Outdoors Maryland; 17

Ears. Lord. This is the story of a Maryland river. It is a tale of its life

giving powers. Of celebrating its existence. Of life. Both human and animal. All made possible by a river that runs through western my. Mom. Life in Garrett County can be a series of Norman Rockwell images come to life. A slice of classic Americana. Framed by the glories of awe. It harkens back to a gentler time. When life was full of wonderment. It is a life that for many here centers around the river. For can pave the river is his life. I'm fortunate that I get to do. As a career what I would I would I chose to do this what I really wanted to do and I've had opportunity and so that is why I just sort of live with. The job and.

And. And my interest in fly fishing and fishing in general it all merges together. It is not only his love but his livelihood to spend day after day in some of the most beautiful trout streams on the continent. But back back electroshock and from there we use this. It's it's really an official way to take a look at the fish population of grain. And. Very quickly we can collect that the profit or whatever just be there and we can find out things like growth rate. Species the various species survival rates. We can we can measure a lot of things by using that equipment relatively quickly. And that's how we monitor the condition of our streams and the fish population. The probe searches the cool clear waters of the river seeking the secret places where rainbow brook and brown trout hide it is

exacting work. For long moments the silent electricity finds only river bottom. Suddenly. There's action. To no river one must know it's a living residence. There are few better indicators of a strange health than these beauties. Temporarily and that's the size they are carefully measured and weighed. They will be released to swim free once again. I think there are three years old to know a river also means leaving it for time spent in the laboratory. Fish scales enlarged on a screen enable scientists like Ken to read an individual fish's history like a script. Ok that are pretty sharp. The scientist blends with the fisherman on visits to fellow fly fisherman Saul McCartney's basement.

Well good to hear that at least you have a place that you bring with you. Yeah I did dream of I can say that it's also a chance to wrap up reminiscences of past fishing trips with some local philosophy. Yeah I see you don't have your pictures on the wall yet from the Last Great Western trout exhibition expedition. I don't know if you want to get it but you really think your things are getting pretty pretty good I think around here the opportunities will be long and might not have a good excuse to go out West. I don't mean to be a real shame. If I get to watch somebody else catch a fish that's almost like the same thing anymore. You know it's like I get such a kick out of our fishing with somebody watching them. But there is a danger in bringing a newcomer to any sport. Watch what happens to this $400 fly fishing rod Don't you think. Oh no. Yeah I think we can probably

fix this by melting this out here and sticking a FAQ on there. That's when you bring in expert guide. On the. Thing it would better to break two inches off. Than two feet. Well that makes me feel much caring. Would that learning experience firmly belted under her waders. Sherry goes on with her fly fishing lesson. When this becomes a women's sport it will make more attractive. Women. And all the. Absolutely nothing you're a beginner. How many do you have everything in your pocket or do you hand them to behave like this for a lifetime. Like the. First time casting shouldn't take place atop the slippery rocks of a fast moving stream like you could hear a wide clear last year is in order. And Sherry makes the best of it. She proves to be a quick study. Further.

I think it's a sport that women can excel in as well as man and women are getting more interested in it and I think that's good. The thing I like about this ng is you can enjoy without killing the animal. Time for the first fly fishing experience in Garrett County This can mean walking through time itself. Through an old growth forest. Where firms whose ancient relatives were once chewed by dinosaurs line the path to the river. Me being in the. Environment. Rather than sitting on the bank. Are worthwhile. The first step is to try to stay vertical. The bottom of the trout stream can be as slippery as walking across a breeze Boulder. How sweet. That. They get like waiting at their feet. Slip about one of them. They. Have this nice. If you don't have to stand on the flip. Side. Of. That.

There is no better backdrop than swallow fall to feel the power of Maryland's Mt. rivers. For a first time fly fisher person. The experience is heightened by the sheer beauty of the mists trout the valleys. I was a sex offender for. How long does it take to catch a fish. Is a question unanswerable by even the most experienced a fly fisherman. But to a novice it seems a logical query. But. First Friday. Again.

