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Weather (Click Here)
Before you hit the trails or set up camp, make sure to take a second glance at the weather for this weekend!
Today's Moon Phase according to NASA (Click Here)
Waxing Gibbous: "The Moon continues to wax. Once more than half of the disc is illuminated, it has a shape we call gibbous. The gibbous Moon appears to grow fatter each night."
Mountain Bike Trail (Click Here)
Schaeffer Farm Trail System
Schaeffer Farm is the hub of a trail system unique in Maryland. The trails at Seneca Creek State Park provide the backbone of a network that extends into most of the upcounty area. Configured in a series of loops, you can enjoy as few as four miles or go for an all-day adventure. It is possible to do a trail loop stretching 60 miles or more when you leave the trailhead. Linking the Seneca, Muddy Branch, and Potomac watersheds, visitors can journey from Schaeffer to Damascus to the Potomac and back.
One of these larger loops has been recognized by the International Mountain Bicycling Association as one of the best and most important routes in the country.
Maryland Fishing Report - August 13th, Composed by Lyndsie Pratt (Click Here)
Rockfish: The best rockfish bite continues to be north of the bridge at classic locations such as Hodges Bar, Love Point and Podickory Point. Live-Lining seems to be the most productive, but jigging will work too. The fish are mostly all suspended, so do not use weight on your live spot. You also do not need a very heavy jig head, 1/2 oz work well! The Bay Bridge pilings are also holding nice fish. Soft Crab or Peeler Crab will be the way to go there!!
The western shore rivers such as the Magothy and the Severn are also doing very well right now, especially on topwater in the early morning or evening!
White Perch: We have been catching a ton of white perch in the rivers, mostly on spinners and razor clams, but if you are fishing the White Perch Open this weekend and really want to target big perch, we’d recommend soft crab in deeper water around any kind of structure such as the bridge pilings or any of the light houses!
Crabbing: While there are mixed reports about crabbing right now, our staff has actually been catching a lot (up to a bushel in a couple of hours) of BIG crabs in the Western Shore rivers. We are finding that pull pots are working better than trotlines right now, and that chicken necks seem to be outperforming razor clams. Most of the crabs have been caught in 7-8 feet of water. It can definitely be hit or miss, so don’t be afraid to move! The crabs are definitely there and moving just 1/4 of a mile up, down or across river can make a big difference.
Mackerel and Bluefish: Further south in the bay, we’re still getting good reports of mackerel and bluefish breaking under birds. We’re seeing Mackerel as far north as Poplar island right now, with Bluefish coming up even further. Find breaking fish and birds and cast rain minnows, epoxy jigs or colt snipers. If you can’t find breaking fish but know that birds and bait are in the area, it’s a good time to break out the trolling rods! Use 00-1 size spoons on #1 or #2 planers.
Redfish: We’ve actually heard a few different reports of bull reds being caught as far north as Poplar Island! Tilghman Island and the mouth of the Choptank are definitely areas where you might be able to find them without running too far south. Look swirls in the water, chum slicks and a distinct fishy smell. You can also find them by looking for BIG marks on your fish finder. Drop a 1.5 oz bucktail with a 7-8inch scented jerk shad and jig them up!
Cobia: Cobia are further south from Solomons down to Point Lookout. You can chum for them, drift live eels, troll surgical tubes on inline planers, or just sight cast. Keep one of those bucktails rigged up with a 7-8 inch jerk shad on the boat for when you spot one!
Flounder: The exciting talk around the shop has really been about all of the baby flounder that we have been catching! Around the bay bridge, in the Severn and in the Magothy! While we haven’t tried it yet, we suspect that if you tried bottom bouncing gulp around Thomas Point, you might be able to get a keeper!
This Weekend's Tide Predictions (Click Here)
Keep an eye on this weekend’s tide schedule. These are the predicted tides for the Western Shore of the Chesapeake from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Wednesday 8/18:
Low tide starting at 9:30 a.m. and again at 7:46 p.m.
High tide starting at 2:06 a.m. and again at 2:01 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:22 a.m.
Sunset: 7:57 p.m.
Thursday 8/19:
Low tide starting at 10:24 a.m. and again at 8:53 p.m.
High tide starting at 3:07 a.m. and again at 3:07 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:23 a.m.
Sunset: 7:55 p.m.
Friday 8/20:
Low tide starting at 11:12 a.m. and again at 9:58 p.m.
High tide starting at 4:06 a.m. and again at 4:08 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:24 a.m.
Sunset: 7:54 p.m.
Saturday 8/21:
Low tide starting at 11:56 a.m. and again at 10:59 p.m.
High tide starting at 5:00 a.m. and again at 5:04 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:25 a.m.
Sunset: 7:54 p.m.
Sunday 8/22:
Low tide at 12:36 a.m. and again at 11:55 p.m.
High tide starting at 5:50 a.m. and again at 5:56 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:26 a.m.
Sunset: 7:51 p.m.
Animal Cams (Click Here)
This week tune in to watch the Cattle Pond Pasture in Watkins Glen, New York.
Beach Cam
In the winter months we all long for the beach. Take a look at whats going on at your favorite East Coast beaches right now.