I’ve always been a curious person and asked a lot of questions. When I was a kid growing up on our farm it got to the point with the guys that worked there that their response one out three times would be, “Go get us a bucket of electricity, then we’ll answer that question.” Cruel, but probably fair in retrospect given the amount of questions I would ask every day all day. I regularly drive my fiancee crazy to this day with all the questions I ask. I am not sure if she asks me to just stop talking because she is tired of not knowing the answers to the questions or if its just the continual onslaught of questions that drives her crazy. Probably the ladder, as she is a smart lady. My niece, who is nine, has limited me to three questions per hour, she actaully keeps track. It sort of stunned me actaully when she invoked the limit. I had picked her up from school and was dropping her off at home on my way to visit with a boat electronics shop. As we were driving she just turned and said, “You ask way too many questions, I am limiting you to only three questions an hour that I will answer.”  I actaully had to think about that on the way home and consider if I had a problem. Then as in the past when I considered this topic, I concluded it’s just curiosity and desire to know things. I will admit that in my younger years my questions were all over the place and I could have probably answered some of them myself if I had taken a little more time to think about it, so I get the “bucket of electricity” requests, but as I have grown older I have gotten better at asking questions. What does that mean, well when I was in the venture capital business my good friend and mentor Tom would say,” In this business you do not need to know everything, you just have know the questions to ask. Anyone can ask questions, but one of the important things that can differentiate  a good VC from a great one is a great one knows the “right” questions to ask.” It’s a good observation or all of us.  As I think about the whole thing more,  I actaully think others have a problem, how in the world can people go through life and not know how things work, why they work etc… I will admit that as I have grown older sometimes when it comes to human dynamics/interactions I just do not ask questions and just go with it. I’ll let your mind run with that thought without elaborating any further.

Having said all that, understanding tides and what causes their rise and fall has recently again sparked my curiosity. I had to ask the question of myself, “Given how much time I spend saltwater fishing and rely on the tide or stage of the tide when chasing striped bass or whatever other species, shouldn’t I have a very firm understanding of what causes and/or influences tides? Wouldn’t understanding tides improve my fishing?” I answered my own question, the guys who used to work on the farm, my fiancee and niece I can only imagine would be rejoicing if they knew I answered this one myself, and of course the answer is, “Yes”. I asked my brother Spencer if he knew about tides this morning, his response,”You should not be worrying about the tides right now, we catch stripers all the time with what we know, get back to work on our fund raising and selling our 2009 Lateral Line line so we can make some money.” Response noted and it’s a very correct answer, but I still want to know and since I am the older brother, well I am going to postpone that work until this afternoon. And it’s freaking Saturday and I should be out fishing anyway if it were not for this forecast from NOAA for my portion of the Chesapeake Bay, “Small Craft Advisory now in effect through late tonight Today SW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 30 kt. Waves 2 to 3 ft. A chance of showers and tstms in the morning… then showers and tstms likely in the afternoon with vsby 1 nm or less.” And if I hear any s*%& from him I’ll just quote Emerson, “Nothing is so certain to perpetuate ignorance as failure to investigate the facts”. I am sure that answer will get me an ear full. Anyway, in all the years I have been on the boat and asked whoever I was fishing with that I thought might have the answer what causes the rise and fall of the tide I have always received generally the same answer, “The tide is controlled by the moon and the sun and wind can play a roll”, or, “The moon and the sun, just do not worry about it too much, the tide chart will tell you what you need to know”, or, “Your a computer geek, don’t you have that program on your blackberry?”. Could it really be that simple that its just the sun and the moon with wind playing a role? What goes on in the development of those tide tables we all rely on so much? Why are some tide tables accurate and why are some just way too off to use? Why are the tides in the Chesapeake a few feet a day, while in the northeast you can see tides varying as much as fourteen feet? Why are there two high tides in some parts of the world and even the US  and only on high tide in other parts? Why is the high tide difference between Choptank Light and the Bay Bridge as much as an hour and the tidal difference between the northern Bahamas and the southern Bahamas just thirty minutes when Choptank Light is maybe 20 miles by water, yet the difference between the northern and southern Bahamas a few hundred miles?

Well, I am on the quest to answer these questions, but I do not think I will get to them all today. However, I have some preliminary findings from some reading this morning. The following is in no specific order other then the order I discovered the data:

1. The word “tide” is a generic word used to describe the vertical delta (difference) between high and low tides at a given location. It does not describe the horizontal water flow (current) or its velocity during the rise and fall of the tide.
2. The moon is only capable of displacing the water on the surface of the earth by approximately twelve vertical inches.
3. The gravitation of the sun can only displace the oceans by approximately six vertical inches.
4. This means that when the moon and sun are aligned to pull in the same direction over the center of the Atlantic Ocean, the maximal tidal range due to the sun and moon is only approximately eighteen (18) inches. This means I have some work to do because the tide is more then that in most all the places I fish which includes the Chesapeake Bay, most all the Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, Bahamas, etc…
5. When the United States decided to drill off the coast of Alaska for oil it was vital to get accurate tidal predictions for Prince William Sound and its tributaries where tankers would be transporting and removing hazardous cargo. The programs that were developed to make the tide predictions used 114 independent variables which all influence the range and timing of the tides.  Two of the independent variables were of course the sun and moon, which means there were another 112 variables that were needed to make accurate predictions.
6. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration uses 37 major independent variables that have a measurable influence on the earth’s tides to develop the standard tide tables that they distribute annually and are considered “the standard” in the US.
7. Dr. Arthur Doodson is regarded as a world class oceanographer and credited with much of what we now know about tides, what the variables are that influence them and our ability to predict them. According to his research which is regarded as accurate, there are a total of 396 variables that influence tide height and tide times.

Clearly I have my work cut out for me to truly understand Tides and given that afternoon will approach sooner then I might have wanted, I will have to set aside my investigation for the moment. I am however a bit more satisfied now that I know what I do not know and can now go and learn it. This also opens the door to better understanding “currents” and their flow through out the tide. Understanding currents might prove to be more important then understanding tides since current is really what we need to know when we are fishing a tide. Man, a whole other topic to look at…I’ll tackle tides first, then current.   Expect more on tides and currents from me as I dig in and investigate these amazing phenomenon further and share what I learn which hopefully will make you and me better anglers in our quest for a tight line.

CIRCLEHOOKS AND ANGLER’S RIDICULOUS RELUCTANCE TO USE THEM
Just getting in from what amounted to yet another good day of fishing in my neck of the woods.  Without a doubt, this has been a good spring so far and today was no exception.  But to get back to the marina, I had to run the solemn course though the excessive crowd of boats.

One would think that the excessive price of fuel would keep a good number of folks off the water these days, but right now there are a ton of boats using live menhaden (aka bunker) to catch large fecund striped bass in my neck of the woods.  More than likely these Jamaica Bay fish are on their way up the Hudson to Spawn, or are returning after a successful venture.  I won’t even acknowledge all those idiots that are poaching fish (and unfortunately there are quite a few), but the great majority of folks are releasing those fish they’ve caught above their “limit.”  (note: God I hate that phrase “limiting out,” as if folks are fishing solely to kill as many fish as the law allows them to, with little or no emphasis on the angling experience.   I mean, there’s nothing wrong with keeping your limit, but if you’re fishing solely to “limit out” then it would be a lot cheaper to go to the darn fish market).  But let me get back to the point.

Anyone who has ever done any live bait fishing knows that stripers, especially the big ones, inhale the bait.  Thus, if you are using a J-hook, just about every fish gets it in the belly.  That’s fine if you are planning on keeping your two fish and going home.  Menhaden are big baits and rarely does a short eat one.  But if you keep fishing after that, as most anglers do, THEN USE A DARN CIRCLE HOOK FOR GOD’S SAKE!

I’m not going to explain how circlehooks work as I believe most know already, and if you don’t you can find many a detailed explanation by Googleing it.  In my experience, as well as just about everyone I know who uses them, they result in a perfect lip hooked fish 90% of the time.  And it’s not just anecdotal.  There is a ton of science out there that shows that circlehooks in bait fisheries dramatically reduce release mortality.
Yet despite all this, the overwhelming majority of anglers continue to use J-hooks!  I went on a charter for a bachelor party two years ago and this dumbass Captain was using treble hooks to live-line bunker!  I couldn’t believe it!  Talk about lack of foresight.

Thus, this is the time of the year that I usually see a good number of dead bass floating on the surface on my way back to the marina each morning.  And these are the ones that don’t sink.  I’m sure there are a lot more.  And when you multiply my small area by all those areas that have vibrant live and dead bait fisheries for striped bass, it really adds up.   And it’s not just my dumb-ass saying it.  It’s a fact.  According to the most recent striped bass stock assessment, recreational discards account 34% of the total catch!  To put that into perspective, that’s double what the total commercial landing are!  Kinda hard to justify gamefish with those numbers don’t ya think?  Yet still, folks foolishly resist new hook technology that could dramatically reduce this number.

