impact. So if you tend to clip curbs while pulling around tight turns, you may want the old reliable grease hubs on your trailer.
Which system is superior? As is true with boats, there are trade-offs involved with each choice. If you trailer on a professional level doing long distances on a regular basis, oil bath bearings are probably going to be the best option. But if your personal trailering schedule is erratic and your boat doesn’t move for weeks at a time, you’ll most likely want grease in your hubs.
# Traditional grease bearings are tough to beat, but oil-filled hubs do have some advantages.
# Hey, wait a sec—that’s cheating!
Material Arguments
You’ll see three trailer options on the market: painted, galvanized, and aluminum. Painted trailers are the least expensive and you’ll regularly see them in relatively low-cost boatmotor-trailer packages. But if you fish the Chesapeake or the nearby coastal bays, watch out. These are commonly made with a relatively low grade of steel, certainly not stainless-steel, and sooner or later corrosion is going to be an issue. On galvanized trailers the steel is coated in a layer of zinc to protect it from corrosion. This is ef-
Maintenance Matters
Whatever material your boat trailer is made of, giving it a thorough rinse with freshwater after every use in saltwater will extend its lifetime substantially. Remember, even aluminum isn’t immune to corrosion, it’s just resistant.
fective, however, it can wear away with age. Aluminum trailers are the most expensive option, but they’re naturally more corrosion resistant. If you regularly launch in the brine aluminum can’t be beat. Added bonus: aluminum weighs less than steel, so your overall tow package will be lighter.
# Painted trailers should be limited to freshwater dunkings.
Okay: are you ready for the next zero-dark-thirty fishing adventure? Hitch up and head for the ramp. If you’ve considered all of the above carefully and don’t have a particularly unlucky day you should get there with no problems. Now, as for getting those fish to bite…
Redbird Reflections
Time has proven that structure is not all created equal.
By Wayne Young
Diver websites and YouTube videos are great resources for researching bottom structure that attracts sportfish and for assessing the performance of artificial reefs. Underwater photos and videos show the actual physical condition, extent of colonization by marine organisms, and types and species of fish present. Used in conjunction with sonar images as available, a more complete un-
derstanding of individual reefs emerges. With this in mind we’re taking another look at Tower Reef and also the Chesapeake Light Tower off the Chesapeake Bay entrance, this time through the photography and underwater videography of diver Jerrod K. Jenkins, JKJ Diving. (The full videos are posted on YouTube; see “Tower Reef, Virginia” at FishTalkMag.com for the original assessment of the sites).
Tower Reef, located as it is in the Bay Entrance with depths in the 45’ to 65’ range, is in a high physical energy zone. Turbulence from storm waves reach all the way down to the bottom. So, it is not surprising that sonar images show scouring around individual structure. Scouring aside, how have the reef structures themselves fared overall? And, why has productivity fallen off at many of the subway car reefs? What we’ll find out is
# Chart 1: Top left – BAG image of Tower Reef under ENC Chart. Top right – VMRC deployment and sonar image of J. B. Eskridge. Middle and bottom – Underwater photos of tug. Underwater photos by Jerrod K. Jenkins.
that the more robust features such as those consisting of obsolete ships and concrete structures have been the most durable, and offer excellent fishing opportunities. But, as revealed by Jerrod’s video and reports from other divers, the thin-skinned subway cars haven’t fared well. They’re much less fishing-friendly than when first deposited and have a short lifespan as fishing reefs.
An example of a robust structure is the tug J. B. Eskridge which was sunk as a fishing reef in 2002. The upper right images on Chart 1 are a Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) deployment photo and a side-scan image of the tug from a VMRC 2010 sonar report. Jerrod’s 2015 and 2018 underwater videos reveal the tug’s condition as a fishing reef. Still photos from the video show the wreck is intact, upright with about a 30-degree list, and heavily encrusted with marine organisms. Check this reef site for sea bass, and tautog, and also for flounder alongside.
The VMRC arranged for deployment of 50 Redbird subway cars at the Tower Reef in 2000. They were pushed off a barge by an excavator. Video taken during the 2018 dive disclosed that these cars have fared poorly in terms of durability. Although the visible remains were heavily encrusted with marine organisms, these light-skinned structures were literally torn apart. The remnants still provide marine habitat, but a small fraction of the original footprint. The remains also pose significant snagging hazards.
