ASMFC Seeks Proposals for a Socioeconomic Study on Atlantic Menhaden Commercial Fisheries

Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is soliciting proposals from research teams to conduct a socioeconomic study of Atlantic menhaden commercial fisheries. The study, expected to begin in February 2016, is intended to characterize the coastwide commercial fisheries, including bait and reduction sectors and the fishing communities they support. Funding for the project has been provided through a cooperative agreement with NOAA Fisheries. Approximately $80,000 will be available to fund the study.

“We anticipate this project will be key to assisting the Board with future decisions on the management of the menhaden resource,” stated Robert Boyles, Chair of the Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board. “As such, we are hopeful state agencies and stakeholders will fully and openly participate in the collection of new socioeconomic information. The Board will incorporate the products of the study as it moves forward with the development of Draft Amendment 3 in 2017.”

The primary objective of the study is to provide socioeconomic information to better understand the impacts of potential changes to the management of Atlantic menhaden commercial bait and reduction fisheries. The project will identify individuals, families, firms, organizations, and communities to better characterize the menhaden fisheries and their stakeholders.  The study will also gather both primary and secondary information from stakeholders and state agencies on the fisheries (e.g., landings, value, participation, capacity utilization, fixed costs) and market (e.g., retailers/wholesalers, clients/purchasers, number/types of employees) to more thoroughly evaluate the socioeconomic value of Atlantic menhaden. 

The research deliverables were identified by the Commission’s Committee on Economics and Social Sciences (CESS) using the general framework from a previous menhaden socioeconomic study conducted in the Chesapeake Bay region by Kirkley and colleagues in 2011. CESS also worked closely with the Atlantic Menhaden Board Allocation Workgroup to address research needs.

“We are excited the Commission was able to secure funding for this in-depth study of the menhaden fishery,” said Madeleine Hall-Arber, CESS Chair.  “The effort represents a new direction for the Commission to provide detailed socioeconomic information to help managers better understand management impacts.  Similar resources are needed to support socioeconomic studies in other fisheries along the Atlantic Coast.

A full list of the anticipated project deliverables can be found within the Request for Proposals at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/565b56a0MenhadenRFP_Nov2015.pdf. Proposals should be submitted to Shanna Madsen (smadsen@asmfc.org) by 5 p.m. EST, January 4^th, 2016.  For more information, please contact Shanna Madsen, Fisheries Science Coordinator, at smadsen@asmfc.org or703.842.0740.

Maryland DNR Fishing Report by Keith Lockwood

There tends to be a little more chill in the air these days as the end of November approaches and Turkey Day is tomorrow. There is good freshwater fishing this week for a variety of species and striped bass fishing in the bay is good. Sea bass fishing off Ocean City is excellent and the fall migration of large striped bass and bluefish into Maryland's coastal waters has begun. Dress warm and enjoy the cool water fishing opportunities we have at the moment.

Striped bass fishing in the upper bay begins in the lower Susquehanna River and extends all the way down to the Bay Bridge this week. There has been plenty of good action in the lower Susquehanna for striped bass above 20" in length and the good action can also be found off Turkey Point and channel edges in the area.

Striped bass are being found along channel edges in the upper bay in about 35' of water mostly by those trolling. They are typically trolling a mixed spread of spoons, swim shads, bucktails dressed with sassy shads and umbrella rigs. Most of the fish being caught range from 20" to 30". There are smaller striped bass in the upper bay but they are usually high in the water column chasing bait. Water temperatures in the upper bay are in the low 50's and even colder in the tidal rivers so most of the better striped bass fishing is occurring out in the bay or the mouths of the rivers. Doug Crowe was trolling an umbrella rig near the mouth of the Magothy when he caught this nice striped bass recently.

Photo Courtesy of Doug Crowe 

At the Bay Bridge there continues to be good fishing around the bridge piers for striped bass. Most are jigging soft plastic jigs and bucktails near the pier bases and rock piles. There tends to be a lot of small striped bass in the Bay Bridge area and they can often be seen on top chasing bait. The concrete abutments are a good place to look for a better grade of striped bass holding close to the bottom. There has also been good fishing for white perch at the rock piles. The perch are holding deep and it will take a heavy weight to get to them without being swept off target in the strong currents. A heavy sinker and two dropper flies will usually do the trick.

