Spring is here and there is no better time to get away with friends and family for a little outdoor activity. To help you with planning, we suggest the following Maryland State Park or park-owned land for a great camping and fishing experience. There are plenty of more options, but these will help to provide some inspiration to get outdoors. Each park offers its own unique opportunities, ideal for experiencing the thrill of the catch[...]

With the summer months just around the corner, one thing on most deer hunters’ minds, other than how soon they can get back in their tree stand, is the buck that slipped out of bow range or the one just across the fence line during gun season. Never mind the hardships and anticipation of deer hunting, here are some activities to pass the time that might help make you become a better deer hunter for[...]

Tuna are some of the biggest, most powerful, most exciting fish in the ocean — and if you’re fishing off the coast of Maryland, there’s a good chance you’ll find those tunas far offshore at the canyons. There are five Mid-Atlantic canyons within range of many of the sportfishing boats running from Maryland: Wilmington Canyon to the far north, then Baltimore Canyon, Poorman’s Canyon, Washington Canyon, and finally Norfolk Canyon to the far south. The[...]

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[...]

It’s hard to imagine somewhere more quintessentially Maryland than the lower Eastern Shore. Deeply connected to both its past and a sense of place, it’s the source of most of our iconic blue crabs, the home of our remaining skipjacks and the center of some of the region’s last working maritime communities. It’s also a place where the land and water are so intertwined, it’s hard to know where one starts and the other begins[...]

Now I could use this article to cite numerous data on how being in the woods lowers your blood pressure, reduces stress, triggers endorphins, improves sleep, and boosts your immune system. But you don’t need data. You need to head out, set up a tent, grab your fishing gear, head out to the closest body of water, and see what’s biting. After the third breath, you’ll feel like a kid again making your first cast[...]

Maryland’s Eastern Shore is well known for its beaches, goose hunting and white marlin , but it’s also a hotspot for white-tailed deer and a haven for the elusive Sika deer . With deer season in full swing, here are the Eastern Shore’s top public lands for deer hunting. The Chesapeake Forest With more than 30 different tracts of land scattered over the lower Eastern Shore, the Chesapeake Forest offers an abundance of deer hunting[...]

The popularity of snakehead fishing has been growing by leaps and bounds, and as this invasive intruder has expanded its presence in Maryland’s waterways in recent years people have begun flocking to the state from all across the region to get in on the action. Just about everyone in search of an explosive snakehead strike and the shockingly good fresh fish meal that follows has the same question: where can snakeheads be found? The bottom-line[...]

Central Tochterman’s Tackle, at 1925 Eastern Avenue in Baltimore City is the oldest family-owned tackle shop not only in the central region but in the country. Thomas G. Tochterman, Sr. opened the store in February 1916 and they are still at the same address. Originally, Mr. Tochterman sold confections, but soon started selling soft crabs and peelers to local anglers to use for bait. Before long he added bamboo fishing poles and started making cork[...]