As an artificial reef manager some two decades ago, I would have jumped at the chance of getting a load of obsolete subway cars. On face value the cars offered by the New York subway system were excellent candidates for service as fish condos, and some 1300 of them were deposited at reef sites up and down the coast. But their demolished condition and missing metal components are representative of subway cars at other artificial reef sites from North Carolina to New York. Although the projected lifespan for the subway cars as fishing reefs was 25 to 30 years, what’s left today ranges from nothing
to partial, thin vertical structures and scattered sheet metal.
After about a decade, corrosion of the rivet fasteners holding sheet metal to the ends and frames compromised structural integrity. This made the cars vulnerable to wave-generated energy and hastened their demise. A 10-year life span for an artificial reef isn’t very long. A better choice would be more durable structures at suitable locations to optimize the limited resources that are available for artificial reef development. Crushing prior to deployment and placement as stacked reefs in low physical energy locations might also be options for extending the lifespan, but would certainly increase preparation, staging, and deployments costs. The reef form would also be different than one with large voids.
Jerrod and companions dived on the nearby Chesapeake Light Tower in 2015. It’s a massive structure that was built in 1965 to replace the Coast Guard lightship formerly marking the
Bay entrance. The 120’ high tower is supported by four 33” concrete-filled steel pilings that were driven deep into the seabed. The steel legs are tied together by massive crossmembers and corner supports below the surface. During the course of the spring through autumn fishing season the Tower draws large numbers of fish and is particularly well known for being a spadefish hotspot. However, expect to lose some end tackle when fishing close to the structure and bring plenty of spare gear.
The Tower Reef, Light Tower, and wrecks and obstructions around the lower end of the fish haven are a powerhouse combination as a sportfishing destination. However, the subway car remnants are a shell of their former selves. They may produce a few fish, but a better bet is looking for the tug, barge, and other more durable reef materials that were deployed within the fish haven. Expect to find a similar situation at other reef sites developed with the Redbird cars.
As well as being a regular contributor to FishTalk, Wayne Young is the author of multiple books detailing wrecks and fishing reefs in the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and beyond. All are available at Amazon.com, and you can find his Facebook page at “Chesapeake Bay Fishing Reefs.”
# Mussels covering the structure at the Chesapeake Light Tower. Underwater photos by Jerrod K. Jenkins.
Put Yer Dukes Up CC vs. Pilothouse
By Mark Scheuerman and Brennan Shute
Which is better for a Chesapeake Bay angler, a center console or a pilothouse boat?
As Bay fishermen we live for the adrenaline rush of topwater slams and bird blitzes, but the question is, will a center console or pilothouse get us more epic fishing opportunities? I’ve been fishing the Bay on center consoles for the last 12 years, but this summer I bought a Judge 27’ Chesapeake pilothouse to get my family out fishing more. Brennan, by contrast, grew up fishing on the Judge 27’ Chesapeake pilothouse run by his father, the iFishMD—and recently bought a Judge 265CC center console. We try to provide an unbiased opinion here based on our experiences with both.
Fishing First
We agree that center consoles provide unparalleled fishability. While the pilothouse does have a massive cockpit and great deck utilization for its size, the open bow, additional front deck space, and 360-degree fishability of the center console are unmatched. There will be times when an angler is tight on a big rockfish or red drum, and the fish makes a run forward. Fighting large fish like these on barely adequate tackle is an adrenaline rush, but also means their erratic movements are more difficult to control.
Fishing from the bow is also safer and more effective from center consoles. It can be harder to feel the bump jigging from the bow of the pilothouse because of the higher angle caused by the elevated bow, making it harder to eliminate excess slack from the line. And it’s nice to be able to fish from the bow because it allows you to get away from other anglers and cast 270 degrees without crossing over other lines.
Fishability: Plus-one for the center console, where you can walk laps around the boat with ease.
Relaxing, or Surviving?
Comfort is definitely a BIG plus in the pilothouse. The pilothouse provides protection from the cold weather and is the coolest place on the boat when the sun is beating down. The windows open all the way up, which provides a great breeze through the cabin while you’re shaded from the sun. The cabin also keeps you dry from spray and rain, which is increasingly important in colder weather. I love not worrying whether my passengers are miserable when we’re cruising in the Chesapeake. In my center console, I was always wondering if my passengers were getting sprayed or not.
Wind-burn in either the hot or cold is another element it eliminates, as well as general fatigue after a day on the water. You’ll need more sunscreen and layers of clothing in the center console to make up for the lack of protection.
