Fish Pic Friday - Life Adrift

With some of those weird Ozzie fish.

Life Adrift, https://patreon.com/LifeAdriftAUS

Virginia Striped Bass YOY Index Comes in "Average"

Juvenile striped bass maintain average abundance in Virginia waters in 2026

Preliminary results from an ongoing long-term survey conducted by William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) suggest that an average year class of young-of-year striped bass was produced in the Virginia tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in 2026. Striped bass are an important top predator in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and a valuable resource for commercial and recreational anglers. The 2026 year class, representing fish hatched this spring, will reach fishable sizes in three to four years.

 

The VIMS Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey recorded a mean value of 9.52 fish per seine
haul in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The 2026 value is an increase from the 5.12 fish per seine haul recorded in 2025, though both years are similar to the historical average (7.77 fish per seine haul) observed in Virginia tributaries. The improvement in recruitment observed in 2025 and 2026 is consistent with historically observed patterns: years with below-average recruitment (i.e., 1999, 2002, 2012, 2024) were followed by years with average to above-average recruitment (i.e., 2000, 2003, 2013, 2025).

“While this year’s class is considered average in terms of abundance, it represents a significant increase from 2024,” said Jack Buchanan, marine scientist at VIMS and the chief scientist of the Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey, who noted that striped bass recruitment can vary considerably from year to year. “A single year of poor recruitment can be partially offset by the previous or following year’s production, which helps stabilize the overall population and the fisheries it supports.”

We need better than average to get the Striped Bass population back up to historical abundances, but I guess average is better than below average, like Marylands. VIMS tries to make it sound good. 

Maybe El Nino winter will be a help next year.

Another Bad Year for Striped Bass in the Bay

MDDNR, Maryland Striped Bass Reproduction Index Higher for 2026 But Below Average For Eighth Straight Year

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) 2026 juvenile striped bass survey recorded a young-of-year index of 5.5. Although it marks the eighth consecutive year of low spawning success for striped bass, this is the highest index recorded since 2018. The survey tracks the reproductive success of Maryland’s state fish in Chesapeake Bay.

During this annual survey, fisheries biologists sample 22 sites located in four major striped bass spawning areas: the Choptank, Nanticoke, and Potomac rivers, and the upper Chesapeake Bay. Biologists visit each site three times per summer, collecting fish with two sweeps of a 100-foot beach seine net. The index represents the average number of 3-inch or smaller juvenile striped bass caught in 132 sweeps of the net. The survey, one of the longest-running continuous fish surveys in the United States, has been conducted in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay since 1954.

 

This year’s survey captured 723 juvenile striped bass. The highest performing areas were the upper Bay and Choptank River. Although striped bass catches were below average, the fish were more widely distributed than in recent years, indicating suitable habitat throughout the nursery areas. The long-term average index for the survey is currently 10.8, while the index was 4.0 in 2025 and 2.0 in 2024.

“We are encouraged to see some improvements to the numbers of juvenile striped bass this year, while it wasn’t as robust as we would like,” said Maryland DNR Fishing and Boating Services Director Michael Luisi. “Ongoing low recruitment is anticipated to impact rebuilding of the coastwide striped bass population. Results from coastwide juvenile indices will be incorporated into the ongoing work to produce the benchmark stock assessment expected to be completed in 2027.”

 

Efforts to rebuild the Atlantic Coast population of striped bass to previous high levels have been underway for several years and are ongoing. Through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Maryland and other states that border the Atlantic Ocean have implemented management measures, including reductions to catch limits, tighter slot limits, and season closures. Continued low levels of reproduction will influence future conservation measures under consideration by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Recent population estimates indicate healthy adult populations of striped bass, despite the downturn in juvenile spawning success. A rebuilt adult population should reproduce successfully when conditions like river flow, temperature and food availability are favorable for striped bass eggs and larvae.

