Annapolis CCA Meeting Scheduled for Tuesday, December 6

     Annapolis, Md. -- The first meeting of a newly revitalized Annapolis chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the Boatyard Bar & Grill.

     Shawn Kimbro, veteran angler and author of the upcoming book Chesapeake Light Tackle - An introduction to light tackle fishing on the Chesapeake Bay, will speak on “Tips for Cold Weather Jigging.” He will also discuss Careful Catch Maryland, a project developed by CCA MD and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to create understanding of the best ways to release fish.

     “There’s no need to put away your fishing gear when the temperature drops,” said Kimbro. “If you know the best ways to stimulate striped bass to eat in colder water, you can still catch the resident fish that remain in the Bay throughout the winter and those giant migrating bass that come into the Bay this time of the year.”

     “CCA is extremely excited to have a chapter starting again in Annapolis,” said Friedrich. “Not only is Annapolis the state capital, it is also the boating center of Maryland. We anticipate having frequent meetings that will appeal to recreational anglers and encourage anyone in the Annapolis area interested in fishing to join us Dec. 6.”

     The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. when attendees can purchase food and drinks from the menu. Election of officers for the new chapter and the presentation will start at 7 p.m. The Boatyard Bar & Grill is at 400 Fourth St., Annapolis, and anyone is invited to attend.

Gansler Seeks Greater Protection for Menhaden

     Baltimore, Md. -- In an effort to combat further environmental and economic damage to the Chesapeake Bay from the historic decline of Atlantic menhaden, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler today asked the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) -- the interstate body tasked with managing menhaden -- to take much needed steps to better protect menhaden from unsustainable fishing levels. Unchecked commercial fishing -- particularly the industrial practice of "reduction fishing," which grinds the fish up for its oil -- has contributed to an 88 percent decline in the Atlantic menhaden population since 1985. The ASMFC's fishery management plan for menhaden has so far failed to reverse this decline.
     "For far too long, the ASMFC has allowed menhaden to be fished to extremely low levels," said Attorney General Gansler. "We need strong action now to prevent further damage to this crucial link in the Bay food chain."
     Attorney General Gansler issued comments to the ASMFC as it considers updating its menhaden fishery management plan for the waters that include the Chesapeake Bay. The Atlantic menhaden has been called "the most important fish in the sea" and is crucial to the health of the Bay because of its role as a filter and forage fish. Menhaden remove plankton from Bay waters and serve as a staple food in the diets of species like osprey and striped bass, Maryland's state fish.
     The decline of the Bay's menhaden population has "coincided with the appearance of larger and more frequent algal blooms in the Bay, which cause substantial environmental harm," according to studies cited by Attorney General Gansler in his statement. "Research has shown that harvesting of low-trophic level species like menhaden can have major impacts across the ecosystem. Because menhaden, by nature, travel throughout much of the East Coast and are fished in many states, no one state can comprehensively reduce their decline from overfishing. For example, although Maryland banned commercial harvesting of menhaden with purse seine nets many decades ago, the practice continues to be permitted elsewhere."
     The Attorney General asked the ASMFC to ensure that the menhaden population can return to sustainable levels by raising the "fishing mortality threshold" from 8 percent to 15 percent and the "fishing mortality target" from 20 percent to 40 percent.
     From the comments submitted to the ASMFC:
     "The Commission's interstate fishery management plan (FMP) for the menhaden has so far failed to adequately protect the menhaden fishery, particularly from overfishing. Despite menhaden's historic decline, the Commission has allowed menhaden to be fished down to 8% of their maximum spawning potential, even though established science suggests that such a level is unsustainable, as will be discussed below. The Commission concedes that, even under this generous management plan (where removing over 90% of fish is not considered overfishing), 'overfishing is occurring' and that 'overfishing has occurred in 32 of the last 54 years.' . . . Nonetheless, the Commission has so far failed to adjust its management of menhaden to address this troubling situation."

Keith Lockwood's Maryland Fishing Report

     Oxford, Md. -- The tail end of October left many of us with a whopper of a northeaster that graced us with a record snow in many western and northern areas, lot’s of rain and fierce winds over the weekend. Over here on the eastern bank of the Chesapeake it also left us with the season’s first hard frost. Fishermen will start to dress a lot warmer now especially in the mornings and evenings; topsiders and sneakers will be replaced with rubber knee boots and camouflage duck hunting coats will round out the fishermen’s wardrobe. So here we are in the first days of November and fishing for some of our favorites such as striped bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass and trout could hardly be better. Dress warm and make sure to enjoy the colorful foliage and your favorite kind of fishing, for old man winter is beginning to knock at the door.

Upper Bay
     Fishermen in the upper bay region are reporting cold water temperatures this week; below 50-degrees in some areas. Most fishermen are casting to breaking fish that are often marked by birds, jigging underneath for a larger grade of fish, trolling or fishing bait from shore. Breaking fish in the upper bay are often 3-year old striped bass in the 14” to 17” size range but jigging underneath with soft plastic jigs or metal can produce large fish at times. Trolling close to the bottom near channel edges and lumps has been productive and “bottom bouncing” with bucktails has been working well also. Fishing from shore at prominent points and piers is a good way to get in on some of the action with striped bass since they are roaming freely in all water depths. Fishing with bloodworms or fresh cut bait is usually the ticket.
     The striped bass action at the Bay Bridge piers continues to be a tough egg to crack this week but fishermen are catching a few nice fish by jigging soft plastics, White perch have moved into deeper water for the most part near the mouths of the region’s tidal rivers and out in the bay on oyster lumps and increasing numbers of yellow perch are being caught in the upper bay tidal rivers above Baltimore.