Saltwater Fishing

Bob Dobart has been around. Former Baltimore County policeman. Former B.A.S.S. touring pro. Top regional and local bass fisherman. Entrepreneur behind the popular Bass Expo that has been held each winter at the State Fairgrounds in Timonium for more than a decade.This year, Dobart has expanded his horizons with the Bass Expo, Saltwater Fishing and Fly Fishing Show, which runs from Thursday to next Sunday at the fairgrounds."After 12 years, I just felt the show was getting a little stale," said Dobart, 49. "It was just time for a change, and of course you are always looking to make things different and better."

For saltwater fishermen in the area, Saturday offers a chance to pick up tips from a panel of national and regional experts on inshore and offshore fishing, as Salt Water Sportsman magazine brings its national tour to the Adele H. Stamp Union on the University of Maryland campus in College Park.The seven-hour program is organized and run by TV host Mark Sosin and Salt Water Sportsman editor George Poveromo, but draws heavily on the expertise of captains who regularly fish Maryland waters.

When was the last time you were out fishing or hunting and stopped to ask yourself, "What am I doing wrong?" Admit it: There have been times when you haven't had all the answers.And probably there will be times when you will face another befuddling situation.Over the next several weeks, a number of hunting and fishing shows are on the calendar in our area, and at each there are opportunities to learn more about problematic situations and how to overcome the problems.On Friday, the Bass Expo opens a three-day run at the State Fairgrounds in Timonium, and Bob Dobart, a top regional bass fisherman and a former touring professional, has put together an impressive list of teachers for the schedule of seminars that is free to anyone who purchases a ticket to the show:* David Fritts, who won the B.A.S.

The season of gift-giving is upon us, and the hardest part of the season can be finding a gift for the fisherman, especially the angler who has a good idea of what he wants and where he wants to fish.While the easiest thing to do might be to slip off to a local store and buy a pair of waders or a rod and reel and a stocking full of lures, such purchases may involve an element of risk.If you buy the wrong thing -- say a pair of nylon composite hip waders instead of neoprene chest waders -- you have missed the mark, and at some point down the road, the angler is likely to buy what he wanted, anyway.

You have probably noticed that the salt line finally is working well to the north and west in the Chesapeake Bay above Poplar Island, bringing with it a wider variety of fish -- spot, croaker, skates, a few sea trout and, people keep saying, scattered schools of 1- to 3-pound bluefish.You can smell and feel the salt, you can see skates and sea nettles near the surface, and bottom fishing will turn up small croaker and spot. But the bluefish? Fishing for them continues to be a hit-or-miss proposition.

For some years now, saltwater fly fishing has been on the upswing in the Chesapeake and its tributaries, and next weekend presents a good opportunity for anglers to learn more about deceiving blues and stripers with offshore and surf flies.The event is the National-Capitol Fly Fishing Show, which opens at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Reckord Armory on the University of Maryland campus in College Park.The show will focus on the latest equipment and techniques for saltwater fly fishing as well as the more traditional trout and bass fishing.

Boats serve a variety of purposes, from transportation to racing to merely providing a pleasure platform for an afternoon on the water.But as the 39th Chesapeake Bay Boat Show opens for a nine-day stay at the Baltimore Convention Center and Exhibition Hall, fishing clearly ranks as a primary boating pastime for thousands of Marylanders -- be they largemouth bass chasers in fresh water or rockfish/bluefish stalkers in the Chesapeake and along the Atlantic shore.Fish-minded...

SHOWSThrough March 14: Ward Foundation exhibit of Birds of the Chesapeake, paintings by John W. Taylor in Salisbury. Call the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, (410) 742-4988.Wednesday-Sunday: Greater Philadelphia Sport, Travel and Outdoor Show at the Fort Washington (Pa.) Expo Center. Weekday hours are 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.; show opens at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children under 12. Call (603) 431-4315.Friday-Sunday: Mid-Atlantic Hunting and Fishing Show at Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.