I’ve got to say, the fact that circlehooks aren’t required in those fisheries that are prone to excessive release mortality (fish that die as a result of angling related trauma) isn’t required by now angers me.  Why the H wouldn’t we require them!?   That’s a question I asked during the last ASMFC Striped Bass Advisory Panel meeting.  All they panel had the nerve to muster up was to recommend increased “education” on circle hooks.  Like that’s gonna do anything?  There was the usual talk about agencies being unable to enforce such a regulation, yet if it was a law, for sure most folks would follow it.  Then there was the knucklehead who said that his charter clients wouldn’t be able to figure out how to use the.   Uhm, what?  All you do is come tight on the fish.  What could be easier than that?

We really need circle hook regulations.  It’s absurd not to have them.  Until we reduce that release mortality percentage, we just don’t have any credibility.

FISHING REPORTS
Wow, what a week.  Inshore bigger fish showed in Southern New Jersey, while on the Oceanside, the entire coast has been invaded by massive schools of bunker.  And as you can imagine, big bass and bluefish have been on them in good numbers.  Aside from a few big fish, the weakfish run in Jersey hasn’t been a particularly good one.  In Lower New York Harbor it still seems to be 20 to 1 bluefish, but if you have the patience to get under them, there are keeper bass below.  Jamaica Bay fished really good early in the week.  There were still grass shrimp hatches all over, but towards the end of the week, we got a big influx of bunker in the creeks and the bass seemed to have totally focused on those baits.  Which is great for the live-liner crowd, but not so good for those of us fishing a fly and/or light-tackle.  Moving west along Long Island, it’s been a major year for bluefish.  Large schools of big fish on spearing under birds have been a frequent occurrence. Out east, those bigger bass that were on bunker seemed to have left the building. A new body of schoolie-sized fish have moved in and seem to be heavy on sandeels and spearing. We should start to see those pigs on the southside pretty soon though. In Connecticut, most folks are staying the water is still too cold in the Sound for the big ones, thus it’s been mostly schoolie action, but without a doubt, folks are putting together catches of keeper-sized fish here and there.  In Rhode Island, things are really going good.  Still lots of herring around and some big bass beating them up.  The Cape is really beginning to show its colors as more and more fish begin to show each day.  Farther north more reports of schoolies with the occasional larger fish.

Lot of wind this weekend, but it still looks to be fishable in the right sports.  Get out there!  And don’t forget to email me your reports at johnmcmurray@optonline.net.

NEW JERSEY
Capt. Bryan DeLio from Iowa Fortune Guide Service reports an increase in action this week. Check it out:
Ocean City/Atlantic City Fishing Report: For the exception of the heavy SW, NE, E winds @ 20-30 and the constant rain, this week was much like those from the springs of the past, with schools of teen Bass holding in tight groups working along the edges of the Springtime flats. The spring Bass action is usually a roller coaster ride of activity here in SNJ and this year is no different. The Bass are in the “all or none – pattern of no pattern” phase of the season with each location either holding a good amount of fish or it is completely void of life and you’ll usually never find them in the same area consecutive days, but when you find them the action heats up fast. There are still some real bruiser size Blues, Bass and Weakfish cruising around and laid up the back country willing to take most well placed subsurface artificials and with the summer like temperatures and the waters warming, the top water action should begin making things even more interesting when targeting these lurkers. Top water action is always greeted with open arms which rings the bell for the the second phase of great Striper action that will remain with us for the remainder of the season.That’s all for now. Capt. Bryan DiLeo

From Central and Northern New Jersey, Capt. Gene Quigley from Shore Catch called in a report of big stripers working bunker right off the beach.  Miles and miles of bunker and bass on just about every school.  And the bass seemed to have outnumbered the bluefish this week.  Big metal-lipped swimmers have accounted for most of the action with poppers coming in a close second.  But drop down one of those live bunker and whamo!

NEW YORK
Here’s a report from One More Cast Charters in Jamaica Bay:
Man, Jamaica Bay was really good in the earlier part of the week.  Lots of large bass hitting poppers and Slug-Gos in the mornings.  The grass shrimp hatches were going strong, but have since subsided.  A huge influx of bunker happened literally over-night and now those fish are totally focused on them, which makes flyfishing a light tackle a little difficult.  But if you are livelining bunker, indeed this is good.  The herring are gone…  No sign of them this week.  Also it’s worthy of noting that with the bunker influx there was also a big algae bloom.  The water went from clear and cool to warm and turgid over night.  Might be time to start working some areas on the outside. 

From the North Shore, Bob Girodano reports lots of schoolie action:
Hey John,Finally finished off the boat and made my first two ventures over what was a spectacular Memorial Day weekend. God bless our  soldiers. Found plenty of schoolie bass from Micro’s no bigger than 8″ to some better schoolies to 24″ on Chartruese Clousers around structure in Huntington Harbor and areas around the inlet into Lloyd. Saw some fish spraying small spearing and this was evident by the slight takes these fish were taking on the fly. The next few weeks are “big fish” time around this area and hopefully I’ll find some bunker to dredge larger patterns through in hopes of better quality fish.

Also checking in from the North Shore of Long Island is Capt. Robin Calitri from Long Island Fly Fishing:
On Thursday the fish were tough and only a bitty pick of very small bass were biting.  On Saturday, Robin fished with son Scot on the Merrimack River in Mass.  Olive over white clousers were the ticket to non-stop action on the flats and in the channel by the  bridge.  Mike Brieger showed off his fly fishing skill with many schoolies landed.  On Wednesday, Joel, Karen and Charlie Weiss along with Holly Jackson did a bang up job on the blues off the powerplant.  The fish were picky and most came on a small popper.  We also had a great run of schoolie bass inside Huntington Harbor.  The fish took clousers but loved the Sluggo!!  If you want to fish the North Shore it is loaded with bait, bass and blues.  BASSt,  Captain Robin Calitri, Csicagain charters

From Eastern Long Island, Captain Jim Hull from Light Tackle Challenge checks in with this report:
The big fish that were here in late April and early May seem to be thinning out with the bunker that are also thinning each day. The good news is the success story of the sandeels which have had a good early spawn and are now present by the billions in the backwaters of the Peconic bait factory. Lots of medium size bass from 24″ to 36″are all over them as we saw on our outing today with 20 bass averaging about 12lbs for Rich and Scott. Montauk and the ocean beaches of the east end are seeing the migration northward of 3″ whitebait with blues and school bass on it. With longer days and fish getting smaller and tougher on bright days, we will make the shift to Montauk this week in search of the larger specimens that are and will be taking up residence. Pump up and reel down. Captain Jim

CONNECTICUT
Captain Mike Warecke from Southeastern Connecticut Fishing Charters checks in this week with this report:With the fronts, wind and 3rd quart moon phase, fishing had stayed pretty consistent. Saturday I fished with Steve Mahoney and we landed fish 10 to 15lbs. We stayed with them for about 2 hours before they moved on and we could not relocate them. On Tuesday I had 2 seasoned fly fishermen aboard. Pete McDonald (editor for Boating Magazine) and his friend Jason Puris. These 2 fishermen had no problem keeping up with fish in the 10 to 15 lb range for 5 hours. With tuesday’s rain and wind we found one other boat on the Ct. river and loads of fish. This up coming week should be the start for some great fly fishing for striped bass in Connecticut. The reefs and beaches will show all the signs of the herring dropping out of all their spawning hang outs and bring the bigger fish with them. This is truely the best time to throw big flies with a chance to hang a COW!!

From the same general area, Captain Sandy Noyes reports an increase in the amount of bait and quality of fish.  Hi John, I got out for a bit this morning in between the gales. I have heard reports of more squid locally and today I saw some bass chasing them inshore. The Reefs have been hit or miss. The fish inshore are getting a little better. Today’s best was 18 lbs. on an eel fly in 20 feet of water. Its still in the low 50′s in the sound.Sandy

RHODE ISLAND
No reports from Rhode Island this week.  Those guys must be busy fishing.

MASSACHUSETTS
From the Boston area, Capt. John Medelson checks in with this report:
Our charter season began in earnest last week, coinciding perfectly with the arrival of school after school of striped bass into the waters of Boston Harbor. In short, the fishing has been excellent. With charters as well as some family and friends trips we took multiple parties of fly and spin fisherman out over the course of the week and found fish of all sizes. We have seen less of the traditional early season schools of small bass . Generally, the schools have been of mixed sizes. One cast you might catch an 18″ fish, the next a 36″. Many fish over 20lbs. have come to the boat on fly and spin tackle.  The fish have been feeding on large baits including good schools of mackeral around the outer islands. Inside, the fish are keyed on herring. In fact, there seem to be more herring around than in the past two years combined. This bodes well for a sustained spring run. The fish are schooled up and often feeding on top. It is not necessary to run and gun to the birds as many fisherman seem to do. We have had great success setting up long drifts and steadily picking away at fish after fish, often far away from the birds.  Flies and large soft plastics have been the ticket-we are imitating the herring as best we can. The water temperatures are still a bit cold. Just 52 degrees inside the bays, and barely 50 degrees outside. We have been finding fish on both the incoming and outgoing tides. If you are not finding them, move around, they are here in good numbers. Let us know if you would like to get out. We have select dates open in June and early July. Now is the time! Tight lines,Capt. John

