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Maryland Fishing Info
July 4th
Maryland's last free fishing day of the year. During a free fishing day, a person may catch and possess finfish in the tidal and nontidal waters of the State for recreational purposes without an angler's license, Chesapeake Bay sportfishing license, or any fishing stamp normally required by the State, but shall otherwise observe all fishing laws and regulations.
July 10-12th
22nd Annual Ocean City TUNA TOURNAMENT
For More Details
July 14th
Maryland Task Force on Fisheries management, 6 p.m., DNR headquarters, 580 Taylor Ave., Annapolis. Details: 410-260-8289.
Aug. 3-7th
36th Annual White Marlin Open
For More Details
Aug. 11th
Maryland Task Force on Fisheries management, 6 p.m., DNR headquarters, 580 Taylor Ave., Annapolis. Details: 410-260-8289.
Boat Ramps Map
Take a look at this very cool interactive map made with Microsoft Virtual Earth
Interactive Boat Ramp Maps
Maryland 2009 Fishing Guide Available Online
The guide traditionally accompanies the purchase of your fishing license and covers Freshwater, Chesapeake Bay, Coastal and Atlantic Ocean recreational fishing regulations for the State of Maryland.
To view and download the entire fishing guide book click this image 
MdAngler is on MySpace, Facebook & Linked in
Since we started MdAngler.net 3 years before this whole social networking thing took off we are a little behind (maybe ahead?) the curve on this stuff. But wanting to try and keep up with the times and reach
out to some younger, hipper anglers we created a page on MySpace and Facebook. Please look us up and add us as a friend.
MD Boating Safety Course
MD Boating Safety Course - course and exam now available to take on line
Regional Fishing Boards
Tidal Fish
Stripers Online SurfTalk
Atlantic Anglers
Chesapeake Light Tackle.Com
PASADENA SPORTFISHING GROUP
Important Phone Numbers
Rockfish Hotline
1-800-Rockfish
Catch a Poacher
1-800-635-6124
We Support
Catch & Release
Member of CCA MD
Join Today
Blue Ocean Institute
GUIDE TO OCEAN FRIENDLY SEAFOOD
Have a tournament or event to list contact:
The Maryland Angler's Network
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Hundreds of bass found dead on Potomac
State investigating after 600 discovered, along with hundreds of other dead fish, after recent fishing tournaments in Charles County
By Candus Thomson- The Baltimore Sun
State fisheries biologists are trying to learn what killed hundreds of bass on the Potomac River, just days after two fishing tournaments.
The fish were discovered and reported Monday by a fishing guide and longtime opponent of the large number of tournaments held each year on the river near Smallwood State Park in Charles County.
Don Cosden, chief of Inland Fisheries for the Department of Natural Resources, said biologists on the water Tuesday estimated there were 600 dead bass along with several hundred catfish and other species over a six-mile stretch of the river.
"It's not unusual to see a number of dead catfish and gizzard shad this time of year, and all of the bass were legal size so we believe that this was related to tournament releases," Cosden said. "There were more than 3,200 fish weighed in over the three-day period, so this would be about an 18.5 percent total mortality, which is unacceptably high."
Cosden said his staff is in contact with officials of the tournaments to get details. Ironically, state biologists were at the smaller of the two events Saturday -- the one-day National Guard FLW College Fishing tournament, which involved 80 anglers -- to measure and tag about 100 fish for a mortality study. All of those fish appeared healthy as the scientists handled them.
The larger event -- the three-day FLW Stren Series -- attracted 158 anglers, but only the top 10 fished the final day.
Guide Ken Penrod, who reported the problem and wants a complete investigation, said he has no issue with well-run events, but is angry that "most of these 100- to 200-boat events are from out of state and they abuse our fishery -- and our rights."
Cosden said most of the data on fish kills involves immediate mortality, not two to three days after being released.
Some studies have linked poor water quality to a high degree of delayed mortality after tournaments. But water samples taken continuously at the docks by the Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment group indicate temperature and dissolved oxygen levels to be within acceptable ranges.
