Enhanced Conservation Rules on Use of Bait and Hooks; Minimum Size Reduced to 19 Inches The opening of regular striped bass season May 16 coincides with new conservation-minded regulations pertaining to the use of bait, gear and hooks. The Maryland General Assembly Joint Committee Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review Committee recently approved Maryland Department of Natural Resources regulations, which will Read the Rest…
Police Handle Oyster and Striped Bass Violations A Washington County man known on social media as “VenomMan20” was found guilty Tuesday on two counts of illegal possession of venomous snakes. Brandon Joseph Boyles, 29, of Cascade, was prohibited from owning “dangerous animals” in Maryland and was required to perform 20 hours of community service by Read the Rest…
Warmer and more seasonable weather has finally descended upon the Maryland landscape, offering a wonderful time to enjoy the outdoors. The warm air temperatures and sunny weather, along with relatively cool water temperatures make for perfect fishing conditions in many local waters. Community ponds, trout management waters and lakes offer fun shoreline fishing adventures that Read the Rest…
A Dorchester County man caught illegally harvesting oysters inside a state sanctuary November by Natural 1, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources helicopter, was found guilty and fined $1,000. Jody Daniel Jackson, 18, of East New Market pleaded guilty in Dorchester County District Court to a single count of harvesting oysters about 2.5 miles inside Read the Rest…
Patience is supposed to be the hallmark of an angler, but many had theirs strained this past opening weekend for trophy striped bass season. Most understand it has been a chilly spring, and low water temperatures have delayed striped bass spawning in the tidal rivers. In the past couple of days we have seen water Read the Rest…
Reporting Helps Manage State’s Fishing Resources The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is launching new mobile-friendly volunteer angler surveys, making it easy to turn a fishing trip into scientific research by submitting catch data right from a phone. The survey is a simple tool where volunteers provide valuable information to department biologists such as species caught, Read the Rest…
Seven men in Washington and Frederick counties were charged this week at the start of spring wild turkey season with illegal hunting with the use of bait. Maryland Natural Resources Police officers fanned out before the season opened to locate illegal bait – mostly corn – left near hunting blinds. They returned before dawn Wednesday Read the Rest…
This coming Saturday, April 21, is a big day for those who dream of catching a trophy striped bass. More than a few anglers will spend the night before checking alarm clocks just to find themselves waking up a half-hour before the alarm is set to go off anyhow. Weather is predicted to be a Read the Rest…
Cold nights and chilly days have prevailed far too long in the past couple of weeks, but change is on the way, with air temperatures of 80 degrees promised for the weekend. We are a little more than a week away from the opening day of the trophy striped bass season and it would be Read the Rest…
Feature Shows Updated Health-Based Meal Advisories for Fish Caught by Maryland Anglers The Maryland Department of the Environment today announced the development of an interactive map that provides modernized, user-friendly information on fish consumption advisories. It is one of the only “clickable” maps for fish consumption advisories in the nation. A consumption advisory is a Read the Rest…
Conservation-Minded Changes a Win-Win for Species and Sport The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has submitted revised regulations that aim to reduce the minimum size requirement of striped bass for recreational anglers and charter boats during the summer and fall fishing seasons in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries from 20 to 19 inches. The Read the Rest…
It continues to be a chilly spring and there seems to be no immediate end to it. We’re a week into April and water temperatures are considerably lower than usual — in the mid-40s in the tidal rivers and bay. By comparison, last April 5, the bay was just about 50 degrees and the tidal Read the Rest…
An investigation into illegal shooting on private property has resulted in the arrest of a Glen Burnie man on 13 criminal charges and the seizure of four guns from his property. Kevin Patrick Chetelat, 55, will appear in Anne Arundel County District Court in Annapolis March 24 for a preliminary hearing on the charges, which Read the Rest…
Time to Catch up with Maryland’s State Fish The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announces the 2018 Spring Trophy Striped Bass season begins at 5 a.m. April 21 in Maryland’s portions of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. The fishing season will continue through midnight May 15, with a catch limit of one fish Read the Rest…
It’s safe to say that more than a few trout fishermen will spend a restless Friday night glancing at their alarm clocks. Opening Day holds all the promise and anticipation one can imagine, like something out of our youthful fantasies. A carnival-type atmosphere will greet most anglers as they arrive at the more popular and Read the Rest…
Most everyone in the fishing community has heard the news by now: an iconic figure has passed to what he referred to his “spirit spring.” The world will not be the same without Lefty Kreh, the Maryland hometown boy who shook up the fly-fishing world like nobody else ever has or possibly ever will. Lefty Read the Rest…
We are less than a week from the official first day of spring, and the recent switch to daylight saving time gives us an extra hour of daylight to enjoy some fishing after school or work. Daffodils are blooming and so are the fishing prospects. There is plenty of fun trout fishing to be had, Read the Rest…