 

Multiple factors affect striped bass spawning success in the Chesapeake Bay. Cold winters and wet springs tend to be beneficial for spawning, and while Maryland experienced a cold winter, the prolonged regional drought and resulting low river flows may have led to unfavorable conditions for striped bass eggs and larvae. High river flows increase spawning habitat, allow eggs to remain suspended in the water column, and bring larvae closer to food sources. Other variables, including a shortened spawning period, could also influence spawning success.

These consecutive below-average year classes will likely become more apparent among the adult population of striped bass in the coming years, as the juveniles reach maturity. A benchmark stock assessment for the coastwide population of Atlantic striped bass is underway and expected to complete peer review in spring 2027. The stock assessment will evaluate the condition of striped bass from Maine to North Carolina and inform future management actions.

Everybody who fishes for stripers in the Bay is well aware of the dearth of small fish, the very fish that are needed to keep the population moving forward. And you have to go farther, and fish longer to catch the same number of fish that you used to. 

Fish Pic Friday - Capt. London Rosiere

Capt. London Rosiere@londonfishes, with an astonishing collection of fish, with some really big ones.

Caught the Louisiana Women’s State Record Swordfish (a 275-lb hand-cranked catch), as well as massive bluefin tuna (781–900 lbs), yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna (such as a 179-lb catch), wahoo, and Montauk triggerfish.  Founder and executive director of Camp SoulGrow, a non-profit children's charity established in 2014 that builds self-esteem in kids across Louisiana and Montauk. Featured in Louisiana Sportsman, WDSU News, and various fishing and outdoor programs.

Chesapeake Bay Gets a Gentlemen's C

With a little grade inflation. From the Balmer Sun, Chesapeake Bay is the healthiest its been in 40 years — with a C+ grade

Chesapeake Bay is the healthiest it has been in 40 years of tracking — earning a C+ grade, according to a newly released report.

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) released its 20th annual Chesapeake Bay and Watershed Report Card, offering a comprehensive snapshot of the health of the bay and the waterways that feed it.

The report card crunched data mainly from 2025, measuring indicators such as water clarity and total nitrogen.

The Chesapeake notched an overall C+ grade, scoring 56%, according to the report. It received an A for dissolved oxygen, which is critical for aquatic organisms’ survival. The bay also showed improvement in aquatic grasses, total phosphorus and total nitrogen.
...
Of the Chesapeake’s 15 regions, eight showed improving health trends, while seven remained stable. The Lower Bay earned a B+ (76%), the highest score ever recorded for a region. The Lower Western Shore received the lowest grade, a D- (24%).

The bay’s improved health comes as the blue crab population increased over the past year, despite a troubling decline over the past decade. Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources also reported significant growth in the state’s oyster population over the past five years.

The bay’s watersheds, areas where rainfall, snowmelt and surface runoff drain into a shared body of water, earned a C+ grade as well, matching last year’s score. Its highest-scoring indicators were temperature stress at 84% and protected lands at 80%.

Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, president of UMCES, said in a statement that the recovery reflects “a steady, long-term trajectory, proving what sustained science-guided efforts can achieve. Real recovery isn’t measured in single years — it’s built over decades,” he said.

I'm not a big fan of the grading systems used by the several groups who put out such grades. They're very weather dependent. A good score one year can be followed by a horrible one the next. Is the system worse for it? Maybe, in an extreme case like Hurricane Agnes, but for the most part, it's just random, for certain values of the word random.

For my part, I don't see much change in the Bay, except that one of my favorite pastimes, fishing for Striped Bass is more difficult because their abundance is in real trouble, they're harder to find, and the rules on keeping them have, justifiably, been made substantially stricter;

On the other hand, there's good news, the famous Chesapeake Logperch has recovered to the point that the Federal government no long considers them endangered. I hear they're awesome on a fly.

Fish Pic Friday - Melissa Nieves

Melissa Nieves@reeltreequeen  FL girl in the WILD • God • Grit • Good times #treequeen saltymilf.co

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: No Fishy Just Sexy up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Back From Fishin'

A pretty good day for fishing, overcast, intermittently drizzling, and declining winds. We got a late start, 9:30, to avoid morning wind.