Up north in the Cape Cod area Capt. Terry Nugent reports really good action:
After we opened a big ole’ can of whoopa$$ on the fish yesterday, it was a solid bet we were going to empty another big ole’ can today. The crew was similar but different. Today was Mike C, Kirby, Mike Jr, Ruge and Me. All five guys are capable to putting it to the fish on any given day. Add in the extreme verbal abuse we inflict on each other when we screw up, the only option is to be razor sharp all day.  I worked last night and after a big can of Mt. Dew AMP and a large Ice Coffee I was ready to rock. The guys showed up at the house at 0630 and had things ready to go when I arrived. We splashed the boat in Sandwich and ran out into sloppy, but better than yesterday conditions. We put an eyeball on the mack fleet, but things looked slow and the sounder was thin, so we bailed and decided to do it again sans bait.
Ruge was on the HD camera for a huge part of the day. We got some KILLER footage. We headed to yesterdays hotspot and found some solid action, but also a good number of boats. After landing a couple dozen fish we had a few boats get a little too close to us, so we packed it up and left the fleet. The bite was good, but nothing is worth being buried in the middle of the fleet. We ran off and began searching for our own fish. After about 20 minutes we found a few birds circling high over bait. We eased up on them and the fish finder lit up like a pinball machine on “TILT”!!! We were all by ourselves and before our jigs could get to the bottom we were all tight. 4 and five rods doubled over and the bass came in fast and furious.  As the drift continued and the fish showed no signs of letting up we decided to share the wealth. I called my buddies on “Irish Jig” and had them slide over to where we were. They flew over to our location and saw the fish we were catching. They didn’t have the right jigs so we tossed them a few and soon they were putting it to the fish in a big way too. They repaid the favor by letting Ruge get on their boat and shoot boat to boat footage of us with the HD camera.  We reset the drifts several times and both boats slayed the fish for around an hour. Then we decided to explore and check out some places we hadn’t been to this year. We ran long and we came up short. So after about an hour of running around checking out spots we returned to the area we had left the crew of the Irish Jig. They were gone but the fish were still there and we picked up where we left off.  The tide slacked and so did the fishing. We had PILES of bait and we knew when the tide began again the fishing would go off in a big way. Sure enough it did and we got on a solid bite of 30″ to 30# fish. The bite was so good we called in another buddy “Double Happiness” Bob and his little nephew Mike made the LONG run over to us. It was well worth it for everyone. We all got to watch as little Michael put the screws to some bass almost as big as he was. After several hours of bailing the fish we tried to leave. Every time we began to stow the gear for the run home the sounder would light up and Bob and Mike would double up right next to us. You just can’t leave that kind of fishing no matter how tired you get.  Around 1700 we finally called “Uncle” and turned the sounder off so we could pack up and leave. The run home was fast and flat. Final tally for the day was several hundred fish for the boat. This is no exaggeration. We had five guys fishing and most of the time 3 or more of us were tight. These fish were packed in tight and we would get them as fast as we could drop a jig into the 50′ thick school. The lure of choice today was 4-6oz metal. These fish were on 5-6″ sandeels and they were deep or right on the bottom. Deadly Dicks, Diamond Jigs and other metal of that sort was the key to slaying these fish. Send the metal south and IF it made the bottom it only took a few jigs to double over the rod. The water ranged from 40-80′ deep. We were the only boat around except for the guys we brought in on the bite.  Overall a tiring day of fishing. Our arms are sore from cranking in fish all day. It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it. A big Congrats to Bob and Mike, they make a great team and it’s always good to see a youngster learning to appreciate the outdoors. Thanks to Irish Jig, you make a great camera boat.Good Luck, Capt. Terry Nugent

And farther north, Capt. Dave Rimmer checks in with this report:
Gloucester to Salisbury, MA Fishing: If you have not already, it is high time to dust off the rod and reel to begin striped bass fishing in earnest across north shore waters. Reports were favorable from all sectors, open ocean to estuaries. Off Crane Beach and the mouth of the Ipswich River, there was an excellent surface feed of mostly schoolies 20-26 inches on a small bait, maybe sand eels. In fact I believe most of those size fish are from the abundant 2003 year class and their abundance bodes well for the future. The Parker River has been fishing very well too, with reported fish up to 40 inches feeding at times on adult alewives. The Merrimack Rivers is in true form as well, with Joppa Flats and upriver producing big fish. A fat 37 inch, 20 pound striper was landed on my boat on fly. Spin fishermen are having success with soft plastics like the Storm Shad and Sluggos, while fly fishermen are generally fishing full sinking lines and bright colored flies, although the big bass I witnessed caught succumbed to a 6-7 inch herring fly. Yes the tides are a little off this coming week (May 29-June 4) but that should not detract from the fishing too much. If the weather cooperates, there is no excuse not to get out in the brine next week and fish the rocks, beach fronts, rivers and estuaries on the north shore. No time like right now to put your time in – you will be rewarded.

Capt Tom Rapone from Highly Migratory Guiding service reported in with this Martha’s Vineyard fishing report: Aside from a couple of brutal wind days, this past week has seen some great fly and light tackle fishing on the Vineyard. The pond fishing has held up well with some fantastic topwater fishing for 6 to 12-pound bluefish. In addition, stripers up to 36” seem to be scooting around every single dark-bottomed flat on the island. We also had a nice 3-day string of worm hatches over the holiday weekend. There’s nothing like some calm, sunny weather in May to really get things hopping in the estuaries.  On the outside, more really nice bass seem to be pushing into the rips on the west side of the island daily. Heavy bucktails and butterfly-style jigs have been the ticket to good stuff in 50+ feet of water. Some great topwater and fly fishing for these big fish should begin in the next week or so when we get a push of squid in the oceanside rips. I’ve seen a couple of spurts so far, but the real show has yet to come. On the shore fishing front, the beaches of Chappy have seen some great daytime bluefish action on the dropping tide. After dark, Lobsterville and other nearby beaches on the west side are really turning on. Every time it’s blown from the SW in the last week it’s been fast fishing for bass on sandeels on both tides.  –Capt. Tom Rapone 

MAINE
Captain Eric Wallace from Coastal Fly Angler Guide Service reported in on the Maine Striper fishing: For the most part low water temps have kept the fish that are around pretty Grumpy, other then some holdovers and a few fresh schollies feeding near darker flats that have warmed  during the sunny but windy days we have had lately. As far a bait goes there’s plenty of big stuff around there are still alewives and river herring coming through and for the first time in years we have lots of adult menhaden or pogies as we call them in Maine.

This is exciting news as we have not seen a a lot large pogies at any time of the year for a while, also some good shad fishing in the Saco river and tributaries of the Kennebec have been reported.

We have all the big bait! the fish should find it soon, I’ve heard report from yesterday there where a few fish near 40 caught down by Wells beach. Things have picked up in the  Kennebunkport area  as well, with reports of fish in the 20″-30″ range but not gangbuster yet. In both cases the reports have the bass on pogies, I feel we are just a week away from thing really opening up, some stable weather and fish pushing north is what where hoping for up north. Until next week, hope you have a line go tight and a smile on your face.

That’s all for this week. We’ll see you on the water.

Capt. John McMurray
Northeast Fishing Correspondent

Virginia Fishing Report: Covering the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Inshore and Virginia Offshore Fishing by Correspondent Julie Ball
The prelude to the summer fishing pattern is right on target with the arrival of one of the most anticipated warm water residents, the cobia. Scattered hookups and confirmed sightings around the lower bay are just the beginning as these covert hunters quietly glide into local waters. Sheepshead are also making a low-key debut, as occasional reports trickle in of incidental hook-ups by drum anglers, which is common for this time of year.

Although not off the charts as it was mid-month, the drum action has returned to a more normal pattern, which is still very good. Regardless of the state of the bite, anglers are out in droves hoping for a chance to tangle with a big drum. Black drum are still showing along the shoals near buoys 10, 13, and 16 where chowder clams and sea clams are the top baits. (Pictured: nofishingenough’s daughter with a nice flounder caught while daughter and dad were out fishing this past week around buoy 42 in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Read the full report with pictures here )  Although we are on the downward trend for these brutes from the shoals, they are still available in these areas for those willing to put in the time. Huge red drum are still scavenging the shoals off Fisherman’s Island and Nautilus Shoal, but more fish are now showing on the nine foot shoal near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Blue crab has worked well all season.

Spadefish are appearing on inshore wrecks, as well inside the bay at York Spit Light, Wolftrap Light and the Cell, but we still need to inch up a few more degrees for the action to really take off. Some spades are also available at the Chesapeake Light Tower, but the fish are holding tight to the tower legs. A few boats worked hard to catch some respectable fish, but most are small, with the best yet to come with the spadefish.

Flounder action is still frustrating anglers, with muddy conditions keeping the water less than optimal for these aggressive sight feeders. Most angers who are catching decent fish are finding their keepers in protected waters such as the back waters of Wachapreague and Oyster, and within both Rudee and Lynnaven inlets. One angler found a 6-pound, 4-ounce flattie laying in waiting while casting from the shore within Long Creek recently. The best flounder bite is occurring on the flood tide this week.

