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Gunpowder Falls trail to be named for Lefty Kreh
Cockeysville resident, author says honor 'embarrasses' him
By Mike Klingaman, The Baltimore Sun
The state Board of Public Works is forging another fishing legacy for Lefty Kreh: a seven-mile trail in Gunpowder Falls State Park to be named for the former outdoors editor of The Sun. The trail's moniker will become official at the board's meeting Dec. 21 in Annapolis. Kreh, 86, is expected to attend.
The Cockeysville resident, who has authored more than 30 books on fishing, appeared humbled by the honor.
"I appreciate [the state] doing this, but it kind of embarrasses me," said Kreh, who grew up in Frederick and spent 18 years writing for The Sun until his retirement in 1990.
One year later, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative first-class stamp honoring an innovative fly called "Lefty's Deceiver" that Kreh designed for saltwater fishing.
A member of three fishing halls of fame, he has completed a television series on conservation for ESPN and is now writing another book.
Attaching Kreh's name to a fishing trail in Baltimore County, near his home, was a no-brainer, said Joe Evans, a Maryland DNR fisheries spokesman.
"In January, Candy Thomson [former Sun outdoors columnist] wrote a column and rallied the troops to do something to recognize Lefty's [tenets] on conservation responsibility, and the joys of fishing," Evans said.
"This winding, tree-shaded trail — previously called the Gunpowder South Trail — follows the Big Gunpowder Falls River, a blue-ribbon trout stream that serves as a rite of passage for anyone getting into fly fishing in Maryland."
Signs denoting "The Lefty Kreh Fishing Trail" will be posted in coming months, Evans said.
Maryland DNR Fishing Reports- by Keith Lockwood
Courtesy of MD DNR Fisheries Service www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries
Fishing Reports for Dec. 14th, 2011 - Overview
Jing-a-ling there has been a lot of that going on lately as the holiday season approaches and hopefully some of that jingling is coming from terminal tackle as fishermen try to get out just one more time before the 2011 striped bass season comes to a close tomorrow. Fishermen will still be trying for some of the striped bass moving down the coast along the Ocean City area beaches and freshwater fishermen can still find good fishing for a variety of freshwater species. Lot's of fishermen will be hoping Santa puts a new fishing reel under the Christmas tree or perhaps there will be a long rod like object wrapped and standing in the corner behind the tree. All of us at the Maryland Fisheries Service wish everyone all the warmth and peace that the holiday season brings.
Water temperatures in the upper bay are frigid 43-degrees this week at the head of the bay; striped bass and white perch are hunkered down along deep channel edges, lumps in deep holes and similar types of submarine structure. Cruising slowly with a good depth finder and a watchful eye can put you on a school of fish holding deep. Jigging is about the only way to get to them and if the current is stiff it might take some weight to effectively get into the slot where the fish are holding. There is only one day left of course to be able to keep a couple of striped bass but white perch are always an option and yellow perch are beginning to move into the lower Susquehanna River. River channels that intersect with deep water out in the bay are always good places to check for white perch or striped bass and tidal rivers such as the Elk, Bohemia, Chester, Patapsco and Magothy are all worth checking out.
December is traditionally the month to fish the rock piles and bridge piers at the Bay Bridge and fishermen have been doing just that in recent weeks, No doubt there is a contingent out there today and tomorrow many fishermen will usher out the 2011 striped bass season at the rock piles trying to jig up a couple of striped bass. Rich Watts was there on Monday for his last striped bass trip of the year and sent us this picture of his last catch for 2011.
Many fishermen when the last fish of the season comes to mind can't help but think of the bounty of large fall migrant striped bass that are still available to those hardy souls trolling arrays of large bucktails, parachutes and spoons along the edges of the shipping channel. Some impressive fish have been caught recently near traditional locations such as Bloody Point, Buoy 83 and the western edge of the shipping channel south of Breezy Point. The weather looks very promising tomorrow with temperatures predicted to be 60-degrees. Good luck to all who will be making the effort to fish "just one more time".
Lower bay fishermen tend to have one thing on their mind right now in the lower bay/Tangier Sound areas and that is the large fall migrant striped bass. This fall season has turned out to be a good one with the quality and numbers of large striped bass being caught in the lower bay areas. Charter boats are always a popular way to gain access to these fish since the boats are comfortable and forgiving in inhospitable fishing conditions and the captains really know how to put their clients on fish. The main shipping channel on both the western and eastern edges have been very productive as well as traditional hot spots like Hooper's Island Light, Cove Point Buoy 72, Tangier sound and the mouth of the Potomac.