The state has sent tissue samples to a laboratory to be tested for Largemouth Bass Virus. A recent study suggested that bass heavily infected with this virus may suffer higher release mortalities after being confined in livewells, the aerated holding tanks on bass fishing boats.
"Right now," said Cosden, " we don't have an answer."
Celebrating Bill Burton
The Boatyard Bar and Grill along with PropTalk Magazine hosted a celebration Tuesday night in Annapolis honoring the Dean of Maryland Journalism, Bill Burton.
It was a wonderful event with toasts, roasts and stories chronicling his more than 50 years of outdoor writing in Maryland. It read like a who's who of Maryland Fishing proponents; MD DNR Deputy Secretary Eric Schwaab, Marty Gary, Candy Thomson, Angus Phillips,
Lenny Rudow, Chris Dollar, Buddy Harrison, Charlie Ebersberger and the list goes on and on including lots of Bill's family and close friends. Part of the proceeds are going to one of Bill's special interests the Environmental Research Area at the Gibson Island Country School in Pasadena.
Eric Schwaab had some breaking news that at the request of Governor Martin O'Malley the Board of Public Works will hopefully rename the Choptank River Fishing Pier in honor of Bill Burton on July 22nd. This is a pier that Bill had a long history with and fought for over the years.
Maryland DNR Fishing Reports- by Keith Lockwood
Courtesy of MD DNR Fisheries Service www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries
Fishing Reports for July 1st, 2009- Overview
Summer fun that is usually what the 4th of July weekend is all about; a time for families to get together and enjoy everything that Maryland has to offer. For some it will be a trek to the beaches of Ocean City; others will be heading out towards Deep Creek Lake and still others will stay local and enjoy what they love most about their community. There will be fishing involved with kids being out of school and parents off from work; some optimistic souls will be promising a bushel of Maryland steamed crabs and will be out at pre-dawn hours tending trot lines and collapsible traps. I sincerely hope you can fulfill your crustacean promises and get to relax with family and friends this weekend.
There is plenty of good striped bass fishing in all three regions of the bay; chumming at Love Point in the upper bay region as well as the Middle Grounds and mouth of the Potomac in the southern region has been good this week. The western shipping channel edge from Chesapeake Beach to Cove Point has been the place to live line spot or troll for striped bass. Croaker fishing in the lower bay/ Tangier Sound areas has been hot and the larger croakers can be found all the way up to the Bay Bridge in the evenings. Rich Watts holds up a pair of whopper sized croakers for us that he caught in the mouth of Eastern Bay.
A summer mix of species consisting of flounder, spot, bluefish, speckled trout, white perch and even some large red drum finishes the summer palate of fishing. Recreational crabbers are will be working hard this week to catch up those 4th of July crab feasts; but if they stick with it and are flexible most should do fine.
Freshwater fishermen have some wonderful trout fishing opportunities is the western regions streams and rivers. Water levels are back to normal after the heavy rains of two weeks ago and the fish are biting. Luke Keener holds up a nice Potomac River smallmouth for the camera that he caught near Williamsport.
Largemouth bass will be a popular target for freshwater fishermen this week and there should be plenty of action out there. Those who get out on the water early in the morning or wait till the evening to fish will find the bass active in some of the shallower areas. During the brighter periods of the day largemouth bass can be found lounging in the cool shade of docks, thick grass and deep sunken wood. A.J. Dipetro of Ellicott City holds up a relay nice one for the camera before slipping it back into a local farm pond.
Ocean City fishermen are finding good flounder fishing in the back bay areas and a mix of sharks, sting rays, small bluefish and flounder in the surf. Wreck fishing is focused around sea bass and flounder this week and the offshore boats are bringing a mix of yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, dolphin and sharks back to the docks.
You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.
Erma Bombeck
Did you hear? CO2 makes fish ears bigger
Unexpected finding could have implications for climate change debate
By Randolph E. Schmid- The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Listen up! Carbon dioxide being absorbed by the oceans is having a puzzling effect on fish — their ears get bigger.
Now, that doesn't mean you're going to reel in the Mr. Spock of the sea. Fish ears are inside their bodies.