After a brief stop at Cedar Point (1 fish), we headed across the bay to Mike's Rocks on the shore of Hoopers Island. We caught several fish there, and headed south, on a rather typical southern route, looking for the right combination of current and structure. 

We found it in many places. 

Sorry, I didn't take any fish pictures, hopefully, I'll get a couple from Pete in the morning.

Gone Fishin'

 But not like this:

or this:

Back later with fresh lies:

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: No Fishy Just Sexy up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Fish Pic Friday - Skye Nowak

Inshore Adventures with Skye Nowak: Professional Angler Kayak fishing guide🛶

BOOK NOW⤵️ 386.402.2539 

Conservationist Mosquito Lagoon Ormonds, Tomoka Basin, St.John County Flood Tide, 

Grassy Flats of NSB, Oakhill Marshes,Creeks of Titusville

Fishing the Fall Mullet Migration by Skye Nowak

Fishing Booker

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: A Salute to Mrs. Justin Verlander up and awaiting your digital pleasure.

Tuesday Tanlines

Corporate Target, From the Dance Floor to Target Beauty Studio: Peta Murgatroyd Brings Self-Tanning (and Confidence) to Guests.

Target Beauty Studio is all about helping guests discover innovative beauty brands that deliver real results. The elevated, discovery-led beauty destination features dedicated Beauty Advisors, rotating product features and an expertly curated assortment of more than 1,600 products from 90 prestige, emerging and global brands — most new to Target. Through our ongoing work with founders, Target helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses while bringing fresh ideas, trends and innovation to guests. One of the new additions is Peta Jane Beauty, the self-tanning brand founded by professional dancer, entrepreneur and Dancing with the Stars champion Peta Murgatroyd. Born from years of backstage trial and error, Peta Jane Beauty was created to solve the frustrations Peta experienced with traditional self-tanners, from streaky color and unpleasant scents to sticky formulas and uneven fading. Now, with Peta Jane Beauty at Target Beauty Studio, guests can shop the brand’s range of self-tanning products in stores, on Target.com and in the Target app.

I wonder if anyone has ever used masking tape to create tanlines?

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: A Salute to Mrs. Justin Verlander up and awaiting your digital pleasure.

Chesapeake Bay Has Crabs

And even more than last year. At the Bay Net, Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs Jumped From 238 Million To 349 Million — Here’s Why

One winter the Chesapeake Bay holds 238 million blue crabs. The next, 349 million. Anyone who has watched the price of a bushel swing from one summer to the next knows the numbers move, but the reasons behind those swings are less familiar than the crab itself.

The short answer is that a blue crab’s fate is decided long before it reaches a trotline off Solomons or a crab pot in the Severn River. Winter cold, underwater grass beds, invasive predators, summer oxygen levels and the ocean currents that carry larvae back into the Bay all shape how many crabs survive to legal size. Understanding those forces helps residents of St. Mary’s, Calvert, Charles and Anne Arundel counties read each spring’s survey headline for what it actually says.
...
The 2026 survey delivered the best news in years. The total population rose 46% to 349 million crabs, and juveniles jumped 121% to 228 million, the highest count since 2019 and the end of six straight years of below-average recruitment. “It’s very encouraging to see higher levels of blue crabs and juveniles, especially after a few years of lower juvenile recruitment,” said Mandy Bromilow, DNR’s blue crab program manager. Adult females, though, fell 25% to 81 million, above the threshold but well below the target.

That mixed picture is typical. Blue crab numbers rarely move in one direction at once, and each piece of the population answers to a different set of pressures.

 

Winter Cold Sets The Floor - Blue crabs spend the winter dormant in the bottom mud, and a hard freeze can kill them there. The 2026 survey found the cold winter killed an estimated 20% of adult males and 12% of adult females, against long-term averages of 9% and 7%. The Bay-wide 2026 Blue Crab Advisory Report put overwintering mortality at 5.17% of the whole population, above the 4.19% average.

