Photo Credit Kevin Josenhans
Red drum are just getting started on the eastern shore of Virginia. Rob McColligan managed to boat this 50-inch beauty after one heck of a battle near Fisherman’s Island. The big bull managed to get in the current between the breakers and almost spooled Rob before he managed to turn him. Shallow water drum fishing can’t be beat!
Photo Credit Ron Long
High, muddy water persists.
Due to the latest rains I have canceled the remainder of this weeks trips. However, I am going to give it one last shot next Wed – Fri. I have added three days because all of the fish that have been caught in between the downpours have been fairly nice sized fish (5-30#). I currently have one full day open and that is next Wed, April 23. I can fish 4, 6 or 8 hours. Morning or evening. I’m hoping for the best next week because there are some big fish around and the water should clear by then. If interested, I’m filling this on a first come, first serve basis. Please call ASAP if interested.
Some kind of winter huh! I’m sitting here looking out my window at the latest five-inch snowfall. They say it will reach 68 degrees day-after-tomorrow. We’ll see.. But this is a fishing not a weather report, so back to the good stuff. I have found the time and conditions to do a little perch and crappie fishing on the Nanticoke and Pocomoke rivers. Catching is good all things considered. My latest trip was with the Matt Parks family. Fishing this day with Matt was his lovely wife Rainey, and their two enthusiastic boys Wyatt and August. The weather started out a little cool but the white perch soon warmed us up. This was my first day hitting the bigger roe perch and the boys had a blast pulling in the fat perch, with a few over eleven inches. Needless to say, I think the young fishermen are hooked on fishing.
August and Wyatt show off a fat Nanticoke white perch after a joint effort
Recently, there was a motion made by the Maryland Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission to explore the possibility of allowing the harvest of one trophy red drum (greater than 27 inches) per angler. Personally, I am against any such regulation being enacted. The Chesapeake Bay has seen a tremendous resurgence in the red drum fishery in recent years and I believe this is a direct result of the current slot limit (18 to 27 inches) and the protection of the large drum. States from Maryland to Florida have similar limits.
If you would like to read more about the proposal, including reactions from Maryland DNR and CCA Maryland please click on the links below. The last link will take you to the SFAC website where you can voice your opinion to various SFAC members. An email to Chairman William Goldsborough would probably garner the most attention.
Lefty Kreh’s TieFest 2014 is scheduled for Saturday, March 8 at the Prospect Bay Country Club in Grasonville, MD. Show hours are 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. I’ll have a table there and I hope to see you at this great event! For additional information click on the link below.
The January Newsletter is hot off the press. Take a look by clicking on the link below. It’s FREE to subscribe.
How about a chance for some FREE tickets to the Progressive Baltimore Boat Show at the Baltimore Convention Center running from January 23 – 26. The first two calls or texts to my cell at 443-783-3271 will receive up to 4 FREE tickets per caller. While you’re there, stop by and say hi to my friends at Gootee’s Marine, who are, at this very moment, installing a brand new Yamaha F150 4-stroke onto the transom of my Jones Brothers Cape Fisherman 20. Be sure to check out Gootee’s complete line of 2014 Yamaha Outboards.
Here is a link to the Boat Show
And here is some additional information direct from the good people who are sponsoring the show:
“Progressive Insurance Baltimore Boat Show Docks at Baltimore Convention Center – January 23-26, 2014
Annual Boat Show Celebrates 60 Years with “Swamp People,” On-Water Fun, and Best in Boating
Baltimore – October 10, 2013– As Mid-Atlantic families brace for frigid forecasts, the 2014 Progressive Insurance Baltimore Boat Show, celebrating its 60th anniversary,transforms the Baltimore Convention Center at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor into a boater’s paradise Thursday-Sunday, January 23-26.
Visitors to the city’s favorite boating event can climb aboard and compare hundreds of boats for all budgets and lifestyles, from luxury cruisers and fishing boats to family runabouts and pontoons, and take advantage of some of the best deals of the year from the region’s leading dealers, plus shop the latest gizmos and gadgets for life on (and near) the water.
There is more to the boat show than boats! Highlights of this year’s show include appearances by the History Channel’s hit TV show, Swamp People, R.J. and Jay Paul Molinere, Fred’s Shed offering dozens of helpful seminars for the DIY boater, a boating simulator, and—new for this year—a chance for visitor’s to get their feet wet in a 50 foot for hands-on fly fishing practice, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding. The Kids’ Zone features daily activities for the smallest sailors and boaters.
When: Thursday, January 23 through Sunday, January 26 2013
Where: Baltimore Convention Center
One West Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Hours: Thursday, January 23 11:00am–9:00pm
Friday, January 24 11:00am–9:00pm
Saturday, January 25 10:00am–9:00pm
Sunday, January 26 10:00am–5:00pm
Tickets: $12 for adults; FREE for children 15 and under (when accompanied by an adult)
Advance tickets can be purchased at BaltimoreBoatShow.com.
Phone: 410-224-7633
Web: For tickets, show news, discounts and giveaways, visit BaltimoreBoatShow.com.
Be a part of the boat show conversation – become a fan on Facebook and follow the show on Twitter.”
Check out my newly revised e-newsletter by clicking this link. If you would like to sign up there is a link located at the bottom of the page.
Believe it or not, I am already receiving calls about the 2014 Susquehanna Flats Catch & Release Striped Bass Season. For those of you who have yet to fish the flats with me, I keep my Jones Brothers Cape Fisherman docked at the Havre de Grace City Yacht Basin for several weeks each April. If you have fished the flats, you also know that the fishing can be like Forrest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates – “you never know what you’re gonna get.” This past spring we experienced a handful of days (five to be exact) of some of the hottest fishing the flats can provide. Rockfish up to 43-inches provided consistent action in water no deeper than six-feet, exciting light-tackle fishing to say the least. Then we had an early spawn and the stripers vacated the flats for over a week, and never really returned in numbers. The remainder of the season was spent working really skinny water, casting to several pods of trophy stripers that ventured back onto the flats post-spawn. This can be exciting fishing, especially during low-light periods when the large rockfish would crash a surface popper. There were several days where we did more fishing than catching, but that chance at a real trophy on light tackle kept people’s interest. That said, you can book your trip today with the assurance that should the rockfish decide to play hard-to-get, I will inform you ahead of time so you can decide for yourself if you wish to roll-the-dice. When making your decision, be mindful of the fact that the fishing can get hot with each new tide. Drop me an email at KJosenhans@aol.com or give me a call at 443-783-3271 if you would like to get in on some shallow water striper fishing.
December thru March will find me fishing for pickerel, perch, crappie and bass on the Pocomoke River of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. I have even entered CCA’s 3rd Annual Pickerel Championship. We have some big pickerel swimming the dark waters of the Pocomoke and I hope to catch a few. In addition to a scenic, sheltered fishing locale, you will experience countless numbers of local and migratory shorebirds and wild waterfowl. Contact me for more information on winter fishing this beautiful river.
Josenhans Fly Fishing Blog 