Happily moving through the dark, salty and choppy waters of the Chesapeake Bay is a special fish ? a very special fish. You can call him (or her) Diamond Jim, rock, rockfish, striper, dinner, fish fry, tasty, Morone saxatilis, or anything else.
Were I to catch it, I would call it “Lottery” as in “winning the . . .”, since this special fish is worth $25,000 if caught between tomorrow, June 3 and Friday, June 9. Prizes of up to $1 million are possible in this tournament that ends Sept. 4.
“Diamond Jim” is the first of many stripers being released this summer (one per week) by the Department of Natural Resources. Each sports a special tag that ensures the lucky angler a $25,000 bonus at the end of the line and end of the fishing trip. If you have trouble getting out of the house for fishing, this chance for big bucks makes a convincing argument against mowing the lawn instead.
This 29-inch fish was released on May 30 by former Orioles star Boog Powell. Boog and Gov. Ehrlich Jr. are kicking off the tournament today (9 a.m.) in Annapolis. Other tagged fish released statewide promise prizes, but none with the big $$$ of these specially-tagged stripers.
For tournament details, see the Outdoors column of May 2 (www.examiner.com) or DNR Web site, www.dnr.state.md.us/fish4cash/ .
Maryland Natural Resources Police were busy this past Memorial Day with leave cancelled for all 237 officers. Sgt. Ken Turner of the Maryland NRP notes that the weekend was ? fortunately ? relatively quiet on the Bay, where common sense is occasionally as absent as PFD?s that are legally required but sometimes missing from pleasure boats.
Memorial Day is over, but NRP officers are out all summer to keep us safe when boating where center lines, passing lanes and parking shoulders of automobile traffic are noticeably absent. The NRP?s goal for the Bay, said Sgt. Turner, is “to reduce boating accidents and save lives.”
Got a friend who is twisting in the wind about an interest in fishing? Grab him or her and go fishing. Tomorrow and next Saturday (June 10), along with July 4, are “free fishing days” for Maryland tidewater. You don?t need a license to fish the Bay or saltwater ? just follow all other rules. It is a great way to get non-anglers ? painlessly and on-the-cheap ? into fishing. And you might end up with a new best fishing buddy. That would be a sure thing if either of you caught “Lottery”? oops, the $25,000 Diamond Jim.
C. Boyd Pfeiffer is an internationally-known sportsman and award-winning writer on hunting, fishing and the outdoors, and he has more than 20 books to his credit. He can be reached at [email protected].