There continues to be good striped bass fishing at the Kent Narrows for shore bound anglers and for some who wish to break our fishing regulations - it’s too good. Our Natural Resources Police work hard, often at very inconvenient hours to protect our fisheries resources. Three men were charged Thursday with poaching striped bass by officers on an overnight saturation patrol in Kent Narrows. Officers stopped two vehicles under surveillance and found 28 striped bass, 21 of which were undersized. Alejandro Argueta Lanaverde, 38, and Gonzolo Martinez Pena, 46, both of Annapolis, and Franklin Rafael Flores Santos, 27, of Hyattsville, received citations for exceeding the daily creel limit, possessing undersized striped bass and possessing striped bass between midnight and 5 a.m. Santos is scheduled to appear in Queen Anne’s District Court on Jan. 7. The Annapolis men have a Feb. 4 court date. If found guilty, each man could be fined as much as $3,000.

In the middle bay region trolling has become very popular along channel edges in the main bay such as the 30'to 35' edges on the western side of the shipping channel from Breezy Point south past Parkers Creek to Cove Point. Most boats are pulling a mixed spread of lures at various depths using inline weights of various sizes. Umbrella rigs have been popular with trailing bucktails dressed with sassy shads or Storm type lures. Spoons have been a good choice as has tandem rigged bucktails. Most of the larger fish are coming from deeper depths and it is a good way to avoid the smaller striped bass that tend to be higher in the water column. Sam Schatz holds up two nice striped bass caught while trolling along the western edge of the shipping channel below Breezy Point.

Photo by Travis Long 

Breaking fish are being encountered throughout the region; with most of the action for larger fish occurring in the bay. There is still some spotty action in the tidal rivers but it is usually smaller striped bass with a few larger fish underneath the surface action at times. Jigging is one of the most popular ways for small boat anglers to fish when breaking fish can be spotted to get to those larger fish. Larger striped bass are being spotted on depth finders, suspended out in the bay along channel edges and oyster bars. Metal jigs combined with braided line and a fast action rod tends to be a favorite but soft plastic jigs work well also. The water clarity in the middle bay region continues to be extremely good, bay water temperatures are about 55° and the salinity is elevated at18 parts per thousand. Water temperatures are noticeably cooler in the tidal rivers.

In the lower bay breaking striped bass are being encountered throughout the entire region with the bulk of the action occurring from the Middle Grounds area to the west side of Point Lookout. Most are jigging underneath the smaller striped bass which tend to be at the surface in search of a larger grade of fish. In the area from lower Hooper's Island to buoy 72A more than a few fishermen are reporting striped bass in the size range of 20" to 32" being caught by jigging and trolling. The channel cuts through lower Hooper's Island have been a good place to cast soft plastics and bucktails and bounce them along the bottom to striped bass that are holding there. There is also a shallow water bite in the early mornings and evenings along the marsh shorelines of the Eastern Shore. Casting swim shad type lures or topwater lures has been the ticket to this late season show. There continues to be some sea trout in the area and most are being caught while jigging.

Those who are trolling are using a mixed spread of umbrella rigs with bucktail or swim shad trailers behind inline weights along with spoons and tandem rigged bucktails dressed with sassy shads. As of this week, there have been a few reports of large fall migrant striped bass making their way up the bay into Maryland waters. The bulk of the fall coastal migration of large striped bass is in New Jersey and the vanguard is now just entering Maryland waters. There were two large fish in the 47" size range reported during during last weekend's MSSA Tournament and Jason Zagalsky and crew caught and released this big 47" striped bass last Thursday just a few days before the tournament.

Photo Courtesy of Jason Zagalsky

Freshwater anglers at Deep Creek Lake are beginning to buzz about hopes of the lake icing over and a fun season of ice fishing. Until then there is plenty of good fishing to be had while the lake waters are clear of ice. There is good fishing for a mix of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and large yellow perch in the upper lake areas where deep grass remains. Northern pike and chain pickerel are plentiful in the mouths of coves around the remaining grass beds also. There is good fishing for walleyes at dusk along some of the steeper rocky shorelines and most are casting swimming minnow type lures with good success.

The upper Potomac River continues to be low with very clear water; water temperatures are in the upper 40's. Smallmouth bass and walleye are scattered in the middle part of the river with the larger smallmouth bass concentrating in what is often termed "winter spots". These are the deeper areas that have large boulders to break up the current flow during high flow conditions. Soft plastic jigs, tubes and small crankbaits are good choices in these areas. The smaller smallmouth bass are becoming mostly dormant now with colder water temperatures so gear up for the larger fish.