Holy Mother. That's. The One. Thing. That. They really. Really want. Then the incredible something big big and hungry hits and hits hard. And can. Really. Bring home the. People that approach right. Down the street legal but you gotta let them go when you want to go. Yeah. It's like that. And that's where the you're putting your first day the biggest bigger trout they buy your whole life. When you connect the land. As Sherry discovers hooking the big fish is only part of the battle. Oh Lord look at the size of this Trout.

Come alive. Now the tricky part landing a fish which is bigger than the net. The. Fish of a lifetime it is. Alive. Guys filing a world record for Brown felt like their own line in Utah on your birthday. Now the focus must turn on releasing the huge brown safely back into its home if handled correctly. This beautiful female trout will give the river thousands of offspring. Curt let me start with. This. Here a little. There. Overhead it right and I correct that and I've heard that. People are starting now you know all their stuff really matter. It's like yeah. This is not. You know. One of the largest living treasures of my running streams glide safely back into her mountain. Me and venture is complete.

I think I really. Have to be. Doing a lot. I think to say I you know everything the populi for the period but really work that way. When you land an economist Well I. Never expect. That I like that again. But. Yeah I think. I think I'll do it again. Once again a lifetime memory has been given to two Garrett County residents. By the river. That runs through. It. You're the humble Eastern Shore town of trap a team of state underwater

archaeologists staff members of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and local volunteers gather at Dickerson Marina Well they know that several months ago while beachcombing for arrowheads Allen sleeper a trap Nady found what he thought was a dugout canoe an ancient one its bow jutting from the sand. Now scientists hope to rediscover the site and deliver the canoe from the Chesapeake splotches State Archaeologist Bruce Thompson who leads the team and it was the mouse trap break. As you go into the tough time. The reason. That we decided to go to this effort. Is because. It is because. The. Site. Has been break within 20 30 years but under no one's ever discovered this behavior. The trap Creek is one of the top bank robbers money marshy in London extensions with

winter fast approaching the race is on to save the canoes fragile remains. The question of its origins looms large in the mind of Thompson. Was the canoe constructed by African-Americans. Perhaps plantation slaves. Archaeologists had previously discovered slave porters nearby. Or as some evidence suggests was the dug out abandoned by early adventurers whose visit to the site predates colonial history. Either way the canoe is a one of a kind find for archaeologists. The team's arrival at the site is met with disappointment. Stormy weather and high tides have again buried the canoe with sand. Armed with shovels and an array of excavation gear the digging waiting and guessing began. We're going to record our measurements. And try to plot to break down and see if we can locate it. For more settling here the winters are better.

But we want to there's a narrow little trench right across their. House suspecting it set right in here. So I'll run a tractor across there very narrow and be very gentle with yourselves. It was Alan sleeper who discovered that the NO I WAS speech comment on this speech and at that point it was not nearly as car with sand but would in the eye wash with the sand it was at low tide and. It caught my eye and looked like something it had been like an artifact. So I. Started. Poking point away the sand. Look at a little bit more and as I did that I realized that in fact it was a the end of a dugout canoe. You know. I think you.

Feel like. OK we've got it. As Thompson expected the new lies perpendicular to the beach line who must dig in a new direction. What we're going to have to bear is we're going to have to have spies on the other side of this thing about like that. We're going to dig down on both sides that far. So this is our. Let's make sure all our back home our number one day that they don't get in the way when we try to pour out. What with. The starboard side of that is that.

They. Were there side of it. You're going to find this out as the crew repairs for excavation acquittal is set up near the site to support the dugout when and if it's finally moved to a pump removes water from the canoes in theory you're right. But the new is visible but not yet free of the sun. We're continuing. To. Pump some protects the dog from further damage. Be very careful. That your amazing your better self not where there's a problem president. Thompson thinks he's found a hitching post. Further evidence the dugout is African American.

Built and owned by slaves perhaps as early as the 17th century. But. Not surprisingly more than a century of exposure to the elements has weakened the dugout. Coming down. OK I was thinking. More and feeling. Like OK people on this. Earth or after here.