Striped bass are making up for the flounder shortage, with catches of rockfish to 36-inches coming from the HRBT and the small boat channel and islands of the CBBT. Live baiting over the tubes is providing the best striper hauls, with both croaker and eels working well. Snapper bluefish are everywhere in local waters, which often makes catching anything else a challenge.
(Pictured: Drew with a nice dolphin while out fishing over last Memorial Day weekend in the bluewater off the Virginia Coast. yes folks, Drew is 10 and a fishing catching machine. See “the Drew Report below)

Croaker are active within the tributary rivers, with the York River the best location. Squid and shrimp get the nod this week. Bait-sized hard heads are also still available off Little Creek Inlet and along the CBBT and the HRBT. A few speckled trout and bluefish are biting within Rudee Inlet, where folks fishing from the jetties are scoring with smoke and green colored grubs. A few grey trout up to 3-pounds are lurking around the HRBT and the CBBT where catches are sporadic, but the grey action is still good around the Concrete ships and the docks at the Kiptopeke State Park ramp.

The deep dropping scene is on fire if you want to fit the fuel bill to make the long run out to 50 fathoms or more. Those boats making a go are rewarded with excellent catches of blueline and golden tilefish, grouper, blackbelly rosefish, and jumbo seabass. Sean Doran and Darren Foster expertly guided their crew to the deep aboard the Crystal Clear, and loaded up with super-sized grouper, blueline tilefish,  and golden tiles weighing up to nearly 50-pounds! A nice18-pound, 12-ounce blueline tilefish landed by Dr. Julie Ball while fishing squid near the Norfolk Canyon took the state lead this week.

The offshore trolling scene is just getting rolling, with gaffer-sized dolphin and nice yellowfin tuna stealing the glory. Boats are also finding a smattering of mako sharks and wahoo in the mix. This trend will only improve, as long as the warm water stays around.

The Drew Report
Sorry this is late, but my Dad wouldn’t let me write a report until my book report was finished.

On Memorial Day we went out on the Blind Date with Capt Stan, Capt Rick, Doc, my Dad and me.  We were going to try for Sea Bass and Tile fish.  We stopped at the Triangles first but didn’t get anything.  Capt Stan decided to run to the deep.  On the way to the Norfolk Canyon, Capt Stan decided to try one more place for Sea Bass.  On my first drop I caught a four pounder and the action never stopped.  We didn’t get any citations, but all the fish were really nice, 3-4 lb fish.  After awhile, CAPT Stan wanted to try to drop real deep for Golden Tile fish.  We ran out to the canyon and stopped in 850 feet of water.  We used 24oz of weight to get to the bottom.  That didn’t look like a lot of fun to me so I watched all the adults drop their rigs.  At the same time a bunch of mahi mahi showed up at the boat.  They looked like a lot more fun to me.   Capt Rick showed me how to rig a piece of squid and drift it back to the fish.  They were little, but a lot of fun on light tackle.  While I was playing with the mahi’s Capt Stan hooked up, it took a long time, but he got his first Golden Tile it weighed 20 lbs.  They are a very pretty fish with a floppy fin on the top of their head.  As soon as Capt Stan got his in my Dad hooked up.  My Dad’s Golden Tile was smaller than Capt Stan’s, but still looked cool.  Capt Rick caught a Black Fin Tuna while we were fishing for tiles.  The wind started to pick up so we headed back to the Sea bass spot and caught a few more before we headed home.

I caught most of my sea bass on a Bass Pro Shops Offshore Angler Free Style jig in the mackerel color.  I was using a Cabo 50 reel on a JB custom rod and power pro.  My Dad caught most of his on the same jig but he was using his Calcutta 400 on his Nickolite rod.  The rest of the guys were using bait rigs and jigs.  I like using the jigs because the rig is lighter and the fish fight good.

Capt Stan went out last night with CAPT Brad and they got a bunch of citation Red Drum.  I still haven’t gotten a red yet this year.
Your friend Drew

Until next week, good luck fishing!

Julie
Dr. Julie Ball
IGFA Representative, Virginia Beach

Virginia’s Eastern Shore Fishing Report
Covering Inshore and Offshore Fishing out of Wachapreague, Chincoteague and Assateague
by Kevin of Lyn B Sportfishing - TidalFish.com Correspondent
No report his week, fishing must be very good or very windy
Kevin of Lyn B Sportfishing, a 34ft custom sport fisherman Captained by Bill Bowen. They offer inshore, wreck and offshore fishing adventures. Fishing from the Wachapreague, Wachapreague . Call 757-787-1074 to book a trip.

However we did get these reports from the Virginia Saltwater Review:
Chincoteague
Fish were biting at Captain Bob’s this week. Those brave enough to face the wind at the Four Mouths area, near buoy 50, and the Wallops Island Bridge were bringing in nice flounder up to 24 inches. On May 24th, Robert Biggs landed a 7-pound, 10-ounce flounder (27.5 inches), and on the 25th, Juanita Bradshaw brought in a 7-pound, 2-ounce flounder (26.5 inches). In the surf, a few flounder and striped bass have been landed—the rough, cool water attracting striped bass. When the wind dies down, there are nice black sea bass to be had along the wrecks, and some tautog have been sighted in the area as well. Kingfish are beginning to show at marker 15 near the inlet, and skate and shark have been seen at the north side of Queen’s Sound. The majority of the fish have been caught using a minnow and squid sandwich, but according to Donna, everyone needs a plan B—she suggests silversides. Staff at Captain Bob’s believes that once the winds calm, the fishing will really pick up.

Wachapreague
Flounder were hooked near Wachapreague Marina this week. Several flounder in the 4 to 5-pound range have been landed, as well as one flounder weighing over 7 pounds. A few anglers are bringing in nice trout with their flounder catches.

At Captain Zed’s, anglers are catching flounder, but they are generally hooking 20 undersized flounder for every keeper (19 inches or greater). Staff has seen a 4-pound grey trout this week.

Virginia’s Northern Neck Fishing Report
by Jerry Thrash From Patriot Charters and Queens Creek Outfitters

Jerry writes, Spadefish have been seen on the Cell and at Wolftrap all week but have been refusing baits. This is normal, and usually they start biting about a week after first being sited. We should see big Spades this week!

Speckled Trout fishing continues to be hot! We registered seven more citation specks this week, all from the North and East Rivers.

Croaker are available at Butlers Hole in the Rappahannock, in the mouth of the Piankatank and in surrounding creeks. Croaker are also showing in fair numbers across the Bay in the Buoy 40A area where many of the charter boats are fishing when winds permit.

One 9-pound citation flounder was weighed this week near Buoy 42 but there were very few boats on the water Saturday and Sunday.

I have been doing some research over the last week or two on the Maryland herring run that striped bass chase in the Chesapeake tributaries each spring in the striped bass’s annual spawning run. Apparently there is some huge netting by commerical fishermen going on when the herring (yea I know, another forage fish in trouble. If you are not familiar with what forage fish do or why (photo information: The photo above was taken by Captain Eric Wallace of Coastal Fly Angler Guide Service on the edge of the Striped Bass flats last year in southern Maine. Trawling forage fish like this at the edge of an area striped bass and other fish live can not be good!) they are important here is a quick version. Forage fish are an important link in the marine food web because they transfer energy between primary and secondary producers, such as plankton, to top predators such as seabirds and larger fish like, you guessed it, striped bass, bluefish, drum, tuna etc…) are coming into the upper rivers to spawn. It has not been talked about a lot because these commerical interests want to keep it on the down low. There have been whispers about banning it in the halls of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as well. I have been thinking that it is probably time to bring things to the public’s attention so we can actaully get the commerical netting closed in light of the fact that herring are becoming scarce. I’ll save more details for next week when I get more information.

What prompted this post today is that in yesterdays Shad piece I did, fisheries managers and others have been wondering why the shad population is and has been dropping so dramatically over the last few years. In the post I and others suggested that their might be a fishery for shad going on we do not know about or that they might be a victim of bycatch from another commerical fishery. Well, no sooner did I hit publish yesterday then did I receive the below press release and study by the Herring Alliance. It’s worth reading not only the press release below, but the study, it’s not a long read and worth your time. Long and short of it is that shad migrate up and down the coast, the herring fishery in the north is being hit hard, is it possible shad are winding up in the herring nets? Read below and see what you think.

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REPORT: INDUSTRIAL HERRING TRAWLERS THREATEN NEW ENGLAND’S OCEAN
New report exposes risk posed by mismanagement of large-scale fleet, proposes solutions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 21, 2008
Portland, Maine — A report released today by the Herring Alliance* exposes a threat to New England’s coastal waters that has gone largely unnoticed in recent decades: the mismanagement of the commercial Atlantic herring industry.

The report, “Out of Balance: Industrial Fishing and the Threat to Our Ocean,” details the pivotal role Atlantic herring play in the region’s ecosystem and economy, and charts the growth of the industrial-scale herring fleet that jeopardizes the health of this key resource.

Atlantic herring form the cornerstone of New England’s marine ecosystem with whales, seabirds, striped bass and tuna depending on these fish for survival. Herring also made possible the development of the region’s commercial fishing industry, providing forage for cod, haddock and other groundfish, bait for lobstermen and sardines for human consumption.

Today, the herring resource supports commercial and recreational fisheries with a value of more than a billion dollars as well as an ecotourism sector that includes whale watching, birding and boating.

But intense commercial fishing threatens these fish and all that depend upon them. Since the mid-1990s, industrial-scale midwater trawlers – ships towing fine-mesh nets as wide as a football field and five stories tall – have relentlessly fished the region’s waters. Today these industrial ships, which came to New England in the mid 1990s, catch well over 150 million pounds of herring each year, accounting for more than 80 percent of the region’s total herring catch.

