Posted by Jack Russell on October 30, 2025 · Leave a Comment
The oyster season in Maryland opened Oct. 1, 2025, this season and will run through March 31, 2026. However, the water temperature is still high, and the Chesapeake’s oysters have not fattened up yet.
Category Leader Exclusives, Leader Features · Tags arsters, cooked crabs, environmental education, Fins-claws, Fins+Claws, fresh fish, hard crabs, Jack Russell, Message from the Cap’n, Message from the Captain, oysters, softcrabs, St. George Island
Posted by Jack Russell on September 20, 2025 · Leave a Comment
Maryland has met its commitment to restore five oyster tributaries in the Chesapeake Bay by completing oyster restoration in the Manokin River Sanctuary on the Lower Eastern Shore.
Category Leader Features · Tags Allison Colden, Angela Sowers, cooked crabs, DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz, environmental education, Fins-claws, Fins+Claws, fresh fish, hard crabs, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Mike Sieracki, oyster recovery, Oyster Recovery Partnership, softcrabs, St. George Island, St. Mary's River, Ward Slacum
Posted by Jack Russell on September 4, 2025 · Leave a Comment
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is introducing a new free mobile app – MD Outdoors – which will be the official app for the state’s outdoor enthusiasts, hunters, and anglers.
Category Leader Features · Tags AcerssDNR, arsters, cooked crabs, environmental education, Fins-claws, Fins+Claws, fresh fish, hard crabs, Jack Russell, MD Outdoors, Message from the Cap’n, Message from the Captain, oysters, softcrabs, St. George Island
Posted by Jack Russell on August 26, 2025 · Leave a Comment
The Chesapeake Channa, or snakehead, has developed a dedicated following in the sportfishing community–even though they’ve been an unwelcome addition to Maryland waterways.
Category Leader Exclusives, Leader Features · Tags arsters, channa, cooked crabs, environmental education, Fins-claws, Fins+Claws, fresh fish, hard crabs, Jack Russell, Message from the Cap’n, Message from the Captain, oysters, Snakehead, softcrabs, St. George Island
Posted by Jack Russell on August 19, 2025 · Leave a Comment
Chasing fireflies or lightning bugs at dusk used to be a favorite pastime of youth: Spot them, chase them down, catch them, and put them in a jar to watch them glow. There used to be billions of them every evening to adore. Not so many now. It almost startles us to see them sending out their flashing codes of “I need you, I want you.”
Category Leader Exclusives, Leader Features · Tags arsters, cooked crabs, environmental education, Fins-claws, Fins+Claws, fireflies, fresh fish, hard crabs, Jack Russell, lightning bugs, Message from the Cap’n, Message from the Captain, oysters, softcrabs, St. George Island
Posted by Jack Russell on July 24, 2025 · Leave a Comment
We have been fortunate here in the Lower Potomac and St. Mary’s rivers, in that crabbing was rather good until July bore on. Other regions in the Chesapeake haven’t been so lucky, and crabs are scarce as hen’s teeth.
Category Leader Exclusives, Leader Features · Tags arsters, cooked crabs, environmental education, Fins-claws, Fins+Claws, fresh fish, hard crabs, Jack Russell, Message from the Cap’n, Message from the Captain, oysters, shedding crabs, smith island, softcrabs, St. George Island
Posted by Jack Russell on July 1, 2025 · Leave a Comment
The Cap’n welcomes the killdeer back: It’s always nice to have some infrequent visitors claim a small portion of the gravel parking lot as “home” for a short spell around Memorial Day.
Category Leader Exclusives, Leader Features · Tags arsters, cooked crabs, environmental education, Fins-claws, Fins+Claws, fresh fish, hard crabs, Jack Russell, killdeer, Message from the Cap’n, Message from the Captain, oysters, softcrabs, St. George Island
Posted by Jack Russell on May 26, 2025 · Leave a Comment
Soft crabs are in season now in the Chesapeake.
Category Leader Exclusives, Leader Features · Tags arsters, cooked crabs, environmental education, Fins-claws, Fins+Claws, fresh fish, hard crabs, Jack Russell, Message from the Cap’n, Message from the Captain, oysters, soft crabs, softcrabs, St. George Island
Posted by Jack Russell on April 9, 2025 · Leave a Comment
St. Mary’s County waterman and restaurateur Tommy Courtney passed away March 2, 2025. The Cap’n provides some information on his ancestors’ arrival in the early 1600s, during the formative years of Maryland.
Category Leader Exclusives, Leader Features · Tags arsters, cooked crabs, environmental education, Fins-claws, Fins+Claws, fresh fish, hard crabs, Jack Russell, Message from the Cap’n, Message from the Captain, oysters, softcrabs, St. George Island, Tommy Courtney
Posted by Jack Russell on March 26, 2025 · Leave a Comment
Traditionally, the Osprey return to the Chesapeake by St Patrick’s Day. This year was no different.
Category Leader Exclusives, Leader Features · Tags arsters, cooked crabs, environmental education, Fins-claws, Fins+Claws, fresh fish, hard crabs, Jack Russell, Message from the Cap’n, Message from the Captain, oysters, softcrabs, St. George Island
