Crabbing and hunting 2012

Fast forward, December 2012. Just awoke from a long winter's nap.  Oh man, and it's not even actually winter yet.  In my 49th year, I have come to the realization that I am truly a man of summer.  Fall, winter, and spring just get in the way- so I try to make the best of this time.  As for my blog, I also now realize that I have neglected to update it in 3 months.  And while that would accurately reflect my fishing endeavors during that time period, I have had some good outdoor adventures in the Deal Island area.  Unfortunately once again, fouled fuel played havoc with my outboard.  Briefly, this time I pulled over a gallon of water out of the bottom of my 40 gallon inboard tank.  By the time I got this all straight again, it was time to do some crabbing and hunting, and the curtain had fallen on my 2012 fishing calendar.  I did manage to address what I believe may have been part of the root cause of these never ending fuel issue- the location of my tank vent.  I bought a new style vent with a rather ingenious trap engineered into it, and located the new vent in a place where it would not be apt to pull in bay water.


An aggressive family and work schedule conspired to only provide me with a couple of crabbing opportunities.  However, both of these (and both in October) were quite fruitful.  One yielded a half bushel, the other a full bushel of nice heavy jimmies.  Of course I shared the bushel of jimmies with my favorite crab eating buddy, my 84 year old neighbor Pat Dowling.

So as October faded into November, and November was uncharacteristically chilly on the few days I could get away, I turned my focus toward deer hunting.  As I had shifted my deer hunting efforts to Somerset County a couple of years ago, I had finally settled on a location in the Dames Quarter area that I knew was holding a lot of deer that were at least visible at sunset and also perhaps at sunrise.  This was public hunting area and part of the Deal Island management area.  I'm sure these grounds sustained a lot of pressure on the first day of season and maybe on the 2 Saturdays afterward, but experience told me that it was only lightly hunted during the week.  Additionally I knew that if i hunted the far corner of this property that I would have it all to myself, since it was probably about a 1/3 mile walk from the vehicle.  No problem for me- I had bought a deer cart last winter and was prepared for a long drag if necessary.  So, I hunted this area Monday through Friday of the first full week of season.  Actually, Wednesday I had to return home for a family obligation- so I lost a day in the middle.  Hunting out of ground blind, the "Out House", I took a shot the second evening at a doe within easy reach for my new scope, around 75-85 yards straight away.  Actually I shot twice, and using my new shooting stick. Well, not only did I miss target both times, I also managed to have the scope come back and smack me in the nose both times.  The flip-open cap was sitting wrong on the scope and both times it gashed me in the nose.  Rather funny to anyone who may have witnessed this, but I believe it broke my nose again for about the 4th time.  Not to mention, earlier in the day I had hunted in a another location and missed an easy shot straight on 40 yards at a small doe.  So now I no longer trusted the previously trusty 30-06 with my new scope, which I thought was accurately sighted in.  The scope gave a nice clear bright picture at sunset, which is why I bought it.  It just wasn't set right.

With no opportunity to fix the scope alignment this week, I took advantage of my trip home on Wednesday and picked up a gun that I had recently gotten from my Dad's collection, an old WW I Rock Island Arsenal  M1903.  The 1903 had been set up for hunting, with a bi-pod on the front stock, and scope that, while not expensive, had a ridiculous amount magnification.  Problem is- #1) I had never fired this weapon and had no idea of its accuracy, and #2) I had not fired a bolt-action rifle in over 20 years.  Sometimes you just gotta go with what you have, and so I did.  My friend Mo had given me a deer earlier in the week, which I skinned and butchered.  So, even if I failed I wouldn't be without venison.  But I was sure hoping to make a kill shot and supplement this.  Thursday rolled around, and having spent the night back in Millsboro after getting in late, I didn't get back into the field until Thursday evening.  Having packed the Out House up and facing no more rain the next 2 days, I decided to just sit on the bucket in a sheltered spot.  Thursday afternoon was bright and sunny, and the deer never did move before dark.  So knowing that I had to return Saturday for my son's birthday, Friday was my last chance to score.  Friday morning brought nothing, although it was a nice overcast day.  Actually I did see some deer an hour before sunrise, as the full moon had the field lit up enough to see with the scope.  Friday afternoon was now my last chance.  It was a gorgeous afternoon, right around 50 degrees, mostly cloudy, and no wind to speak of.  I sat on my post at 2 pm, not expecting to see anything until almost 5pm.  At 3:30 I was caught totally off guard to see a doe pop out of the woods to my right (everything previously had come from my left).  I was able to gather myself enough to squeeze off a shot at around 100 yards, which I could have sworn connected.  However after a half hour search yielded no blood, I returned disgusted to my perch.  Now in the final hour of the season, I decided to play sniper (this was a sniper rifle after all) and I set up on the far end of the field where the deer had been coming out, on the ground and on my belly in the prone position, with the bipod legs extended.  At 5 pm a deer came out of the woods almost right behind my legs, about 25 yards away.  I had to sit up and rotate 180 degrees in order to face it for a shot, which spooked it back in the woods as expected.  Now 5:13 pm, dark outside and me fully disgusted, I decided to call it quits and packed up my back pack in order to depart.  As I was doing so, I caught site of a doe coming out of the woods near the location of the 3:30 pm deer.  I couldn't believe this. It was so dark that it would be a tough shot no matter what.  So, I got into a good steady kneeling position and was able to get the deer in the cross hairs of my scope.  I squeezed off another shot and the deer absorbed the hit, collapsing about 10 yards further out into the field.  And while this was admittedly the smallest deer I had ever shot, I was nonetheless satisfied.  I had shot plenty of big bucks in the past and knew that I would someday have another chance to do the same.  Also, the meat was the finest I had ever cut off of the body of a deer, light-colored and almost veal-like.