You're here. Thompson and through finally raise the dugout with just minimal damage. The remaining portions are taken to the crater. Once the dugout is cushion the vessel is ready for transport. To the water. Right under it. Most people have this impression that if you have a slave a canoe during this period that they're automatically going to take off. But if they fail to remember. That. They you. That was a whole little soulful and cultural network. Some other families were working on other farms so they had a reason to be visiting each other they had a reason to be getting together. You're only going to have another mode of transportation was akin to. The dugout now goes to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. There it will be preserved. So scientists can further study its construction and attempt to pinpoint it say with this ancient dug out be a key to a further understanding of African-American life during

slavery. Thompson and his team hope so believing it may help rediscover the stories of men and women who spent their lives laboring on Maryland's marshes. The hustle and bustle of city life can make us forget there is a wilderness out there. And much of it. Eighty six thousand acres at present and growing. Our public lands. Wildlife management areas owned by the taxpayer and managed by the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division are a haven for animals and a serene retreat for nature lovers. Maryland is peppered with wildlife management areas from west to east. Forty eight of them in all. Each area is intensively managed by the Department of Natural Resources to attract and encourage the residents of specific animals and

plants. Whether you're a hunter hiker camper or bird watcher wildlife management areas are one of the states best kept secrets. Nestled in the rolling hills of western Maryland. Is Indian Springs wildlife management area. With over 6000 acres of lush forests and open fields. It's the perfect habitat for many types of wildlife. You're. Located in the western portion of Washington County. Indian Springs wildlife management area is 12 miles west of Hagerstown just off Highway 70 full of natural beauty this idyllic setting is not the work of nature alone. The entire area is managed by the DNR as Wildlife Division with the goal of

maintaining and developing habitats suitable for native wildlife species by providing shelter water and various types of food sources. Wildlife will be attracted to and propagate the area. What we're doing here is mowing strips in the fields trying to get green secular vegetation as you can see here this older vegetation doesn't provide a lot of lush vegetation. We mow a strip which gives us some good lush green growth and it's very beneficial to deer and other animals like the lush vegetation. In addition to cutting back and renewing existing vegetation various crops are planted to provide additional food source for the animals. And any agriculture operation you want to make sure you have good seed bed preparation that involves plowing into the soil prior to planning to see. What we want to do here as you can see this is a result of the field after it's been planted. And we've got good small grain fields

in here as well some clover that's been planted. Now we just let this go to seed a regular farmers going to harvest this for grain and we're not concerned about that we're just trying to get in additional food source for the wildlife. One of the more controversial methods of wildlife management at Indian Springs is cutting back the forest here. Twenty seven acres of timber has been cut in an effort to regenerate a younger thicker pharmacist for food and comfort are the major price for deer is to try to cut the horse back and get younger regeneration which is better for deer and for Brown a lot of people have the misconception that when you do force cuts that mulch pretty bad and will never grow back. Well what we try to do is let nature take its course and you get natural regeneration coming in and you can see all the stuff that's come back from the stone sprouts or the saplings and it's because of that that you get a lot of good lush vegetation which is beneficial to a lot of wildlife species.

We hope that we get those kinds of species that we're managing for we provide the habitat They'll be here and the better the food supply the more nutritious the higher quality the animals will be they'll produce more young and hopefully will increase the populations that we're targeting. This is the result of one of the more innovative methods of managing wildlife since nuisance Beaver where creating havoc elsewhere in the state. Steve and his crew decided to enlist their help to create a water fall habitat at Indian Springs. The beaver in this area did work week when the dawn we would never have been able to get the permits required. To do this work in a wetland or in a stream but want to be able to move into an area they build the dams on this that would create a lot of habitat that would have taken us a lot of money and a lot of time to do. The wildlife management work at Indian Springs is funded primarily by a federal excise tax on the sales of arms and ammunition while hunting is the most popular sport here. Indian Springs is open to everyone.

In the area. Bank. Area public as well as a lot of local residents. It's a very pretty area we've got a lot of activities here that a lot of different people enjoy. Is plenty of open ground we welcome anybody to come to the area that was in the area. They respect the area and treat it like they would treat their own property and enjoy themselves while they're here this is a beautiful area. It's a well-known area. It's kind of a good secret but you have a lot of people who are here for providing a place for people to come. To the open of the eastern shores wildlife of natural habitats. And as District Manager Russ Hill explains that's no small task.