My four-year-old son was pretty miserable running in our center console, even on the Patapsco River. In the Chesapeake this November we spent eight hours boating and fishing as a family, and it was 42 degrees to start the day. My son was happy as a clam snuggling his mom on the L-couch and lying on a bean bag in the V-berth. This added comfort allows me to fish more days of the year because I don’t have to separate fishing from family anymore.
Brennan has noticed that the center console potentially rides a bit better because the helm is further aft. The closer you stand to the bow, the more up and down motion you’re going to feel in any type of sea. But the cabin also allows people to talk while running and adds the ability to overnight on the boat with the V-berth and head. Oh, and the pilothouse has more dry stowage with the V-berth and stowage under the L-couch.
Comfort: The pilothouse wins hands-down.
# Mark’s Chesapeake 27 keeps the entire family comfortable come rain, shine, cold, or heat. But…
# Brennan’s 265CC maximizes fishing space.
Spacing Out
The increased deck space of the center console allows more people to comfortably fish, and as an example, Brennan has the ability to fish five passengers versus four as Brennan’s Dad does in the pilothouse model.
But before we give center consoles another point: Lockable stowage is limited to the console, and you can’t fit rods in there, only some tackle and safety gear. Rods and most additional gear need to be loaded and unloaded from the boat every time you use it. Brennan’s dad keeps probably 25 rods in his cabin at all times, always rigged and ready to go for clients with a variety of baits depending on the method they fish.
The center console is easier to dock when the wind is blowing. The pilothouse’s sail area is noticeable, making maneuvering around the dock or drift fishing in a stiff wind in open water more difficult; many pilothouse owners have optioned a bow thruster to negate this issue if their marina requires closequarters maneuvering. In open water, optioning a trolling motor to slow and adjust drifts is a welcome addition on either model. I have also found the trolling motor helpful for navigating my Chesapeake around the Bay Bridge and Key Bridge pilings, especially when the current is ripping.
Layout: The pluses and minuses go both ways, so it’s a wash.
Scrub, Scrub, Scrub your Boat
Center consols are utilitarian and simple. If you are running the same boat for 16-plus years on the Bay, as Brennan’s dad has, you realize that saltwater is not nice to anything metal and there’s more to worry about on the cabin boat. On top of that, the pilothouse sides and roof add surface area that needs to be cleaned and waxed. However, while the pilothouse has more surface area to clean the helm is inside and protected from the elements, extending the lifespan of the throttles, controls, switches, electronics, and more. Seats and cushions are protected, too.
Maintenance: Again, we have a wash (wash, wash, your boat).
Cost
Center consols are less expensive. The Judge 265CC is approximately $20,000 less in base price than the 27’ Chesapeake when optioned equivalently with a single Suzuki DF300, Zipwake trim tabs, Optimus power steering, etc.
Cost: Slight advantage to the center console.
So what will it be, a CC or a pilothouse? The answer depends on your needs. Are you more of a hardcore fisherman adrenaline junkie, or do you love to fish every opportunity you can and also have a wife and kids you want to entertain? Only you can answer these questions for yourself. But Brennan and I agree on one final thing: we both love our boats!
# Mark and Gabe break in their new Chesapeake 27.
YELLOW PERCH for Beginners
By Staff
Yellow perch are one of the most beautiful— and tasty—fish swimming in the Bay.
Yellow perch are a widely distributed native panfish in North America, ranging from Georgia to Nova Scotia and westward all the way to southeast Alaska. They live in both fresh and brackish waters, including all of the Chesapeake Bay tidal tributaries and many of the reservoirs in our region. The first time an angler catches a yellow perch is usually an eye-opening experience, thanks to the fish’s colorful mix of green, yellow, and fluorescent orange. Who would predict that such a gorgeous, almost tropical-looking fish would swim in our home waters? This fish is known by many names, including ring perch, racoon perch, and yellow neds. They’re closely related to walleye and share a similar firm, very sweet meat. Yellow perch have a mixed diet and eat a wide range of invertebrates and small crustaceans, but adults eat mostly smaller finfish. They average six to nine inches but can grow to be 14” or 15”.
Record Yellow Perch
The largest yellow perch caught on hook and line was a four-pound, three-ounce fish caught in New Jersey. That mark was recorded all the way back in 1865, making it the oldest record for a freshwater fish caught in North America. The record for yellow perch in the state of Delaware is two pounds, 11 ounces. In Maryland it’s three pounds, five ounces. The mark to beat in Pennsylvania is three pounds. And in Virginia, the largest ring perch recorded also sits at the three-pound mark.
