I can remember my first fish as if I had caught it yesterday. It was a small but spirited bluegill from the waters of the Gunpowder River on a simple cane pole. Indeed, a defining moment in the life of a young angler. I haven’t been the same since! Now, sixty years later, that special joy and excitement still fills my spirit every time I see a bobber dip below the water’s surface. To be[...]

Captain Mike Starrett has been guiding anglers on the tidal Potomac River for almost 30 years. He specializes in largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie, the invasive Northern snakehead, and blue catfish, also an invasive species. He and his partner, Captain Dave Snellings, work together, each in their own boat, keeping in touch by VHF marine radio to find fish for their clients. It has been my pleasure to fish with both gents. Saturday, November 16[...]

In addition to the reputation for producing really big blue crabs, the tidal waters around Wye Island also host some very productive fish habitats, ideal for fly fishing. Launching from Wye Landing on the Wye East River, you will quickly find yourself at the eastern end of Wye Island adjacent to Skipton Creek. If you circumnavigated the entire island, you would pass by Pickering, Gross and Lloyd creeks, and Shaw Bay on the south side[...]

In the spring, Maryland’s Chesapeake swells with silver: shad and river herring. Like salmon, these fish are anadromous: the adults run upstream into fresh water to spawn, then return to the Atlantic Ocean to live for the rest of the year. The new generations develop from fertilized eggs suspended in stream currents to swimming fry and then juveniles, feeding and growing over the summer before migrating to the ocean, where they somehow meet the adult[...]

If you tell someone you are headed to a muskrat-centric weekend, they might look at you a little funny. That is, unless they are from the Eastern Shore. In that case, they’ll tell you that you are in for a treat. First things first—what’s the deal with these muskrats, sometimes marketed in the restaurants of yesteryear as “marsh rabbits?” Most folks get them a bit mixed up with beaver, otter, and the like. They are[...]

If you tell someone you are headed to a muskrat-centric weekend, they might look at you a little funny. That is unless they are from the Eastern Shore. In that case, they’ll tell you that you are in for a treat. First things first—what’s the deal with these muskrats, sometimes marketed in the restaurants of yesteryear as “marsh rabbits?” Most folks get them a bit mixed up with beaver, otter, and the like. They are[...]

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[...]