Finally, welcome to the 2010 weekly Maryland fishing reports. Spring is here in Maryland, well almost other then this little cold snap we are having. Anglers are out and about catching perch in the upper tributaries, to striped bass catch and release fishing in the main stem of the Chesapeake. If you are a white perch angler this is probably going to be the height of the run, so get your rods and get out and do some fishing. Hot areas have been the Choptank around Red Bridges working south to Greensboro, the Upper Chester River up in and around Millington and on the western shore in the upper Patuxent River. (pictured is Mark light tackle fishing with some of his custom Shore Tackle light tackle rods in the middle Chesapeake Bay this past week)

Striped bass are making their way up the Chesapeake. I was in the Virginia Beach area last week and saw diving birds and stripers breaking at the mouth. Reports from friends said the stripers have been coming in waves and reports from the commercial anglers further up the Virginia portion of the bay are reporting good catches of striped bass. Some have already arrived and you can expect more as we move into April. Maryland’s catch and keep season is closed until April, catch and release is open, please use catch and release best practices when handling and releasing striped bass.

Upcoming Fishing Events, Fishing Tournaments and Other Fishing Related Happenings

Solomons Fishing Fair
March 27 & 28, 2010
Solomons Firehouse
8 am to 3 pm
Admission $2.00
More info here: www.mssasmc.com

Striper Fishing Workshop
March 27, 2010
9am-2pm Dundalk Moose Lodge
Registration Fee: $75/person
Call 410-285-7029 for info.

Ninth annual Opening Day Rockfish Catch & Release Tournament; sponsored by Boatyard Bar & Grill
April 17,2010
Online registration recommended. Visit www.boatyardbarandgrill.com and click on “fishing.” Or stop by Angler’s or The Boatyard.

Rod ‘n’ Reel’s 29th Annual Pro-AM
April 30-May 2
More than $6,000 in door prizes.
To register call 800-233-2080

MSSA’s “Championship on the Chesapeake
April 30-May 2
” Winning rockfish could be worth $100,000.
To register, click www.mssa.net or call 410-255-5535
Want your event added to this listing in the fishing reports, enter it into the Tidal Fish Calendar of Events and shoot me an email at Brandon @ Tidal Fish .com with the event information once it is entered.

Maryland Fishing Reports

Upper Maryland Chesapeake Bay Fishing Reports
The Susquehanna Flats catch and release striped bass season is open. Reports from that area have been spotty, with the best success coming from anglers using bait (cut herring). Please remember if you use bait you are required to use circle hooks. A few big stripers were caught yesterday (Thursday) while those doing light tackle and fly fishing said the action was generally slow. In my experience fishing the flats, where I used to spend as many as twenty five plus days a year fishing, the fishing really does not get decent until the Continue Reading »

The General Assembly has passed a bipartisan compromise on Senator Northam’s SB668 to exempt Virginia anglers from having to pay the $25 fee associated with the Federally-mandated National Saltwater Angler Registry. SB668 has been amended to create a state-level angler identification system, similar to the Hunter Identification Program run by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

This solution will allow Virginia to maintain the recreational boat license, as well as the license exemptions for piers, rental boats, senior citizens, and private shoreline. The state program will be administered through the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, and will be paid for through increases of up to $5 on individual licenses, and up to $10 on boat licenses. Instead of paying the Federal government to register, anglers with a Virginia license will be registered automatically, and anglers exempted from Virginia licensing requirements will only have to call in and obtain an identification number free of charge.

“As is the norm with compromises, this one is not perfect,” said Northam. “However, it does accomplish the goals of exempting Virginians from Federal fees and fines, and also allows us to keep the boat license, as well as all existing license exemptions.”

The legislation was introduced in response to a VMRC study that provided options on how Virginia could comply with the Federal mandate. The data collected from the new system will improve the quantity and quality of data available to manage fisheries sustainably, and will help prevent the kind of stock collapses that have led to massive job losses, regional economic depressions, and serious environmental effects in the past.

The bill was reported from a conference committee and passed the Senate and House of Delegates on Wednesday. It will now go to Governor McDonnell for his signature.