# With a mix of yellow, green, and orange, few fish are as pretty as the yellow perch.
Yellow Perch Regulations
Yellow perch regulations differ not only state by state, but also by freshwater and tidal. These can range from year-round open seasons and no bag limits to different length and bag limits. In some areas, freshwater bodies may have their own regulations specific to the one lake or reservoir. So, there are too many different rules and regs for us to cover them all here. Before you try fishing for yellow perch it’s important to check with the agency regulating the specific water body you’ll be casting in.
As a general rule of thumb freshwater perch will be found in relatively deep water in very hot and very cool weather, and during spring and fall when temperatures are milder, tend to move shallower and can often be located in and around weedbeds. Unlike some other species, however, they bite well even in very cold temperatures. So, they tend to be a wintertime favorite and in mountain lakes that freeze over, are a common target for ice fishermen.
Best Lures for Yellow Perch
Yellow Perch Seasonal
Availability
Yellow perch bite year-round, but where you’ll find them does change with the changing seasons. In tidal areas they spend most of the summer and fall widely scattered through tributary rivers and creeks. During this timeframe it’s often difficult to target them in specific, but you’ll catch one here and another there while fishing for other species. In the winter they school up in deep holes and channels downstream from their spring spawning grounds, and when you locate such an area, they can provide excellent winter fishing action. But it’s the early spring run that’s generally thought of as the best time for yellow perch fishing. During the run, which historically starts in early March and can continue for up to a month (see “Preemptive Measures” for more intel about changes we’ve seen in the spring perch run in recent years), yellow perch pack into tributary headwaters in enormous numbers and often bite with abandon.
Yellow perch will hit most minnow-imitating lures, with one common denominator: since these are relatively small fish, lures should be relatively small, too. Top picks include:
• Two-inch tube jigs and twister tails, fished on small jigheads.
• Shad darts
• Spinners (especially when the fish are relatively shallow)
• Blade-baits (especially when the fish are relatively deep)
• Crankbaits and twitchbaits
Best Baits for Yellow Perch
The best bait to use in freshwater is generally a shiner, though they will also eat night crawlers at times. In tidal waters there’s a bit more variety including:
• Bull (mummichog) minnow
• Grass shrimp
• Soft or peeler crab
• Bloodworms
Tip: During the winter months yellow perch in tidal waters will hit surprisingly large bull minnow. Like most species they want to expend as little energy as possible for the greatest benefit possible when it’s very cold. Never be afraid to reach for the very largest minnow in the bucket.
Bonus Tip: It’s very effective to combine a lure and bait when fishing for yellow perch. Casting shad darts tipped with a live lip-hooked bull minnow or grass shrimp is an excellent way to target them.
Best Gear for Yellow Perch Fishing
Generally speaking light or ultralight gear is in order, with line in the four- to eightpound range. Either mono or braid will work, though anglers casting lures tend to prefer braid and anglers fishing bait often like mono. Most anglers won’t add leader
to mono line, but braid should be tipped with a few feet of mono or fluoro for chaff resistance.
When fishing bait (not added to a lure), using top-and-bottom rigs is the norm when fish are deeper than a few feet. If the perch are shallow suspending the bait under a bobber often works well.
If you’re ready to head out and chase those yellow perch, be sure to take a peek at FishTalkMag.com and type “yellow perch” into the search box—we have plenty of in-depth information on targeting these fish in specific places at specific times. But be forewarned: if you catch a bucket full of yellow neds, take them home, and fry up some perch nuggets, there’s a very good chance that chasing these tasty panfish will become an addiction.
Look out for the dorsal fin spines and gill plates on yellow perch. Both are very sharp and can easily poke or cut you. They can be safely lipped when large enough or can be grasped around the gill plates as long as you hold them closed from both sides at once.
# When the run is on, it’s possible to catch yellow neds hand over fist.
Upriver the pickerel are pouncing and downriver the redfish are raging. Bass are biting and crappie are cavorting, even as bluefish are busting and croaker are crushing it. You might encounter a gargantuan gar to the north, or a behemoth black drum to the south. When you’re an angler fishing on the Pocomoke River this somewhat contradictory but exceedingly exciting list can go on and on. With its headwaters well above Snow Hill and its mouth emptying into the Pocomoke Sound, the southernmost river on Maryland’s portion of the East-
The Pocomoke River is a multi-fishery gem.