Natural Resources Police Cite Others for Oyster, Striped Bass Violations The deer poacher convicted of killing a massive deer known as “mega-buck” on someone else’s property was sentenced Monday in Kent County Circuit Court. Ronald Wayne Roe, 29, of Worton was convicted in February 2017 of multiple poaching charges in district court and appealed the Read the Rest…
Most everyone has some observations they consider harbingers of spring. It could be as simple as crocus or daffodils popping up in the yard, geese flying north or even the sound of spring peepers in a nontidal wetland, singing the evening away. For many anglers spring means fishing for yellow perch and white perch as Read the Rest…
This fishing report will close out 2017, but there are plenty of fishing opportunities for all regions of Maryland through the winter. The preseason stocking of trout has begun and will pick up pace in January and February. Yellow perch are moving into the upper reaches of the tidal rivers while crappie, chain pickerel, catfish Read the Rest…
Winter’s grasp on the Maryland landscape is steadily getting tighter and windows of mild weather are becoming less frequent. This week high winds could make for a tough time on open water. If you do go out, be careful and wear your life jacket. Trolling along deep channel edges in the upper Chesapeake Bay region Read the Rest…
The striped bass fishing community always anticipates the possible appearance of large fall migrant striped bass in our portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The fall migration was late this year, but the first confirmed report came in over the weekend — so there is hope for anglers wishing to catch a trophy-sized striped bass before Read the Rest…
Water temperatures in Maryland continue to drop as the weather turns colder. In many areas, fish are seeking out warmer temperatures found in deeper waters. The tidal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay are seeing surface water temperatures in the mid-40s while the bay itself is around 50 degrees. The upper bay region has been providing Read the Rest…
Extremely strong winds last weekend made for a tough time fishing on the open waters of the Chesapeake Bay, and kept most boats at the dock. Along with that, a lot of boats were taken from the water and put to sleep for the winter months, now parked and covered in boatyards and backyards. That Read the Rest…
In high winds and rough seas, Maryland Natural Resources Police officers and local first responders performed a dramatic rescue of a boater in medical distress Thursday in the Chesapeake Bay. An emergency call by a marine towing company at about 6 p.m. triggered an all-out response to assist a 63-year-old Stevensville man aboard a sailboat Read the Rest…
Cold weekend temperatures have descended on just about every location in Maryland, putting an end to any summer plants and many of those pesky insects that were lingering into November. Cold weather is also pushing freshwater and saltwater fishing closer to a winter pattern. This is a time of great transition and great opportunity for Read the Rest…
The fall colors are in full swing throughout much of Maryland this week, offering some added delight to fishing experiences; the leaves won’t last much longer so don’t miss out. Meanwhile, many of the best fishing opportunities are occurring this month, as fish feel the need to feed and prepare for the winter.
Officers Also Assist in Finding Lost Hunters in Worcester County Four Prince George’s County men were charged with deer poaching Saturday evening and their firearms, compound bow and tree stand were seized. Acting on a citizen complaint, Maryland Natural Resources Police and Prince George’s County officers went to a construction site near Ritchie Marlboro Road, Read the Rest…
The fall months offer some exciting fishing opportunities for anglers across Maryland, from the trout management waters of Garrett County to the shores of Ocean City. Daylight is getting sparser and this weekend the clocks fall back an hour, making it a little harder to get some fishing time after work and school. We’re all Read the Rest…
Boat Explosion, Tree-Stand Falls among Maryland Natural Resources Police Responses A Sparrows Point man who thought he bagged a buck in North Point State Park paid hundreds of dollars in fines instead after he shot a Maryland Natural Resources Police robo-deer decoy. On the evening of Oct. 7, Thomas Ervin Minton, 45, was spotted by Read the Rest…
The much anticipated annual striped bass young of the year survey results have been released and they are positive. The number of two-year-old striped bass that are being encountered in all three regions of the bay also bode well for the future of striped bass fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. At present the two- and Read the Rest…
Annual Young-of-Year Survey Tracks Spawning of State Fish Results of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources 2017 young-of-year striped bass survey in the Chesapeake Bay shows the fish is reproducing in strong numbers. The annual survey’s index is 13.2, above the 64-year average of 11.7. Striped bass, popularly known as rockfish, is Maryland’s state fish. The Read the Rest…
Recent warm weather has caused Chesapeake Bay and tidal river water temperatures to be rather stagnant this week. Water temperatures in all three regions of the bay are holding around 73 degrees to 75 degrees and the tidal rivers are running about 3-5 degrees cooler. It is going to take a prolonged cool front to Read the Rest…
The recent cold evenings this week are beginning to have an effect on water temperatures in the Chesapeake Bay and tidal rivers. Bay surface water temperatures are down to about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the tidal rivers are in the mid to upper 60s. As a result, the upper bay region striped bass fisheries are Read the Rest…
Stocking Adds to Plentiful Autumn Fishing Opportunities The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will begin fall trout stocking in early October, introducing nearly 28,000 brown, golden and rainbow trout into select Maryland creeks, lakes and rivers by the end of the month.