But, as in humans, their ears perform a major role in sensing movement and whether the animal is upright — abilities that are important for survival.
"It was a surprise," biological oceanographer David M. Checkley of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego said of the discovery. "The assumption is that anything that departs significantly from normality is an abnormality, and abnormalities at least have the potential for having deleterious effects."
The ear structure in fish is known as an otolith and is made up of minerals. Checkley and colleagues knew that increasing carbon dioxide in the oceans — absorbed from the atmosphere — is making the sea more acidic, which can dissolve and weaken shells. They wondered if it also would reduce the size of the otoliths.
Just the opposite, it turned out, the researchers report in Friday's edition of the journal Science.
In their experiment they incubated the eggs of white sea bass in seawater and measured the otoliths when the fish were 7 to 8 days old.
In the first test, the water had more than six times the current amount of carbon dioxide, and the little fish grew otoliths 15 percent to 17 percent larger than normal. The researchers were so surprised they repeated the experiment, and got the same results.
So they reduced the carbon dioxide in the water to about 3.5 times the current level — a concentration that could occur by the year 2100 at the rate CO2 is being added to the atmosphere and then the sea. Those fish had ear bones 7 percent to 9 percent larger than fish raised in seawater with current gas concentrations.
"An important observation is that the effect of CO2 in atmosphere, and therefore in the ocean, includes not only (global) warming and making the ocean more acidic. There are other effects on the biology and ecology that merit study," Checkley said in a telephone interview.
The new finding, surprising in itself, raises further questions Checkley said need to be explored.
Researchers now will try to figure out how the added carbon dioxide in the water causes the ear bones to enlarge, whether this is happening to other types of fish, and whether the long-term effect will be good or bad.
"If fish can do just fine or better with larger otoliths, then there's no great concern. But fish have evolved to have their bodies the way they are. The assumption is that if you tweak them in a certain way it's going to change the dynamics of how the otolith helps the fish stay upright, navigate and survive," Checkley said.
There are anecdotal observations that fish in higher concentrations of CO2 seem to be lethargic, he added, but that needs confirmation.
Available Now in Stores and Online
Introducing the New Maryland Fisherman's Annual
The Maryland Fisherman’s Annual www.MdFishermansAnnual.com is a yearly periodical being marketed to the angler who fishes in Maryland waters. The 1st Annual copy of this premiere regional fishing publication will be for sale at select retailers and online the 1st week in June, 2009.
It will include enlightening articles, new and practical maps, fishery news, useful information, and high-quality graphics, making it the single best resource devoted to the pursuits of the recreational angler in our great state.
We have retained some well-known Maryland fishing authors who also write for national fishing publications. Each year, they will be providing fresh editorial content on the hottest fisheries and latest techniques, lures, baits, etc. used to catch fish in our Maryland waters.
We will also be encouraging our readers to get involved and work towards some of the things that are near and dear to us personally, including the conservation, sustainability and rebuilding of fishery resources in Maryland.
We understand that the future of recreational fishing depends on the stewardship effort of the fishing community. In support of this effort we will be donating one dollar from each publication sold to
MARI (The Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative). I had the pleasure of attending the last monthly meeting of MARI and I can personally tell you that we Maryland Angler's are very lucky to have such a smart, dedicated, well-rounded and concerned group of individuals donating their time and passion to this effort.
I was amazed at the coordination and teamwork of this very unique public and private enterprise partnership that makes up the MARI. The success, in a short period of time I should mention, of these artificial reefs as documented by some amazing photos and underwater video is nothing short of spectacular.
I encourage you to make a donation to MARI this year, your money will make a direct impact on the future of sportfishing in our state.
Send us your Intrepid Angler Stories from around Maryland
Check out our new Interactive Boat Ramps Map
Take a look at this very cool interactive map made with Microsoft Virtual Earth
http://www.mdangler.net/boatramps.html
For more information on this map or using this technology contact mike@baileywx.com
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
We hope to be here giving back and trying to make a difference to the angling community for a long time to come.
Copyright© 2009 The Maryland Angler's Network. All rights reserved.
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