“This report documents just how far the regulation of the herring fleet is lagging behind the rapid changes this fishery has undergone,” said Peter Baker, director of the Herring Alliance. “In 1990, there were no mid-water trawlers fishing these waters and now they catch well over 150 million pounds of herring each year. Yet the fishery continues to be treated as the small-scale fleet it once was.”

The report finds that in spite of the potential for midwater trawlers to capture and kill nearly all forms of sea life in their path – ranging from haddock, seals, seabirds, tuna and severely depleted river herring – these industrial-scale ships are surprisingly under-monitored.

Among the report’s findings:

• Oversight of New England’s herring trawl fleet is insufficient. Government observers have historically monitored just three percent of the region’s trips, compared with Alaska, where observers are required onboard for 30 to 100 percent of fishing trips.
• Current rules include loopholes allowing herring trawlers to dump nets loaded with non-target species- a wasteful practice which obscures the true picture of what these trawls are netting.
• The Gulf of Maine is being overburdened by herring trawlers. Its inshore waters are home to just 18 percent of the region’s total herring population but are the source of 60 percent of the herring catch.
• National Marine Fisheries Service does not adequately take into account the changing needs of predators as depleted fish stocks rebuild, which could lead to shortage of forage for important marine species such as whales, seabirds, striped bass, tuna and cod.

“With little federal oversight and almost no accountability, mid-water trawlers have operated in the shadows for too long,” said Earthjustice attorney Roger Fleming, a contributor to today’s report. “The current rules undermine efforts to protect the New England fish stocks and preserve a livelihood for future generations of fishermen.”

The report recommends such common sense reforms as:

• Ending midwater trawling within 50 miles of shore and in areas closed to groundfishermen.
• Instituting a shore-based monitoring system with real-time catch and bycatch monitoring
• Requiring 100 percent observer coverage
• Banning at-sea dumping and requiring on-board sampling of all catch including discards
• Determining the needs of herring predators and establishing a set-aside of the resource for predators

“As we work to rebuild depleted populations of ocean predators such as tuna, haddock and cod, it is imperative that we ask fishery managers to put forage first by making conservation of prey for predators the primary objective of managing forage fisheries such as the Atlantic herring fishery,” said Pam Lyons Gromen, Executive Director of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation. “The New England Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission must account for the fact that herring is a keystone species in the New England ecosystem and of great importance, not simply as food fish but as fish food, too.”

The issue has galvanized New England’s fleet of small-scale fishermen, eco-tourists, and conservationists. Last fall, the New England Fisheries Management Council received more than 10,000 public comments calling for reform of the herring fishery. And represented by the nonprofit public interest law firm Earthjustice, Maine ground fishermen are currently in federal court challenging an illegal double standard which allows mid-water trawlers to fish in areas closed to nearly all other fishermen.

Today’s report comes as the New England Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Services is considering public input on its Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. The report is meant to educate and empower the public to participate in this input period, which runs through June 30, 2008. More information about the scoping process can be found at  http://www.nefmc.org/herring/index.html and at www.herringalliance.org.

A copy of today’s report is available at http://www.herringalliance.org/images/stories/herring_alliance_report_out_of_balance.pdf and a version complete with citations may also be downloaded from the Herring Alliance website at www.herringalliance.org.
CONTACTS:
Peter Baker, Herring Alliance, 508.641.4064
Roger Fleming, Earthjustice, 978.846.0612
Pam Lyons Gromen, National Coalition for Marine Conservation, 703.777.1961, or email Pam.

American shad are in trouble along the Atlantic Coast and once again we find ourselves in “Crisis Fisheries ‘Management”” mode which only leaves me shaking my head, sadly, again. Scientists are saying that in the Susquehanna River, where anglers have enjoyed yearly spring fishing, the shad population has dropped more then ninety percent (90%) over the last seven years. They can determine these counts by counting fish that take a ride on the fish ladders that have been installed at the Conowingo Dam.The fish ladder at the Conowingo Dam was built in 1991. By 1996 approximately37,516 fish were lifted, by 2001 that number increased to 193,574. This suggested that shad were once again not only returning to the Susquehanna River system, but were also having a high rate of spawning success in past years.  I remember the years of 2001 and 2002, the fishing on the Susquehanna Flats for the spring catch and release striped bass fishing was nothing less then spectacular. I think I fished twenty seven or twenty eight days of thirty day 2001 season. To miss the type of action that was happening would have been sinful.  Was it a coincidence that the shad population was increasing at the same time? I think not. Shad are not the primary diet of the striped bass during the spring run on the Susquehanna Flats as as stripers (or Rockfish as we commonly call them here in the Chesapeake) are primarily following the herring that move into the upper Chesapeake Bay waters, infesting rivers such as the Northeast and Elk River to spawn. However, I am sure it did not hurt to have an additional food source in the area that attacked more stripers. And I was lucky to have Wayne Blottenberger (probably one of the best shad anglers on the Susquehanna and Deer Creek) take me out a few times in 2001 and 2002. The shad fishing was spectacular, so much so that at times it was worth giving up a morning or evening of striped bass fishing to hit the shad. Hook up a big shad on light tackle or a fly rod and your in for a fight.

Unfortunately since those years were the good years over the last decade as since that time the shad numbers have significantly decreased. In 2006 the number of shad going through the Conowingo ladder decreased to 56,000 and then in 2007 it fell to 29,000. This year it’s estimated that the ladder lifted only 16,000 shad.

Erica Robbins, a fisheries management plan coordinator at the Atlantic Sates Marine Fisheries Commission,  was quoted in a recent article that I read saying,”We’ve seen decreases in American Shad at fish lifts all along the East Coast, suggesting it’s not just at the Conowingo Dam.” Some people and even fisheries managers have suggested the striped bass population has expanded and say the striped bass are eating the shad and putting a dent in the population. I am open to a lot of things, but I have to call bull&^%$ on that one. Dale Weinrich, manager of the fin fish program at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, agrees with my take, although he said it a little more diplomatically by saying, “Striped bass are probably not causing the precipitous decline along because the two species coexisted for thousands of years before humans arrived”. I am glad he said that because it saved me having to go back and recount history here about how striped bass and shad have in fact co-existed together in great numbers for a very long time.

A Quick Lesson on American Shad
American shad, like the salmons, is a classic an adromous fish-that is, one which is born in freshwater, goes to sea to grow to maturity and returns to freshwater to spawn. Males arrive on the spawning grounds first, followed closely by the females. Spawning begins when water temperatures exceed 12°C and peak activity occurs between 16 to 20°C. Spawning usually takes place in deep areas of a river where there are moderate to strong currents. During the spawning act, which occurs at night, a single female is accompanied by several males and they swim close to the surface, splashing and rolling. The eggs are released in open water where they are fertilized by the males. A single female may release up to 400,000 eggs, but the average is about 130,000 per female. The eggs are 2.5 to 3.5mm in diameter, transparent and slightly heavier than water. They are non-adhesive so they settle singly and are carried along by the current. Hatching takes place in eight to 12 days at temperatures of 11 to 15C or six to eight days at 17C. After spawning, the surviving, spent adults drop back to salt water and rejoin the ocean migratory population.

Larvae are about 10 mm long when they hatch, transparent and very slender. They spend their first summer in the river feeding on insects and planktonic crustacea. By autumn they are between 7 to 10 cm long, and when water temperatures drop to 15°C they move downstream and out to sea.

Shad remain at sea until they mature at age four or five years and attain a length of 40 to 50 cm. Most males mature at age four, most females by age five. Adults may spawn up to seven times and live to be 13 years old. The life history of an individual shad can be determined from its scales. Growth changes between fresh and salt water, winter and summer and at what age and how often the shad spawned can all be interpreted.

Shad at sea feed on planktonic organisms such as copepods, mysids and euphasids. During spawning migrations, adults eat little.

Shad are powerful swimmers and in feeding studies they have seldom been found as prey in the stomachs of large piscivorous animals. Seals follow the spawning runs into the mouths of rivers and take their share, and it is believed that sharks, such as the porbeagle, prey on shad. During recent studies, tags originally placed in shad were found in stomachs of cod and dogfish. These shad may have been weakened by the tagging and become more susceptible to predation.

Tagging studies in the early 1950s revealed that shad have an extensive northward migration in summer, then return to the southern part of their oceanic range in winter. The majority of shad were found to migrate between North Carolina and the Gulf of Maine and later analysis indicated they followed or selected particular ocean temperatures during migration. By swimming north in spring and summer and south in fall and winter, shad are able to maintain themselves in the 13 to 18°C ocean isotherm. This appears to be their preferred temperature. During the course of this migration a shad from the St. John’s River, Florida would travel 4,500 km in a single year.