And so, my hunting for 2012 came to a close.  The 1903 was in fact accurate enough to make a kill at 100+ yards, and it was such a good shooting weapon with no recoil that I will return to using it again.  And between now and next year I will get my Remington 30-06 shooting straight again.  I may get hunting again January 4-5, depending on the weather.  Will have to eat some venison first, my freezer if full of venison, fish, soft crabs, and oysters. 

One of the Best Days of My Life- Labor Day 2012

August 25- may very well be the last fish I catch this year, who knows.  And it was not very remarkable, so I'll summarize it quickly by just sharing that I put 6 fish in the cooler, releasing many more.  A 2nd fishing attempt over the weekend was aborted due to rough seas.  And now, one of the best days of my life,....

I have admired the skipjack since I was a kid.  When Dad would bring us as kids to Deal Island to fish, all the way from Bel Air, he showed my brother and I the many skipjacks of Deal Island.  And he explained how they were sail-powered oyster dredging boats, which once dominated the waters of Tangier Sound in years past but were fast disappearing.  Furthermore, we soon came to understand that Deal Island held the largest remaining fleet.  Fast forward to 1980, when we bought our place on Deal Island.  I was able to count a total of 14 skipjacks on Deal Island, including Chance. As these numbers decreased year-by-year, it was clear these magnificent boats were fading fast, and with them, a way of life.  With their majestic mast, huge mainsail and ornate bowsprit, I have always been in awe.  In my mind's eye I can see these waters full of these skipjacks, tacking back and forth, dropping dredge, hauling up oysters.  Working for a full week at a time before returning to port and awaiting families.  Sometimes pleasant in the Fall, more than likely frigid in the winter months.

Every Labor Day, Deal Island hosts a festival to celebrate the culture of the skipjack.  And the cornerstone of these festivals is the annual Skipjack race.  These races were the brainchild of local waterman Captain Art Daniels in the early 1960's.  I have been attending these Skipjack Festivals nearly every year since I was a teenager.  I would travel back from wherever I was, even West Virginia.  Every year, I would watch the race from shore- dreaming I would be able to one day be one of the lucky few that sailed aboard one of these skipjacks.  Last year, my friend and waterman Capt Danny Benton invited us to watch the race aboard his workboat Chantally Lace.  That was an honor and a lot of fun, and we had a birdseye view of skipjack "Kathryn" nearly sinking right before our eyes.  This year however, the dream of a lifetime finally came true.  My son Blair and I were invited to be passengers aboard the skipjack "City of Crisfield", piloted by none other than Captain Art Daniels.  "Daddy Art" had owned this skipjack since the 1950's, and was profiled in Holly Fisher's film "Waterman".  To say that Captain Daniels and his skipjack are famous is an understatement- they are legendary.  And once again Daddy Art, at age of 91- oldest skipjack captain ever, manned the wheel for the Labor Day race.