Officers aboard a Maryland Natural Resources Police patrol boat in Ocean City apprehended a Delaware man Saturday night wanted for the attempted murder of two police officers. Antonio Ambrosino, 18, of Seaford, was wanted after his vehicle struck an Ocean City officer and a Worcester County deputy sheriff attempting to arrest him on drug charges. Read the Rest…
The heat and humidity hanging over Maryland continues to hold a grip on us, but it won’t be long before fall is here to stay. The striped bass fishing in the upper bay remains rather stable this week due to warm weather keeping water temperatures in the mid-70s. However, at some point in early October Read the Rest…
Maryland Natural Resources Police officers patrolling the Potomac River in Montgomery County Sunday charged a Virginia man with fishing with a spear gun and fishing without a license. Witnesses said two men were in a boat and one man caught a smallmouth bass with a spear gun. The officers questioned the two men, who denied the Read the Rest…
Many would agree we are entering one of the most beautiful times of the year in Maryland. Mornings are cool and daytime temperatures are inviting for outdoor activities. Where I live crops are being harvested, wildlife is on the move, bait in the tidal rivers is beginning to feel the urge to move out into Read the Rest…
After being away for two weeks, I’m struck by the changes that are occurring as we drift out of the grasp of summer. We all need to thank Erik Zlokovitz for doing such a great job covering the fishing report and keeping you informed of our fishing opportunities in Maryland while I was away.
This is Erik Zlokovitz filling in once again for Keith Lockwood on the weekly fishing report. The big weather story this week is Hurricane Irma, which is making landfall in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean islands. The storm made landfall as a Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, making it the most Read the Rest…
A Talbot County waterman died and seven boat accidents were reported across the state during the extended Labor Day holiday weekend, the Maryland Natural Resources Police said.
At the height of Thursday’s strong storms, a Maryland Natural Resources Police officer responded to a call for boaters in distress just north of Kent Narrows. Three men – all wearing life jackets – were in the water, waving for help. The officer pulled all three aboard his patrol boat and then corralled their capsized canoe Read the Rest…
A Charles County man was arrested on criminal assault charges after anglers on Middletown Branch complained that he fired on them. The victims told Maryland Natural Resources Police officers that they were bowfishing at about 10:30 p.m. May 13, when a man began yelling obscenities at them and shining a light on them. They then Read the Rest…
A Florida man was arrested and charged with a handgun violation Sunday by Maryland Natural Resources Police officers at an event at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. Michael Steven Friend Jr., 32, of Port Saint Lucie, was a vendor at the Repitcon Reptile Show when officers checking for the sale of illegal species noticed he was Read the Rest…
Striped Bass Fishing Expands Baywide Anglers wanting to get in on this year’s striped bass fishing season will have more areas to fish starting June 1. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the official opening of the summer/fall striped bass season with no exclusions on where anglers can catch the state fish. All areas of Read the Rest…
Unique Opportunity to Learn or Rediscover the Sport The Maryland Department of Natural Resources invites residents to participate in the state’s three, free fishing days in 2017: June 3, June 10 and July 4. They provide a unique opportunity to fish the state’s waters without obtaining a fishing license, stamp or registration.
A trespassing complaint in Frederick County last Monday morning turned into a felony gun arrest of a Thurmont man convicted of a sex offense. John Ryan Coblentz, 27, was stopped by an officer checking a report of a trespassing hunter on land owned by NVA Properties LLC off Retreat Road in Walkersville.
Fisheries Index Gets an ‘A’ at 90 Percent The overall health of Chesapeake Bay improved in 2016, a positive sign that recovery efforts are working. The largest estuary in the nation scored a C grade (54 percent) in the 2016 report card, one of the highest scores calculated by scientists at the University of Maryland Read the Rest…
Nine Men Cited for Striped Bass Violations Continued late-night enforcement at Fishing Creek Bridge in Dorchester County by the Maryland Natural Resources Police resulted in nine men being charged with illegal fishing and 154 undersized striped bass being seized.