Perhaps even more exciting developments have occurred during the last six years. Scientists from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, working in the muddy waters of the upper Bay of Fundy, an area once thought to be almost devoid of fish, found large numbers of ocean-feeding shad occurred there during summer. Tagging studies revealed these shad originated from rivers along the entire east coast of North America, and for two or three months every summer a good portion of all east coast shad at sea were concentrated in this one small area. Rather than stopping in the Gulf of Maine as was originally thought, the main body of ocean-migrating shad move either into the upper Bay of Fundy or along the eastern coast of Canada into the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, and as far north as Nain, Labrador. Of the three regions where shad occur in summer (all in Canadian waters) the upper Bay of Fundy is apparently most important. Just as salmon born in eastern Canadian rivers go north to Greenland for the summer, American shad from eastern United States rivers come north to the Bay of Fundy. One reason they are obvious in this region is the turbidity of the water. In clear ocean water, shad usually remain at depths of 100 to 200 m, where they find their preferred level of light intensity. Since they are in deep water they are seldom encountered. In the upper Bay of Fundy the extreme turbidity of the water moves the preferred light intensity zone in to shallow depths (less than 10 m). This makes the shad accessible to fishermen and their presence obvious.

The migration of American shad in the Bay of Fundy is complex. Shad destined to spawn in the local rivers (Annapolis, Shubenacadie, Saint John) arrive first in late April. During late May and early June immature, mature and spent ocean-feeding shad arrive in large numbers. The shad migrate around the Bay of Fundy in a counterclockwise direction, occurring off Nova Scotia in spring, at the head of the bay during summer, and off New Brunswick in the fall. Duration of the shad run in Minas Basin is from June to August, in Cumberland Basin, June to October.

Tag returns indicate these shad represent all the river populations of eastern North America. Shad have an acute sense of homing, similar to salmon returning to the river where they were born. Of 12,000 shad tagged and released in the upper Bay of Fundy, there were 55 (8.3 per cent) tag returns from Canadian marine locations, 175 (26.4 per cent) from coastal United States, 69 (10.3 per cent) from Canadian rivers and 365 (55 per cent) from United States rivers. As many as one million shad may occur in an embayment like Cobequid Bay at high tide during the height of the summer run. It is estimated that five to 10 million shad may migrate through the upper Bay of Fundy during a summer.

  CommercialFishing for American Shad
The major commercial fisheries for shad are found in the large spawning rivers on the east coast (Saint John, Miramichi, St. Lawrence) and in the embayments of the upper Bay of Fundy. No substantial commercial fishery developed on the Canadian Pacific coast after the shad introduction, but large landings are now made to the south in the United States.

Riverine commercial fisheries are usually concentrated in or near the estuary to exploit mature shad returning to spawn. The fishing season is only for a short period in spring. Shad are captured using drift or fixed gillnets, trap nets or scoop nets (Annapolis River, Nova Scotia). These are valuable fisheries since female shad “roe” or “eggs” are the most sought-after item. During the spawning season, landed value of female shad is often over $2.50 per kg.

The marine fisheries in the upper Bay of Fundy and the St. Lawrence estuary exploit non-spawning, ocean-feeding shad during the summer. These summer fisheries for shad are unique and occur only in Canada because of the combination of ocean habitat (turbid water) and the northward migration of all east coast shad. Shad are captured here using drift or fixed gill nets or large intertidal fish weirs.

The shad fishery has existed in Atlantic Canada since the earliest arrival of Europeans. The weir fishery on the tide flats of the upper Bay of Fundy started before 1750. Many writers have described the abundance of shad in this region and the relative ease with which primitive or simple capture methods could take up to 100,000 shad on a single tide. During the late 1800s a large export trade in salt shad existed between the upper Bay of Fundy and the Eastern United States. At the time it was one of the most valuable fisheries in the Maritimes.

Between 1870 and 1900, annual shad landings for the upper Bay of Fundy were 200 to 400 metric tons (t). Landings in peak years were as large as 1300 t. This was about two-thirds of the total Canadian shad landings. After 1900, landings declined drastically as a result of decreased shad abundance and have remained at low levels to the present. Originally it was thought the decline was due to overfishing and the fishery was closed between 1919 and 1923. This action did not result in regeneration of the fishery and the recent work linking these ocean shad to eastern United States stocks indicates the decline was due to the loss of habitat in the major United States rivers. Pollution and damage of major rivers like the Delaware and Susquehanna caused their shad populations to decline to negligible numbers.

Landings from Canadian rivers have fluctuated widely during the last 100 years. The majority of landings have been from the Saint John and the St. Lawrence rivers. In some years, landings have exceeded 300 t, but the average is usually about 100 t.

Since the 1960s, however, landings have been uniformly low in all shad fisheries, marine and freshwater. Unfortunately, a large part of the perceived decline is due to a lack of demand for shad in the marketplace rather than a lack of abundance. The bony nature of the flesh and increased availability of other fish has led to decreased acceptance by consumers. Demand for the roe, however, is increasing and fishing effort probably will increase to meet this demand.
(the above lesson on shad was taken from Fisheries and Oceans, Canada)

Fishing for and/or keeping American Shad has been banned in Maryland and some Pennsylvania waters, but not in New Jersey, Delaware or other Atlantic States. So I have to ask why in the world is keeping shad not banned in these other states. I spare the bandwidth and your time and save that long explanation for another time; short version, you guessed it, politics leading to mismanagement. What is happening to the American Shad? I’d suggest that it’s a combination of things, 1) pollution and loss of habitat, 2) overfishing somewhere. Somewhere I would bet shad are being commercially fished for or are a victim of being by-catch for another species being targeted where these shad happen to be during that time.  Marine fisheries biologists and fisheries conservationists agree.  I always say this to people, the math is simple here folks, so easy my nine year old niece says its not even a hard question for her third grade Friday math tests. Visualize a graph, if pollution and loss of habitat is going up/increasing and we continue to harvest at current levels, generally fishing right at the total maxim yield (which is also ridiculous, but another story for another day’s blog), fish populations will decrease. Once that cycle starts the decrease will not be linear, but rather exponential in subsequent years. Take the Chesapeake Blue Crab situation we have here in the Bay right now as a case in point.We harvested 60% of the population every year for several years (that is 20% above the total allowable maxim, but hey thank the fisheries “managers” for that). Guess what happened, you guessed it, we have basically a total collapse of the Chesapeake Blue Crab population. Another crisis by management deal, but at least they are doing something. See my post on the Chesapeake Blue Crab deal here

Where are we today, well I am told the fisheries commision is planning public hearings to consider whether uniform restrictions are needed. Due process and the red tape assocaited can do what it needs to do, but the answer is pretty simple; shad are migratory, we know that, it’s a fact, of course uniform restrictions are needed. Just as we do with waterfowl, we manage this migratory population as a whole. We need to do the same thing with shad. Otherwise we are doing nothing other then re-allocating the catch to another area and/or user group. That is not management of the population, well maybe it’s an attempt at management, but if it was a paper on management and I was asked to grade it, I’d give it an “F”. The shad decreasing population writing was on the wall, why we have waited until now to do something is just another train wreck,but at least we are doing something now. I just hope it’s not too late.

Last Thursday a Maryland House-Senate Panel of lawmakers did the right thing in the name of conservation and voted 10-2 to approve Maryland Department of Natural Resources (Maryland DNR) recommendation of a 34 percent reduction in the harvest on female crabs. This will be achieved through bushel limits on commercial crabbers, an all out ban on females for recreational crabbers and an early close to the female season for commercial crabbers. These new regulations passed on Thursday are under the Maryland category of “emergency regulation” which means they are in effect for 180 days. However, given the support from the Governor, landslide vote by the House-Senate panel and support of the Maryland DNR it is pretty much done deal that Maryland DNR will ask, and get approved, that the regulations become permanent. Watermen have said that with these regulations comes the end of the Maryland seafood industry, I’d argue and I think many agree, that these regulations are exactly the opposite, they assure the Chesapeake will have a seafood industry for blue crabs in the future. I commend and congratulate Governor O’Malley, the House- Senate panel and Maryland Department of Natural Resources John Griffin as well as other Maryland DNR workers for doing the right thing in the name of the crabs/fish to assure we have them for the future.

Memorial Day crept up fast on us this year and marks the incoming summer’s months, although its still feels like early spring with the cool temperatures and vast amounts of rain we have been going. I am not complaining though, I love the cool temperatures; it makes for some comfortable fishing conditions and has done wonders for my garden.

Weather forecasts for this coming long weekend call for cool nights and low 70’s during the day which should make for a nice weekend. I did check the marine forecast and it is calling for a small craft advisory on Saturday in most (Pictured is fellow Tidal Fisher Phil with a 30inch+ striper. He was fishing with Tidal Fisher Skip (27 Sailfish) this past week. Click here for the full report with pictures) of Maryland’s Chesapeake, so be sure to check the marine weather reports before you head out. It will definitely be crowded out there with the holiday weekend so watch out and take extra caution, we anglers will be sharing the bay with more then normal sail and pleasure boats.

Maryland Chesapeake Bay water temperatures are warming up to the lower 60’s sparking more schools of bait to enter the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake. Along with these schools of bait has brought on some great light tackle jigging (LTJ as we call it on TidalFish.com) for striped bass.

The Susquehanna Flats is getting a run of blue back herring which has triggered a flurry of striped bass activity.he warmer water has also brought the annual migration of bluefish which is making a real mess out of light tackle anglers tackle. Trolling anglers are still picking up striped bass on a consistent basis through out the Chesapeake. There have also been some very good reports of keeper flounder being caught in the lower portion of the Maryland Chesapeake. Also, a report of Speckled Trout being caught, one weighing in at 8lbs. Also this week we have had a few croaker reports from the lower Maryland Chesapeake, which means they are finally on their way. Fishing is really picking up, hold on tight to your rods.