There were probably 20 head total aboard the boat for the race.  With Daddy Art at the wheel was wife Stella.  Also aboard were son Bob, Bob's son Eddie, and Eddie's son Eddie Jr.  So, 4 generations- Wow !! Bob and big Eddie were pastors.  Bob seemed to know quite a bit about sailing, and I recall him from the movie.  The remainder of the passengers were a mix of locals and also a few outsiders like us.  Anyway, we were towed out by my buddy Danny and his mate Mo.  We held our ground for the first part of the race, but as we rounded the first buoy, Daddy Art made a choice of tack that was a gamble, one that could result in a win, or alternatively- a bust.  Unfortunately, the gamble didn't pay off and we lost precious ground.  Soon we found ourselves 7th or 8th out of about 10 entries.  Without rounding the next buoy near Wenona, Daddy Art conceded victory and we embarked on a pleasant ride back toward harbor.  It amazed me how we returned to harbor fully under sail and only picked up a tow as we neared dock.  It was a great ride and I will never forget it.  What an honor to sail with the most famous skipjack captain ever, and aboard perhaps the most famous skipjack ever.  I truly hope that Daddy Art is able to go out dredging this year, and also that he is able to participate in the race again next year.  Here's some video I shot of my adventure.

The summer is fading fast.

Every year I seem to get slammed with travel all in one month.  And it never fails to fall in some part of fishing season.  As expected, it happened again in 2012.  This time, I had a trip to Charlotte NC, two trips to Philadelphia, and a trip to Maine- all within a one month period.  Actually the trip to Maine was pretty cool and the lobster was awesome, but its always great to be back on Delmarva.  There were minor disruptions to my fishing schedule (I missed a week twice) but back on track now to finish out the summer.

August 3 was unremarkable so I will be brief.  The tide schedule was uncooperative as was the excessive wind.  I ended up fishing in rough water and way off my tide schedule.  The result was a net of only 3 fish in the cooler, and the size had really decreased from prior weeks.  Many throwback fish too. If only I could get a little night fishing in,….

And so two weeks later, the opportunity presented itself.  Fishing with my son Blair, I had convinced him to fish after dark.  Now- fishing on a small boat in the middle of the bay in the pitch dark can be a little spooky, even for me.  I’m equipped well enough, my running lights all work, I have a battery powered lantern for the console, and redundant spotlights for the ride home.  And the GPS is there if I need it. Plus I know these waters like the back of my hand.  Experience reminds me that despite reports of small fish, that the bigger croakers school up and feed at night.  Targeting a low tide at 9:15, well past the 7:50 sunset, calm waters made for a really nice evening.  We caught the biggest croaker of the year, all clustered within a 15 minute time frame after sunset but before tide change.  Location was on the west side of the channel, one mile north of buoy 12.  depth was 32-35 ft. One fish was just over 16 inches, and I could have sworn I had a large rock on prior to seeing that large silver drum come up croaking.  4 others were 15 inches, one 13, and the other 4 were around 11.  Things came to a close as I succumbed to my son’s request to head back to harbor.  Seems as though the nighttime experience on a boat was just to spooky for him.  Maybe next week I can do it again?,…..

July 17, 2012- Looking for an opportunity in the clouds.

July 17, 2012- Looking for an opportunity in the clouds.

Went down to the camper to do some fishing and also to celebrate my buddy’s birthday.  Waterman Capt. Danny Benton turned 50, and we celebrated Deal Island-style.  I deep-fried a mess of croaker fillets for the crowd at his party, and they seemed to be a hit, particularly with the locals

Inclement weather was the name of the game, as a cool front had moved in and brought frequent and intermittent rain with it.  Came down on a Friday afternoon hoping to catch a break in the rain, as it rained all afternoon.  It didn’t time well with the tide, but sometimes beggars can’t be choosers.  Finally, it stopped raining at 4pm.  I checked the radar, and it looked like I had about a 3 hour window of no major rain.  So, I launched just shy of 4:30 pm.  Wind blowing out of the west gently (5mph), water temp at 84F,  and tide running out (change was at 3:15pm), I set up my first drift just south of buoy 12 in about 42 ft of water.  This actually worked reasonably well for quite awhile as I was able to drift from 40-52 ft of water, which is where I caught all of my fish.  Theywere not to be had outside of this range.  Caught probably 50 fish on squid, and threw back all but 12.  Of these 12, the biggest was probably 13 inches, and I stretched my personal cut-off down to 10.5 inches for a few.  So, the size quality was definitely decreased from recent past, but this is the typical late summer pattern. 

