Cap’n Jack Gets Fishing Tips from Cap’n Orem
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.
Here are some tidbits for fishermen in the Chesapeake. We can all use some help. And this comes from experience, from 100-year-old Cap’n Orem Hammett who a unique outlook from fishing over his years.
****Patience is a virtue*******
****Be quiet, as fish have good hearing****
****Know what the tide is doing: rising or falling***
****The wind is very important when fishing****
****Fish have a keen sense of smell. Wash your hands well or wear gloves. This is an absolute MUST: no gas, diesel, or aftershave smell.****
Cap’n Orem Hammett in bygone days.
****Use bait that will stay on the hook. Cap’n Oren prefers squid as it is tough and will stay put. He takes many pains in preparing his bait for use.****
In honor of Captain Orem Hammett
by Cap’n Jack
He’s fished a lot in his hundred years
Trolling and bottom fishing with his peers
A very particular captain with his boat Mary Ann just so
And you got to clean up your act if you want to go
The moon tells him that the tide is high or low
He follows the arc across the sky and should know
Whether to fish right away
Or wait for another day
The South East star is his delight
In shining bright up to daylight.
South East star is important by far
In leading him to the oyster bar
The moon controls what he know
A bright full moon says not to go
As fish feed all night then in the Bay
Dark nights make for a more productive day
Flood tide causes fish to bite well
Ebb tide makes it disgusting as hell
Do wear gloves when baiting your rig
fish are particular when biting the jig
Cap’n Jack in bygone days.
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.
My dad is a friend of Cap’n Hammett, and 50 years ago when I was a boy we fished with him 10 times or so. We never failed to come home with a cooler full of big blues or hardhead. He spoke quietly but it was worth leaning in to hear.