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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)
Waning Gibbous: "During the second half of the lunar month, the Moon grows thinner each night. We call this waning. Its shape is still gibbous at this point, but grows a little thinner each night.."
Boating at Sandy Point (Click Here)
Sandy Point’s staff is very proud of the park’s marina facility, which includes 22 launching ramps and six finger piers for temporary day use docking on a first come first served basis. The marina’s boat pump-out station is available April through October. The facility is certified as a Clean Marina. For hours of operation contact the marina at 410-974-4699.
The Marina Store, located near the boat launch ramps, is open from mid-April through mid-October. Here you can purchase a variety of boating, fishing, crabbing and picnicking supplies. Boat fuel, ice, snacks and drinks are also available for sale.
Motorboats, kayaks and paddleboards are available for rent on a first-come first-served basis. Boat rental availability is subject to weather conditions.
If you are the proud owner of a smaller vessel such as a catamaran, Hobie cat, canoe, kayak, or windsurfer and would like a safe, convenient place to launch, then head to the Small-craft Launch Area in the south end of the park. Parking is limited in this area, but convenient parking is available nearby after you launch.
Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (C.R.A.B.) is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the thrill and freedom of sailing to persons with disabilities, recovering warriors, and disadvantaged youth. C.R.A.B. operates a fleet of sailboats from floating docks at the Sandy Point State Park marina. The dock and boats are fully accessible for persons with limited or no mobility. C.R.A.B. offers Group Sails Tuesday and Thursday of the week and on the third Sunday of the month. Sail Frees are open to everyone. Please visit the CRAB website for more information and scheduling.
Once the park is closed, there is no entry for Sail Free participants. C.R.A.B. participants are expected to pay the customary service charge for entry to the park unless they possess a Maryland Park Service Golden Age Pass, a Maryland Park Service Annual Passport, or a DNR Universal Disability Pass. Military personnel who display active military identification also have the day use service charge waived.
Maryland Fishing Report - August 20th, Composed by Lyndsie Pratt (Click Here)
Rockfish: There is a great rockfish bite in both the main bay and the rivers! In the main bay, our staff has had success live lining spot at Love Point, and also fishing with soft crab! Soft crab will definitely be your best bet if fishing from shore, either in the main bay or the rivers. Soft crab is also great to use around structure like the bay bridge or the light houses, as is live spot. Jigging is also productive. We found a great bite in the Magothy River this week by marking fish on our electronics and jigging them up! Look for them around reef and and drop offs. Early morning and late evening topwater is also on fire in all of the rivers. Cast in shallow water towards points and rockpiles. Also don’t be afraid to search for them by looking for breaking fish and birds. There you will find rockfish mixed with…
Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish: The storms and rain have definitely moved things around, and it seems to be in our favor! Schools of spanish mackerel are now being reported the whole way up to the mouth of the Severn, and there are plenty of bluefish mixed in. There is also still a solid bite from Poplar Island down to Point lookout. Cast metal jigs and jerk baits with a fast retrieve when you find those breakers! You can also troll using #1 or #2 planers an 00-1 size spoons. This is a great way to cover some ground when the breakers aren’t as obvious! Spoonbrella rigs have reportedly been working really well for Bluefish!
Red Drum: There are still reports of bull reds being caught as far north as Eastern Bay, but it’s anyone’s guess as to how the rain will affect them. Generally, people are finding them on their sonar or side scan and are jigging soft plastics or dropping soft crab on the bottom. Our suggestion is to go out for mackerel, rockfish and bluefish in the mid-bay, but keep rods rigged for bull reds on the boat in case you spot them! You can also sometimes locate them by spotting a chum slick or a swirl on the water.
Of course, there are reports of them being marked and caught on the bottom further south around Solomon’s and Point Lookout, along with…
Cobia: Cobia are definitely in the area from Solomons down to Cape Charles and can be caught chumming, trolling or sight casting. Recently, most reports have been from people who anchored up on points and caught them with fresh alewife, but we also heard of some nice sized fish caught trolling surgical hoses and sight casting! On a bright, calm day, trolling while also having rods rigged up with bucktails prepared to sight cast is the way to go!
Croaker/Perch/Spot: A less-reported on species that we are actually super excited about is croaker! We are seeing more croaker being caught in this area the bay than we have in years, including some really nice sized ones! Soft crabs seems to be the bait of choice for this fish as well, and they are easy to catch from piers in the rivers and the main bay! Lots of white perch and spot are also being caught in the rivers and bay using pieces of soft crab on a bottom rig or sabiki rig. Additionally, reports from our White Perch Open last weekend indicate that Beetle Spins are a great lure to target perch with!
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 8/25:
Low tide starting at 1:40 a.m. and again at 2:17 p.m.
High tide starting at 7:53 a.m. and again at 8:23 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:29 a.m.
Sunset: 7:47 p.m.
Thursday 8/26:
Low tide starting at 2:32 a.m. and again at 2:45 p.m.
High tide starting at 8:30 a.m. and again at 9:11 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:30 a.m.
Sunset: 7:45 p.m.
Friday 8/27:
Low tide starting at 3:29 a.m. and again at 3:12 p.m.
High tide starting at 9:06 a.m. and again at 10:01 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:31 a.m.
Sunset: 7:44 p.m.
Saturday 8/28:
Low tide starting at 4:31 a.m. and again at 3:43 p.m.
High tide starting at 9:44 a.m. and again at 10:51 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:32 a.m.
Sunset: 7:42 p.m.
Sunday 8/29:
Low tide at 5:41 a.m. and again at 4:18 p.m.
High tide starting at 10:27 a.m. and again at 11:43 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:32 a.m.
Sunset: 7:41 p.m.
Animal Cams (Click Here)
This week tune in to watch the African Animals Watering Hole in Laikipia County, Kenya.
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.
