Perch

Dennis, the vagabond hurricane that eventually swept across Maryland as a tropical depression last weekend, apparently had no adverse impact on fishing waters across the state, although the storm's northeast winds reshaped portions of the Atlantic coastline."

Last year is widely accepted as the best fishing season in many years -- so good, in fact, that it might be a tough act to follow.Four state records were set in Chesapeake Bay and nontidal waters, and another two were set along Maryland's Atlantic Coast.In bay waters, croaker were numerous and large, rockfish were plentiful and there were signs flounder and sea trout stocks were improving.In freshwater, the Upper Potomac River continued its recovery from 100-year floods a few years ago, and even the most critical anglers said the smallmouth action again was as good as ever -- and maybe better.

Warren and Deloris Hobbs may have orchestrated the perfect move.Somehow they were able to take a furnished large home in Guilford and fit everything into a one-floor penthouse condominium in the Strathmore Tower Condominium on Park Heights Avenue.Not only have the Hobbses mastered the switch in space, but their furniture looks as if it was hand-picked for their unique perch over Baltimore.A large buffet table occupies a southern window. A set of white Federal sofas accent a sunny living room, a Lalique glass flower sits on an end table.

Over the past several days, the few paths through the snowy woods had become a dozen or so as handfuls of early season anglers made tracks down to the shoreline of Blackwalnut Creek, just east of Annapolis.The word was out: The white perch were in.Blackwalnut is a shallowbackwater with a channel to the bay wide enough only to squeeze through in a canoe or small jon boat. But late each winter, the perch congregate, and the fishermen come down through the woods as they do throughout the tidewater to creeks and streams.

Denny Brauer, a professional bass fisherman from Camdenton, Mo., has won plenty of big tournaments over the past 18 years, and last weekend he was a big winner again, even though he failed to make the cut in the $1 million Forrest Wood Open in Hartford, Conn.Brauer finished 12th in a field of 75 pros. But in the process he won the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Angler of the Year title and a position on a special-edition Wheaties box.Brauer, 49, will be the first pro angler featured on the cereal box, which, through the years, has showcased professional and Olympic stars.

Opening day of the spring turkey season is several weeks away, but many hunters have been in the field across the state, tramping ridge lines and making notations on topographic maps or trusting promising locations to memory.For a lot of turkey hunters, exhaustive and exhausting preseason scouting is an integral part of the sport, a time when one learns much about the animal and its preferred habitat. For others, it simply isn't possible to take time away from work and family to scout the old-fashioned way.MapTech, Inc., has produced TopoScout, a computer program that can bring the hiking, fishing or hunting traditionalist into the 21st century a few years early.

For the past hour, a cooling breeze had been rising from the south-southeast, well-spaced seas had been building and a wall of dark clouds over the western shore of Chesapeake Bay had obscured the sun.With two keeper rockfish in the cooler, it seemed wise to start the 20-minute run back to the dock from Bloody Point Light. Trimmed out at 25 knots, the center console rode easily atop the chop.The late afternoon had been fruitful. Rockfish and a handful of small blues had come readily into the chum line, and after a pair of 22-inch stripers had been put on ice, an hour or so of catch-and-release fishing had been busy.

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.

By midafternoon, the cloud cover had thickened and lowered. The breeze was building from the west-southwest and the day TC was turning uglier. But in the lee of Hacketts Point, hordes of bluefish were swarming near the surface, herding baitfish against the current, and there was time yet for a few more casts before the short run home upwind.The half-inch, silver Kastmaster spoon was making quick work of the 1- to 2-pound blues, with almost every cast bringing in a fish over a 20-minute period.

The paths to the creek are well-worn this time of year, when the white perch are running and a bucket brigade of fishermen are chasing.And even in this broad, shallow Anne Arundel County backwater fed from the Chesapeake Bay by an entrance channel 5 feet wide at high tide, fishermen have been catching white perch and walking out with buckets heavy or stringers full."

I love ice fishing, even though in the eyes of most Maryland anglers that makes me two sandwiches short of a picnic lunch. Ten below, driving snow, nose aglow. Bring it on. But - and this is non-negotiable - the ice under the boots must be substantial. Not Titanic-thick. Four, maybe 5 inches of clean, clear frozen water will do. Years ago, my friends at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department suggested testing ice thickness by using a cordless drill and a long, five-eighths-inch wood auger bit to bore a test hole.

