Fishing Expo in Timonium Cancelled

Timonium, Md. -- The organizers of the Fishing Expo & Boat Show have posted the following news on their website: 
"As a result of the economic conditions affecting our country, and our resulting inability to attract the number of exhibitors needed to produce a quality event, we have decided to cancel the Fishing Expo & Boat Show scheduled for January 13-15, 2012. We know that America is much stronger economically than it appears presently, and we know the economy will rebound and our country will flourish again in the future. When that happens, we will bring back the Fishing Expo & Boat Show and return it to its position of importance to the region’s recreational and sport fishing communities.

"Thank you for your support over the past 27 years; we are deeply appreciative and grateful. We hope to have your support again in the future."

Bob Dobart, Show Promoter

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.

DNR Confirms Record Blueline Tilefish Caught Off Ocean City, Maryland

     Ocean City, Md. -- Brendan Hoffman, 31, of Seaford, Delaware, caught a 17-pound, 7-ounce blueline tilefish on October 9, setting the state record. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed the catch, naming Hoffman the first blueline tilefish record holder since the species was added to the state’s angler award list this year.
     “We had never seen a blueline tilefish that big on the boat or in photos, so we weighed it on the boat scale,” said Hoffman. “It was over 17 pounds, so we took it back to the certified scale at Sunset Provisions where it tipped the scale at 17 pounds, seven ounces.”
     Hoffman and his party launched their 33-foot HydraSport from Ocean City to make the 60-mile run to the Baltimore Canyon in search of tuna, dolphin and a white marlin or two. After about five hours of trolling without a sign of billfish or tunas, they decided they should change their strategy and make good use of the flat of butterfish bait they had brought.
     “We weren’t rigged or prepared for bottom fishing,” said Hoffman. “So, we scrounged around for any sinkers we could find to get the baits down 200 feet to the bottom. We found some inline sinkers and tied them together to drop the baits over a likely spot on the western edge of the Canyon.”
     On the first drift, Hoffman’s friend felt a hit on his line and reeled in a nice blueline tilefish. On the second drift, the big one took Hoffman’s bait.
     Weigh master Stan Hansen at Sunset Provisions, an official DNR Angler Award Center, confirmed the weight. DNR biologist Keith Lockwood examined the 33 ¼-inch fish and confirmed the species to complete the certification process for the record.
     “Over the last decade, anglers have discovered the potential for great bottom fishing for species such as black bellied rose fish, golden tile and blueline tile, as a supplement to other blue water possibilities,” said Steve Doctor, DNR Atlantic Coast Program biologist and current golden tilefish state record holder. “It’s a great mid-date alternative to pelagic options that are often hard to find when the sun is high.”
     The current all-tackle blueline tilefish world record is 20-pounds, four-ounces for a fish caught in 2009 over the Norfolk Canyon off of the Virginia Coast.
     For information on Maryland fishing records, the Maryland Angler Award program and the Maryland Fishing Challenge, visit dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/challenge/.

2011 Young of the Year Striped Bass Survey Shows Fourth Highest Reproduction On Record

     Annapolis, Md. -- The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced that the 2011 Young of the Year (YOY) Striped Bass Survey is 34.6, well above the long-term average of 11.9, and exceedingly higher than 2010’s results of 5.9. This is the fourth highest measure of striped bass spawning success in the Chesapeake Bay in the survey’s 58-year history.
     “This reinforces our understanding that when conditions are right, the striped bass population is capable of producing robust year classes of young rockfish,” said DNR Fisheries Service Director Tom O’Connell.
     The survey also documented an increase in the abundance of juvenile blueback herring- a population that had previously decreased dramatically in the Chesapeake Bay and along the coast. White perch, another important food and sportfish species, saw near record reproduction.
     During this year’s survey, DNR biologists counted more than 59,000 fish of 47 different species while collecting 4,565 YOY striped bass. Variation in annual spawning success is normal because striped bass reproduction is influenced by many factors including water temperature, winter snowfall, spring flow rates, and prevailing weather conditions. Typically, several years of average reproduction are intermixed with the occasional large and small year-classes. The strong 2011 year-class shows that the spawning stock is capable of producing a large year-class when conditions are favorable.
     “We are extremely pleased to see this year’s results,” said DNR Biologist Eric Durell. “It is interesting to note that the four largest year classes on record have occurred since the moratorium was lifted in 1990.”
     DNR biologists have monitored the reproductive success of striped bass and other species in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay annually since 1954. Twenty-two survey sites are located in the four major spawning systems: Choptank, Potomac, and Nanticoke rivers, and the Upper Bay. Biologists visit each site monthly from July through September, collecting fish samples with two sweeps of a 100-foot beach seine.
     Juvenile indices are calculated as the average catch of YOY fish per sample. For more information about the YOY striped bass survey go to
dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/juvindex/.