Would like to have hung out and fished until sunset.  However, a big piece of ugly sky rolled in, the wind picked up and shifted 180 degrees, and it was time to call it quits.  The big rain never did hit, but of course it is better to be safe than sorry.  Maybe next time,….

Summertime patterns prevailing

I’ll start by just saying- I have caught more fish and better quality fish this spring/summer than any in the last 5 years. Compound that with the simple fact that I have also had the grace and liberty (afforded by my understanding wife) to fish more frequently, a newer camper, and most importantly a newer and more reliable boat. This all adds up to a freezer that is nearly full of vacuum-sealed fish. Speaking of which, my newly acquired vacuum sealer has made it possible to stuff the freezer with fish while only taking up half the room. After smoking some of these fish with my new Big Chief smoker, they take up even less room. Progress, yeee- ha!


This was a “quick trip”- I fished on Friday July 13. It was a very pleasant 84F out, with a gentle 5-10 mph breeze out of the WSW (in contrast to the forecasted ESE). Blair and I launched early, around 2 PM in order to catch the 4:20 low tide. Water temp has now settled into a summer standard 84F. Chop was less than 1 ft, and it was simply spectacular on the water- something I haven’t seen often this year. We started north of buoy 12 and drifted different depths. After picking up a few fish at 45-50 ft, it became clear that they were in this deeper water. So, we moved the show to south of buoy 12 where there is a nice extended 40-50 ft ledge which runs north and south. This ledge permits a prolonged drift at just the right depth, although the wind chose to push us landward and we had to constantly re-adjust, but that is part of the game. Using squid, I ended up putting 12 decent croaker in the cooler, with probably another 20 or so returned to the water. Most released were in the 10-10 ¾ range, but at this point I am in a position to be selective. Oh, and add one small kingfish, which are so good to eat. At about 5 pm, everything changed, including the tide. Additionally, the wind shifted to the SE and was now suddenly blowing 15-20 mph. This made the drifts unreasonably fast, not to mention that our nice calm waters were churning 2-3 ft. So, with an acceptable cache of fish in the cooler, it was time to call it quits. The larger croaker that I had seen on previous outings were sadly absent, and I don’t know if they would have shown up later in the evening. And I still haven’t gotten a piece of this speckled trout action that I keep hearing of, but then again I’m not getting much dusk fishing in. Maybe next time,……

4-day fishfest recap

Yep, I fished for 4 days straight.  I'll try to be succinct in my synopsis.  Two common threads to the entire adventure: 1) it was stinking hot, and 2) the fishing was great.  Here's a short video I made of how to fillet and de-bone a croaker:

Day 1- June 30, 2012.  It was >98F, even at 5pm. Bagging the early tide change and targeting an 11:42pm nite-fishing high tide.  Had planned to fish with one of the locals who claimed to know where the speckled trout were (Holland Straights). So, planned to launch at 8pm and croaker fish for a little on the way out.  Since a storm was rolling in as I was ready to head out, my partner cancelled (name withheld to protect the chicken).  So I put off at 7:45pm solo and planned to fish off Wenona as long as the weather would permit. And this didn't turn out to be all too long, as the storm pushed close in earnest Round 9pm.  So, I got in an hour of nice hot-action fishing and put 10 nice hardhead in the cooler before I had to bail.  The wind was 5-10 mph out of the South, and I caught the fish on the 40ft flat south of buoy 12, all in about 48-48 ft of water. 

Day 2, July 1.This was the hottest day I have EVER fished, period.  99F at launch at 4pm. Breeze only about 5pmh.  Great, bugs too.  The only thing that eased the agony was that the fishing was outstanding.  I put 20 hardhead in the cooler and probably caught twice that that I threw back.  This was in the same general area as day before, but more like 48-52 ft.  Finally after having caught so many stinking fish, it was time to try something different, so I headed to the edge of South Marsh Island to try catching trout with soft crab (all hardhead fishing now with squid).  This was a beautiful sunset scene, albeit a but buggy.  Unfortunately, no trout.

Day 3, July 2.   A few degrees cooler, maybe 90F at 5pm launch.  My youngest son Blair joining me for teh final 2 days.  Again, fast and furious fishing but a different scene.  The wind was 5-10  mph out of the north, and I found the fish biting north of buoy 12 in the 40-50 ft zone on  the east side of  the channel.  It took awhile to find this but once on it was non-stop.  We put 22 in the cooler, really nice fish and many in the 14-15 inch range.  Actually I think I put 20 of those in.  The fish required an aggressive hook set.  Sometimes  they catch themselves but not tonight.