Largemouth bass fishing remains good in the ponds, lakes and tidal waters this week. The bass are holding in deeper waters now near drop-offs. They are busy feeding on small baitfish and crayfish that are moving from the shallower areas where grass is breaking up to deeper cover such as sunken wood and rocks. Slow rolling spinnerbaits close to the bottom or working small crankbaits and jigs in similar fashion is a good bet. Working sunken wood and structure such as bridge piers and rocks is also a good strategy.

Crappie are schooled up now in deeper waters near structure. Bridge piers, marina docks and sunken brush or rocks are a good place to fish. Small jigs or minnows under a slip bobber are a good tactic. Channel catfish are active in most of the tidal rivers of the Chesapeake and blue catfish are plentiful and active in the tidal Potomac River. Chain pickerel are active and with grass beds diminishing, the pickerel and other fish are more accessible. Myroslav Tarnovetskyy was fishing in Tuckahoe Lake when he hooked this Maryland Fishing Challenge award size chain pickerel.

Photo Courtesy of Myroslav Tarnovetskyy

Trout fishing remains very good this week in many of the states trout management waters. There are still good numbers of trout in many of the put and take management waters. Casting spinners, small spoons and flies are a good way to cover plenty of water to find those trout that have been dodging Powerbaits. The catch and release and fly fishing only trout management waters are offering excellent trout fishing opportunities this week.

The Ocean City area is beginning to see the first substantial numbers of large migrant striped bass entering Maryland waters this week and this coming weekend may give anglers their first licks at these beautiful fish as they pass by on their way south. Surf casters will be fishing with fresh menhaden baits on bottom rigs; boats will be trolling the near shore shoal areas with Stretch 25 lures, bucktails, umbrella rigs or will be seen jigging or fishing with live eels. At the inlet casting bucktails or drifting live eels will be popular in the evenings. There are a lot of large bluefish in the region and more to come so they are part of the equation.

Sea bass fishing has been very good on the offshore wreck and reef sites with limits around the rails of party boats a common occurrence. Large bluefish are present and making short work of sea bass being reeled in, so speed reeling your valuable catch is in order.

Tautog fishing has been good on the inshore wreck sites and at the Route 50 Bridge/inlet complex. There are a lot of throwbacks inside the inlet area but keepers are present. Pieces of green crab and sand fleas are the best baits. Tautog season closes tomorrow November 26th.

Entries now open for HUK-CCA Red Trout tourney

CRISFIELD — Anglers can now sign up for the third annual Huk Performance Fishing-CCA Red Trout Catch & Release Tournament, Sept. 18-20 in Crisfield.

The tournament, headquartered at Somers Cove Marina, will host many of our region'’s top light tackle, fly, and kayak anglers. This year a live bait category has been added. The tourney promotes sustainable, catch-and-release fishing methods where anglers photograph their catch for digital submittals in lieu of a weigh in.

“The Crisfield/Tangier Sound area boasts some of the best redfish and speckled trout fishing on the Eastern Seaboard. Winners will be selected based on the total length of their three longest fish caught Saturday and Sunday. At least one of those three fish must be a speckled trout or redfish. The remaining two can be a striped bass, flounder, bluefish, or additional speckled trout and redfish.

Categories include a boat division for bait and light tackle anglers and individual divisions for fly and kayak anglers. Boat teams will consist of two fishermen. All entrants must attend check-in meetings Friday and Saturday nights where food will be served.

All rules and registration information can be found on the CCA MD website, www.ccmd.org.

The tournament was founded in 2013 to draw attention to the value of redfish and speckled trout that recently have been making a comeback in the Chesapeake Bay.

Maryland/Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report March 26, 2014

Maryland Weekly Fishing Report Overview | March 26, 2014 

This Saturday is the big one for put and take trout fishermen; for outdoorsmen whether they be a hunter or fisherman or both there is nothing that tugs at the child inside of us as much as the thought of opening day. Many will find it hard to sleep the night before and there will be plenty of glances at the bedside alarm clock during the night. For those with young anglers in the house, enjoy and bath yourself in all the excitement and anticipation and for those older, find comfort in spending time with your old fishing buddy. Fishermen have been checking out their gear and tackle shop shelves for weeks now and it all comes to fruition this coming Saturday. Parking and the best streamside fishing spots will be at a premium as will dry feet and the rest of you unless you dress properly because the weatherman is telling us there is a 70% chance of rain.

