Next Update: May 17, 2006

Guest writers will bring today’s fishing report and next weeks to you from different programs within the Fisheries Service. Each is a fisheries biologist like myself, who has been asked to step up to the plate and try to bring you the best information we can about sport fishing in Maryland. We owe them a debt of gratitude for taking on this extra work in addition to their already full plates and for stepping into the unfamiliar territory of writing. I personally owe them thanks and gratitude to allow me to slip away for a vacation and some fishing adventures of my own. Enjoy the last of the Trophy Season and the beginning of our regular striped bass season; which starts May 16th. Freshwater anglers can look forward to largemouth bass entering their post-spawn phase of activity, trout fishing should continue to be good and I expect to hear great things from surf fishing and wreck fishing in the Ocean City area and perhaps the first reports of croakers when I get back. Aloha, Keith.

Angel Bolinger reporting... As the striped bass trophy season winds down for 2006, several charter captains are optimistic that catches of smaller residents will transition smoothly next week (Tuesday, May 16, 2006) when the minimum size and creel limits change. That optimism stems from reports of breaking fish in the Bay near the Choptank River and throwbacks from trolling. While some people will continue to troll for those fish, others are considering a few chumming test runs this coming week.

Black drum haven’t been caught in our area yet, but reports from neighboring areas indicate that they should arrive soon. Flounder, croaker, and spot fishing were beginning to pick up too. Hickory shad catches are dropping off at Conowingo Dam and Marshyhope Creek. American shad catches were steady at the usual locations.

Trish Kimel Reporting... In the late afternoon on April 17, 2006, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Program at the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory responded to a call regarding a dead whale lodged on the bulbous bow of an 800 foot container ship headed for SeaGirt Marine Terminal in the Patapsco River. Stranding program personnel immediately began the daunting task of developing a plan to retrieve and examine the whale. After the ship docked at the terminal, the whale was pulled off the bow by tugboats with ropes and secured at the dock overnight. Darkness precluded any further efforts that evening. On April 18th the whale was lifted out of the water with a crane, placed on a 40 foot flatbed trailer provided by the Maryland Department of Transportation and hauled to quarantine Road Sanitary Landfill in Baltimore for examination and disposal.

The 36-foot, 8 ½ ton male was identified as a sei whale, an endangered species typically found in offshore waters. A team of biologists, led by MD DNR and the Smithsonian Institution, spent much of the day conducting a necropsy, or animal autopsy, on the whale to determine the cause of death. Initially, it wasn’t clear whether the whale was already dead and floating when the ship struck it, or whether the collision killed it. The necropsy revealed numerous broken bones including ribs, evidence of hemorrhaging, and a blood clot behind the head, suggesting that the animal was alive when struck and died as the result of blunt trauma. NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the case because of the animal’s status as an endangered species, but it is unclear at this point if any charges will be filed by the agency.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between a number of government and private organizations, including MD DNR, the Smithsonian Institution, NOAA Fisheries, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the Maryland Port Administration, the Maryland Department of Transportation, the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Quarantine Road Landfill, McAllister Towing of Baltimore and the Cianbro Crane Corporation.

This weeks fishing quote is brought to us by Pat Brophy who likes to fish for hickory shad in the lower Susquehanna River and a few of its tributaries. Here is Pat’s explanation for this weeks fishing quote. Last Friday I took my 5- year old grandson, Nathan Carey, with me fishing for hickory shad. He's not even in kindergarten yet but he's a great little fisherman. He uses an open faced spinning rod & reel and rarely needs my help and has a great attention span. We were catching one hickory after another and he looks over at me and says

"Grandpa, I've caught so many fish that my hands are out of breath". I think I've got a lifetime fishing buddy.

Don't hesitate to e-mail your recent fishing/crabbing photos and trip information. Send your photos via E-mail by the following Monday in order to be included in the next update. The file should be in .jpg format with the longest side sized at 600 pixels. Please try to keep the file size small, under one megabyte. The photo should clearly depict the angler(s), fish, and ethical handling practices. For information on ethical angling practices please reference the Catch and Release information located at URL: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/articles/catch_release.shtml
Include the following information:

• Date
• Angler(s)
• Hometown(s)
• Photo credit

• Location

• Weight/length of catch

• Bait/lure

Important Note: If anyone in your picture is under 18 years of age, we must have a photo release signed by that person and a parent/guardian before we can post your picture.

Send your photos and information to Keith Lockwood

Until next week,

Tight Lines,

Keith Lockwood
MD DNR Fisheries Service

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