As we all try to practice social distance to stay healthy, it’s a great time to get outside and spend a day fishing. Surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and filled with rivers, ponds and reservoirs, Maryland is full of opportunities to make a catch, including the invasive and tasty blue catfish. Ten to 12 years ago Maryland anglers were just getting on a roll with big, barrel-chested blue catfish that were[...]
I’ll never forget the very first chain pickerel I ever caught. I was fishing during late fall on the Patuxent River and it came as a surprise catch. Long, sleek, with chain-link markings and a mouthful of teeth, I knew what it was even at the age of 15. That was several decades ago. But I had enough of a taste to know that I wanted more of this leaping, slashing “mini-pike” in my angling[...]
My rod hadn’t been in the water for five minutes when the tip bounced a few times then pegged over in a heavy arc as a bulky blue catfish tried to rip it from the rod-holder. As I wrestled the outfit from the holder, line was peeling out at a steady pace. Steady give-and-take pressure ensued and eventually my friend Alvie scooped up the big whisker-fish with his oversized net. As the yard-long beast gyrated[...]