Boats Are High, Creek Is Low
Oyster boats docked just inside the mouth of Island Creek on St. George Island get trapped on the bottom after a series of low tides. (Photo by Jack Russell)
The Cap’n
Message from the Cap’n is a compilation of fishing advice, waterman and weather insights, Chesapeake lore, and ordinary malarkey from the folks who keep their feet wet in the Potomac and St. Mary’s rivers.
A perfect storm brewed in Southern Maryland the first week of 2025.
Strong northwest winds blew for much of the week, ushering in the new year by pushing the tide down in the Chesapeake Bay. Then a snow clipper passed through the region Friday evening. Gale force winds then ushered the system out over the Atlantic.
Meanwhile, the fishing boats were finding less and less water beneath their hulls. By Friday morning, boats in Island Creek were stuck in the mud on the bottom, unable to reach the mouth of the creek, which soon became so shallow to be impassable as well.
Then the old adage that three extremely low tides will bring “falling weather” rang true.
The anticipated Sunday/Monday snowfall forecast and the call for very cold air for our area to follow will cause more problems for the fishing boats. Snow in the water in the inlet where these boats are moored will freeze in a flash because the water is very shallow. Some of these boats that draw about 3 feet to navigate, may become trapped in the ice. Flood tide is very lazy after these northwest gales.
Oysters will also freeze if exposed to frigid weather for a long period of time. Freezing breaks the adductor muscle from the shell, killing the oyster. The adductor muscle runs through the oyster connecting the top and bottom shell together. It is the only point of attachment between the oyster and its shell, explains Hama Hama Oyster.
Photo from Hama Hama Oyster Company’s website.
When the water temperature is very cold there is a certain amount of “winter kill” that occurs after the oyster bars have been worked hard, resulting in chipping some of the shells and in some cases punching holes in them.
Such is the luck and nature of the oyster business.
Observations after a freeze in previous Messages from the Cap’n include nippering around the shoreline, which is always good because the ice pull the oysters out of the bottom. Other sea creatures help as well. Migratory ducks, when looking for food, turn the oysters over on the bottom for the delicacies under them.
Swans, geese, muskrats, raccoons, and otters also move oysters around on the bottom looking for food year-round. More on them in a future message.
The Interpretive Buoy System offers a full range of up-to-date seawater statistics.
Till next time, remember “It’s Our Bay, Let’s Pass It On.”
To learn about tours and trips into the Chesapeake, keep in touch with Fins + Claws on Facebook. Catch up on Messages from the Cap’n Member Page. Please visit Cap’n Jack’s lore and share with your social media sites. Or reach him here: [email protected] or 240-434-1385.