By Staff
ern Shore serves as the border between Maryland and Virginia in its lower section. And whichever state you might call home one thing is for sure: fishing the Pocomoke is a true pleasure, punctuated with plenty of surprises.
Above Snow Hill
Though you’ll see tidal swings well beyond Snow Hill this is a sweetwater segment of the river, and it’s chock-full of largemouth bass, crappie, pickerel, and catfish. In the winter and into early spring perch make a serious showing here, too. In recent years snakeheads
# Stretching over 60 miles through the southern Eastern Shore, the Pocomoke offers both fantastic freshwater and spectacular saltwater fishing.
have also been caught from this zone, though as of yet their numbers don’t seem as dense as in some similar eastside waterways.
You’ll find the main channel hugging the outside of bends and running through the middle of straight segments, deadfall all along the shorelines, and numerous small islands to probe for these predators. Note that in either extreme cold or extreme heat, sticking with the channel is often a good move, but all year long fish spread out to visit the shallow coves and flats when water levels rise with the tide.
TIP: Drop a lip-hooked bull minnow on a shad dart into the channels during the winter months and bounce it along the bottom for crappie, perch, and pickerel. At the same time cast one suspended under a bobber and drift it along the edge of the channel where it shallows up and bass will often attack.
Access: There’s a nice pier/bulkhead with tons of room for shoreline angling (all within casting distance of the channel) and a boat ramp in Snow Hill, at Boyd Park. Note that to take a boat above the Snow Hill drawbridge (where winter fishing is often hot) you’ll have to call ahead for an opening and hours are limited. Visit snowhillmd.gov to get the full scoop.
Snow Hill to Shelltown
Just downriver from Snow Hill you’ll find some very cool territory with islands, lots of bending sections, and plenty of deadfall that attracts bass. Then from around Shad Landing down, the river becomes more well-defined. All of the species mentioned earlier can be caught in this zone but if you want to bail catfish one after the next, this is the section of the river you’ll want to fish. Stick to the channel but seek out the spots where there are plenty of snags and structure laying on bottom, and cast out cut bunker.
TIP: Since the blue catfish have been established for longer in some other waterways you aren’t likely to find gargantuan specimens here, but plenty of 10-or-so pounders can be found and every year larger and larger fish show up. To target the big ones first go fishing for bluegills. Then liveline four- to six-inchers on a fishfinder rig with an 8/0 circle hook.
# This toothy gar provided quite an adrenaline rush when it ate a tiny dart fished on four-pound test during an afternoon of perch and crappie fishing.
Access: There are almost a dozen access points, ramps, soft launches, and parks located along this stretch of the river. Visit the Maryland Public Water Access map online to get the skinny (using the Google machine will get you there in no time).
Shelltown
and Down
From this point on we’re in a salty environ straddling the MD/VA border. Running out to the Pocomoke Sound the river widens dramatically, and there are feeder creeks cutting the marshes on both the Maryland and Virginia sides of the river. During the warmer months of the year probing these, working the shorelines, and fishing weedbeds can produce spectacular rockfish, redfish, and speckled trout action.
Note that even in areas where the river is miles across, the Pocomoke is mostly very shallow. The main channel only runs 10’ or so and most of the time you’ll be in five or six feet of water. Where the river meets the Sound itself (off Long Point to the south and Oystershell Point to the north), depths begin to drop down and there are some sharp edges that hold flounder during seasons when they make their presence known in the Bay. And once you’re out this far all bets are off—encountering bluefish, croaker, weakfish, black drum, and just about any other fish that cruises the Bay becomes a possibility.
TIP: If you have redfish in your sights don’t be afraid to creep deep into the cuts and creeks running out of the marshes, especially on a rising tide. Try tossing topwater early and late, and three- to four-inch soft plastics on light jigheads when the sun is higher in the sky. You’ll also find some holes in the bends of these creeks which have several feet more depth, which big specks will visit with surprising regularity.
Access: There’s a public ramp at Shelltown and at Rumbly on the Maryland side of the river. On the Virginia side there’s a ramp and a pier with some room to fish at Pitts Landing, and farther downriver, a ramp in Saxis.
# Where the river meets the Pocomoke Sound all bets are off as to what might bite next.
FISHING FORECAST
Predicted after review of past reports gathered by Dillon Waters.
Editor’s Note: 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.
