April 27, 2024

Visit Smith, Tangier Islands Aboard North Star

North Star Trips to Smith Island

The North Star, based out of St. George Island, will now offer trips across the Chesapeake Bay to Smith and Tangier islands.

Soft Crabs in Season: Another World Wonder!

soft crab

It’s soft crab season in the Chesapeake Bay. Learn to identify a crab about to shed into its soft stage and how to prepare one for dinner.

Season Ends … Season Begins – Message From the Captain

The Cap’n writes, as spring engulfs the Chesapeake ……. End of one season and beginning of another…. and also begins meanderings upon “birds of a feather”

Fisheries Update, Plus Crab Scraping at Smith Island

crab scraper

Crab season in the Chesapeake won’t open until April. Video of a crab-scraper working the “flats” around Smith Island gives a good taste of a disappearing life. Southern Maryland waters don’t have the type of aquatic grass needed to acccommodate the harvesting method.

Jelly Fish & Others Winter in the Chesapeake

Jelly Fish & Others bald eagle

Jelly fish, bald eagles, and a raft of ducks spend the winter in the Chesapeake Bay. This and more important seasonal information in this Message from the Cap’n.

Oysters 101: Work ’em, Tong ’em, Shuck ’em

oysters

There’s even a bit at the end of Oysters 101 about their sex life.

Water Temp Falls, ‘Thickens’ Local Creeks

skipjack

The Cap’n harkens back, again, to lore from Clyde Evans, Chesapeake waterman extraordinaire.

Oysters Are In, Rockfish Out, Time to Prep Nets for Spring

rockfish

Message from the Cap’n is a compilation of fishing advice, waterman and weather insights, Chesapeake lore, and ordinary malarkey.

Summer Camp or Summer Adventure?

summer adventure

Squirming, slimy, and wet , hands-on lessons of practical safety and best ecological practices around the shoreline are again available on student charters.

Crabs Crawling Toward Chesapeake Spring

Message from a Cap’n: Oyster season closes on a strong note; osprey, gannets, crabs, and fish announce Chesapeake spring.