Upper Bay

The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once said that all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Schopenhauer's views could be applied to almost any issue that is currently being debated, but it seems one of the most useful times is during discussions of any environmental problem. Just listen to conversations about global warming. The truth behind Schopenhauer's model was brought home on a local level during a recent presentation to a group about the problems of silt behind the Conowingo Dam. One man in the back of the room was quietly polite but obviously anxious to say something.

As mid-June approaches, crabbers have been encouraged by reports of good catches for this time of year. On June 8, instead of joining my friend who caught 1 1/2 bushels in Shipping Creek, I chose to crab the upper Chesapeake, as many readers requested a report for this area.Somewhat disappointed, I caught only three crabs using 20 traps in 7 to 8 feet of water on the western side of Hart/Miller Island, and no crabs in the Gunpowder River in front of the state park. I'm expecting the upper bay to become more productive later in the summer and will keep readers updated.

The wind was freshening from the southeast as we ducked in behind Carroll Island at midday recently. The morning had been entertaining, if not frantic, with a half-dozen 1- to 3-pound largemouth bass boated and released over a three-hour period.But with the wind rising, the tin boat was becoming uncomfortable and in the lee of the low island shorelines there was a respite from the swell and the possibility of more good fishing.Early last month, the Department of Natural Resources released the results of creel surveys and population estimates for the tidal freshwater areas of the upper Chesapeake Bay -- and its findings showed a 32 percent increase in the largemouth bass population since 1988.

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.

Over the next several weeks, upper Chesapeake Bay anglers could experience very good rockfish action as water temperatures rise and large stripers complete an unusually protracted spawn.According to Department of Natural Resources statistics, the best rockfish locations in late June the last two years have been the mouth of the Chester River and Belvedere Shoal just north of the Bay Bridge.However, this year DNR Fisheries Service biologist Martin L. Gary said an "unusual number of large, ripe males" were weighed in at the Rock Hall Tournament last weekend.

The 14-member crew of the Clipper City sailed out of the Inner Harbor at midnight recently en route to Havre de Grace, where the schooner picked up a group of Harford County senior citizens and took them on a tour of the upper Chesapeake Bay.The majestic topsail ship arrived at the Frank J. Hutchins Memorial Park on the Susquehanna River, where about 140 seniors were waiting at the pier to embark on a three-hour cruise along the quiet shoreline.The Harford County Office on Aging chartered the 158-foot vessel last month for its third annual Senior Sail -- a popular social and recreational event for adults ages 60 and older.

WHILE THIS is prime vacation season, not everyone has abandoned Pasadena.The Pasadena Sportfishing Group will have its monthly meeting at 7: 30 p.m. Monday at the Orchard Beach fire hall on Solley Road.Bill Burton, Maryland Gazette outdoors columnist, will share tips and techniques for catching fish in the upper Chesapeake Bay.Burton "is very popular and knows the hot spots for fishing," said club spokesman Dave Nolan.Also, "the knife man" from B&B Knives will be there to sharpen knives in front of the fire hall.

The weather this spring has had many upper bay fishermen wondering where the rockfish went, as cool, wet conditions kept water temperatures unseasonably low and larger fish off the bite.With daytime temperatures regularly in the 80s now, rockfish action is heating up from the Susquehanna River to the Bay Bridge. In the Susquehanna, some of the best action has been on poppers or live-lined perch. But in the bay proper, it has been hard to beat chumming for the past week or so.Earlier this spring, while the post-spawn runs of rockfish were heavy out of the rivers on the lower Eastern Shore, DNR biologists reported that the upper bay stripers had yet to spawn in great numbers.