Coastal
Chances are that by the time February rolls around the oceanic action will have grown pretty quiet. Well, very quiet, but there are exceptions. We can expect that tautog will be willing to chew on green crabs and white leggers dropped to the wrecks and reefs off the coast on days when the weather allows. And Virginia Beach anglers will be happy to reel up sea bass, just as long as the state allows for the special February season (which was TBA as we went to press).
Upper Bay
While the mainstem Bay is likely quiet right about now, the tributaries and creeks feeding it have solid potential for pickerel anglers. Casting paddletails was hot early this winter but as the water’s grown chillier, we’d expect that suspending minnow on shad darts and small bucktails under a bobber has taken over as most effective.
Middle Bay
Well, the big trophies came back (yay!) but by now they’re most likely hugging bottom in a winter slumber (boo!). A stretch of warmth could turn that around, but who knows what the weather will bring. Up the tributaries, meanwhile, look to find deep holes downriver of perch spawning grounds and you may well get into a nice slug of fish right about now.
Freshwater
If there’s going to be an ice fishing season this year it’ll be right about now. But that’s a big “if” and we certainly can’t predict whether hard water will be available within driving distance, or not. That said, whether the water is wide-open or requires drilling, yellow perch, pickerel, crappie, and pike don’t mind super-cold water temps. And if the Eastern Shore millponds are within a day’s drive don’t forget that they often offer up excellent February action particularly for pickerel.
Way North
As we go to press there are already reports of yellow perch balling up in deepwater haunts as they stage prior to their spawning runs, so the outlook is good for a midwinter bite. Dropping down tandems with minnow is standard fare, though minnow on a bottom rig will get the job done, too. And while you’re at it consider setting some cut baits along the channel edges and holes and hold on tight—blue cats never stop eating, no matter how chilly it becomes.
# Eddie proves that February is prime pickerel time.
Lower Bay
While perch can be found in the Lower Bay tribs, too, this is a red-hot time for some cold-weather blue catfish fishing. The James, Rappahannock, and Potomac all hold the potential for fast action and a monster or two if you’re willing to bundle up and toss some cut bait out on bottom along the channel edges.
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore
Head for the tributaries if you want to bend a rod, people, because the rivers feeding the Sounds enjoy some excellent winter fishing action. Perch, pickerel, crappie, and bass are all on the menu for those casting shad darts tipped with bull minnow. Look to find the fish along channel edges during low and falling tides, but moving up over shallower flats when the water rises and the sun comes out.
Way South and VA
It’s a big roll of the dice trying to forecast what will be available to area anglers in February, but if the weather stays warm enough there’s always a shot for redfish and speckled trout action in the inlets and the Elizabeth. If an arctic blast decides to shut down that action, heading upriver ISO perch, pickerel, and catfish will likely be the move.
reports will be published on our website every Friday by noon, just in time for your weekend fishing adventures.
# Reports editor Dillon Waters jumped on with Steve Griffin of Griffin’s Guide Service to enjoy some action earlier this winter.
Pulling a load
By Eric Packard
Kayaks can be car topped or shoved into the back of a pickup truck, driven to a location for the day, then dragged down to the water. But today, with their new designs and additional accessories, many fishing kayaks are significantly heavier than one might expect. That can make loading and unloading a serious chore. So, how do you get your boat to the water with less work? You may want to trailer it.
I personally don’t own or use a trailer to haul my kayak. I have a small pickup and the tailgate is relatively low, so loading it up is super easy. So I asked three fishing buddies of mine who use trailers, Mike, Beth, and Sam, if they could give me a few pros and cons of using a kayak trailer.
The Pros
Mike says that owning a kayak trailer is a huge pro. “I keep my kayak stored on the trailer. When I get home I unhook it, give a quick wash down, and roll it into the garage. Next trip I roll it out and can be on the road in a couple of minutes. As I’ve gotten older, I also appreciate the convenience of the low lift it takes to get it back on the trailer.”
Beth agrees, saying “We have a homemade kayak trailer converted from an old motorcycle trailer. The definite pro is ease of loading/ unloading/tying down. We don’t have to lift it into the bed of the truck or onto racks.”
And Sam adds “If you have a heavy, wide, and burdensome kayak like mine, with a motor like a boat, before I got the trailer it was a *#@&% to hoist it up on the roof rack by myself. It does render the convenience and practicality of launching like a regular watercraft. My suggestion is to obtain the smallest and most lightweight trailer possible.”
