Sport Fishing Licenses Available at New Locations on the Coast

     Annapolis, Md. -- The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently set up nine new fishing license locations to serve anglers who fish Maryland’s Coastal Bays and ocean waters.
     “Five tackle shops in Ocean City, two in Berlin, one in Selbyville and one on Fenwick Island have stepped forward to serve their customers with fishing licenses,” said DNR Fisheries Director Tom O’Connell.
     Until this year, Maryland did not require tidal fishing licenses for recreational fishing around Ocean City and the coastal bays. A new Federal Saltwater Angler Registry requirement instituted in 2010 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requires that all recreational anglers fishing in tidal waters in the United States be included or specifically accounted for in a national saltwater angler phone book. The purpose of the registry is to enable NOAA to survey anglers and improve harvest estimates.
     In order to comply with the federal requirement, the 2011 Maryland General Assembly changed recreational licensing requirements to include coastal anglers. Anglers who possess a Maryland tidal fishing license are automatically registered in the National Saltwater Angler Registry. Anglers younger than 16 years old and anglers fishing on a licensed charter boat or a licensed commercial fishing pier do not need to be registered or licensed.
     “This will make Maryland’s excellent coastal fishing even more accessible while helping fisheries managers obtain the data needed to ensure sustainable fishing opportunities,” said DNR Fisheries Deputy Director Gina Hunt.
     These new Maryland fishing license agents join the Walmart in Berlin and the DNR Service Center in Salisbury as sources for fishing licenses on the coast:
Oyster Bay Bait & Tackle, Ocean City - 116th St
Skip’s Bait & Tackle, Ocean City - 210 Talbot St by the Rt 50 Bridge
Oceanic Pier, Ocean City - 710 S Philadelphia Ave at the Inlet by the Boardwalk
AllTackle, Ocean City - 12826 Ocean Gateway on the other side of the Rt 50 Bridge
John Henry’s Bait & Tackle, 12507 Sunset Ave #15 Ocean City
Captain Mac’s Bait & Tackle, Selbyville, Del.
Frontiertown, Berlin
Sharky’s Market, Berlin
Fenwick Island Tackle, Fenwick Island, Del.

Authorities Release Names of Boaters Who Died on the Rappahannock

     Windmill Point, Va. -- Authorities have named th man and the woman who died Friday night, June 3, in a boating accident near the entrance to the Rappahannock River at Windmill Point.
     The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said 37-year-old Catherine Smith Williams and 46-year-old Robert Andrews Taylor Jr. died in the accident. No other information was released about their identities.
     Reports indicate their 25-foot boat first hit a channel marker in Broad Creek. A 911 call from the man on the boat said the woman was hurt. Rescuers responding to the scene found Taylor had left the scene and the boat had hit a break wall.
     Speed is believed to be a factor in the crashes. The investigation is continuing.

Burnley Sets New Virginia Record for Snowy Grouper

    

     Virginia Beach, Va. -- Roger Burnley of Virginia Beach has established a new state record for snowy grouper with a 70-pound, 7-ounce fish caught May 22. The record fish was weighed and certified on an Ohaus digital scale at the office of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, located in Newport News. The digital scale registered 70.48 pounds but the weight was converted and listed as 70 pounds and 7-ounces as the state record. The record-setting grouper bested the existing state record, set by Jere Humphrey of Norfolk, Virginia, on August 17, 2008, by nearly 2-1/2 pounds.

     Burnley is filing an application with the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) for acceptance of his catch as the IGFA All-Tackle Record for snowy grouper. Humphrey’s 68-pound snowy grouper currently holds the IGFA All-Tackle Record.

     Burnley caught his grouper “deep-dropping” near the Norfolk Canyon in 98 fathoms of water while fishing aboard the private boat Healthy Grin, skippered by Ken Neill, III, of Seaford. The fish had a length of 48 inches and a girth of 37 inches. The record fish was caught on a Shimano Trevala rod, mated with a Daiwa Saltist LD40 reel and spooled with 70-pound test Daiwa Saltiga Boat braided line. The record-setting grouper hit a custom made two hook bottom rig baited with squid and cut fish. 

