You don’t need me to tell you how cold it’s been of late. Ponds, creeks and parts of rivers are locked tight with ice.
The most recent polar vortex squatting on the Chesapeake Bay region may be a godsend to waterfowlers who can keep their impoundments open or hunters hardy (and hopefully safety conscience) enough with the proper gear to venture out on open water to duck hunt. However, the current state of the bay is no bueno for pickerel and panfish anglers.
Understandably, most of us aren’t thinking about warmer weather game fish species like puppy drum or speckled (spotted) seatrout. But these intense, prolonged cold snaps can have dire — and even deadly — effects on many Chesapeake Bay creatures, including popular game fish such as speckled trout.
This week, North Carolina’s Division of Marine Fisheries closed the harvest for both commercial and recreational spotted seatrout harvest until June 15. I reached out to David Sneed, a friend in North Carolina who also heads up the state chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association. He told me that for the past two weeks there have been widespread cold stun events, which are sudden. Severe drops in water temperature, often combined with prolonged periods of cold weather, not only can make fish sluggish but are sometimes lethal.
The Tarheel State, as well as South Carolina and Georgia, have long-term data that indicates that cold stun events can significantly impact spotted seatrout populations. North Carolina officials say they are still receiving and verifying more cold stun reports and collecting associated environmental data.
And they’ll continue to capture as much information as they can to capture the scale of the cold stun events. Why? To assist in their management efforts to protect the stock, basically give surviving fish a chance to spawn before harvest reopens. Peak spawning occurs from May through June.
I reached out to a scientist with Virginia’s marine resources who confirmed that significant cold stun events are possible, even likely. He said Virginia (and I assume Maryland) does not have the capacity to monitor and collect data from cold stun events like our southern neighbors.
So ergo, reports are not as common, to my knowledge, yet to date only a smattering of events have been reported relative to the ones in North Carolina. More importantly, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission does not have the proclamatory authority to issue a closure in a swift manner like North Carolina.
North Carolina took a laudable, if not rare, proactive step to try and protect one its most popular game fish. Here on the Chesapeake Bay, we’re obviously experiencing similar conditions, so that begs the question, are our spotted seatrout exposed to similar fates? Likely, though to what extent it is difficult to gauge, since they also might be more acclimated to colder water in general.
If the fish are suffering from the plunging temperatures over the past few weeks, it might not bode well for the 2025 recreational season for specks in Chesapeake Bay. I’ll lay down a challenge to all you spotted seatrout anglers in the Chesapeake out there: Set a goal of releasing all specks 20 inches and longer in 2025. It’s the least we do to help out a fish that puts a smile on our face when on those sunny summer days.
Sports Fisheries Award
It’s that time of the year when Maryland honors someone in the state’s sport fishing world who has “provided sustained efforts in habitat management, conservation, education, research, or other meaningful contributions that benefit fish and recreational fishing in Maryland.”
Along with the Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission, Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources acknowledges someone who exemplifies conservation, education, and sportsmanship.
Now through the end of January, the department is accepting nominations. The recipient(s) will receive a proclamation signed by the DNR Secretary and chair of the Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission.
Nominations for the 2025 award can be made by completing an online form, which includes submitting a detailed essay describing the nominee’s contributions to Maryland recreational fisheries.
Contact Paul Genovese of DNR Fishing and Boating Services at paul.genovese@maryland.gov or (443) 534-3627 with questions.
Here is a list of past honorees: 2020: Bernard ‘Lefty’ Kreh (posthumous); Dr. Kenneth Lewis; 2021: Joe Brooks (posthumous); Robert Wall; 2022 James ‘Jim’ Gracie (posthumous), Bruno Vasta; 2023: Monty Hawkins; 2024: Dr. Ray Morgan
Calendar
Through Feb. 1: Second split, migratory Canada goose (Atlantic Population). The bag limit is two geese per day.
Through Feb. 28: CCA Maryland “Pickerel Championship.” Register at ccamd.org.
Send outdoors calendar listings and photos to cdollarchesapeake@gmail.com