Despite a late start due to ice conditions at the trout holding facilities the stocking crews have been very busy making sure all areas that are due to be stocked for this Saturday's opener have a generous supply of trout. John Mullican sent in these pictures of stocking trout during yesterday's snow storm; all in a day's work of being a fisheries biologist.

Courtesy of John Mullican

Most likely wherever you decide to fish you may hear some whoops, hollers and excitement at some point when someone catches one of the trophy sized breeder trout that are placed at every trout management area. May luck be on your side and you are the person who manages to heft one of these beasts up onto the bank. If you do catch a Rainbow Trout over 20- inches visit one of our award centers and register your trophy to receive a certificate and entry into the Maryland Fishing Challenge. Entrants are eligible to win several large prizes including a boat, motor and trailer donated by Bass Pro Shops. To find out about theMaryland Fishing Challenge and how to enter, be sure to check out the website.

Freshwater fishermen have had other types of fishing on their minds as well as trout for the last few weeks and have been testing out their favorite fishing holes for a mix of species. If you check the angler's logs you will see a wide variety of fishing opportunities even though it has been cold.

Chain Pickerel are a fun target for fishermen when the water is cold and ponds normally clogged with vegetation in the summer months are open and near snag free. Spinners, swimming minnow lures and spoons are all good early spring choices for Chain Pickerel. Bank and small boat fishermen have been enjoying good fishing for Channel Catfish in the tidal rivers. Crappie can be found holding near structure near deep edges and Largemouth Bass are being found in transition areas looking for a little warmth. A small jig or minnow under a bobber works great for crappie and Largemouth Bass will strike a variety of soft plastic jigs and crankbaits this time of the year. Although the upper Potomac has been running a bit high and cloudy lately, fishermen have been enjoying some good fishing for Walleye and Smallmouth Bass. The best fishing tends to be in the eddy areas where fish are holding out of the strong currents. Small jigs, tubes and sassy shad type lures have been good choices for fishing close to the bottom. Benjamin Powell was fishing from the shoreline when he caught this nice Walleye and others on the upper Potomac recently.

Courtesy of Benjamin Powell

It has been quite a spring so far as cold water temperatures have caused expected spawning runs to be delayed and fast paced when a day or two of relative warm and sunny days causes spawning to bust loose. The Yellow Perch spawning runs are over for the most part now and fishermen saw White Perch arriving at traditional spawning areas over the past weekend. Yesterday's snow and cold temperatures put the skids on most spawning activity but predicted warmer weather for the next week will put White Perch spawning into high gear. There may be a little lag time as water temperatures are slow to change and melting snow will also be bringing an influx of cold water into the spawning reaches of the tidal rivers. Fishermen may find that the top of the flood tide might bring in the warmest water temperatures and therefore cause the White Perch to be the most active. A small chartreuse grub, crappie jig or shad dart tipped with a piece of bloodworm or grass shrimp and under a bobber is hard to beat when fishing in close quarters for White Perch.

Water temperatures today are hovering around the 43-degree mark in the lower Susquehanna River and the Conowingo Dam has been releasing water as much as twice per day. Snow melt is not going to be helpful for elevating water temperatures so it will take a few days at best for the White Perch fishery to begin to show some signs of life. Despite cold water temperatures there are Striped Bass in the Susquehanna Flats area and most likely many of them will be males. It will take some warmer water temperatures to put any of them in a feeding mood.

Fishermen looking to shake the cobwebs out of their fishing gear and boats with a little Striped Bass catch and release fishing out in the bay may find it hard to find ready and willing fish; water temperatures are still in the high 30's on top and the bottom for most of the bay. There has been very little activity reported at the Calvert Cliffs Power Plant discharge by drift and jig fishermen. There were reports of some Striped Bass action in the lower Potomac River but were not large migrant fish coming into the bay but smaller resident fish. It would be safe to assume that when things do warm up a bit any large Striped Bass moving up the bay will be near the warmer surface water.

Most Ocean City area fishermen have been sitting it out for the most part. Most captains still feel the water is too cold for a good Tautog bit on the inshore and offshore wreck sites and the Black Sea Bass season doesn't open until May 19th. There was some talk among locals of some large Speckled Trout caught recently in the coastal bays.

