According to Wikipedia, sensitivity training is a method of behavioral modification that makes people more aware of their prejudices. Lately, I feel like I should be a little more sensitive.  No, I don’t think I need to nicer to the trollers or more chivalrous to the ladies. I’m doing pretty good with those things. I’m thinking of the sensitivity I get when I have a jigging rod in my hands.  When it comes to fishing, I want to be completely in-tune with my touchy-feely side.

Due to the big crowds around the warm water discharges this spring, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to watch other light tackle fishermen in action. I’ve seen some very good anglers out there.  On the other hand, I’ve noticed a few guys who have struggled. Other than disregarding the basic principles of stealth, the biggest mistake I see fishermen make is not feeling for their lures to touch the bottom when they’re jigging.  Read More!

At least they must have been precious in his sight last weekend when an epic spring storm kept many fishermen off the Bay on the opening day of Maryland’s striped bass catch-and-kill season.  Water temperatures are lower than usual this April, so there are lots of pre-spawn fish still moving up the Bay.  I’d guess at least a couple of thousand more roe-laden cows made it to the spawning grounds this weekend that otherwise wouldn’t have, but for the storms.  Let’s hope that translates into millions of additional baby rockfish.  Even though I usually root for the fish, I still get excited about opening weekend because the recreational rockfish season in Maryland is definitely worth celebrating.  With all the commercial poaching we saw this winter, it’s amazing to me that there are any fish left to catch.  Since there are still a few around, let’s thank the Lord for that too!

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If you’ve ever traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, chances are good that you visited the Peabody Hotel lobby to see the world-famous mallards march down the red carpet. It’s a time-honored tradition that dates back to the 1930s when a couple of hunters from Arkansas decided it would be funny to put some live ducks in the hotel’s indoor fountain. The famous Peabody Marching Mallards have appeared on The Tonight Show, Sesame Street, The Oprah Winfrey Show, in People magazine and even graced the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. If you read the Peabody’s website, you’ll find that those lucky ducks are raised by a local farmer who loans them to the hotel.  What you won’t read is that the farmer who provides the Peabody ducks is also an excellent fisherman.  I know that for a fact because I fished with him all week. Read More!

No, it’s not the opening weekend of striped bass catch-and-kill season in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay.  That doesn’t happen until April, 16th. The opening I’m speaking of is the first day of baseball season.  The Baltimore Orioles played their home opener today. Since they’re undefeated so far this season, there’s been plenty of celebrating. The Washington Nationals started their season last Thursday.  They opened against the Atlanta Braves this year.  I’m originally from the southeast so I’ve always followed the Braves. I’ve recently become a fan of their division rivals the Nationals because they have such a beautiful stadium so close to home. I looked forward to watching these two teams play this year. My son Cory is a rabid Braves fan so he took some time off to travel up from Tennessee to root against me.  His long weekend got off to a good start when the Braves dropped the Nats 2-0. It got even better on Friday when he caught the biggest rockfish of his life, then broke his record twice on his next two casts! Read More!

“Show me a fisherman and I’ll show you a scoundrel and a sneak,” says well-known outdoor writer Bob Lawless. I don’t hang out with too many scoundrels, but every good fisherman I know is a sneak.  In an article about newly-invented trolling motors, the April 1960 edition of Popular Mechanics offers this observation:  “Big fish don’t get to be bigger fish by being dumb.  They get big by learning to recognize predators in their midst.” Stealth is one of fishing’s primary skills.

By swimming and scuba diving I’ve learned that some sounds are easily transferred through the water.  Surface conversations can be heard down to about fifteen feet while the thump of loud music or an object falling onto the deck of a boat can be detected even deeper. The most recognizable underwater noise is made by running outboards and whirling props.

Some fishermen are so careful about noise that they won’t even turn on their sonar units when they know they’re over fish.  It’s been proven that fish can detect the pings.  I’m not always that sneaky, but I’ve learned a little something over the years about how important stealth can be.  Take a look at the monster light tackle stripers in this report and you’ll see what I mean!

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It’s been a snowy week here on Kent Island.  We’re still digging out as one cold front after another sweeps across the mid-Atlantic.  With more snow in the forecast, it looks we’ll be hard-pressed to get in many catch & release striper trips in the near future.  Fortunately, I was able to get out for a few hours this snowy weekend. I had planned to launch my center console Thunder Road, but my neighbor Mark called to say he was up for a trip if we wanted to go in his Parker.  That was a no-brainer since he has a heated cabin.  My buddy Jamie joined us. As thunder rumbled across the Chesapeake Bay, we broke through the ice at Queen Anne Marina and set off into the fog, rain, and snow.  I’ll let the video tell the story with the caveat that jigging is very much a hit or miss enterprise this time of year.  Just because fish are there one day doesn’t mean they will be the next.  The best bet is to fish locations where the fish can find warmer water.  Here’s the video report:

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