Day 4, July 3 and last day.  Again about 90f at the 6pm launch for the 8:18pm low tide. With the wind out the south, I finally found them biting south of buoy, same place as day 2.   They didn't turn on until about 7:45 and at about 36-40 ft of water, but for 30 minutes it was steady harvest of 14-15 inch croaker, which I had to handle myself since Blair had given up.  These were the best quality fish of the week.  In summary, a good 4 days of fishing and far exceeding the fishing of the last couple of years, especially here in mid-summer.  The freezer is nearly full of vacuum-sealed fish.  And, it's not over but my leash seems to be growing shorter.

Find the Pattern, Fill the Cooler

This weekend I got to enjoy a two-day fishing adventure.  Weather again was a major factor, as a series of cold fronts had hijacked our weather for nearly a week.  This was good news in one respect, as the bay's waters were kept unseasonably cool.  However the wind blew hard out of the NE on Friday June 15, and the small craft advisory compelled me to take to the back waters of Deal Island with my smaller john boat.  Not a problem, I had been looking for an excuse to return to one of my favorite shallow water fishing holes.  I anchored there at around 3:30 pm, targeting a 5:50 low tide.  I was rewarded in less than 10 seconds with my first fish.  Unfortunately, the remainder of the afternoon, while gloriously cool for June, produced 10 keeper hardheads- all in the 11-12 inch range, and one nice white perch.  Decent numbers but disappointing in size.

Saturday June 16 and things had changed.  The wind was still blowing 15-20 mph but had shifted slightly to the east.  Waves were 2 feet but it was not a messy chop, it was nice and regular.  I motored out to teh vicinity of charter boat Little Art about 1/2 mile north of buoy 12 and began making east-to-west drifts right past them.  My drifts started in 30 ft of water and when hitting 55-60 ft, I repeated the circuit.  Again I caught a couple of fish almost immediately, and these were noticeably nicer in size.  The first few drifts I hung fish between 30 and 40 ft.  After that, they clearly shifted to 40-50 feet, and I was able to zero in on these ranges.  And as the evening wore on and the tide changed, the fish again went more shallow.  I worked two rods at the same time and it was all I could do to jump from one to the other.  Finally at about 7 pm or so, I had caught my 25th keeper fish (>11 inches), the legal limit of hardhead, and so my day was done.  The loved the nice thick and stinky squid I was throwing at them.  Perhaps half of these keepers were in the 13-15-inch range, really nice, fat fish- many spawning females.  It had been a few years since I caught my limit, and I motored back to the dock proud but tired.

One quick detour.  On Saturday there were two guys fishing in kayaks right out with me in the middle of Tangier Sound.  This is 2 miles from shore and in some fairly rough and cooler water.  Not smart.  I got to talking to one of the guys, he had his kayak blinged out with depth finder and gps.  Hopefully they were waterproof.  I saw from about 100 yrds away one of the two flip his kayak, then struggle for 20 minutes trying to get himself teh Little Art, thankfully and luckily positioned right nearby.  Then the 2nd kayaker flips trying to help his buddy out.  This guy appeared a little more experienced, as I watched him roll his kayak back into position and re-mount it, a maneuver he had obviously trained for.  Turns out kayaker number 1 had failed to re-insert his drainplug from the day before.  These guys were lucky to have someone near to help, otherwise this could have gotten ugly, and I'm talking about read about it in the newspaper ugly.  WOW.. Be Safe

A new dog day, and more fish

As I left off on my last blog, I described how I was recovering from the devastation of having suddenly lost our dog.  Finally after about 7 days of weeping daily like a little sissy schoolgirl, I turned a corner with the grief.  On day 10, my family asked if we could go meet a young dachshund whose family was no longer able to keep her.  And so, a new chapter began as Junebug became a member of our family.