     Snowy grouper was added to the list of species eligible for state record recognition by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament Committee at their fall meeting in 2006 and carried an initial qualifying weight of 38 pounds. Burnley registered Virginia’s first qualifying snowy grouper, at 49 pounds, 9 ounces, on April 29, 2007. Burnley’s record was eclipsed within days, on June 10, 2007, by Bob Manus of Ark, Virginia, with a 65-pound, 8-ounce grouper. Manus’ record status held until Chris Boyce of Hampton caught a 66-pounder later that year December 2007. Boyce’s record grouper lasted for 8 months before Humphrey landed his 68-pounder. The last three fish were later certified as IGFA All-Tackle Records for snowy grouper. The four prior record snowy grouper were caught in the general vicinity of the Norfolk Canyon “deep-dropping” in over 50 fathoms of water and using either whole or cut fish for bait. Additionally, five of the six state record grouper were caught aboard the Healthy Grin skippered by Ken Neill.

     For more information, contact Lewis S. Gillingham, Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, 2600 Washington Ave., Newport News, VA 23607, (757) 491-5160, vswft@mrc.virginia.gov.

Two Die in Boat Crash on the Rappahannock

     Windmill Point, Va. -- A man and a woman died Friday in a boat accident on the Rappahannock River. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is investigating the accident, which happened at about 10:15 p.m. where the Rappahannock meets the Chesapeake.

     A spokesperson for the department said a 25-foot Grady-White powerboat was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck a bulkhead. Both occupants of the boat, a 37-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man, were killed at the scene. Their names have not yet been released.

     Their bodies were sent to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy to determine the cause of the deaths. Investigators said the boat was totaled but the victims were not thrown from the boat.

Body of Angler Found on Shorelines of Queen Anne's County

     Annapolis, Md. -- Maryland Natural Resources Police recovered the body of Mark Allen Harvison about a mile south of the Chesapeake Bay bridge on the shoreline of Queen Anne's County Thursday afternoon.

     Harvison, 40, of Pasadena, was reported missing on Saturday, May 28, at 4 a.m. NRP was notified by a boat operator, Charles Martin Carlson III, 41 of Riva, that his passenger had fallen overboard. Carlson said he last observed Harvison walking toward the stern of the vessel.

     NRP, Maryland State Police aviation, U.S. Coast Guard and an Annapolis City Fire Boat searched for Harvison in the area of the Chesapeake Bay between Thomas Point Light and the Severn River.

     His body has been transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fishing Report by Keith Lockwood

     Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean -- As we all reflect on last weekend’s activities, most found time to remember solemnly what Memorial Day and the holiday weekend means to each of us. Beyond the true meaning of the holiday there was the “coming out” for the kick off of the summer season, picnics, beach traffic, family events focused around barbequing and of course fishing. For many it was enjoying being at one’s favorite fishing spot whether on the shore or out in a boat. For many diehards it was the realization that you’re not alone out there anymore and will be sharing the open waters of lakes and the bays with recreational boaters of all types and skills; so much for peace and quiet.

     On Tuesday, the first series of Diamond Jim striped bass were released into the Chesapeake Bay bearing chartreuse colored tags that can be worth a lot of money. There will be two additional scheduled releases occurring over the next two months with approximately 200 fish tagged each month. Each month one of the tagged fish is the actual Diamond Jim and this months Diamond Jim is worth $10.000. The other tagged fish are called imposters and are worth at least $500. If the Diamond Jim of a particular month escaped capture, the following month’s Diamond Jim will double in value up to $25,000 and the previous month’s Diamond Jim will become an imposter.