Maryland Weekly Fishing Report March 12, 2014

Maryland Weekly Fishing Report Overview | March 12, 2014 

By Keith Lockwood

It would have been hard for anyone not to have caught a touch of spring fever yesterday as temperatures soared up to the 70-degree mark, a very welcomed harbinger of what is to come. Signs of spring are beginning to show everywhere if one looks for them; Woodcock or Timber Doodles are buzzing around, Canada Geese and Whistling Swans are headed north, Wood Ducks have arrived, flower bulbs are poking up and one of my nesting Ospreys was waiting for me when I arrived home from work yesterday. Traditional spawning runs of fish are finally beginning to occur, trout stockings are moving along and fishermen will start to make some positive moves towards going out to do some fishing.

My two fishing buddies and I figured we'd give the Yellow Perch a try on the Tuckahoe River near Hillsboro this past Sunday. Despite the chill, we had great fun and felt like we participated; our timing unfortunately did not match up with that of the Yellow Perch. Three hours in a canoe dunking minnows made for some stiff legs at the boat ramp which caused some reflection on younger days that seemed a long, long time ago. A sight for sore eyes developed when four young guys full of purpose and determination pulled up with all the right stuff. We watched as they began unloading their kayaks and hitting the water for a day on the upper Tuckahoe fishing for Chain Pickerel. For an old timer like me it was nice to see young guys enjoying what the outdoors has to offer.

Photos by Keith Lockwood

The fish that tends to be on fishermen's minds this time of the year are Yellow Perch and their arrival to traditional fishing holes has been delayed due to cold water temperatures in many of the bay's tidal rivers and creeks. It only takes one sunny and warm day to get fishermen out to try their luck and several to elevate water temperatures to the Yellow Perch's liking. A water temperature of 46-degrees tends to be the magic number for spawning Yellow Perch and last Sunday for example the water temperature at Hillsboro on the Tuckahoe River was 43-degrees and fishing there was very slow; fortunately recent warm weather has changed all of that. This 10-1/2" Yellow Perch was the only fish caught by three fishermen dunking minnows in the Tuckahoe at Hillsboro on Sunday; they did much better on late Tuesday afternoon.

Photo Courtesy of Tom O'Connell

The last couple of days have done much to change the nature of the Yellow Perch runs and fish that were holding far down river earlier this week have begun to move through traditional areas where fishermen can target them with jigs and bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp, earthworms or minnows. Yesterday's 70-degree temperatures was just what the doctor ordered and Yellow Perch began to make their appearance at traditional locations and fishermen reported good to excellent catches. At Hillsboro on the Tuckahoe there was an excellent run of nice perch during the afternoon and fishermen did very well as water temperatures rose to 47-degrees by late afternoon.

Fishermen have been reporting earlier this week that they were finding Yellow Perch holding in some of the deeper holes of tidal rivers and creeks downstream of the traditional target areas such as the Ganey's Wharf area on the Choptank, Jug Bay on the Patuxent River and the Shad Landing area of the Pocomoke River. These Yellow Perch are now on the move up river and should provide good fishing through the weekend. There has been some Yellow Perch action reported in the lower Susquehanna in the deepest channel areas for several weeks and last week the ice in the lower section of the Northeast River began to recede; so there should be some fishing opportunities there.

It will be a while before fishermen see any appreciable White Perch numbers moving up the tidal rivers and creeks; fyke netters in the middle river areas have been seeing very little in their nets for the past two weeks. As waters warm up in the next couple of weeks; Hickory Shad will be moving up the tidal rivers and creeks and fishermen will be looking forward to the fun catch and release fishing that these restored populations are providing. Now is the time for selecting shad darts, flies and flashy spoons before you find yourself looking at empty shelves at your favorite tackle shop. Fish passage program leader Jim Thompson has been making sure the fish passage or fish ladders are in good shape for the expected arrival of river herring and Hickory Shad and finds himself up to the top of his waders at the fish ladder at Winters Run which is a tributary of the Bush River.

Photo Courtesy of Jim Thompson

Trout are also on fishermen's minds this time of the year and often the pre-season stocking of trout in the non- closure areas allow put and take fishermen to put a little bend in their fishing rods and a few trout on the dinner table. Stocking crews had been plagued with ice on the trout holding ponds that prevented them from seining out the trout for pre-season stockings in non-closure areas. Some areas have been stocked and crews are working overtime trying to keep up with the closure stockings and fill in some of the pre-season stockings. The best way to obtain the latest stocking information is to subscribe to the Fisheries contact email list where stockings are posted as they occur. The following link will take you to the site where you can subscribe. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/emailcontact.asp One of the places crews were out recently was Hunting Creek Lake at Cunningham Falls State Park where crews had to cut through 13" of ice with a chain saw and pour the trout down through the hole that they had cut into the lake ice; all in a day's work for fisheries crews.

