Regulars (Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle)

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 9/27/12

I Fish Fall My Way

Sometimes, the fish cooperate

Light was failing fast, and so was I. My umpteenth cast of the evening landed just short of a ragged shoreline edged with marsh grass. The instant my four-inch top-water plug touched the water, I locked the spool down with my thumb and gave the lure a short twitch, creating a seductive gurgle to add to the splash landing. If a big rockfish had been nearby, I was certain it would have attacked the lure. It remained untouched. The water, apparently, was empty, just as it had...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 9/20/12

A Whopper of a Problem

Maryland commercial fishermen owe DNR $3 million

When the watermen’s associations concurred with the legislation passed last May in House Bill 1372, they might not have realized the eventual financial impact it would have on their members. It has proven to be a $3 million whopper. Under that bill, Department of Natural Resources’ costs for administration and enforcement would be paid for by the recreational and commercial fishing sectors, each covering its own area. The recreational sector...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 9/13/12

The Season of Hungry Fish

Saltwater visitors add to the fun

The autumnal equinox is not yet upon us, but fishing patterns are already changing. September 22 marks the date when the length of day and night are briefly equal, 12 hours each of sunlight and dark. Because the earth’s axis is tilted in relation to the sun, the big bright orb will soon be transiting ever lower on the horizon and our days will be getting shorter, the nights longer. This will bring less of the sun’s energy to the northern hemisphere. Thus the...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 9/6/12

September’s Top-Water Bite

Casting into the shallows is my fishing favorite

The conditions were finally right. I was fishing along a tree-lined, rip-rapped shoreline that ran for hundreds of yards just outside the mouth of the Severn. Interrupted only by the occasional stone erosion jetty that eased out underwater every hundred yards or so, this area had proven a hot shallow-water rockfish hunting ground this time of year in the past, especially at first light. Fishfinder While some anglers have located small pods of rockfish feeding up in the rivers or in...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 8/30/12

What’s at the End of the Line?

A big, powerful surprise

The rod tip dipped, then dipped again. Reaching out, my longtime friend Sandy Sempliner eased the rod from its holder. His reel spool then began to turn slowly. Thumbing it lightly, he tried to determine if extra tidal current was providing the force or if a crafty fish down below was making off with his bait. The pull on the line increased, and the spool blurred. Sandy was sure now that something big had his chunk of menhaden. Giving it a half dozen or so additional...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 8/23/12

Fishing for Money

$2.9 million needed for commercial fishing checks and balances

Where’s the money going to come from? Legislation passed this year (House Bill 1372) mandates that Department of Natural Resources’ program management costs for commercial fishing operations be covered by funds generated in that sector. Fishfinder There is no good news on rockfish. When located, stripers are reticent to bite. Trolling is the best method with limits of middling rock possible, plus some bluefish in the 16- to 18-inch range. Croaker...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 8/16/12

Dog Day Exercise

How to lead dogs to water and make them swim

The Dog Days make August a difficult month for canines, especially the sporting variety. Hunting season is just around the corner, but it’s been many weeks since the weather has been cool enough for serious field exercise. Inactivity takes a toll on human-dog cooperation and communication, not to mention their mutual physical conditioning. Water play beats the heat and does the job. The easiest form of training for any dog is masked by the semblance...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by - 8/9/12

A Pox of Marauding Bluefish

You can’t tell a fish not to bite

We had arrived on station at eight that morning with 10 live-lining-size Norfolk spot frisking about in our aerated bait tank. My longtime friend Mike Kelly was in the bow with a short light-casting rod, intent on getting a 5/0 hook just in front of his baitfish’s dorsal. The channel edge off of Podickery had been a rockfish magnet the last two weeks and couldn’t last much longer. Just the day before, sporting anglers and commercial watermen had been fishing hook...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 8/2/12

How Much Fish Is Safe to Eat?

From the Bay, you can enjoy a little more

After yet another great rockfish dinner, I decided to do a little research on past warnings about contaminants in our Bay waters, hence in our striped bass. Checking out the latest Maryland Department of the Environment Updated Fish Consumption Advisory for Maryland, I found great news and a little bad news. Good news first: The most recent testing of Bay rockfish showed a decided decrease in contaminant levels, meaning more rockfish can now be safely...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 7/26/12

Luring Big Bubba

This old dog learned a new trick

I have dedicated a great deal of effort and financial investment in my quest for big perch on artificial lures. Last week I discovered I had been on the wrong track. I experimented with the Super Rooster Tail, Beetle Spins, the Tony Accetta Pet Spoon, small Rat-L-Traps, the Little Cleo spoon, Acme Kastmasters and small Bass Assassins and Finesse minnows in various colors. All can catch white perch. At catching really big perch, 12 inches or over, none...