I'm Back

I got a call late yesterday from Pete saying he didn't have trip scheduled, and the weather was going to be great, and he really wanted to run south and check the quality of the fish (he's been fishing north of Solomons recently), and he really wanted Mike and I to come along and check with him. How could we say no?

Another Eastern Shore sunrise, somewhere near Mike's Rocks on the western side of Hoopers Island

Which is where Pete caught this Cutlassfish. 

A familiar landmark, or should that be seamark? Admittedly, we were there at high tide today, but look how much it's sunk in the bottom

On the piling behind it a Royal?  Tern. 

I caught the only Speckled Trout of the day here.

And Pete caught the largest Striped Bass of the day there as well. The weird mark on it's side is a healed wound.

We moved out to the Middle Ground to try fishing some lumps that are out there. We saw this charter boat reel in a Cobia, a highly sought after summertime visitor to this part of the Bay.

We didn't get much, but Pete jigged up this Northern Puffer.

The nearby Target Ship (aka American Mariner) continues its long decline into ruin.

A tripod with a warning nearby (definitely click to enlarge). Apparently they still shoot at it. As we were leaving, range boats from Patuxent River Naval Air Station were coming south, and radio chatter suggested some kind of activity today, if not here, at least at one of several other sites nearby. 

Mike fishes the ruins of Cedar Point Lighthouse, at the junction of the mainstem of the Bay with the Patuxent River and our last fishing stop. Pete wasn't too thrilled with the fishing, but Mike and I were plenty happy.

A little cottage on the banks of the Patuxent near Solomons. 

And an Osprey guarding the nest on a channel marker on the way into Solomons.