Photos Courtesy of Marshal Brown

The warmer days when they occur entice fishermen to check out favorite local ponds or waterways to try their hand at casting for Largemouth Bass, Crappie and Chain Pickerel; except for the Chain Pickerel the most productive presentations are usually deep and slow. Soft plastic jigs, slow rolled spinnerbaits and crankbaits are often the best choices for lures. Chain Pickerel love cold water and will attack most any kind of spinner, spoon or swimming minnow lure. John Mullican reports that Walleye fishing in the upper Potomac is good this week but warns that recent snow melt and predicted rain may cause the river to be running high and fast later on this week. Readers can check out his recent angler's logs for more detailed information on Walleyes and Smallmouth Bass.

Ice fishermen at Deep Creek Lake have been experiencing one of the best seasons for hard water fishing in a few years. The extreme cold that have seen homeowners heating bills soar and caused some challenging driving conditions has also manifested itself in plenty of thick ice. Fishermen have been catching Yellow Perch, Walleye, Bluegills, Chain Pickerel and Northern Pike. Fishermen have been experiencing some surface slush recently on the warmer days and the edges along shorelines are starting to show signs of receding; so this coming weekend may be one of the last good and safe chances to ice fish at Deep Creek Lake.

Photo Courtesy of Matt Sell

Chesapeake Bay fishermen will start to pull covers off their boats and begin to think about sprucing them up and painting bottoms. Those who keep their boats on trailers usually have less to do and will be checking out the warm water discharge at the Calvert Cliffs Power Plant for some catch and release fishing for Striped Bass that are moving past, on their way up the bay's spawning rivers. The drift begins where the discharge boils up and continues for a couple of hundred yards. Large plastic jigs such as 8" to 10" BKD's, Crippled Herring and butterfly jigs are jigged along the rocky bottom with hopes of a solid thump.

Fishermen in the Ocean City area have been sitting tight for the most part for the past few weeks. Water temperatures at the near shore reefs and wreck sites have become so cold that the Tautog have been fussy about biting. The wreck and reef sites outside of the 20-Fathom Line are the most popular areas to fish this time of the year. Warm days and light winds will bring out a few fishermen who will venture out to the wreck and reef sites to give the Tautog a try and most likely a few fish will cooperate. Surf fishing will mostly be Spiny Dogfish and skates and it will be another month before Tautog start to nose near the Ocean City Inlet.

Keith Lockwood's Maryland Fishing Report

     Oxford, Md. -- It took a lot of patience and of course sweat, but it seems that the back of the drought and heat has finally been broken and cooler temperatures are beginning to appear. We all know there will be a couple of swings back to hot temperatures in the near future but we can all hang on to the hope that cooler and more comfortable temperatures are ahead for fishermen and fish alike. Water temperatures have cooled slightly and the NOAA Buoy at the Gooses actually shows a warmer temperature at the bottom of the bay at 81-degrees and a cooler 80-degrees at the surface. Both saltwater and freshwater fish will begin to slowly drift out of a summer pattern of behavior in the month of September.

     As we approach the last week of August with Labor Day in sight; the 2011/2012 Maryland Fishing Challenge is coming to an end on September 3rd. A wonderful awards event is planned for September 8th with some fabulous prizes and contestants in attendance will get a free Under Armour T-shirt. So check the minimum sizes listed in the Fishing Guide or Fishing Challenge website and hopefully you can catch a qualifying fish to be entered in this year's event.

     Upper bay fishermen are finding a mix of white perch and channel catfish in most of the tidal rivers in the upper part of the bay, The Susquehanna also holds the promise of striped bass near the Conowingo Dam. Farther down the bay fishermen are finding white perch and a few spot on some of the reefs and knolls out in the bay such as Man O War Shoal and the 7" and 9" knolls on bloodworms and bottom rigs this week. A little farther down the bay, in the Rock Hall to Bay Bridge area, fishermen are finding schools of small striped bass and bluefish chasing bait over a wide area. Often fishermen are finding a larger grade of striped bass by jigging under the breaking fish or finding the larger fish holding to structure. Live lining spot and chumming is a good option in the areas around the bridge piers and Love Point but small striped bass and toothy bluefish are a big part of the action.

