Bait

SOLOMONS -- Tommy Zinn peers into the glistening Patuxent River, watching his line of chicken necks go by. A crab bites one and Zinn quickly scoops it up in his dip net, dropping it onto a cull bin where about a dozen other blue and red clawed crabs skitter about. It's not great, not by a long shot. But with Memorial Day being just about the biggest weekend for selling and eating crabs, Zinn tries anyway. A days' work gets him just one basket of crabs, which he'll sell for about $100. Minus his fuel and bait costs, Zinn will net about $70. While thousands of families are sitting down with a few cold longnecks and a plate of steamers on a holiday weekend, Maryland's crabbers are feeling pinched.

The screen on Capt. John Motovidlak's chart plotter looked like a 2-year-old's Etch-a-Sketch, a scribble of circles, ovals and squiggly black lines overlaid on the bottom contours of Eastern Bay off Rich Neck.After a windy, wet morning of rockfishing last week, Motovidlak had returned most of his party to the docks in Tilghman and headed his charter boat back out through the narrows to search for black drum, a secretive species with the size and disposition of Bluto and the table manners of Olive Oyl."

Monday, May 10, began much like any other day. I awoke to the sound of the clock-radio at 3 a.m., jumped out of bed and soon the house was filled with the smell of frying bacon and eggs. However, this was not just any other day. It was the day of my first crabbing trip of the year, and I was filled with anticipation of being out on the water and pulling in the first big jimmies of the season.Bundled in coat and hat, since the morning air was still brisk, I set out for the Eastern Shore with my son and godson, heading for my favorite crabbing spot, a shallow creek south of the Bay Bridge.

With the summer heat behind us, September has proved to be a fantastic crabbing month, with catches of up to three bushels in four hours.It is important to take extra bait this time of year as crabs are now extremely aggressive feeders, unlike in previous months, when bait typically lasted half the day, with crabs stripping the meat, but leaving the neck bones intact.On a recent trip, I found myself out of bait by 9: 30, even though I had taken more than 100 necks for thirty traps. At one point, I thought the crabs had to be stealing the bait, retreating to the shallows where they prefer to feed rather than in the open waters with the equipment.

Fishing and boats go together -- but not all boats go with all kinds of fishing, and finding the perfect match can be an interminable struggle or a life-long passion.The United States Powerboat Show in Annapolis Oct. 14-17 is a great place to ease the struggle or refuel the passion.Whether your plans include bottom fishing for perch in a tidal creek or heading offshore to the canyons for billfish, there will be scads of suitable boats on display.Boston Whaler, Pursuit, Grady-White and Legacy Yachts are among the seasoned manufacturers who have new models that should be of interest to inshore and offshore fishermen with upper-middle incomes and too few hours in the day for fishing.

SCIENTISTS at the University of Delaware have made important progress in their search for a synthetic bait to replace the horseshoe crab -- threatened with extinction by commercial fishers who use it to catch eel and conch. And a Maine firm is marketing a substitute made as byproduct of fish processing.Either alternative would be preferable to wiping out the armored arthropod, whose exceptional vision, remarkable internal clock and sensitivity to blood contamination from bacteria make it valuable for human medical research.

EVEN AS THE Northern Hemisphere approaches its shortest day of the year (Dec. 21) and winter begins to grip the East Coast in earnest, one of spring's great exuberances is taking form in the coastal ocean between Maryland and New Jersey.By the hundreds of thousands, perhaps the millions, horseshoe crabs are beginning to mass along the sea bottom for the long, slow crawl into Delaware and Chesapeake bays to spawn.It is a spectacle to behold, especially in Delaware Bay, where up to a million of the ancient, helmeted creatures emerge on the beaches in May and June.

Last August, Missouri angler Dion Hibdon won the closest Bassmasters Classic in history, topping a field of 40 expert fishermen by one ounce in total weight after three days of fishing -- and he did it despite breaking off five fish on the final day.Hibdon is a light-line, finesse fisherman, and line breaks and lost fish are not unusual. Simply, they are the price he is willing to pay to fish the way he wants."Fishing has really gone to strength -- you know, line that will pull a train; big, stiff, strong rods and all," Hibdon said Thursday while in town for the Bass Expo at the State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

Quote: "Salmon takes the bait." -- Chicago White Sox announcer Tom Paciorek, after the Angels' Tim Salmon struck out looking at a called strike.It's a fact: The Red Sox's Mo Vaughn is 0-12 lifetime against the Royals' Hipolito Pichardo. He was 0-for-1 against him with a walk and a run scored yesterday.Who's hot: The Royals' Jose Offerman has hit safely in 36 of his last 39 games.Who's not: The Mariners' Ken Griffey is 2-for-21 (.095) in his career against the Blue Jays' Pat Hentgen.On deck: The Yankees' David Wells tries to win his 16th game, and the Rangers try to stay in the playoff race.

Kids, summer and fishing seem to go together best when there is more catching than waiting, and in Maryland's fresh and tidal waters there are ample opportunities for the former, from panfish above the fall line to spot, croaker and perch in the lower rivers and bay.And in each case, the fishing is simple and the teaching is easy.White perch, spot and croaker are smallish fish, but a foot-long perch or spot or a 14-inch croaker can elicit the wildest squeals of delight from a child handling a light rod for the first time.

