Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-09-22
AFTER ESTHER
! Fishing Getting Back to Normal
AFTER ESTHER
BY CHARLES COVELL
Outdoor Editor

@N@N~
AS soon as Esther had
whirled itself over the far hori-
ION. boating and fishing CEN
tiers from Washington to Ches-
apeake Bay and along the
seacoast from Cape Charles to
Indian River Inlet began re-
turning to normal.
So. fishermen hoped, would
the fishing.
It's too early to tell because
yesterday many charter boats
were still being brought back
from safe anchorageS and
didn't expect to go out until
today or tomorrow, but until
the big fright over Esher,
there was good fishing.
The first channel bass of the
fall run had started to bite off
Cape Charles, Va, bonito, blues
and albacore were being caught
off Indian River Inlet and in
the bay bluefish continued to
swarm around Point Lookout.
Effect Uncertain
What effect does a hurricane
have on the fishing? 1t depends
on how hard it hits. 1t can
flatten an ocean beach, de-
stroying the sloughs and tear
ing up the clam beds. 1t can
change the whole pattern of
fishing, generally for the worse,
for a long time to come.
On the other hand, a big
storm carved the inlet at
Ocean City that led to its be-
coming the most important
white marlin center in the
world and nor'easters some
times actually improve channel
bass fishing. That's been
proved at Virginia Beach.
Capt. Lee Luczak at Cape
Charles reported gale winds as
Esther passed and tide 4 feet
above normal that flooded his
docks, but there was little
damage.
Four channel bass had been
taken in the week before the
storm, one 56-pounder
caught by a Baltimore angler
along with a 25-pound cobia,
Both the red drum and cobia
were in the mouth of the bay
from Kiptopeke to Cape
Charles. Top cobia catch for
the week was a 46-pounder.
There also we're some very
large founders and a few
hardhead in the same area.
Although the storm muddied
the inletS from Wachapreague,
Va, to Indian River. Del, they
were expected to clear rapidly.
A heavy ground swell kept
Wachapreague boats from go
ing offshore last week end and
inside the inlet founder fish
ing had turned spotty. One
boat was getting a half dozen
founders and kingfish while
another would bring in so.
There also were a few small
trout.
Marsh hen shooting was re-
ported extra good because of
the high tides. Perhaps 100
persons left Wachapreague and
the hotel cut off it's gas before
the blow but winds were light
and there was no damage.
Blues at ChincOteague
Same was reported at Chin
colleague, from which many
persons were evacuated. Quite
a few small blues were in the
inlet and in the inside chan
nelS. There also were some
kingfish and small trout.
At Indian River Inlet the
tide covered the parking lot on
the south side but there was
no damage. Right up until the
storm boats were going off
shore for small bonito, some
small blues and a few albacore.
Fishing had improved inside
the inlet for founders and
kingfiSh.
On Chesapeake Bay catches
of 40 or so rockfiSh weighing
up to 2 pounds we're being
made before the storm above
the Bay Bridge. Some boats
were cumming below Love
Point and others trolling near
Swan Point.
Over in Eastern Bay catches
of 80 to so rock we're being
made trolling while some good
sized blues were biting just off
Kent Point. Fishing with
chunks of peeler crab at night
in the Miles River was very
good. A st. Michaels angler got
20 one night, none weighing
under 7 pounds.
Chesapeake Beach boats were
getting ready for their first
trips since last Saturday when
they caught spot on the Dia-
monds in the mouth of the
Choptank and rock on the
lower Diamonds and in Falls
Channel.
At Solomons Capt. Rode
Langley reports getting Is rock
on the wrecks in the PatuXent
River Monday. On Sunday the
mouth of the river was produc-
ing mixed catches of blues and
rock. He feared the storm
might mark the end of the
bluefishing although they usu-
ally stay until the first frost.
That bluefishing has been
really sensational down on the
Southwest Middle Grounds off
Point Lookout and up the Po-
tomac as far as the st. Mary'S
River. Because it was too
rough to troll early in the
week, boats had been bottom
fishing on the Virginia shore
opposite Piney Point and get
ting large catches of spot.