     In the middle bay region fishermen are finding good striped bass fishing around the mouth of the Choptank River this week at the Diamonds and False Channel. The northwest edge of the Hill off Poplar Island and similar steep channel edges such as Thomas Point are also holding striped bass. Live lining spot is the most popular and effective method of catching striped bass this time of the year but hungry bluefish are extracting a heavy toll on baits. Many fishermen are finding that if striped bass and bluefish are under the boat using fresh chunks of cut up spot work just as well for both species. It is often a game of who can get to it first and the aggressive bluefish often win out. For those who are uninitiated to smoked bluefish it makes a great snack as is or mixed with cream cheese and chives to make a wonderful cracker spread.
     Fishermen in the middle bay region are also finding a mix of striped bass, bluefish and Spanish mackerel chasing bait throughout the region. Bay anchovies tend to be what is on the dinner table, so small spoons and metal jigs have been good choices for lures when casting to breaking fish or jigging. Trolling small spoons such as Clarks or Drones is very effective for the bluefish and Spanish mackerel with inline weights of planers.

     White perch fishing has been very good this week along the shorelines of the tidal rivers in the middle bay and lower bay regions and providing plenty of light tackle fun. Casting small spinnerbait type lures or spinners is an effective way to catch a mess of white perch. Fishing off of docks with bait such as grass shrimp or bloodworms is a wonderful way to introduce young anglers to fishing. Often a deep water dock or pier will provide the action kids need to keep them interested.

     Fishermen in the lower bay region are finding some of the better fishing for striped bass in the lower Potomac River this week around Piney Point out to the mouth of the river. Live lining spot and chumming have been two of the most popular methods of fishing. Fishermen are also finding a mix of striped bass, bluefish and Spanish mackerel chasing bait throughout the region. Trolling small spoons behind inline weights and planers has been a very effective way to catch them. Casting small spoons and metal jigs to breaking fish or underneath them has also been providing a lot of action for area fishermen.

     Fishermen are also finding good fishing for a mix of croakers, spot, speckled trout and white perch while bottom fishing in the lower tidal rivers and the Tangier Sound area. Flounder fishing has been good on the edges of the channels in the Tangier Sound area and also the Cornfield Harbor area near Point Lookout.

     Recreational crabbers continue to enjoy good crabbing opportunities this week in most of the tidal rivers in the upper, middle and lower bay regions. The larger male crabs have moved far up the tidal rivers to areas often thought of as more freshwater habitats because of low freshwater flows and saltwater intrusion.

     Fishermen in the western region of the state are beginning to see cooler water temperatures cause more activity in fish species such as smallmouth bass, trout and largemouth bass. Smallmouth bass fishing in the upper Potomac River and Deep Creek Lake has improved recently with fish taking topwater lures during early morning and late evening hours and deeper presentations during the day.

     Freshwater fishing in the other regions of the state is also improving with cooler water temperatures for a wide range of species from channel catfish to bluegills. Largemouth bass are often at the top of the list for many freshwater fishermen and although the fish are still in a summer mode of behavior there has been a slight increase in activity. The mantra continues to be topwater lures over or near shallow grass during the early morning and late evening hours and deeper presentations of crankbaits and soft plastics during the day around structure or under thick grass.

     This week coastal fishermen in the Ocean City area continue to find a nice summer mix of small species in the surf, made up of kingfish, spot, trout small bluefish and the welcomed addition of croaker. In and around the inlet fishermen are catching bluefish and a few striped bass at night and sheepshead around the rocks during the day. A mix of flounder, small sea bass and croaker are being caught from the inlet to the back bay areas with most of the croaker action occurring close to the inlet in deeper water.

     Offshore at the wreck sites fishermen are catching limits of flounder and picking away at sea bass. Even farther offshore the boats trolling the canyons are finding some yellowfin tuna, good numbers of gaffer sized dolphin, multiple releases on white marlin and a few blue marlin and wahoo. Brothers Daniel and Andrew Podlesny teamed up on this nice wahoo they caught while trolling a Clark spoon near the Jackspot; dad, Rick Podlesny helped by gaffing the fish; a real nice family fishing experience to remember.