Weekend/Upcoming Fishing Events
A few events to put on your calendars.

Raymarine Electronics Seminar sponsored by Jaws Marine
When: Thursday, May 29th 6:30 p.m.
Where: JAWS Marine, 6100 Chemical rd. Curtis Bay, MD 21226
What: Learn how to use your electronics to maximize your fishing day on the water. Use your chart plotter, fish finder and radar more efficiently to find and stay on fish. Whether you are trolling, bottom fishing or jigging you will learn tips and tricks from the experts on how to use your equipment. Instructional, real-time seminar with Q&A to follow and RAYMARINE equipment to see and use.
Information: Call 410-354-9100
*Tell them you heard about the event on TidalFish.com and get a FREE Jaws Marine T-Shirt

Fishing Day Camp Offered for Local Youth
When: There will be two sessions of the camp, running from July 21-25 and July 28-Aug. 1
Where: Point Lookout State Park
Details Point Lookout State Park from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Each day campers will learn angling skills, have a chance to practice those skills, and fish. On the final day of the camp, they will fish on a charter boat. Campers will receive a rod, tackle, life vest, and a copy of Lenny Rudow’s Guide to Fishing the Chesapeake. They will also get a one- year Youth Membership to CCA, including the Rising Tide magazine, access to the Rising Tide website, conservation tips and activities. The cost is $150 per camper..
Information: For more information about the day camp or to register, Brooke MacDonald, 1-888-758-6580, or Rob Schou, 443-926-6156. Registration is limited to 10 campers per week.

Maryland Fishing Reports
Upper Chesapeake Bay Region (Susquehanna River/Flats to Bay Bridge Waters)
Ele and Captain Mike from Herbs Tackle reports,”The flats fishing is hot right now. It seems like a lot of fish have moved onto the flats in the last day or two. Probably following the Blue Back Herring which have not really started running yet. Many fish over 20 pounds.” A few Tidal Fish anglers have been fishing over the last week, earlier in the week things were slow, but confirm what Ele reported, the last few days has been very good. Lures of choice have been soft plastics in the 6 and 12 inch class, albino and chartreuse have been good colors. Some anglers have been rigging these baits with no weight and using them as a surface/subsurface lure and doing well. This is a technique that the light tackle northeastern anglers have long used and it can make for some spectacular strikes. Top water poppers have also done well in very shallow water at dusk and dawn, however it has taken some time slowly cruising the skinny water to find the school.

The shad fishing is over for anyone trying to target them. There are a few here or there, but nothing worth targeting.

There were again a few reports on the Tidal Fish message boards from anglers catfishing in the upper bay and doing very well. The Elk River has been one of the hot spots.

Anglers are still doing some trolling in the upper bay region. Areas that have been producing are: Brewerton Channel, The Dumping Ground above the Bay Bridge, and the sharp edge from Baltimore Light down to Sandy Point Light. Having said that, many of the trolling anglers have switched over to chumming. Key is moving current. Make sure to check the tide charts not just for the tide, but also check the current information. Current does not run at the same speed throughout the tide cycle and fishing the right time of current can be the different between catching and not. Knowing this will also allow you to adjust your weights so you can vary the bait location in the water column. Hot areas have been the Triple Buoy area outside of Rockhall at the mouth of the Chester River as well as Baltimore Light and Podickory Point.

Mid Chesapeake Bay Region (Bay Bridge to Honga River Waters)
Anglers are continuing to troll to target striped bass, however the light tackle and fly fishing is really heating up.

Richie Gaines from Angler’s Connection Guide Service reported in and Richie said he has not left Eastern Bay since leaving his fishing at the Susquehanna Flats when the season closed a few weeks ago. Richie said the May worm hatch is in full swing and he has had big stripers on light tackle and the fly in the 20-30lb range over the last week. The key to finding the fish has been good current and looking in 16-23ft of water with oyster bottom. Check your charts of Eastern Bay and you should be able to locate these areas. He said that they have been hitting every lure, plastic and jig he has thrown at them, colors have not really even mattered. Richie said the water is clear and very good quality, Eastern bay has not gotten all the run off that the main portion of the Chesapeake has experienced as a result of all the rain. If you are looking for colors to use, I would recommend albino and chartreuse as a tip from my fishing the area over the last week.

Captain Walleye Pete Daulberg of Four Seasons Guide Service reports that he has been fishing mostly the lower Chesapeake and the Honga River. There are a slug of good fish from the Gas Docks to Parkers Creek which has ranged in the mid 30 inches. Some days these fish are breaking and others you need to cruise the edges and locate them on your fish finder. Captain Walleye Pete also reported that one of his clients managed to land an 8lb Speckled Trout in the Honga River the other day. And as a bonus they got three more for the day.Speckled Trout has not been something Capt Walleye Pete specifically targets, but he says its a good sign of the things to come for this fishery. Capt. Walleye Pete has been focusing on point, drop offs and open water structure in the Honga. Lures of choice have been Bass Kandy Delights in 6 and 12inch(Pictured is fellow Tidal Fisher jumbo1’s crew with some nice stripers they caught light tackle jigging the middle bay area this past Wednesday.
Click here for the full report with pictures)

Captain Mark Galasso from Tuna the Tide Guide Service reported: “Fishing has been a bit crazy in the mid Bay lately. The high winds have made us run for cover. Nice Rock are still being caught on the shell piles and hard bottom. Good numbers of the smaller ones are also starting to show up. A few people have started chumming with limited success in the mid Bays traditional Chumming areas. There are still a few Trophy fish being caught south of the Bay Bridge trolling large Parachutes. We have been jigging the hard bottoms and catching a few fish from 12 to 36 inches. A few Perch are moving in to the mouths of the Rivers. Some nice Rock are starting to move in those areas to feed on the Perch probably until the Spot show up. The May worm hatch hasn’t been so cut and dry so far this year. Fish have been showing signs of gorging on May worms but not like in the past where they regurgitated black wormy messes as soon as they hit the boat. That may explain the lack of a complete shut down of the fish for a week or so.”
Talking trolling for a second the Gum Thickets, Bloody Point and south to Buoys 83 and 84, the channel edge on the western side of the shipping channel which extends from Chesapeake Beach south to Cove Point and the False Channel around Buoys 3, 4 and 5 at the mouth of the Choptank have all been good areas.

(Pictured is fellow Tidal Fisher Phil and Skip (27 Sailfish) with a nice striped bass.Skip reported, “Got #7- a fat 24” on a single chart. 60 feet off a board.#8 hit a new lure-a white 2 oz Alien with a purple shad (Marty’s baitshop).It was about 30 ” long.Phil let the fish go after a fast photo. Click here for the full report with pictures)

Successful trolling spreads have been parachutes and bucktails rigged with sassy shads. Good colors have been the regulars: white and chartreuse. Skip (aka 27 Sailfish on the TidalFish.com message boards) fished out of Solomons with a group of other Tidal Fishers and reported:
“Did not know what to expect this morning as we drove to the Solomons ramp at 4:00 am this morning.The rain was coming down heavy at times but let up when we got to the ramp at 5:30.Fellow TFers Reeltor (Paul) and Old No. 7 (Phil) were with me.Both have fished with me before which made the decision to go easier.The wind was not quite as predicted – the 5-10 was more like 15 to 20 .We got near Drum Point and were greeted with 2-3 foot rollers- in the river.The east wind against the outgoing current made for a rough/wet ride.I slowed the Grady to 12 knots and aimed for the HS marker.Munching on donuts we remarked that there were no other boats out.We knew the Parkers would not be out but thought for sure someone else would try.Got near the HS marker and saw two charter boats inside near the target.The wind turned SE so we headed north to set the spread.The rain started coming down again but luckily the donuts were safe and dry .Got everything out by 7:00 in the clean 64* water and worked NW towards the western channel edge.Got into 55 feet and a planer board rod got hit.Phil reeled in the chunky 26 incher- nice start.It hit a tandem chart.- back 50 feet.Hardly had that fish in when another planer rod got hit- this time a single 6 oz chart. with white shad.Paul reeled in a nice 37 incher- great for this time of year.Got everything reset and another rod got hit.The guys told me to reel in my own dinner – so I took a turn….read his full report with pictures here
.)

Lower Maryland Chesapeake Bay (Honga River down to the Maryland /Virginia Line Waters)
Mike and Christy from Buzz’s Marina in Ridge buzzed in a report this week with anglers having good action on striped bass and now blue fish and a nice surprise of some fellow Tidal Fishers who were fishing out of Buzzes catching some very nice healthy keeper flounder. I hope this is an indication that the Maryland Flounder Fishery is coming back, it sure would be nice.

(Pictured is fellow Tidal Fisher Charlie (Ida Mae) and Annie with some nice flounder caught out of Buzzes this past week. Click here for the full report with pictures)
Ocean City Coastal and Offshore Fishing Reports
Ocean City Fishing Center Reported: Charter Boats are in the water and ready to fish. Many boats have been catching good numbers of Tautog and many keeper Flounder. Capt. Monty on the headboat, Morning Star, is inshore wreck trips for tautog. The headboat, Bay Bee, is Flounder fishing this weekend.

