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[...]

Depending on who you talk to, some may say the Waterfowl Festival (November 9 th, 10 th, and 11 th) in Easton, Maryland is for fine art, while others will tell you it’s the best place to learn about traditional Eastern Shore heritage, and a hunting buddy might tell you it’s the place to pick up the latest and greatest hunting gear. It truly does have something for everyone and is a great fall weekend[...]

My name is Vicky Mullaney, and life for me is uncommon. I am the chef and lodge manager at The Lodge at Black Pearl, an 870-acre farm and private hunting preserve in Dorchester County, Maryland. I am the mother of five and grandmother of three. I’ve developed an unconventional skill set over the last 30 years. I am a huntress. I can cast a fly rod and butcher a deer. I grow oysters and help[...]

If there is one fish that has antifreeze for blood, it is the chain pickerel. I have caught them along ice edges using the ice as an ambush source. Cold weather in Maryland from late October to late May is pickerel time. The pickerel can be found in many brackish waters as well as ponds and lakes. The aggression of these fish is what most pickerel fishermen like about them. This is the perfect fish[...]

A multitude of species migrate in and out of the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay throughout the year, and there's nothing I anticipate more than the return of redfish. Also known as red drum, channel bass, spottail bass, or simply reds, this popular game fish is celebrated for its distinctive flavor and challenging fight. Renowned for their beauty, redfish fight fiercely and taste so good that if we didn’t regulate them, there probably wouldn’t[...]

Lately I’m spending a lot more time fishing the non-tidal streams or floating the millponds in search of my favorite and most familiar species: crappie, sunfish, and perch. Affectionately called “panfish” since they’re small and delicious, these species share a special place in the hearts of anglers because they’re likely the first fish we caught. It might have been on a nearby riverside while dangling a redworm from a cane pole, or maybe it was[...]

As the first in the Nation, Maryland’s Fly Fishing Trail provides everyone with opportunities to experience fly fishing across the state. With two Trail sites located in each of Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City, there are no shortage of options when it comes to fly fishing. Each Trail site has been selected to provide a unique fly fishing experience. You’ll find as diverse a range of species—from native brook trout in small Western Maryland[...]

As you can imagine, when a fish has a name like “northern snakehead,” there are going to be things about them that are good, bad, and ugly… but luckily, they’re also tasty. In Maryland, the love-hate relationship is so strong, there’s even a highly anticipated tournament series for them. About the Northern Snakehead First, the bad and ugly – what is a snakehead? As an invasive species in the Maryland area, the northern snakehead first[...]