Friday June 8- time to fish.  Conspiring good weather, decent tide time, and recent good fishing were enough to warrant taking a half day off work.  Blair, my youngest- joined me for the quick trip.  The plan was to jet down, prep the boat, have a "guys night", and zip back the next morning to continue getting to know Junebug.  We launched at 2:45 pm to catch a 5:50 pm high tide and paused after dunking the boat to replace one of the rollers on the trailer.  Repair quickly made, we motored out of Wenona and zipped right across Tangier Sound to the same location I had been several times prior, which was due west of Wenona harbor, on the west side of the channel, and about a mile north of the #12 buoy.  Feeling confident that the croaker had completed their transition to readily accepting squid, we did NOT bring any soft crab and instead went with squid and shrimp.  The shrimp- already cooked salad-sized shrimp, work well when the fish get picky, and also they are easy to deal with since you don't need to cut them up.  This would prove to not be an issue on this day.  I cleaned 2 really large squid at the start and that was more than we would need for the afternoon.

The wind was out of the WNW at about 10-15 mph to start at about 3:15 pm, and seas were a steady 1-2 ft, just right with the air temps at about 81F.  Water temp at surface was 73.6F, still unseasonably cool and likely the result of two consecutive cold fronts.  And as has become a regular thing, we drifted past the anchored charterboat(s) and gave them a fishing lesson.  We had to work pretty hard for our catch, as I never could discern a specific pattern.  We caught fish between 28 and 48 ft of water, and it changed with just about every fish.  So, the lesson here was to just drift off the 20 ft shelf into deeper water, over and over, and be ready.  Blair fished half-heartedly and intermittently, which is fine, but the result is that basically we were going with one rod most of the time.  I caught 12 of the 14 we kept.  We threw back maybe two fish, but most that we kept were in the 12-14-inch range, and probably half 13-14.  Nice fat croaker.  We ended a little earlier than I had hoped- at about 7 pm, but the tide was really starting to run out and probably so was our fishing.  The reports of rock, speckled trout, perch, and black drum were all appealing but these would have to wait for another day with more time.  And so, I am already forming my game plan for the next opportunity.

The Last GoodBye

Today I am going to take a brief detour from my chronicles of fishing to talk about the loss of one who was arguably my best friend, at least on some days.   Sweety joined us in 2004.  My daughter Kara had picked her out from a bunch of other mini-dachshunds, or more accurately I believe Sweety picked out Kara.  Sweety had become a core member of our family.   Sure, she was just a dog, but she really was one of us.  We cared for her and spoiled her, and in return we received her never-ending and unconditional love- and even this isn’t something you can expect from her human counterparts.  Sweety always had to be touching you, and if you were sitting- she was surely in your lap.  That’s how much she loved us.  And yes, she slept in the big person bed, always tight-pressed up against me.  That’s just how we rolled. 

Sweety left us suddenly on May 29.  Her heart, which was enlarged, finally could not keep pace with its demands.  And the details of this last day are difficult to recall, other than she enjoyed steak for dinner and DQ ice cream for dessert.  I miss so many things about her.   Her clown-like demeanor and how she would bring her toys to me for us to play.  The way she greeted me whenever I entered the house, especially when I got home from a long day at work.  The way she would snore gently as she kept me warm on a winter night.  The grief from losing Sweety has been thick and palpable.  A week later and I am still weeping like a little sissy school-girl.  You see, I was her favorite, and everyone knew it (my wife says that we smelled alike and also that I was hairy like Sweety).  I can say that catching fish for awhile made it all just a little bit better.  And so, I now move on to tell the details of my fishing adventure this past weekend.

Saturday, June 2.  The winds were blowing hard out of the NNW, 20-25 mph.  But the forecast had them laying down a bit around 5 pm so that was all I needed.  Also, the cool front which had just blown through was expected to persist, and I knew that if the water temps could stay down a little cooler than normal that this would be good for the fishing.  And so it was.

I launched form Wenona around 3:45 pm, with expected low tide at 6:40.   I targeted the area just WNW of the Wenona harbor, on the west side of the channel.  There was one charterboat bottom-fishing there in deeper water, so I set up just to the shallow side of him and about ½ mile north.  The wind and tide moved my drifts very quickly, but 4 oz of weight was just enough to get my lines on bottom.  And as happened so many times before, the fisherman on the anchored charter boat twiddled their thumbs as they watched me pull in fish.  I was hitting about 2 fish every pass of my drift, and only using squid to get it done.  At first it was in 45 ft of water, and then it moved increasingly more shallow.  By 6 pm I was catching fish in 15 ft of water.  All fish were nice, and some were 14-15 inch class.  I put 13 in the cooler before the wind became overwhelming at around 6:30 pm, discarding only one.  I believe I would have hit my limit of croaker had it not been for the wind, but I’ll never know.  And so, I dream of my next outing and calmer waters.