Rick Perry here is open year round to the public. We have a lot of people to come down here in Burdwan year round as well as grab the fish and I. Even have an area set aside camping or am pretty. Damning. You know twenty eight hundred areas of the Marsh had been set aside as an empowerment you know for the Department of Natural Resources actually regulates the water level in order to promote the growth of underwater grasses grasses which ultimately feed thousands of wintering water fowl. OK so the private to the lab where we saw that the tri colored

hair and if you go over to. Dr. Ellen Lawler teaches biology at Salisbury State University and is president of the Y comical bird club. For the gram. We typically come out here on field trips as a group a couple of times a year. We usually have a winter trip to see water fowl which are birds that are here in the winter and in the summer are breeding up in prairie provinces of Canada and the Dakotas and then we also usually have or oftentimes have a field trip out here in the early summer to see the nesting birds. Actually I sing about birdwatching as you can do it all kinds of levels. We have experienced birders coming out with new burgers for somebody that's just starting out. They can start out in the backyard and put out a feeder and watch things that come to their feeder using the field guides to help you know everybody even experts still use field guides. We're seeing a lot of widgets today and I was just checking out some of the field marks and in my notes into your graphic book one of the things you see out here is when they're tipping

down to me and you see the white part underneath and it's really kind of neat to see them tipping down into the water with their tail sticking up like. A bird watching. It's interesting in that it does get you out into the outdoors and then the one in between the two lumps of Grass Is that right. OK so if it does get you away from your daily grind and so it's a change of pace and it's very relaxing it. To me it's appealing because it's something other than human you get you realize that there's a whole world out there that's not just related to human beings. Indeed the Long Island holds something special for everyone. It was. Very peaceful and very enjoyable. You know watch the sunrise come up when you're working early in the morning watch the sunset. Some evenings when you're working late. The enjoyment of the outdoors is what really makes my.

Kiba sheers wildlife management area is a natural anachronism. Located in Montgomery County near the mighty Potomac River. McKee enjoys the distinction of being located within minutes of the densely populated Baltimore-Washington corridor. That doesn't hinder wildlife at Mickie though especially birds for which the area is a well known haven that draws birders Timothy either those just out for the fun of it or enthusiastic to brave the elements to keep track of critical information. The Audubon societies annual Christmas Bird Count almost always sends birdwatchers to the area to record bird population wise. Somebody picks a center point around which you draw a circle 15 miles in diameter. And the idea is to count every bird you see or hear in that circle. But look for the real treat like passing Cooper's

hawk or sharks in the hall. And that's always a real treat to get. And in this area we do have wild turkeys here in this area and it's always a special treat. To know wildlife management areas compared to. A park. I always think of the park as being kind of a manicured type of a place. Not as. Not as attractive to wildlife. As a place like this. It's not manicured. McKeith like all other wildlife management areas is a success in drawing and keeping its various species because of careful habitat management. Woodlands are flooded in to draw ducks to the area and nesting boxes are prominently hung to encourage greed. Of course whenever there's water around there's going to be a beaver to capitalize on it. And Ricky is home to many of them as DNR personnel and no.

Indian. Akiba sheers. Just three of the many wildlife management areas that are ready and waiting for exploration by Marylanders. The areas aren't tailored to the needs of visitors who expect restrooms and campgrounds. But then the Wildlife Division doesn't want them to be like state parks. Instead wildlife areas are for those of us who on occasion want to escape from the demands of everyday urban and suburban life. And drink in the unspoiled beauty of one of my best kept secrets. As the days of spring lengthened. The sun slowly begins to warm the waters of bays and estuaries along Maryland's coast.

