Last Fish of the Season

The fishing season for the Chesapeake Bay ends on December 15.  Yesterday, Nikolai and I ventured out for our last fishing expedition on the Bay.

It was 24F when we headed out to sea and I had about five layers of clothes on to keep warm.  In spite of the cold it was a beautiful sunny day with calm seas and hardly any wind.  By mid-afternoon it was positively balmy at about 34F.

There were only a few boats out but we did not hear the usual excited cries from the charter boats when somebody landed a fish.  We blamed the lack of fish on the full moon, a well-known phenomenon which drives both fish and fishermen crazy!

I was "sunning" myself up front, having a soothing Lagunitas Pale Ale, when the only fish still cruising Chesapeake Bay that afternoon took a bite at one of our lures.  He came in without much drama and we netted and decked him with comparative ease.  He was 31.5 inches, a very respectable size for a freezing cold day at full moon (excuses, excuses).

Anyway, it was a fitting end to the season.  Now, it's time for a little natural replenishment.  The fish will have a well-earned Holiday Season and as more rockfish come back in from the ocean there will be a lot of aquatic sex and lots of baby rockfish in the Spring.

Go in peace, ye denizens of the deep.  We'll be back for you in April 2012!