Chesapeake Bay tagged posts

Whether you call them rockfish or striped bass, this time of year on the Chesapeake Bay is when to get your trophies. These fish are BIG – averaging from 20 to 40 pounds! And it’s only an hour drive for city dwellers of D.C.

Rockfish trophy season runs from April 18 to May 15th for 2015. Fish must be above 28 inches to keep and only one fish is per fisher – so good luck! After May 15th, the rockfish size and limit changes to 18 inches or above and each fisher is able to keep two fish.

We look forward to another great 2015 fishing season on the Chesapeake Bay and cooking what we catch!  Fish tacos?  Check out the recipe here.  Baked rockfish? Don’t miss this recipe...

Moving to D.C. from Montana was a tough adjustment. Not only are there more people in the metro area than my entire state but our yard is the size of a postage stamp and we’re lucky because we have green space! How was I supposed to survive without the outdoors? Could this place of concrete and marble really become home?

After learning some of the best waterfowling in the country takes place on the Chesapeake Bay, I was more than willing to make the hour drive to get in the duck blind. Since my inaugural east coast hunt six years ago, I have had many days in the blind but nothing compares to my snow goose hunt this year.

My alarm went off at 4:30 AM, I kissed my husband and lab, pulled on my warmest layers, triple checked I had a ten pack of hand warmers and jumped into my Mini...

By Rachel Dawson

Recently, there has been an inspiring groundswell of public dialog on women:  our pasts, our modern experiences and our futures.  Like many, I’ve been drawn to this narrative.  Via social media, we are connecting on a global scale unheard of less than two decades ago.  On Twitter, while perusing the burgeoning #YesAllWomen hashtag, I stumbled across a post by a young woman who implored her peers to stop calling her a “female engineer.”  “I’m just an engineer,” she said.  I was struck by the simplicity and poignancy of it.  Indeed, in many male-dominated professions, interests and communities, there is a tendency to label a woman’s participation as atypical, a GIRL-fill-in-the-blank.  This got me thinking about my life as a “sportswoman.”

I was raised to h...

Summertime for me means tacos and, in particular, fish tacos.  In the past, we have only grilled the fish but now I’ve discovered how to beer-batter and I’m not sure we’ll ever go back to grilling.  After testing with a few added taco components, we’ve settled on serving the battered-fish with a Cajun Slaw. Follow these easy directions for delicious…  And don’t forget to get fishing on the Bay.

For the beer-battered fish…

In medium size bowl, whisk together 1 1⁄2 tbsp. salt, 1 1⁄2 cups flour, cornstarch, beer, and egg to make a batter. 

Pour Canola oil into a 5-qt. Dutch oven to a depth of 2′; heat until a thermometer reads 375˚. Sprinkle fish with chili powder and salt. Put remaining flour on a plate. Dredge fish in flour; shake off excess. 

Working in batches, dip fish in batter a...

Whether you call them rockfish or striped bass, this time of year on the Chesapeake Bay is when to get your trophies.  These fish are BIG – averaging from 20 to 40 pounds! And it’s only an hour drive for city dwellers of D.C. 

Rockfish trophy season runs from April 19 to May 15th for 2014.  Fish must be above 28 inches to keep and only one fish is per fisher – so good luck!  After May 16th, the rockfish size and limit changes to 18 inches or above and each fisher is able to keep two fish.

We look forward to another great 2014 fishing season on the Chesapeake Bay! Check out Whitney’s honker from last week (40 inches, 30 pounds!)  Now that’s a nice fish!

What to bring

-Tennis shoes (the boat can get slippery and you need to protect your toes!)
-Rain jacket
-Layers (the temperature can c...