     There is a big change in the rules this year and everyone should take note of this. New this year if the real Diamond Jim is not caught before September 6, the $25,000 will be distributed between the anglers in attendance at the Grand Prize Celebration that caught imposter fish. So some angler or anglers are leaving the event with a whole lot of cash. Also worth noting is that the odds of collecting some big prizes are looking real good for those anglers that have entered award fish in the Fishing Challenge. Be sure to check out the Fishing Challenge website for how to enter award fish and don’t miss out. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/challenge/ 

     Water temperature in the Chesapeake are now hovering above 70-degrees and the focus now for fishermen looking to catch striped bass is trolling, light tackle jigging, chumming and for those lucky enough to have a supply of live spot, live lining. Trolling for striped bass has centered on a mix of medium sized lures ranging from surge tube lures, spoons, bucktails, and swim shads to umbrella rigs. Any one of them can be the hot lure for any particular day so it pays to experiment with a variety of presentations. The steep channel edges of the shipping channel and approach channels are always a good place to troll as are bottom structure such as ballast stone piles and reef sites. One universal point continues to dominate fishing reports this week and that is that there are plenty of marks on depth finders but fishing action has been a slow pick at best. May worms seem to be the reason as this annual swarming event of food abundance for fish makes for fish that have eaten their fill and show little interest in a fisherman’s offerings. One consolation fishermen should consider when getting frustrated this week is that the May worm swarming will be over soon and those fillets will be a bit fuller on the fish that will be caught. 

     Quite a few fishermen have been chumming for their striped bass this week and most have been having acceptable results when a good strong tide is running. Most fishermen are reporting that the action has been steady with some nice fish over 28” being caught in the mix. In the upper bay, the Love Point area has been getting the most attention but striped bass can be found at times at Swan Point, Triple Buoys and Podickory Point. Middle bay region fishermen have been chumming at the Hill, Thomas Point and Buoy 83 with good results at times. In the lower bay, the channel edges at the mouth of the Potomac River, the Rock piles north of Point Lookout and the Buoy 72 area have been favorites lately. In all regions baits left to lie on the bottom have been catching some of the larger fish. 

     Light tackle fishermen have been spotting some breaking fish from time to time working on small menhaden and jigging over structure has been productive. The striped bass are moving freely throughout the bay now and can be found along bay shore shallows. Surface lures such as poppers are a fun way to target these fish and the marshes of the lower eastern shore are holding a good number of fish at the moment. 

     The annual black drum run at the area around Stone Rock kicked off over Memorial Day weekend and fish are being caught. This action should continue through this week and perhaps last another week. Croaker fishing continues to be excellent in many areas of the middle and lower bay with traditional locations such as the channel edges of the lower Choptank and Nanticoke Rivers, Eastern Bay, Buoy 72, Tangier Sound and Hooper’s Island Light being just a few good places to check out. Peeler crab is perhaps the number one favorite bait but shrimp, bloodworms, squid and clam are also good baits to use. White perch are now holding on many of the oyster bars in the upper bay such as the knolls and reefs off of Baltimore but most any good oyster bar in the middle and lower bay will most likely be holding a mix of white perch croaker and improving numbers of spot. Bloodworms tend to be the bait of choice for white perch fishing.

Natural Resources Police Issue Upper Potomac River Advisory

     Annapolis, Md. -- The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) has issued an Upper Potomac River Advisory through Friday. Using information from the National Weather Service and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), NRP urges citizens to avoid boating and other recreational use of the Upper Potomac River, including its creeks and streams.

     This advisory is from May 31 through June 03 and will be updated at that time if necessary.

     Due to recent precipitation, river levels remain hazardous for recreational use on the entire main stem of the Upper Potomac River from Paw Paw to Little Falls.

     Hazardous stages are water levels which pose a threat to non white- water vessels, tubers, swimmers and other recreational users and are caused by wave action, water velocity, and treacherous currents. This hazardous condition may exist on tributaries of the Potomac River.

     This warning does not apply to professionally guided river trips. The public is reminded that river travel involves risks. Water and boating safety should be of utmost importance. NRP reminds boaters to always wear a life jacket.

     For more the latest information on Potomac River conditions between Cumberland and Little Falls, call the National Weather Service at 703-996-2200.