And now, summer has (un-officially) arrived

Things change so quickly, and seem to change even more quickly with each passing year.  Which is why I probably hate going for 2 weeks without dropping a line.  Two weeks is half a month, and everything is now different.  That's OK, my rhythm of getting out every week is intact for now.

This weekend, I got out two consecutive days AND followed by a family boating excursion- SWEET.  Day 1, Friday May 25.  High tide was at 5:19 pm, a little early in the day but you work with what you have.  Launched at 2:20 pm and headed WNW out of the Wenona harbor.  Temp was about 81F and water temp was now up to 74F on its way to the steady mid-80s which would be here soon.  I had heard that the fish had moved deeper during the day and this is exactly what I found. After moving back down south by the #12 bell buoy, caught 10 nice croaker in 35-42 ft depth, drifting using my drift sock.  Since the wind was out of the SSW and tide coming in, the drift sock seemed to slow my up just enough to catch some fish.  I didn't know it then but this would be my last use of this drift sock.  Left it on deck for the trip home and discovered it gone the next day- it must have blown overboard. BUMMER.

Next day, May 26, fished the mid-day low tide which was around 12:45 pm.  Gorgeous day and a bit warmer, but I had to be back to Millsboro the next day to play guitar in church. Launched at 10:30 AM and worked the same area and the #12 bell buoy area hard for 3 hours for a yield of only an additional 4 fish.  Reminded me of why I have come to care less for mid-day fishing.  The water temp now up to 76F, it was a much warmer day.  A couple of noteworthy items.  The croaker were now taking squid about 50% of the time, as I was baiting each double bottom rig using soft crab and squid.  Expect a continued shift to the cheaper squid, to coincide nicely with rising soft crab prices (although I do love eating my left-over soft crab bait).  The other item is that the fish were now just slightly smaller, still all well over my personal 11-inch keeper minimum but nothing over 14 inches.

After returning to Millsboro and having wrapped up what I thought was the end of my weekend at Deal Island, I was surprised when my wife asked me after church if I wanted to take her and the kids on a boat ride from Deal ISland to Rumbley.  I was stunned and almost passed, but the opportunity to take them all out on my boat, a first (and perhaps a last) was to good to be true.  So, we jetted on down to Deal Island and 60 minutes later were prepping the boat for launch.  The 15-20 mph breeze at my camper was daunting, and I had no idea how my seasick-prone wife would deal with the boat ride.  But, the seas were pitching gently at 1-2 ft and we had a nice cruise to Rumbley, MD, where we dined on the waterfront at the Hideaway Bar and Grille.  Toes in the sand, awesome view, the food was OK but the drinks were cold.  And then we returned, and the return trip was as pretty as the outgoing.  And now here I am on Memorial Day, plotting my next adventure.  I am chomping at the bit to do some sunset fishing but the tide cycles are not working for me (in contrast to las tsummer, which was near perfect).  Oh well, it too shall change.

quick post- just trying to get caught up from last week (5/19/12)

This will be a quick post- just trying to get caught up from last week.   On Saturday 5/19, launched from Wenona in the midst of yet another small craft advisory.  Winds were 20-25 mph out of the NE, but it was borderline do-able with the tide coming in, although a bit rough.  Sure enough, we only hung two fish on the incoming tide- one a kingfish, which I hadn’t caught in awhile.  Just before tide change, my co-pilot and youngest son Blair had to go #2, so we jetted back into harbor and completed that business.

Tide change and the wind lay down just a few mph.  And for the next 30 minutes we caught nice croaker, all 14-15” and real fighters.   And then the tide really started rolling out, in addition to the wind picking up to a steady 25 mph.  Oh well, fish to clean and I can’t complain.  Other notes- we caught all the fish mid day at about 42 ft depth.  Water temp was 68F, up from 66F the week before.  And once again, the croaker wanted nothing to do with shrimp or squid, feasting only on my precious soft crabs.

A LOT has happened since my last post.

A LOT has happened since my last post.  Once again, I had bad fuel in the tank, 20 gallons of it.  Had to pump it all out and start over.  This delayed me a couple of weeks but fortunately didn't really cost me anything nor did it leave me stranded, like last year.  New battery was also part of the solution.

