But Muck is a patient fellow, content to while away hours on the river. He often has a friend along, and sometimes his wife, Arlyce, as long as he's trolling. She don't care too much for just sitting. There's always a place under the canopy for Babe, their lab. A former student, Henry Parks, is short on herring bait, and Muck tosses him a couple from a supply that arrived the day before.
Some men are out in simple open boats, others fish from elaborate, covered craft.
One guy bobs along in a drift boat and another looks odd all alone in a big sled. As the tide turns, anglers switch tactics. If you watch the guides, you can tell when the trolling stops and the anchoring begins. A couple dozen boats form hog lines, anchoring 20 or 30 feet apart, a little fleet tied to orange and green floats. Muck keeps trolling until the tide is flowing steadily out, then drops his anchor several hundred yards upstream from the main hog line He's careful not to come too close to other boats.