WELCOME, Md.
Russell Sylvester’s company, Russell’s Crabbing Charters, was so new in June 2006 that the Maryland Natural Resources Police ran a sting on him.
The police, he said, believed a licensed charter captain who took people out in his boat to catch crabs with a long trotline had to be illegal. Why else would two cops show up with their girlfriends, along with a case of beer, and act like good time Charlies who only wanted to have some fun? By the end of the outing the police identified themselves and wrote charges for a variety of nonexisting violations with fines exceeding $1,000.
Sylvester, 31, who was fully licensed and had not broken any laws overzealous constables notwithstanding went to court, where a judge agreed with the trotlining crabber. What had the cops in such a dither was that no one in these parts had run a crab trotlining charter business. But Sylvester does it just like a charter fishing captain: For a price, he will take up to six people out who want to catch and eat blueclaw crabs.
A few days ago, on an overcast morning on Charles County’s Port Tobacco River, Sylvester ably assisted by his father, Bill, who piloted a spotless 27footlong Carolina Skiff began by dropping a 30pound anchor into five or six feet of water, slipped a bright orange marker buoy behind it and then began to pay out 2,000 feet of baited line. The chicken neck baits were spaced less than three feet apart, and when he ran out of line, another buoy was dropped, followed by a heavyweight that held the line tightly on the river bottom.
The elder Sylvester wasted no time running the large boat back to the first marker, where his son picked up the line slightly ahead of the buoy and slipped it into a special hoop made of PCV pipe. As the boat moved forward, the thin rope and baits slid through, then disappeared back into the river. Sylvester stood by the boat’s starboard gunwale, wiremeshed dipnet in hand, ready to snatch crabs from the baits should the need arise.
The first run was a stinker. Only a couple of crabs were drawn to the chicken necks, but the eversmiling man from Charles County wasn’t worried.
“They’ll pick up the scent of the baits pretty quick and begin to come to the line,” he said, and sure enough, on the second run nearly a dozen crabs were collected.
“I think I’ll clip on another 2,000foot line and see what happens,” he said, and soon there were 4,000 feet of aromatic baits spreading their comehither message through the water column.
It did the job. Between 6:45 and 10:30 a.m., Sylvester filled one bushel basket with fat, large Jimmy crabs (he doesn’t keep females), and another was nearly full. I was convinced the man had something there. Having trotlined for crabs myself over the past three decades, Sylvester’s skill and knowhow thoroughly impressed me. More than that, his desire to help turn the morning into a successful, fun experience had the desired effect.
During these days of scarce crab supplies, who wouldn’t be willing to pay $90 a person (special prices are made for groups) during a five to sixhour early outing that includes an invitation to dip the crabs yourself? When the day is done, Sylvester seasons and cooks the crabs for his customers, then invites his charges to have a feast at a special table on the boat or carry the delicacies home.
What a grand idea. Call him at 301/7436884 or go to crabcharters.com for more information.
c Look for Gene Mueller’s Outdoors column Sunday and Wednesday and his Fishing Report on Thursday, only in The Washington Times. E-mail: gmueller@washingtontimes.com.
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