Freshwater fishermen out in the western regions of the state are starting to see substantial ice in the coves of Deep Creek Lake and other bodies of water in the region. Walleye and yellow perch are schooled up in the lake and they can be found with a good depth finder. Jigging has been very effective on these schools but trolling deep diving Rapalas or drifting minnows deep are also effective ways to fish. Trout fishing in the regions streams and rivers remains good and will continue through the winter months. Smallmouth bass and walleye fishing in the upper Potomac River can be a lot of fun this time of the year if you pick days with nice weather and the river conditions are right. Tubes and jigs worked slowly and close to the bottom are effective ways to fish. Justin Rousey caught this beautiful smallmouth bass recently in Liberty Reservoir.
Freshwater fishing in the other regions of the state boils down to fishing the deeper areas of lakes, tidal rivers and ponds with lures that work close to the bottom. Silver buddies and blade type lures are always a good choice this time of the year for largemouth bass holding close to the bottom along steep drop-offs. Small jigs and tubes are good choices for a variety of pan fish such as bluegills, yellow perch and crappie if worked slowly in deeper waters.
Fishermen in the Ocean City area are finally seeing more striped bass moving along the beaches this week. Bottom rigs baited with fresh menhaden, stout tackle, a sand spike, good friends and warm clothes make for some fun fishing. David Kasey recently caught this whopping 52lb striped bass in the surf at Assateague.
Fishermen are also catching striped bass in and around the Ocean City Inlet by casting swim shad lures, bucktails and crankbaits. Drifting live eels and spot are also very effective. The best fishing is being reported to be on the ebbing tide, often on the tail end of the tide. Striped bass are being caught outside of the inlet by fishermen in boats either by jigging or using live eels when concentrations of fish can be found. Trolling large parachutes, bucktails and Storm Stretch diving plugs are also a good way to catch some of these migrating striped bass moving through our area. The Fenwick and Little Gull Shoals have been popular places to fish this week.
The bottom fishing focus is on sea bass this week and the party boats are running out to the inshore wrecks on a fairly regular basis. Captains are reporting their patrons walking off the boats with double digit catches and many catching close to their limits of sea bass. Large bluefish are showing up at the wreck sites also and often a welcomed addition.
The Old Man used to say that most people looked but never saw anything. "Most people go through life," he told me once, "stone-blind with their eyes wide open. Anything from a cinch bug to a clam is interesting if you really look at it and think about it". - The Old Man and the Boy, Robert Ruark
A new day for menhaden management
Commission vote reduces menhaden harvest for first time ever
BOSTON, MA - For the first time in history, there will be reductions in the harvest of Atlantic menhaden after a vote today by the Menhaden Management Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). Menhaden, which serve as the primary forage base for most predatory fish, have declined to the lowest level ever recorded, sparking alarm in the recreational angling community which has long expressed concern over the impact of industrial menhaden harvest on sportfish stocks.
“This is a long-anticipated decision and it is a great relief for anglers to know that managers have finally begun the process of rebuilding this critical species,” said Charles A. Witek III, chairman of the Atlantic Fisheries Committee for Coastal Conservation Association. “The turning point was finally having science in hand that showed what many of us have been saying for a long time. We still have work to do to ensure that menhaden are properly managed to fulfill its role as a forage base, but we are finally out of the starting blocks.”
Anglers and conservationists have chafed for years under management standards that indicated the spawning stock of menhaden was perfectly healthy and the fishing mortality rate was fine or only “slightly” over the overfishing threshold. As menhaden began to disappear from parts of the coast, it became clear that something was wrong with the way menhaden were being evaluated. Ultimately, outside scientists recommended changing reference points to better reflect the status of the stock and in a landmark decision, the Board agreed. With today’s vote, the reference points change from the current 8 percent Maximum Spawning Potential (MSP), which means 8 percent of an unfished stock, to 15 percent MSP as the overfishing threshold. They then adopted a target, the point for which management measures are intended, of 30 percent MSP, which will require a 37 percent reduction in harvest when implemented.
“The most critical thing that happened today is that the debate over whether or not to manage menhaden at all, is over,” said Richen Brame, CCA Atlantic Fisheries director. “Clearly these fish do indeed need to be managed, and managed conservatively. The debate now becomes about how conservatively should they be managed, and that is a much better scenario for menhaden, for sportfish and for anglers. It took a very long time and a lot of work by many, many groups, but the ASMFC did the right thing today.”
During the public comment period leading up to this vote, the ASMFC received almost 92,000 comments, the overwhelming majority of which were in favor of reductions in menhaden harvest by the greatest amount available. With today’s decision, the focus will now turn to the next management action that will determine exactly how to implement those reductions.
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The Maryland Angler's Network Message Board is no longer. The links for our message board will now point to TidalFish's Chesapeake Angler board which if you don't already know is found
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The Maryland Angler's Network is a grassroots organization that provides information relevant to conservational minded fishermen in Maryland. We work with and support a variety of organizations whose goal is to protect our waterways and maintain a healthy recreational fishery
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