Far off shore. Buried in the dark cold world of the continental shelf. Life begins to stir. Awakening from their winter hibernation. Living fossils slowly break free from the ocean floor to begin their spring ritual of creation. And renewal. Called by the surge of the highest spring time and guided by the glow of the full moon. They laboriously move toward their imprinted destination. Maryland's beaches and tidal flats. Ancient breeding grounds but they have returned to for over 500 million years. The Indians of the Chesapeake called them sea Canuck. The French explorer Champlain described them as a fish with a shell on its back like a tortoise. We know them today. As the horseshoe crab. Not really a crab at all but a member of an ancient group of arthropods

horseshoe crabs are related to spiders and scorpions. The odd looking as creatures go the horseshoe crab first crawled up on the ocean floor 200 million years before the first dinosaur ever existed. Reaching sexual maturity after 10 years at sea each female's biological clock tells her that it's time to begin the journey. By late May she will be part of a massive gathering of horseshoe crabs waiting in the shallows for the right moment to come ashore and spawn. With the highest spring tides. She and over 1 million others will lay tons of turquoise eggs on the warm beaches and tidal flats. With males in tow. And carrying nearly 100000 eggs. She bulldozes her way a show. Stopping only long enough to scrape a hollow in the sand and deposit her eggs. Then slowly

pulling the male over the egg mass to fertilize them. They both return to see what the outgoing tide. Each about the size of a golf ball. The cluster contains some 4000 soft sticky eggs. Which if they survive will hatch into microscopic larva and be swept out with the next retreating high tide. Most will not survive however. Each spring nature provides an incredible spectacle. As large populations of migrating shore birds arrive. Ravenously hungry. Yes. That's not done by. Delaware Bay is an example of a staging area. This is a location where birds come to during migration to feed and fatten the put on enough to fatten the fuel that they need for

continuing on the leg of their journey. A staging area has been likened to an avian gas station. It's a spot that has just the right fuel at just the right time. Power birds on their long distance migration. The Delaware Bay is critical to at least four species of shorebirds the Sanderling family of pomade Sandpiper the ruddy Turnstone and the red knot. These birds fly over into Delaware Bay beginning about in mid-May and continuing until the first week of June are south. Their migration is time so that they hit the bay at the exact same time the horseshoe crabs are coming out of the water and laying their eggs along the muddy shore of the bay. Literally billions of tax provide the fuel that these birds need. For these birds that I just mentioned are coming from infant cases. Southern South America moving north. Dropping on to the bay at just the right time when the eggs are in super abundant supply fattening up for a couple of weeks and then taking off again for the Tundra in northern Canada and Alaska. For the phenomenon

of the cycle of the horseshoe crab and the sandpipers biologists and conservationists in two hemispheres come together to create the Western Hemisphere shore bird reserve. In which key staging areas are protected so they'll be healthy and viable for the birds when they're migrating through in their annual cycle. Today threats to the horseshoe crab are mounting. Human disturbance RV traffic and fuel spills from barges and tankers not only affect the horseshoe crabs but also interfere with the feeding and resting of millions of shorebirds. All of this at a critical time during both species annual migration. Though it is said that nothing endures but change. It seems that the horseshoe crab endures as well. A day on the bus. Swept along by steady breezes blow by

the creak of the mast. A traditional Maryland pleasure. Enticed by the romance of wooden boats but finding them extremely rare. The thought might occur to you. I could build one. The Chesapeake wooden boat will be glad to introduce you to this time honored. Numbers. And found this teaches a class in wooden boat building that's offered through Harbor County Community College. This is the basis for putting the pieces together is not a complicated item you have to be able to build it. Though the class has only one limitation on boat size one finished it's got to fit through the workshop door. You learn what it takes to tackle that 30 footer. The

key is to start small new classes form in February with an eye toward getting the boats in the water by summer. Bruce Gallup is one of the instructors. The process of establishing the shape is the same whether both small or large. You have to understand the concept of establishing the points in space that define those curves. Once you understand that on a small boat knowing ahead of time that it's a lot more work and it's going to take you a lot longer you can really build a larger boat. Build a 25 foot crab skiff in his backyard literally from scratch. But because as is any boat not to get jacks or pretty boats and I'd always want to kind of wanted to build on the neighbor next door. He came in as I was bringing in this big chunk of oak for the Kielce and he saw it when he drove in the driveway and he came running over and said you're going to build us get Jack. And he'd go what it was with me even telling him.