Keith Lockwood's Maryland Fishing Report

     Oxford, Md. -- The striped bass news that everyone up and down the east coast from Maine to North Carolina has been anxiously waiting for was released today and it is good news. Below are excerpts from the official press release and a short video to enjoy. It will take about 3 to 4 years for this year’s young striped bass to grow to over 18” in size and in about 13 years they will be over 40” in length; certainly something to look forward to.
     The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that the 2011 Young of the Year (YOY) Striped Bass Survey is 34.6, well above the long-term average of 11.9, and exceedingly higher than 2010’s results of 5.9. This is the fourth highest measure of striped bass spawning success in the Chesapeake Bay in the survey’s 58-year history.
     The survey also documented an increase in the abundance of juvenile blueback herring- a population that had previously decreased dramatically in the Chesapeake Bay and along the coast. White perch, another important food and sportfish species, saw near record reproduction.
     During this year’s survey, DNR biologists counted more than 59,000 fish of 47 different species while collecting 4,565 YOY striped bass. Variation in annual spawning success is normal because striped bass reproduction is influenced by many factors including water temperature, winter snowfall, spring flow rates, and prevailing weather conditions. Typically, several years of average reproduction are intermixed with the occasional large and small year-classes. The strong 2011 year-class shows that the spawning stock is capable of producing a large year-class when conditions are favorable.
     DNR biologists have monitored the reproductive success of striped bass and other species in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay annually since 1954. Twenty-two survey sites are located in the four major spawning systems: Choptank, Potomac, and Nanticoke rivers, and the Upper Bay. Biologists visit each site monthly from July through September, collecting fish samples with two sweeps of a 100-foot beach seine.
     Juvenile indices are calculated as the average catch of YOY fish per sample. For more information about the YOY striped bass survey go to dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/juvindex/.

Upper Bay
     Upper bay fishermen continue to find fishing for striped bass a tough situation in many areas due to cloudy water conditions and low salinities. The Conowingo Dam is releasing substantial amounts of water for the last week and water temperatures at the mouth of the Susquehanna River are down to 60-degrees. Fishermen have been catching more and more yellow perch lately from shoreline locations in the upper most areas of the bay and channel catfish continue to be eager to take cut baits or worms. Farther down the bay fishermen are finding white perch holding on many of the oyster reefs and knolls between Baltimore and Rock Hall. The white perch are now either in the deeper channels at the mouths of the tidal rivers or out in the bay. Jigging with a metal jig and dropper fly or a bottom rig baited with bloodworms should get you into the action. Striped bass have been tough to find at the Bay Bridge piers lately. Chunking with razor clams up current of the bridge piers has been the most successful option for many fishermen lately at the bridge and sharp channel edges.

Middle Bay
Below the Bay Bridge and through the entire middle bay region fishing for a mix of striped bass and bluefish has been good in most areas. Most fishermen have been jigging with metal of soft plastics over suspended or breaking fish. Structure such as prominent points, steep channel edges or rock piles have been good places to look for suspended fish. Breaking fish can be spotted most anywhere there is stiff current sweeping bait along. Fishermen are seeing a lot of small striped bass and bluefish on top and finding larger striped bass underneath by jigging.
     There has been good numbers of larger male striped bass being caught; some in the 30”+ range around the Hill area off of Poplar Island, the Diamonds, Buoy 84 and Thomas Point. Traditionally most of the striped bass over 26” in the fall are male fish. The biggest exception will be if we get a run of large fall migrant striped bass that come up the bay from the Atlantic. Some fishermen have been chunking with razor clams with good success at locations such as the Hill and Buoy 84 and trolling with metal, bucktails and surge tube lures is always a good option also.
      Fishing the shallow water areas along the bay shoreline and in the lower sections of the regions tidal rivers continues to be about as good as it gets. Fishermen are catching a mix of striped bass, bluefish and speckled trout; although he last two participants are beginning to thin out. Topwater lures and soft plastic swim shads have been at the top of the list for “go to” lures this week. An influx of larger striped bass has added some extra excitement to this fishery lately.
     White perch are being found on hard bottom areas out in the bay such as Hackett’s Bar, Holland Point and bars near the mouth of the Choptank. Water temperatures in the middle bay region are holding around 65-degrees and a bit chillier in the tidal rivers. Most of the white perch are now fairly deep; so jigging and bottom rigs baited with bloodworms is the way to catch them.

