St. Mary's County Times December 06, 2018 | Page 23

Thursday, December 6, 2018 The County Times Contributing Writers 23 The Tackle Box Fishing Report “Time to get with the spirit of the season” Erick Parker shows off pickersl, crappie, and bass from local ponds caught this week. By Ken and Linda Lamb Contributing Writers Stripers from the ocean have shown up at Smith Point. Big stripers with sea lice were caught over the weekend in the 40 to 45 inch, 35 to 40 pound size range were caught trolling at the Virginia-Maryland line. The catch is only a handful so far. The mouth of the bay in the region of the bay bridge tunnel has reported big stripers in good numbers, and those are the fish that will travel to our waters in the next few days. In the mean time there are plenty of domestic rockfish in the bay from Point No Point to the Targets, at buoy 72, the triangle, and in the mouth of the Potomac from Ragged Point to Vero Beach. The average keeper size is around 20 inches, with a mix of fish ranging up to 32 inches. The bigger fish are in the bay proper, while the Potomac has more under sized fish less than the 19 inch minimum. If you like light tackle fishing you can chase the birds and jig on schools of fish with metal jigs or bucktails dressed with shad bodies or BKD’s. The schooling fish can be tricky, eating at random times and ignoring lures dropped on them when it seems they should bite. The best times to get them is in the late afternoon and at sunset. This can make a long ride home in the dark. The fish are healthy and very fat, looking like black and white striped footballs. Their gut is so full it makes you wonder how they could swallow any more prey. Trollers can use medium sized bucktails and spoons with 16 to 20 ounce weights. The fish are in 20 to 50 feet of water and trolling through schools indicated by sea gulls working overhead will bring strikes on all the lures. There are schools of bait fish everywhere. There is no reason that we cannot catch fish daily unless a severe cold snap comes in to change this pattern. The season continues until December 20th in Maryland waters and until the 31st in the Potomac and Virginia. Well I’m on a roll now, finally got all the pumpkins out of the front yard this morning. The squirrels can now finish nib- bling in one large buffet area in the woods in the back yard. Makes it easier for Mindy too, she can have fun trying to catch the squirrels back there all in one area. Pumpkins can look pretty horrifying when their cut-out faces are melting and blackening with rot. I guess it was time to shovel the mess out of there. Time to get out the outdoor Christmas lights, even though I know I am a bit later than everyone else. I thought I lost Mindy this morning when she was chasing one of the feral cats that live in a set of old wedding-tiered pool steps by our shed. Mindy raced after the cat and ended up hind legs over hound nose wedged down behind a 4’ x 8’ sheet of plywood in front, shed wall in back, Rubbermaid trash can container on one side, and pool steps on the other. She probably had a foot of squared space all told. All I could see was her long tail sticking straight up. But, just like the Grinch in The Grinch who stole Christmas, when he got wedged in the chimley for a minute, she somehow straightened herself out and hopped on out of there…but without her quarry. It’s a little game she and the cats play. Christmas inside the house is a whole ‘nother story. But, I swear, after I write this, meet with a customer, run to Waldorf, take my granddaugh- ter Leigha to dance, then pay my last respects to a dear fellow crafter, Tori Hosier, this evening at Brinsfield-Echols Funeral Home in Charlotte Hall (gone too soon Tori, so glad I got to work with you and got to know you), then I will pull out all the Christmas boxes. I want to switch things up a bit this year without losing the traditional feel of Christmas. No, I am not ready, and never will be, for the new fad of black Christmas trees I am seeing all over Pinterest and on TV. I love green too much. You would think I would be so inspired to decorate at home from how Christmassy it is looking at Keepin’ It Local, and with the smell of all the fresh Frazier and Douglas fir trees and wreaths out front, especially with the big open house this Saturday. But the other ladies in the shop, Deb W, Deb L, Susan, and Tammy are the great decorators, I just bask in their creativeness. If someone says how beautiful it looks in there, I just say thank you, and giggle silently, “Tee hee hee”. Maybe I should have them come to the house in the guise of a party, but instead hand them each a Rubbermaid box of Christmas stuff as they walk in the door. What has happened to me? I used to love doing all this. I think I will be ready after A Charlie Brown Christmas comes on tomorrow night. Maybe I’ll watch that, listen to a little Bing Crosby, and drink a big glass of eggnog with Apricot Brandy in it. That should do the trick. I do love the Christmas season, and I never want to lose the joy that comes in this time of giving, doing, and receiving. I think what will re- ally recharge me will be going to choir practice Thursday night at our beautiful historic Christ Church Chaptico and raising our voices and our spirits high up above the old domed plaster ceiling to all that is good and loving in the Heavens. If you need a recharge as well, you are welcome to come on Thursday evenings for meditative music starting at 6:10, and Holy Eucharist at 6:30, before choir practice at 7 p.m. To each new day’s adventure, Shelby Please send your Christmas ideas or comments to: shelbys.wander- [email protected] or find me on Facebook.