April 23, 2022
Just how much can you learn with modern electronics, like a Furuno NavNet system with DFF3D capabilities? The scans tell the story. Off the middle of Assateague Island about 4.1 miles out, look for a…
January 18, 2022
My father taught me how to fish, my Uncle Jimmy taught me to love fishing but always had old boats that were somewhat less than reliable, which led to many adventures on the water including the time …
January 2, 2022
A common theme from commercial fishermen during the research phase of a 1990s national study of fishing vessel safety was, “We don’t go far offshore, so we don’t need new safety requirements.” Wrong…
October 25, 2021
Nautical charts from the late 1990s show a large circular fish haven about 12 miles east of Rudee Inlet… yet there’s none charted there today. Why wasn’t this reef folded into the Virginia Marine…
October 10, 2021
Wrecks are artificial reef sites that attract fish — period — and there are plenty of Chesapeake Bay reefs as well as many found off the coast. Sure, some sites are better than others and which are…
October 4, 2021
Many vessels disappeared without a trace during the days of sail, often as it turns out not far from shore, adding to their tragedy. The existence of one such “unknown” sailing vessel off Ocean City…
August 13, 2021
When searching for tautog, sea bass, and triggerfish off the southern DelMarVa Peninsula, Parramore Reef is one of your prime fishing destinations. Located on Parramore Banks, this circular fish…
June 18, 2021
In early 2020, Wolf Trap Lighthouse was listed for sale (again). Want to own a lighthouse? Located off Horn Harbor, Wolf Trap Lighthouse is named for Wolf Trap Shoal. The shoal was named for H.M.S.…
April 25, 2021
The sky was clear and visibility unlimited on a dark October night in 1978, when the Coast Guard Cutter Cuyahoga was lost in the Chesapeake Bay’s main stem off Smith Point. The 51-year-old, 125-foot-…
March 2, 2021
When trying to find specific Chesapeake Bay fishing reef structure, it’s best to know where to look or else count on spending a lot of time playing hunt and find. I knew the gravesite of the ironclad…
January 12, 2021
Rigging for tautog can make the difference between success and and empty cooler, and if you want to take home some big tautog for a fresh winter fish dinner, a snafu rig should be in your arsenal. …
January 6, 2021
Unless you're talking about a fishing destination or “rocks” as in rockfish when you start trolling for spring stripers in a few months, you generally don't want to hear "rocks ahead" when you're…
February 10, 2020
Step aboard a boat full of tautog sharpies, drop your rig to bottom, and start bouncing the weight up and down. Know what happens next? Everyone aboard will point at you and laugh. What gives? Unlike…
June 9, 2019
Drifting behind the stern of American Mariner during a charter, we watched a school of bay anchovies chased by Spanish mackerel scatter along the surface. Off to our left below the surface were the…
January 16, 2019
If you want to score on true doormat flounder next summer, the best places to head are often the wrecks and reefs between 15 and 25 miles out off the coast. But fishing these deepwater spots for…
July 9, 2018
The next time you go wreck or reef fishing out of Indian River, Ocean City, Virginia Beach, or any other Mid-Atlantic port for sea bass or flounder at one of the many inshore sites, don’t forget that…