The Cons
“The obvious negative is the lack of access at small launches that don’t have room for trailers, or where the distance from parking to the launch would require a kayak cart or the like,” says Mike. “There are also maintenance costs for the trailer, like getting the hubs greased every couple of years.”
Sam said his cons are “the extra financial expenditure and maintenance of owning one, and property tax in Virginia where I live. Maintenance, too, I’ve had to replace the axle once already in the four years I’ve had mine. And you will have electrical problems (with the lights) as well. Also, it does increase the wear and tear on your transmission, depending on the weight of the trailer.”
A final con, from Beth: “Having to get it registered and finding a place to park it.”
If you decide that you want a trailer, most cost from around $1000 to a little over $2000. Or, you can do a DIY project like Beth and her husband put together. If you want to launch directly into the briny Chesapeake waters and will be dunking the trailer be sure to choose galvanized or aluminum construction. And Sam adds one last suggestion: “If you don’t have experience driving with a trailer, go practice in a parking lot. And remember to negotiate your turns with half the vehicle length ahead first or you’ll be jumping or clipping the curb.”
# A large fishing kayak with lots of accessories can be tough to get on top of a car or into a tall pickup truck, but a kayak trailer makes launching and loading easy.
Pickerel and Panfish Practices
During February yellow perch and crappie will often mix in the holes and channel edges of Chesapeake tidal rivers. While these fish like small baits, you may have to reach bottom in 15’ or 20’ where there’s a strong current, so prep up by tying some tandem rigs to boost weight without increasing the size of your offerings.
Pickerel have an incredibly toothy maw, and they’ll make short work of light leaders. But these fish aren’t leader-shy, so upsize to 20- or even 25-pound test leaders to reduce bite-offs when they’re the target.
Bonus Tip: Check for chaffing after every catch and retie if any is present, which will be about a third of the time.
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2023 Bayliner Trophy T23 Pilothouse 225 V6 DTS Mercury Outboard Upgrade, Hours - 10, Solid White Hull and Deck, Hardtop w/ Roof Hatch, Explorer Rails - Black w/ Fender Holders, Port and Starboard Extended Platforms, ShipsDek Custom Flooring Package, Bow Roller, Sink w/ Fresh Water System and Cockpit Shower, and more! $91,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com , www.riversideboats.com #20604
2004 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer **Priced aggressively for quick sale - engine has good compression, outdrive is good, risers/manifolds are newerupholstery, canvas, & cabin have “fair” cosmetics - items not working: water heater, fresh water pump, VHF & trim gauge is erratic - everything else functions as it should - boat is in a slip and ready for sea-trial & immediate delivery.** $19,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com , www.riversideboats.com #21061
2015 Yamaha Marine 242 Limited S Pinnacle of performance and luxury, watersports edition! Twin 1.8L High Output engines w/ jet drives. Price just reduced! $45,000 Beacon Light Marina, 410.335.6200, www.beaconlightmarina.com
2016 Cutwater 24 Coupe $94,987The 2016 C-24 is powered by a 240Hp Volvo Penta diesel Duoprop sterndrive. Great Condition. Contact Josh Miller 810.531.9191 or jmiller @pocket-yacht.com www.pocketyachtco.com
2022 Bayliner Trophy T24CC 250 4S Mercury Outboard, Mercury Warranty until 7/16/25, Hours – 30, Power Assist Steering, (new trailer shown in photos is available for $6,746), Graphite Interior, Stainless Steel Upgrade, Ski-Tow Pylon, Center Console and Helm Seat Cover, Bow Filler Cushion, CC Fishing Seats with Livewell, Digital Dash with Mercury Vesselview ink - Twin 9” GPS, and more! $59,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales @riversideboats.com , www.riversideboats.com #20671
2017 Sportsman Open 252 CC Twin F150XB Yamaha Outboards, Venture Trailer 7225, White Hull, Black Powder Coat, Hard-Top w/ Rocket Launchers, Spreader Light and Outriggers, Spray Shield, Simrad 12” GPS, Simrad VHF, Compass, Hours570, Trim Tabs/Trim Gauge, Bottom Paint, Lots of Extras! $89,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com , www.riversideboats.com #20803
2013 Pursuit 265 Dual Console
$94,987 Recent $15K price reduction. Excellent value, especially when you consider that it includes a reliable trailer for easy transportation and storage! Contact Robert Tolbert 202.236.9930 or robtolbert @pocket-yacht.com www.pocketyachtco.com
2017 Sportsman Open 282 Twin F300XCA Yamaha OutboardsWhite, Trailer, Ice Blue Hull and Bottom, White Upholstery, White Powder Coating, Engine Hours - 560, On-Board Battery Charging System, Chirp B175M Transducer Upgrade, Auto Pilot w/ Wireless Remote, Second 12” Simrad GPS, Taco Outriggers, Upgraded Sound System, Gull Wings, Loaded! $139,995 Riverside Marine, 410.686.1500, sales@riversideboats.com , www.riverideboats.com #21085
2005 Meridian 490 Pilothouse $284,987 - Grasonville, MD - Call Capt. Lee Cook at 410.703.9911 or leecook@pocket-yacht.com www.pocketyachtco.com
Marine Mechanic and Composite TechnicianPrimarily we work with diesels in power boats and sailboats 25’ to 55’ long. Good pay and benefits. Experience preferred, but if you have a mechanical aptitude, we will train you.