Forum on county reaction to H1N1 virus A public forum on the H1N1 virus sponsored by the Anne Arundel County Department of Health will be held 7 p.m. Sept. 14 at Anne Arundel Community College, Cade Building, Room 219. County Executive John R. Leopold will host the forum to update residents about the county's response to the virus. Department of Health and public schools officials will provide information. To register, e-mail CCServices@aacounty.org. Free FluMist vaccine will be offered to all Anne Arundel County Public School students through a partnership with the Anne Arundel County Department of Health Oct. 5 through Oct. 15. Administered to healthy children between the ages of 5 and 11, the nasal spray vaccine contains the live, but attenuated (weakened)

Lead certificate requirement The Anne Arundel County Department of Health reminds parents that all children newly enrolled in county pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade are required to have a lead testing certificate. The certificate ensures that children living in high-risk areas are being tested for lead poisoning, which can cause young children to have difficulty learning, behavioral problems and developmental disabilities. High-risk ZIP codes in Anne Arundel are 20711, 20714, 20764, 20779, 21060, 21061, 21225, 21226, and 21402, because they have a greater proportion of older homes that may contain lead paint.

Lead certificate requirement The Anne Arundel County Department of Health reminds parents that all children newly enrolled in county pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade are required to have a lead testing certificate. The certificate ensures that children living in high-risk areas are being tested for lead poisoning, which can cause young children to have difficulty learning, behavioral problems and developmental disabilities. High-risk ZIP codes in Anne Arundel are 20711, 20714, 20764, 20779, 21060, 21061, 21225, 21226, and 21402, because they have a greater proportion of older homes that may contain lead paint.

Entries sought for Art Bras Challenge The Anne Arundel County Department of Health and the Annapolis Quilt Guild are accepting entries for the fourth annual Cup of the Month Challenge. Contestants will create Art Bras, decorated bras that inspire and support breast cancer awareness, screening and treatment. Entry forms and contest rules are available on the Department of Health Web site, www.aahealth.org. Under Hot Topics, click Cup of the Month Bra Art Challenge. There is no cost to enter, but bras must be submitted by Sept.

Chabad to welcome new Torah scroll In time for the Jewish New Year, Chabad of Anne Arundel County will welcome a new Torah scroll today. The Torah scroll, one of the most sacred objects in Judaism, has roughly 600,000 handwritten letters. With a quill and special mix for ink, a scribe writes the five books of Moses on roughly 54 pieces of parchment, a process that usually takes more than a year. When a scroll is completed, it calls for great celebration in the city where the Torah will reside in its new home, the Holy Ark in the synagogue.

SOLOMONS -- Tommy Zinn peers into the glistening Patuxent River, watching his line of chicken necks go by. A crab bites one and Zinn quickly scoops it up in his dip net, dropping it onto a cull bin where about a dozen other blue and red clawed crabs skitter about. It's not great, not by a long shot. But with Memorial Day being just about the biggest weekend for selling and eating crabs, Zinn tries anyway. A days' work gets him just one basket of crabs, which he'll sell for about $100. Minus his fuel and bait costs, Zinn will net about $70. While thousands of families are sitting down with a few cold longnecks and a plate of steamers on a holiday weekend, Maryland's crabbers are feeling pinched.

Get ready, one's coming," shouted skipper Anthony Melley. In seconds the shark would be feet, or even inches, from the cage in which we were waiting in the cold water. When Melley gave the call, we would hold our breaths, duck under and come face to face with a great white. I was on Shark Fever, a 32-foot catamaran that is part of a growing and controversial industry in South Africa called cage diving. Twelve companies take tourists out for memorable, morning-long encounters with these feared, yet poorly understood, denizens of the deep.

Baseball Mets@ Nationals Where -- RFK Stadium, Washington When -- Tonight and tomorrow 7:05 p.m.; Sun. 1:05 What for -- First and worst in the NL East; Frank Robinson's likely farewell as Nationals manager. Online -- nationals.mlb.com Running Catonsville Fall Into Fitness 5K Where -- Matthew's 1600, 1600 Frederick Road, Catonsville When -- Tomorrow 7 a.m. registration; 8 a.m. start What for -- Proceeds go to the St. Agnes Foundation, the St. Agnes Lung Cancer Center and the Strong Kids!

Outreach Center lists activities Baltimore Washington Medical Center will offer the following activities at its Arundel Mills Outreach Center between Dave and Buster's and entrance No. 4: Tomorrow, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., blood pressure and lung-capacity screenings. Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., computerized back and neck screenings. Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., blood pressure screenings. Sept. 28, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., foot screenings. Information: 410-787-4367. Hospital offers Sept. activities Baltimore Washington Medical Center will offer the following activities this month: Today, 4 p.m., Joint School.

As soon as Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden made the announcement late at night during the final full evening of baseball's December meetings in Dallas, the snickers started. There's Trader Jim making a splash for the purpose of making a splash. The snickers grew into full-blown laughter a few days later when Alfonso Soriano, the superstar Bowden had just traded three players for, said he didn't want to move from second base to the outfield. It was a legitimate problem because the Nationals already had an established second baseman in Jose Vidro, whose hefty contract made him an unlikely trade chip and whose beaten knees made it impossible for him to play anywhere else.