Fishing Slows, Soon to Halt for Weather
Message from the Cap’n is a compilation of fishing advice, waterman and weather insights, Chesapeake lore, and ordinary malarkey.
Or, as the Cap’n puts it
News from the folks who keep their feet wet in the Potomac and St. Mary’s
With this frigid weather all the creatures around the Potomac and St. Mary’s rivers are really hunkering down.
The Pound-netters are busy cleaning and cutting poles for the 2016 season. Nets have to be repaired and dipped in anti-fouling paint to be ready for the spring season. Some netters also oyster to supplement their income during the winter months.
The oyster season, being weather dependent, is slowly grinding to a halt in this cold blustery weather. The snow this weekend will really drop the water temperature. Water temperature was 43° F measured earlier this week, but dropped fast. A sheen of ice lingers on Island Creek.
We can expect many of our creeks and bays to freeze, shutting down the industry for a spell. Also we can expect a certain amount of “winter kill”in the oyster population due to stress of the cold water conditions. The blisters or toad eggs that are covering the bottom around the oyster bars will soon die because they cannot tolerate the drop in water temperature.
The blue crabs as per our last message have buried for the winter as the water temperature is now 37° F. Just last week it was 43°F. The colder the winter, the deeper they bury. Come spring, we first have a “run” of male crabs in our area. Male crabs seek fresher water than the female in the summer time and they go all the way to the Woodrow Wilson bridge in the Potomac River. These males migrate back down the Potomac in October and November, burying in the mud as the temperature dictates.
The Diamondback Terrapins have gone to the shallows and buried in the mud or gone under the marsh overhangs, hibernating till the warmth of spring. Their metabolism slows significantly, allowing them to remain submerged while taking in dissolved oxygen through their body openings. They also will get active when the water temperature reaches the 50°F threshold.
Diamondback Terrapin by Martin Kas. Some rights reserved.
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Waterman lore: Three extremely low tides in a row predict “falling weather”
Remember: “It’s Our Bay, Let’s Pass It On”
Till next time,
Capt Jack
Between the low winter tides and the sustained winds of the coming storm we can expect lower-than-normal water levels in the next few days. Folks with oyster cages should make sure they’re deep enough not to be exposed in the sub freezing weather or the oysters will die, as many of ours did last winter. Best to do it now, before the snow piles up on our docks!