Everyone knows that the Chesapeake Bay is in deep trouble. One of the clearest signs is the state of our fishing industry. There are bans on clamming, serious limits on yellow perch fishing and restrictions on crab harvests so severe that the federal government is spending $10 million to help watermen. This is a far cry from the Chesapeake of 400 years ago, when John Smith wrote about fish "lying so thick with their heads above the water, as for want of nets." Despite today's desperate situation, I am more optimistic than ever about Maryland's fisheries.

SWAN POINT -- A combination of disease and last week's sudden cold snap might have caused the death of about 50,000 white perch in the Potomac River near this Southern Maryland community, state officials said. Thousands of dead perch were heaped along the beach yesterday beside a wall of concrete boulders protecting an upscale subdivision. Scores of seagulls screamed overhead, and flies buzzed over the rotting fish. "It's apocalyptic, seeing so much death all at once," said Mike Roller, field supervisor for an archaeological surveying company, who walked along the littered beach as he returned from a site his firm is examining for home construction.

Piney Run -- Largemouth bass from 17 to 20 inches are dominating the catch. Due to the emerging hydrilla beds, anglers should try plastic worms and drop-shot rigs for the next few weeks, says Jim Gronaw at the park office. Large channel catfish are still being caught at 15 to 20 foot depths; try nightcrawlers, cut baits and chicken livers. The biggest catfish so far came in at 15.88 pounds. Fish worms on the bottom of the lake work for 10- to 12-inch yellow perch. The Lucky 7 Big Catfish Tournament is next Friday from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Thirty-five years ago, in a city coming apart at the seams, they were a loud bleat of music in the middle of the night signaling: Here are your children, gathered in the dark. The club, at Charles and 24th, was called the Bluesette. Comfortably, 25 people fit inside. Intimately, twice that. Routinely, they topped a hundred teenagers in all their energy and disarray and turned away a few hundred more every weekend. Sunday in Hampden, at Frazier's on the Avenue on 36th Street, they'll try to recapture some of the sweetness of that anxious, edgy, sweaty era. Some of the old bands will be there, including Urch Perch and Howdy Duty, local legends in their time.

On March 25, 2004, CHARLES PERCH; loving father of Sophia Perch-Harvey, Rhon Perch Sr., Mark Perch, Fabian Perch, Richard Lawrence and Philbert Harvey. He is also survived by brother Michael Morgan, five grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends. Friends may call at the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue on Friday after 9. Family will receive friends on Saturday at Praise the Lord Ministries, 4820 P. Seton Drive at 10, followed by Funeral Services at 10:30.

The locations Piney Run: Jim Gronaw, park assistant, recommends top-water lures around grass beds. Buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and hard-body lures work best early and late in the day. Fish soft plastic lures in the deeper areas around the grass beds. Prettyboy Reservoir: Duke Nohe of the Maryland Aquatic Resource Coalition says plastic worms are always a good bet on this fishery. Fish are holding 15 to 25 feet deep. Largemouth and smallmouth bass can be caught on pig and jigs, live crawfish and shiners.

The locations Piney Run: Fish for largemouth bass around the growing hydrilla beds. Top-water lures are effective. Big bluegills are being caught 10 feet deep off the points. Use small minnows or wax worms under a bobber. Catfish, in deep water during the day, swim into the shallows later. Chicken livers, live minnows and cut bait have been effective options for these late afternoon feeders. Prettyboy Reservoir: With warm-water temperatures, fish have entered normal summer patterns. Spider jigs, plastic worms and live crawfish have been attracting largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Why should a bird visiting a birdhouse have only one perch? If you want a bird to visit your birdhouse, wouldn't you offer her (or him) a choice of perches? That's what a tree does. And that's what Allen Hicks does when making fanciful birdhouses from rotund gourds and twisty sticks collected on his family farm in Walnut Cove, N.C. Like any custom homemaker, Hicks, who lives in Hampden, strives to provide the birds with "everything they wanted," including perch to-perch capability. Hicks recently sold a "duplex" birdhouse as well, a two-gourd construction for extended avian families.

Fishing report The locations Piney Run: Huge bluegills and jumbo yellow perch are just off the docks near the beaver lodges, waiting for nightcrawlers and red worms, says Jim Gronaw at the park office. Anglers using cut bait and nightcrawlers are catching catfish averaging 3 pounds but ranging up to 7 pounds. Muskies are hitting shiners. Largemouth bass are taking spinnerbaits, plastic worms and crankbaits. The Lunar Lunker Fishing Tournament is today, from 6 p.m. to midnight. Next Friday evening is the Catfish Rodeo Night Fishing Tournament.