You are. These boats were originally designed. To pull oyster dredges in the larger sizes that's why they have such a large sail this is a lot of sail for a small boat 25 and a half foot boat with over 400 square feet of sail it. Had a lot of fun with this boat I got a lot of compliments on it. People. Go by and take pictures of it. So I break my arm patting myself on the back when they do that. Tell me how pretty it is. That you are measuring the final placement of the. Ribs on the inside of the boat. So that we don't put a rivet through this side plate at the location that the river will be so that we mark these where we drill holes for a

live it's will purposely avoid these murders. The hitch here we have and we have completed all of them. Yes we're preparing to glue the bottom of the boat. We've got blue on the frame itself and now we're putting some on to the piece of plywood that will go on as the bomb and then over top of that we. Go. By the glass bottomed. Wooden boats. Are enjoying a renaissance and there is a certain the speed and charm associated with wooden boats. There are probably more unfinished photo fiberglass and wood in the world than there are boats that have been completed. Our approach. Is.

To do it with camaraderie instead of alone. We tend to have more perseverance if you have some forward. We're going to do. Is to laminate the bottom and sides of the skin with fiberglass and toxic. It does two things one is it gives tremendous abrasion resistance. If the boat is beached on the bottom and kill it get strength. Off the Radar. Except for. Here. We believe the boat's upside down when will the next chance that we have is to do a little ferry. But more than that this particular boat you must take it all. Down. Now. Someone has to. Have that.

Right now. In June the class displays the finished votes and votes in progress at the end taken wooden boat show in Haverty Grace. What I started from the beginning I didn't know a whole lot about woodworking So now I've learned how to use the tools I'm going to build. It's called a Cavendish about 14 feet from the well to the three people. The glass allows you as long as you are able to build a boat and build it successfully and have the teachers feel you have the capabilities of it then you can build your own and they wholeheartedly agreed that I could go ahead and build my own. So the next time you dream about a boat dream about the boat you're going to be better. Off.

THE MAN. The Beast. The man about to do battle with the beast is 35 year old Robert Colonna. His orders are to bring the beast back alive and well to become an unwilling participant of the state of Maryland's relocation program. The beast is a trapped 22 pound Eastern Shore author whose natural instincts and the order of things are to fight the man who wants to relocate. The battle begins. After the books are. Very are you going to be. Sure. My first concern is to ensure they are marking her down. But I'm going to. Get it out of expediently if possible without causing damage or. Preventing it damage to them what's going to happen when we're trying to take out the trap.

My second concern is. This may be. Extremely powerful of a crush clamshells. For their teeth. She is a healthy female author who is being prepared for an airplane flight to western Maryland. She is one of dozens of Eastern Shore authors who have been tagged with the responsibility of repopulating Garrett County is decimated. Otter population throughout all of Appalachian and a good part of the Midwest. There were actually paid it. Essentially became extinct around the turn of the century. In western Maryland the West for. Tempering operations on steep slopes as well as coal mining. Were. Called. Bodies of water out there just became too acidic or. Too much sediment pollution to support any forage fish or other people. Capturing Otter is not a series of exciting days wrestling with animals in the water

is often day after laborious day of walking and fighting to get into secret places where authors live and getting there is only part of the job. The rest has to do with interpreting subtleties that most of us would literally walk over. The. Real world. Around a little bit open stuff that you have complete belief. One way otter or mark your territory of the role of deposit and anal sacs of creation called spring. And you can see where they came out of the pond over there. That's what they've done here. And this is. Where the. Dirt have maintained color yet so this is relatively fresh probably that the old stereotype about the dumb trapper is a forest thing from the truth because no other. Occupation or sport requires such an intimate knowledge of the animal you have to know. Habitat use

seasonal habitat use. How and what you cover how it pushes on where they're going to step because you have to be able to predict an animal's movement down to essentially you know circle the down and around and that's kind of a trap. There's wrestling trap daughters setting traps for authors and then there's checking drops for honors. The latter can be the most frustrating. Thing in here. I want to be real churned up it's real obvious if you have one. But there. Was an author through here last night. And an author of. The water levels will fluctuate. That determines where the author is going to step because they have really short legs and the water level

drop last night and that shifted to where it planted its foot to get up the bank and step right across a trap planted its front foot right there. I need to. Dig this out a little bit and reposition the trap. You can sense it a lot of times before you can see it. You can sense where an animal's band and go look and sure they'll be fine. Where's. Brown. Churned up some trap. OK. Or sea otter. I've.