Lower Bay     Fishermen in the lower bay region are finding good fishing for a mix of striped bass and bluefish out in the main portions of the bay and the mouth of the Potomac River this week. Breaking fish are being spotted throughout the region but most often in places where swift currents are sweeping bait along steep channel edges and points. Birds often mark the way to a mix of bluefish and striped bass but finding slicks and suspended fish is also very common. Some of the larger bluefish being found in Maryland waters are showing up in the lower bay region this week. Trolling with metal and surge tube lures is a productive way to catch them as is jigging. Water temperatures are around 65-degrees this week so the striped bass are moving freely in all depths.
     Casting topwater lures and swim shads in the shallow waters of the bay and tidal rivers continues to get a lot of attention from fishermen in the morning and evening hours. Speckled trout are also mixed in with striped bass and bluefish; especially on the eastern side of the bay. The white perch are holding deep in the lower sections of the regions tidal rivers and are providing good fishing. Bottom rigs baited with bloodworms have been one of the favorite ways to fish for them this week.
     Recreational crabbers are seeing good catches of large and fat crabs from Kent Island south in the tidal creeks and rivers. Water temperatures are getting chilly so some of the better crabbing has been in water deeper than 10’.

Freshwater
Fishermen in the western region are enjoying wonderful trout fishing thanks to generous fall stockings of trout and beautiful fall weather. Deep Creek Lake fishermen are reporting that cooling water temperatures are causing largemouth bass to begin to head to deeper waters. Smallmouth bass and walleye are very active and providing good fishing opportunities. Fishermen on the upper Potomac River report excellent fishing for smallmouth bass this week as the bass are aggressively feeding on crawfish that are on the move from grass beds that are breaking up due to cooler water temperatures. Small crankbaits, tubes and jigs that resemble a crawfish are a sure bet. John Mullican sent us this report. The upper Potomac is currently in great shape and fishing very well. Be sure to check water levels before heading out as rain events and local thunderstorms can change conditions quickly. Bass fishing has been excellent with many quality-size fish caught throughout the river. Tubes, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and suspending jerk baits have all been productive.
     Fishermen in all regions of the state are enjoying the fall stocking of trout in many put and take areas. Fishermen like Ryan Roberts are reporting good fishing and lots of elbow room. I fished on Monday October 10th about a mile downstream from the dam and Daniels Dam on the Patapsco. I caught five nice rainbows and browns, all were around 17" and I missed just as many all on flies. Not much traffic on the water, which made for a nice day. The stocking schedule is updated each week so be sure to check and see what areas near you have been stocked. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/stocking/index.asp
     Freshwater fishermen throughout the state have been enjoying the beautiful October weather and the active feeding mode of most freshwater species of fish. Crappie are schooling up in cooler waters around deeper structure such as bridge piers and ledges, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass are aggressively feeding in the western Baltimore reservoirs as are chain pickerel and large bluegills. Largemouth bass in freshwater impoundments and tidal waters are focusing on grass beds where bait such as small fish and crawfish are desperate to find a new home as the grass beds diminish to cooling water temperatures and shorter daylight hours. Targeting grass beds in 3’to4’ of water is a good strategy with chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and small crankbaits or tubes that resemble crawfish. Casting chatterbaits over grass beds can bring other surprises besides largemouth bass.

At the Ocean
     Fishermen in the Ocean City area are seeing fishing conditions in the surf greatly improved this week after last weekend’s big blow. There are large schools of small bluefish moving down the beach eating their way south. Most fishermen are using small pieces of finger mullet on bait rigs; anything larger than that get nibbled away in a heart beat. Water temperatures in the surf are now about 65-degrees so these small bluefish will not be around for much longer.
     A few striped bass are being caught in the surf and more will be on the way soon from our northern neighbors. Striped bass are being caught in and around the inlet at night by fishermen casting swim shads and soft plastic jigs. Enterprising fishermen have been drifting live finger mullet in the inlet and catching large flounder and even a striped bass now and then. The bulkheads and jetties are giving up better numbers of tautog this week and even a few large triggerfish and sheepshead. Flounder are moving out of the back bay areas and through the inlet so the approaches to the inlet have been getting a lot of attention by flounder fishermen. Small bluefish have moved into the same areas and have been chewing up baits.
     Tautog fishing is the only show in town on the wreck and reef sites off of Ocean City now that sea bass are off limits. Cooler water temperatures are spurring on this fishery so catches have been good. A few large flounder and a mix of red hake or ling and bluefish are rounding things out.
     Offshore fishing is slowing down due to weather, cooler water temperatures and lack of boats going out. Last weekend was a bust with strong winds but this coming weekend shows promise for those hoping for one more lick at a mix of white marlin, yellowfin tuna and dolphin. It will not be long before fishermen will start to take about bluefin tuna for they surely will be moving through the region soon.