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/ TACKLE SHOPS
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
Boating
Donation
Back in December, the Annapolis Boat Shows made their annual donation to the Marine Trades Association of Maryland (MTAM) at the organization’s holiday party. John Stefancik, executive director of MTAM, shared how the funds are allocated. He says, “We use these funds to run all activities of the association. Chiefly we use them for:
• Lobbying the Maryland General Assembly on matters related to the industry, to develop legislation beneficial to the state’s economic interest in recreational boating.
• Creating a pipeline of workers to gain entry into the marine trades through our workforce development program.
• Producing quarterly events for our membership. The next one is our Legislative Meeting in early March. In 2024 this function featured such speakers as DNR secretary Josh Kurtz, State Senator (now Congresswoman) Sarah Elfreth, and CBMM president and CEO Kristen Greenaway.
• Running our annual shrinkwrap recycling program for members all around the state.
• Producing our yearly Guide to Boating Chesapeake Bay.”
For more information on MTAM and its programs, visit mtam.org
New Model
Bruce Blackway started Blackway Boat Models in 2017 as a side enterprise. The goal was, and still is, to offer a line of handcrafted wooden deadrise workboat models and matching miniature nautical accessories. The company has sold more than 500 models since its inception, along with countless miniature bushel baskets, crab nets, oyster tongs, oyster baskets, outboard motors, and more. And now, they are moving into RC models with the addition of a 37-inch remote controlled Chesapeake Bay deadrise workboat. The scale is approximately 1:12, and the model weighs eight pounds (excluding batteries). It is constructed of Canadian red cedar with fiberglass waterproofing and comes with an included display stand. It has a brushless 2845, 3100KV, waterproof, water-cooled motor with an estimated speed of 10-15 mph with 20-30 minutes or more of run time. The main batteries and charger are sold separately. Only a limited quantity is available! Visit blackwayboatmodels.com for more details and more photos.
Award
Fairwinds Marina, located on the scenic Magothy River, has been recognized as a 2024 Marina of the Year award winner by Marina Dock Age magazine. Honored in the Building and Growing category, Fairwinds Marina stood out for its commitment to innovation, customer satisfaction, and community engagement. Owned and operated by father-daughter duo Larry and JoAnna Goldberg, Fairwinds Marina has transformed over the past decade into a thriving hub for boating enthusiasts. The marina, situated on five acres, offers 140 slips and features a host of amenities, including a ship store, service station, fuel dock, Freedom Boat Club, and seasonal waterfront outlet, Fairwinds Dockside. The award recognizes the marina’s extensive facility improvements, which have enhanced customer experience and set a new standard for small marinas. Highlights include rebuilding and reconfiguring docks, wave attenuator installation, enhanced electric and security systems, and sustainability initiatives. JoAnna Goldberg, a U.S. Coast Guard-certified captain, has also distinguished Fairwinds Marina through unique employee training programs. She provides on-the-water boating education to ensure all staff, regardless of prior experience, are confident and knowledgeable about marina operations. fairwindsmarina.com
Appointed
Ted Sensenbrenner, BoatUS Foundation director of boating safety, has been appointed by Director of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas as a Representative to the National Boating Safety Advisory Committee (NBSAC). A coalition of recreational boating safety, state boating officials, national boating organizations, and boat and equipment manufacturers, NBSAC provides valuable assistance to the Department of Homeland Security, through the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, on matters related to recreational boating safety. Sensenbrenner is charged as one of seven individuals representing national recreational boating organization and public interests on the 21-member committee.