About the time I got the boat straightened out and ready to fish, I got a phone call that a long-awaited spot in a specific assisted living facility was now becoming available for my Dad.  You see, Dad has alzeheimer's and is no longer able to live alone, un-assisted.  So, my siblings and I made the move in late April and Dad was moved to his new home.  This step necessitated selling his house, so the next 3 weeks have been consumed with working on the house that he has lived in for the last 49 years, getting it ready for market.  Everything is in place, for now, so this past weekend I finally got my boat in the water and caught some fish.

Caught the high tide on Friday, May 11.  It was pretty windy, blowing out of the NW, so I had to work with the wind and tide.  But fishing alone, I could easily maneuver two rods.  The water temp was 66F, the air temp about 72F.  I knew that the fish had no reason to be in deep water, so I set up my drifts starting in about 12 feet of water.  Things started off slow, but as it became late in the incoming tide, the fish turned on.  I caught 16 in all before it got too windy and I called it quits.  Most were 12-13.5 inches.  Shame because it would have been a beautiful evening to try and catch a black drum.  Interesting tidbit- the fish were only interested in soft crab.  Neither squid or shrimp seemed to interest them at all.  Early season croaker are usually not so picky, but then again, they probably showed up in part for the soft crab run, which was in full steam.  That's why I set up my drifts to start among the crab pots- because thats where the fish were.  Until next time, which I hope is soon,....

Time to catch up- New Year (2012)

Wow, if you've read any of my older posts you may have wondered where I have been since October.  I'll try to be succinct,.,..


When I last posted, the trailer on my crabbing boat had basically disintegrated as I was pulling my crabbing boat back to Deal Island from Dames Quarter.  This really put a cramp on future fall crabbing activities.  I got out one more time with one of my other boats and did quite well, but really I was pre-occupied with the repair on the broken one.  While I probably should have just bought another trailer, I was determined to fix this one and fix it myself. I was also aiming to keep costs down.  Found a lightly used axle and springs and set to work.  What a project this turned out to be.  Demolition of the old trailer was more than I bargained for- salt water had managed to really cement everything together, ruining most bolts and nuts and making conventional disassembly impossible. Perseverance paid off and I finally got everything off down to the frame.  In the process, I discovered that there wasn't much usable beyond the frame. Replacement of one part lead to discovery of needing to replace another.  The axle and springs didn't fit quite right, so I needed to acquire some bracketry and engineer it on the fly.  Replaced both wheels and tires- ching ching ouch.  Winch was toasted- ching.  New brackets for the fenders.  New bow stop.  And finally, some new rollers and shaft bolts for the roller runners.  March 18, the project was finally completed and I am proud to say that I learned a lot about trailers in the process.  Now to get the boat back on the trailer.


While I wrapped up crabbing season early, I had hoped to get a bunch of deer hunting in.  Another curve ball- I took another job as my position was transferred to Nebraska.  Love the new job but as a result of having to learn so much anew, getting time away was not as easy as in the past.  But, I got a few days  of hunting in- much during some very warm and rainy weather.  Toward the end of my time in the field (hunting public land), I finally landed a pretty decent spot where the deer frequently came out at dusk to feed.  Trouble is, they came out so late in the day that use of conventional rifle sights was not do-able.  And, I came to realize that my old scope was not up to the task of low-light hunting conditions.  And that's how the season ended.  I got a new scope for Christmas and although I have it mounted, I've yet to sight the new scope in.  That's my next project.


So, here we are in March after the warmest winter in memory.  Reports of flounder at Folly's Creek are pouring in, as are rockfish at Deal Island caught off the banks.  Now I want to get my center console ready.  Before I re-set the battery and fire her up, I put a new fuel inlet on it- and that was tonight's project.  Waiting on the boat sticker to cover everyone fishing, then I should be ready to roll.

So, while I haven't scored as much wild meat as I had hoped through the fall, my buddy Danny Benton gave me a deer, which I was all too happy to butcher and which I have been turning in to jerky thoughout the winter.  I bought a really nice Hobart slicer but only after I had cubed the venison.  Experimented with some beef using the slicer and am anxious to do some more venison.  Another cool acquisition was the Big Chief Smoker that Bruce Davis gave me.  I smoked a lot of Croaker with the smoker and wow did it turn out well.  I also realized just how much fish I actually froze during the summer.  Almost forgot- the coolest new toy I got was a vacuum sealer- which I have used with venison jerky, smoked croaker, and anything else I have frozen in the last few months.  Except oysters- which I have been buying shucked off of Capt Danny and man they are so good.  Be back soon with a fishing report