The Coastal Conservation Association’s Maryland division and the popular Bass Pro Shops will offer a series of saltwater fishing seminars that cover a wide range of topics for anglers of all skill levels.
The seminars will be at the Bass Pro Shops store at Arundel Mills, off I-97 near BWI airport, on the third Tuesday of every month (this one included) and will continue through November.
“We’re excited with the lineup of professionals we’ve assembled,” said Robert Glenn, the executive director of CCA Maryland.
The range of topics to be addressed include fishing for striped bass and sea trout in the Maryland and Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay, offshore big game fishing out of Ocean City, and even fishing for false albacore off the coast of North Carolina.
All seminars start at 7p.m. The first one, Tuesday, covers trolling for trophy stripers. One of the best skippers on the Chesapeake, charter captain John Montgomery, of Solomons, will do the honors. The series continues May18 when jigging for sea trout will be handled by captain “Walleye” Pete Dahlberg of Four Seasons Guide Service. On June15, Ocean City big game trolling will be done by captain Mark Radcliffe, of Fish Bonz Charters. The senior naturalist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, John Page Williams, is scheduled for July20 to discuss “Finding Fish When Dead Zones Take Over.”
Captain Kevin Josenhans, of Josenhans Sportfishing, takes on Tangier Sound flats fishing on Aug.17. Captain Mark Galasso, of Tuna The Tide Charter Service, discusses “Fishing the Narrows” on Sept.21. Captain Mike Critzer, of Coastal Fly Fishing Charters, is in charge of an Oct.19 North Carolina albacore seminar entitled, “Harker’s Island Albies.” The last seminar, Nov.16, will see captain Tom Hughes, of Tom Hughes Guide Service, focusing on Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel stripers.
For more details visit the CCA MD Web site at ccamd.org.
Yellow perch restoration — The Coastal Conservation Association Southern Maryland chapter’s pet project, restoring yellow perch populations, is in full swing. During March, chapter members did water quality checks, stream surveys and egg collections. Members Ken Hastings, Dennis Fleming and Phil Angle collected 25 egg masses from Nanjemoy Creek on March11 and delivered them to the Maryland state hatchery in Cedarville for hatching, tetracycline marking and early rearing. On March 26, the resulting estimated 80,000 fry were transferred to two ponds at Mirant’s Chalk Point Power Plant where they can grow unmolested.
Currently, volunteers are going to seine out the juvenile perch for transplant into Southern Maryland tributaries that lack a viable yellow perch population. Last year, chapter members surveyed streams for yellow perch adults and eggs during the spawning period, collected eggs, and raised an estimated 72,000 yellow perch that eventually were transplanted into McIntosh Run in St. Mary’s County and St. Leonard’s Creek in Calvert County. Subsequent surveys for young-of-the-year yellow perch revealed survivors in both creeks.
Public can visit hatcheries — The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has reopened five trout hatcheries to public visits. They should remain open every day of the week through Oct.31. The five are Coursey Springs Fish Hatchery, (Millboro, Bath County); Marion Fish Hatchery (Marion, Smyth County); Montebello Hatchery (Montebello, Nelson County); Paint Bank Hatchery, (Paint Bank, Craig County); and Wytheville Fish Hatchery, (Max Meadows, Wythe County).
Part-time employees will be added at these hatcheries to provide for public visitation. There will be no admission charge, but word has it that this will change in the future. The VDGIF closed its nine fish hatcheries to public visitation in the latter part of 2002 as a result of budget reductions.
A thought to ponder — For people who want gun control, or dislike those of us who own guns, remember this: if guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.
• Look for Gene Mueller’s Outdoors column Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, only in The Washington Times. E-mail: gmueller@washingtontimes.com
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