Got to tell you. I. Will. Tell. You are. All one so we won't be able to fly out today. The ceiling is too low. What do you. We want to do with it. The authors are grounded. That's a problem. How do you keep a healthy wild animal in a small box until the weather clears for flight and release into the wild without the creature injuring itself away. I have starlings because there was a call for single moorings if you can pull out if we can tackle. I mean I'll take the outer up to the veterinarian and get a shot of the island. So they are for the Wings a white box.

You know I gave it about a half for around 11:45. When I took it out the threats. Were to go in for. Sure. That's probably for. Her last. NIGHT LIKE think you sleep pretty good tonight. I'm trying to find this you are listening more. Finally the honors are given permission to fly. Personally this is the most rewarding professional thing I've ever done. I know that I've worked to put an animal back into an ecosystem that hasn't been there for a hundred years. I can't think of anything else that would be as rewarding as that.

The first Otter we sent out I stood at the airport and watch the airplane take off and I just got goosebumps all over it was undescribable. I knew that we were on our way footing and I will back where it belongs. Winter is usually weather at its worst with the tide water caught in a dancing swirl of snow and the temperature hovering just below freezing. It is a wise time for both man and beast to retreat repose and wait out the icy billows of winter. With only dreams of the coming spring to accompany them. Most fishermen are forced to pass away the long weeks of winter wading through an endless platter of catalogs rather than Clarion streamers and punks. Unless of course you're Chuck Prof.

Almost everybody that pressure here around is got a fresh back or something. I guess on a good day at metal I want to time a pretty warm day I look. I watch a rather pretty close to see what I can get out. I just enjoy a van and then out the earth. In fact the one time holds a special. Attraction I enjoy the outdoors in the winter time almost as much as I do in the summer as long as I don't get too cold. But picture is one of the few fish that you can more or less depend on in cold weather so that's why I'm out there and go rather looking for yes the joy you pick your old fishing winter fishing at its finest. Now retired Chuck has been fishing tide waters rivers and ponds all his life and he might have felt that hope.

I guess I've been a profession for about. 50 years. I started out version on the Maggie river where I was brought up and in those days fishing. Was probably just as popular as Bass Fishing was. I guess the most memorable role that I ever cooked. Was. A large fish that I helped on the leg of the river I was probably about 15 maybe 16 years old. I was fishing the grass beds with a Johnson and I hope the large fish a large pickle. This one came right out of the water and he lost about 30 inches long that was the biggest cocoa I have ever hook. But anyway he came out of the water and he. Gave me that and he. Threw that out and it hit me right here in the chest. My knees were shaking that was such a big pickle. So just who is this Esau Niger and how does he lure a veteran fisherman

out in the dead of winter. Meet the chain pickerel. A Maryland native and winters we find predator. One of the other great northern pike which. We can jump out of the water before it's exciting. After that it's not a really a broadsided. He has tremendous speed but he doesn't have a lot to give you a real pull like a pretty good job when you get him. Usually when you have the worst time with him. Also programs around the boat. He's got a mouth full of his native Iraq and.

The DNR is freshwater fisheries as well as avid fisherman are all concerned with the picker continued success. Sampling of fish throughout the state helps in the gathering of information that is vital to the management of all freshwater species belonging to the family. The chain pickerel is a relative of the Northern Alliance and is found throughout the Tidewater region. Once out of the water the beauty of its chain like pattern can be seen as well as its fierce predator jaws. Like all our ambush feeders spending their time lurking amid the grass beds and fallen trees waiting for prey. So their beautiful coloration is actually a form of camouflage. Allowing them to blend into their underwater surroundings. A favorite of hardy sportsman these feisty fighters will aggressively strike just about any lower when they're on the prowl.

A new. Program. So we're. Used to ICAC. Area. And there's something that has been in my bride since I was a boy and I'm sure it'll be there to feel totally unpredictable. It will provide anglers with weeks of one direction and that clutter of catalogs. I just have to wait. I think the thing that attracted me to pike so much was pure as a fresh that I actually

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