Forget what the calendar reads, to tens of thousand of Maryland fishermen spring isn't officially here until the rockfish trophy season opens - and that comes Saturday in Chesapeake Bay. The outlook could hardly be better what with a big year class of big fish in big numbers figured to be available.

Then, after the trophy season, another big year of smaller fish that will stay in the Chesapeake show promise of providing Izaak Waltons with much catching by late summer as they reach the 18-inch minimum that will be in effect beginning May 16. Sharpen your hooks, if everything plays out as anticipated, '05 will be a banner year on the bay.

And sharpening hooks is what Pat Vaillant of Severna Park is doing as the trophy season nears. He's the defending champion in the fourth annual Boatyard Bar and Grill Fishing Tournament - and has announced intentions of repeating. At the popular bar/eatery in the Eastport sector of Annapolis on the interior beams there are replicas of winning fish inscribed with the name of the angler and catch length, and Pat has told proprietor/tournament manager Dick Franyo he expects to have side by side mounts with his name on both.

His winning fish last year, in a field of 78 boats and more than 400 fishermen, measured 43 inches and was caught at Bloody Point. Probably that's where Vaillant will be heading this year, that area near the mouth of Eastern Bay in considered one of the best bets in trophy season. On Memorial Day weekend of '95 it was in waters off Bloody Point that Carroll County middle schooler Devin Nolen of Hampstead latched onto a 67-pound striper that remains a Fishing In Maryland record.

So far in '05, one finds it difficult to figure where much of the top opening day action will be. There hasn't been much practice fishing on a catch-and-release basis seeing the weather hasn't been cooperative. Winds, rain and chill have discouraged most fishermen.

But, the same lousy weather that has kept boats at the docks and fishermen indoors sharpening their hooks promises a longer run of big spawned-out fish down the bay. In more than a few years since the moratorium was lifted, hot early spring weather sent the fish to and from the spawning grounds of the upper bay and tributaries back to the ocean early - and trophy season catches slacked off.

We can expect many fish in the 40-inch class, probably a few in the 50-inch class on the opener, but one can only guess where they will be. By Saturday, most won't have spawned, which will mean they will be heavier. Much depends on the weather between now and then.

As we look to the season, a few things are quite obvious - we have two great year classes of rockfish in the Chesapeake. In 1996, the spawning index based on trawl samplings by biologists was a record 59, and the Department of Natural Resource's fisheries chief Howard King tells us that most of these fish returning to the bay to spawn will be well into the 30-inch class, easily topping the 28-inch minimum size.

The stripers from the '96 class would have been even bigger, but the spawning ritual was so prolific that there was intensive competition for food. And, then there is the year class of '01 with an index 51 - another banner year. Many of these fish are a few inches shy of the 18-inch regular season minimum, but as summer progress will grow, and by late season will be of legal size.

This means we will be plagued with throw-backs in much of the regular season, but with each passing week things should improve. And, of course, there will be the fish from the other years around to be caught. Rockfish have made a remarkable comeback.

This year there are tournaments aplenty, many chances for big money for lucky anglers. The Boatyard affair won't make an angler rich; prizes are primarily fishing tackle - the real winners.

will be Chesapeake Bay Foundation, CCA, Md., and the Annapolis Police Department's Youth Fishing Camp. This is a benefit fish-off, and thousands of dollars go to those charities.

There is a unique twist to this affair. Conservation, the relapse of fish, is its primary calling so anglers are encouraged to put their catches back. Participants are provided a measuring tape and can take a photograph of their fish alongside the tape. Call 410-336-8880. On the web it's www.boatyardbarandgrill.com. Click on "fishing."

Also on opening day there is the annual tournament sponsored by Fishbones Tackle Shop of Pasadena, which takes $15 from each entry fee for multiple sclerosis. The remainder will be paid back to winning anglers, says proprietor Bud Hein. Call 410-360-0573.

From April 22 to 24 will be the 22d annual MSSA Spring contest with weigh-ins at many points in the bay, and $200,000 up for grabs. The top rockfish is worth $10,000.

The longest running fish-off on the bay comes again April 29-May 1; the 24th annual Pro/Am sponsored by the charter fleet out of Rod 'n Reel Docks, Chesapeake Beach. It's also a big money affair with many side pools - and usually turns up the biggest fish. Top rockfish is worth $6,000. Call 800-233-2080. On the web it's www.rodnreeltournament,com.

June 10 to 12 will be the Maryland Watermen's Association's tournament with the top rockfish worth $10,000. Call 410-269-6622.

The 19th edition of Scorchy Tawes comes June 24-26 at Crisfield with a pot of $71,000. Call 800-782-3913.

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Published April 10, 2005, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2005 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.