Sue Foster from Oyster Bay Tackle and Fenwick Tackle reported:

We had some really nice stripers weighed in from the North Ocean City MD and Fenwick Island DE surf this past week along with some decent sized bluefish. Assateague was good during the week, but had a big grass problem over the weekend. A major Northeaster dirtied the bay water, so bay fishing was slower on the tautog. We heard of some good flounder reports from South Bay.

Striper fishing from the Rt. 50 Bridge was good, but slowed up with the dirty water conditions after the Northeaster.

The Oceanic Pier had a nice run of snapper blues and shad at night along with some short stripers. Offshore, anglers are picking away at sea bass and tautog.

Grass ruined the weekend action on Assateague surf. Anglers did better in Ocean City and Fenwick Island where the water was cleaner.

Other than that, most of my reports were from Ocean City and Delaware Beaches. Last week, before the storm on Monday, Assateague had great reports of stripers and black drum. Bunker for stripers… Crab, Fishbites, or clam for drum….

Apparently the action in Ocean City started on Thursday evening. A group of anglers said stripers were biting from the beach around 139th Street on the fresh bunker they bought on Thursday. Several other anglers came in talking about “keeper” stripers from the North Ocean City surf on bunker. We sold out of fresh bunker by Saturday morning at Oyster Bay due to the tremendous
demand for the lucky bait!

Our Fenwick Tackle store in Fenwick Island had good reports as well. Dan Watson of York, PA came in Saturday with a 14 pound, 35 inch striper caught on bunker from 119th St in Ocean City.

Other than the blues and stripers, there were also reports of sharks and skates. One angler reported catching a 3 foot dogshark and said he had a really good fight! Sharks like bunker, squid, or mullet chunks.

Remember to post reports and check for reports on a daily basis from other Tidal Fishers on the Maryland Chesapeake Message Board, there are so many Striped Bass Fishing Reports it’s hard even keeping up.

Read my weekly report like this as well as weekly fishing reports from Virginia, North Carolina and the entire Northeast on Lateral Line. You’ll also catch other great fishing pictures and striped bass information

Until next week, good times,and good fishing!

Brandon
Chief Angler, Lateral Line & TidalFish.com Continue Reading »

When I saw the headline,” Omega Protein Gains Certification” come across my email in-box Wednesday morning I thought it was Capt. John McMurray playing an email joke on me. I thought maybe be he was punch drunk from getting up at 3am every morning and fishing Jamaica Bay, then heading into the city for work, then heading home and having to deal with contractors who are re-doing his new kitchen and then eating out (ie staying out late), basically getting no sleep. (Yes, when you talk with fishing guides/writers every day, this is the sort of thing you hear about besides fishing when the season gets in full swing) Then I thought about it and realized there was no way he could pull this one off with as little sleep as he had, it would have taken too much energy of which he did not have. Then I checked the calendar just to make sure I was not losing my mind and it was May, so it definitely was not an April fools joke. And to compound this whole possible delusion I thought I was having, I was a friend’s party this past weekend and I still had not yet fully recovered from my sleep deprivation (yes you young guys reading this out there, as you get older it takes longer to recover from 2am parties) so I decided to just follow the link in the email John sent. Sure enough, is was no John joke, but true, Omega Protein had been certified as a “Friend of the Sea”. In the news story it explains,

“Friend of the Sea, an independent organisation, used the following guidelines to certify applicants for sustainability:

. Target stocks cannot be considered overexploited;

. The applicant’s fishing methods cannot impact the seabed; and

. There must be a generation of less than average (8%) discards.

“The Menhaden Fishery, the second biggest fishery in the United States, has been found compliant with Friend of the Sea standards by an independent audit,” comments Dr Paolo Bray, director of Friend of the Sea.

“This is a great result for Friend of the Sea, which would have not been possible without Omega Protein’s strong environmental commitment.”

Well, I guess what can you expect from an organization that can not even spell “organization” correctly in their press release/article (see above, I cut and paste). Yea, I know, that’s a pretty weak jab, but I could not help it, “joke” organizations like this just frustrate the heck out me. So let me hit it with a little more substance; I guess when Friend of the Sea conducted their independent audit they did not take into account the three to four friendly spotter planes Omega’s menhaden fleet uses to locate the menhaden schools and then move in with their monstrous ships where they circle the menhaden school and then suck up every last menhaden. Friend of the sea is definitely no “friend” of the menhaden that is for sure.

I guess “Friend of the Sea” is not a “friend” of all the fish that depend on the menhaden for food, like for instance the striped bass which regularly feed and rely on menhaden for their diet.

I guess “Friend of the Sea” is not a “friend” of the sea birds that rely on menhaden for food.

I guess”Friend of the Sea is not a “friend” to recreational anglers. When Omega gets the coordinates on a school of menhaden they will stop at nothing to get them. If that means basically running over recreational anglers who are fishing an area where the menhaden are, well, then so be it. They do not care. I can talk about this because I have been there, fishing on breaking striped bass when being about circled by the menhaden boat’s nets, left with no option other then getting the heck out of the way or getting run over. Hundreds of other anglers can attest to similar situations as well.

Below are some pictures from December 15, 2006 when friend and Lateral Line Ambassador, Cory Ruthless Routh and I were fishing at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and at times in the Atlantic Ocean off of Virginia Beach, basically in the Cape Henry area, for striped bass. We were there along with several hundred other recreational anglers when sure enough the menhaden fleet showed up and wiped out every last menhaden in the area, but not before about running over whoever they had to to get to them. Guess what happened once they set their nets and sucked up all the menhaden? If you guessed the catching of striped bass stopped, you are on the money. Omega is definitely not a friend of recreational angler and I guess since Friends of the Sea certified Omega, they are not friends of the recreational angler either.

 

Omega will tell you that they have little by-catch, that they do not bully recreational anglers when fishing in the same area, that their nets do not destroy the sea bottom and even that the fishing they are doing is sustainable. Sustainable, ahh, yet another joke. Omega Protein is the last commerical menhaden operation left along the Atlantic Coast. Why did all the other commerical menhaden operations go out of business? Was it because they did not have the operational expertise that Omega has? Were the economics so much different for them that it just did not make business sense? Or could it be that with so many commercial operations along the Atlantic Coast they simply wiped out so many of the menhaden that they could not catch enough to make any money. If you guessed that one, you guessed right.

I have another joke to tell while I have your attention. On March 14, 2005 Neils Moore of the Menhaden Resource Council (and I might add a lobbyist for Omega Protein) stood up and at the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin’s meeting and explained why menhaden were declining. According to Moore, it has/had nothing to do with over-exploitation or non-sustainable harvests by the commerical menhaden industry, but rather he explained that too many striped bass were eating the menhaden. Apparently, accounts of those at the meeting say that Moore’s solution proposal to the situation was to let commerical fishermen deal with striped bass the way farmers deal with locusts. How is that for a good joke.

So here I am at the keyboard left wondering just who “Friends of the Sea” is actaully friends with? My only conclusion is that “Friends of the Sea” is a friend to organizations that practice non-sustainable fishing practices.

That’s enough of my ranting. Let’s do something. I put together a petition that you can download, print and send to our Lateral Line Foundation that supports grass roots efforts like this. We will collect all the petitions and put them in the right hands so we can make a difference.

The petition is below. You can simply print this page out and fill it in and send to us or download a PDF version here via email scanned in (Brandon@LateralLineCo.com) or snail mail it to me.

You can send petitions in via snail mail to:

Lateral Line Foundation
PO Box 1816
Easton, MD 21601

If you are so inclined please take some copies to your local fishing shops and ask them to get them signed and send them to us. If you are a shop owner or work at a shop and are willing to do this I will list you in this thread as a sponsor of the initiative along with all your contact information for your shop and link to your shop to help you for helping the fish. Email me at: Brandon@LateralLineCo.com.

Let’s make a difference!

Brandon

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Menhaden Reduction Petition

The below voting citizens and recreational anglers request the following:

1. The undersigned request that the State of Virginia cut the current menhaden harvest within the Chesapeake Bay and territorial sea to a combined total of 60,000 Metric Tons per year.

(The current limit is 109,000 MT within the bay, there is no limit for the waters outside of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel but within VA waters. Once they reach that limit they simply move the gear outside of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel)

2. Request that the legislature modify state code section 28.2-409 such that all state waters less than thirty-five (35) feet deep are included as exclusionary areas, in order to protect important recreational and commercial species which live at the bottom of the water column from capture or disturbance by the seventy-five (75) foot deep purse seines.

3. That the season for menhaden within Virginia’s territorial sea be closed between the Saturday following the third Friday in November and the Sunday preceding the first Monday in May. This closure is requested in order to protect the juvenile menhaden that are leaving the bay and to reduce the gear conflict issues between the purse seine fishery and the recreational and commercial striped bass fisheries.

4. That any species covered by a commercial quota that are retained by the purse seine fishery as part of their allowed 1% by-catch be estimated and counted against those commercial quotas. Specific species of concern are striped bass, speckled trout, bluefish and summer flounder.

Signature

Full Name:

Address

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Email Address: @

Phone number