Anglers

It's a good thing Russ Hopper broke a leg in three places while fishing two years ago. Because while Hopper sat around for 10 weeks waiting for the broken bone to mend, he hatched the idea for his new book, "Angler Profiles." Before you say "not another fishing book" and start scanning the nearby ads (you can't fool me), hold on. Hopper's book is not another fishing book, at least not in the traditional sense. While he was recuperating, the Kentuckian read all his old outdoors magazines and began wondering what it would be like to swap stories and tips over dinner with some fishing legends.

Armed with an ancient stopwatch and a brand-new hangover that made the glowing numbers on the digital clock seem as piercing as the searchlights at Alcatraz, I picked up the telephone at 4 a.m. New Year's Day and dialed my way into legality. By 4:09, I was a federally registered angler, a process that proved to be less painful than the throbbing inside my brainpan. All it took was remembering who I was, where I lived, when I was born, my phone number and the three states where I hope to fish this year.

Flounder came alive in Ocean City last week. Many of the flounder were too small to keep, "throwbacks" under the legal size limit of 14 inches, but the action was there. The bay party boat Tortuga, out of Bahia Marina, had several morning trips with over 100 flounder caught. The "keeper" to "throwback" ratio was approximately 1 in 5.Anglers found that the high tide produced most of the flounder catches. Two hours before and two hours after high tide is the key time to go fishing. Fishing between the inlet and the U.S. 50 bridge was an excellent area to drift.

If Grant Goldbeck ever stands on the podium and hoists the Bassmaster Classic trophy overhead, he'll have sexy underwear to thank. Contrary to what lots of folks think, cruising the country to fish competitively against other like-minded and like-skilled anglers is an expensive proposition. Unless you consistently finish on the podium at the elite level, prize money won't get you and your bass boat from Alabama to Texas. That's something guys like Goldbeck know only too well. The Maryland native will begin his third season this week fishing the Bassmaster Elite Series, an eight-event competition that every year provides a pipeline to the Classic.

Mud. Thick, gooey, slimy mud. Mud that turned the shoreline of PineyRun Lake into a quagmire. Mud that sucked your boots in right up to the ankles.That's how many participants will remember Saturday's ninth annual Early Bird Fishing Tournament.Rain. A nasty, driving downpour that made anyone without proper rainwear a candidate for pneumonia.But then that's the sort of weather anglers have come to expect from this annual event. Last year, it snowed.Cold. When Roland Brown checked in with his prize-winning trout, his fingers were so numb he hardly could get the fish out ofthe creel.

A friend to fish, a friend of fishermen. That may be the best way to describe Jim Motsko, the founder of the White Marlin Open. Motsko is proud that the largest billfish tournament in the world releases 98 percent of all fish caught during the five-day event. And he's equally proud of saying that the rules governing the White Marlin Open treat everyone the same, from the little guys with small boats to the rich guys with the mega-yachts. The Ocean City businessman must be doing something right.

Recreational fishing is a sport that has no age, social or racial barriers. Wading through a stream with a fly rod, boarding a small boatat a launch ramp, or just walking to the river's edge is something most anglers take for granted.However, when you have physical disabilities, such impediments as curbs and guard rails -- found in some public fishing areas -- often make reaching the water an impossible task.Although state and federal law now mandates handicap access at all new public facilities, access for the physically impaired and elderly sometimes is overlooked in the design of recreational areas.

CHESAPEAKE BEACH - There's nothing like witnessing a good deed or two to restore one's faith in regular folks. On Tuesday morning, about 100 people gathered on the dock at the Rod and Reel marina to do a little fishing and help fill the freezers at the Southern Maryland Food Bank. The "Fishing to Feed the Needy" program began 13 years ago, when members of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association and the Rod & Reel Charter Captains Association decided to combine their talents for charity.

Little is happening on the fishing front, as most anglers find it difficult to leave television sets for meals, let alone any activity not associated with the gulf war.The commercial fishing season continues, with the netters reportedly on their best behavior. As you might expect, these fishermen are under a magnifying glass right now. Any infraction will be reported.So far only one minor incident has come to light: A fisherman caught more than his daily limit and returned the excess fish to the bay.Unfortunately, some of these fish did not survive, but the number was not significant.

The spring season for rockfish often peaks early, as anglers get a shot at the last of the spawners leaving Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This year, with an early opening and cool, wet weather, the fishing has remained steady for nearly two weeks."