It was the second cold winter in a row. After the 2025 survey showed the population falling to 238 million, Bromilow said, “We saw a very high mortality rate among blue crabs this winter, likely due to several cold snaps.” The Chesapeake Bay Program lists extremely cold winters among the factors that can cause significant crab mortality in the Bay, which is why a mild January can matter as much as anything managers do.

 

Underwater Grasses Are The Nursery - If winter sets the floor, habitat sets the ceiling for the young crabs that survive. Juvenile crabs find refuge from predators in underwater grass beds, and the Chesapeake Bay Program describes the loss of those grasses as a loss of nursery habitat. The program’s blue crab page notes that crabs use grass beds and marshes as nurseries, feeding grounds and refuges, and that denser beds hold more crabs.

The connection is why crab watchers also watch the grass survey. Bay-wide underwater grass acreage reached 89,385 acres in 2025, up 6,134 acres from 2024, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and Maryland’s share grew nearly 13%. More grass in the summer of 2025 meant more places for the record juvenile class counted in the winter of 2026 to hide. Marsh loss and shoreline hardening in Southern Maryland’s creeks chip away at the same nursery from the land side.

 

Predators Old And New - Striped bass and red drum have always eaten young crabs, and the Chesapeake Bay Program lists both among the natural predators. Crabs also eat each other. The newer problem is blue catfish, an invasive species that has spread through the Potomac, Patuxent and other tributaries. A two-year diet study led by Virginia Institute of Marine Science professor Mary Fabrizio found that blue catfish prey on blue crabs year-round, targeting the smallest ones. “Blue catfish are eating the juvenile crabs that Virginia counts on to sustain the future blue crab population,” Fabrizio said, adding that eradicating the fish is “not possible.”

Maryland’s response is to eat them. Watermen harvested more than 2 million pounds of blue catfish in 2025, and in April Gov. Wes Moore signed legislation letting DNR study whether commercial gill nets could increase the harvest further, WYPR reported. The 2026 Advisory Report names predation by red drum and blue catfish among the factors researchers are still investigating behind years of low juvenile numbers.

 

Summer Oxygen And The Dead Zone - Crabs live on the bottom, and each summer a portion of the Bay’s bottom runs out of oxygen. Nutrient pollution feeds algae blooms that decay and consume dissolved oxygen, creating the dead zone. The Chesapeake Bay Program says hypoxia may interfere with the dispersal of juvenile crabs into the estuary and can limit the bottom-dwelling prey crabs depend on.

This year offered a break. Scientists at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science forecast a 2026 dead zone about 31% below the long-term average, among the smallest 10% of years since monitoring began in 1985, because river flows from January through April ran 32% below average and carried 39% less nitrogen into the Bay. “Lower nitrogen loads entering the Bay this spring are expected to translate into better oxygen conditions for fish, crabs, oysters and other Bay life this summer,” said Aaron Bever, a senior environmental scientist at FlowWest who helped produce the forecast. A wet spring can flip that outcome, which is one reason a dry year and a wet year can produce very different crab seasons.

 

The Ocean Decides Who Comes Home - The least visible driver may be the most powerful. Female crabs release larvae near the mouth of the Bay, and those larvae drift into the Atlantic before currents carry the survivors back into Chesapeake waters. The Chesapeake Bay Program says larval survival in the ocean is unpredictable, depending on oceanic flow, storm events and weather patterns, and that juvenile recruitment fluctuates as a result. The 2026 Advisory Report adds wind and tidal currents to the list of conditions under study.

That randomness explains a puzzle: the female population fell 25% in 2026, yet the juvenile class more than doubled. A good year for larvae returning from the ocean can outweigh a shortfall in spawning females, and a bad one can waste a strong spawning stock.

 

Harvest Is The One Lever People Control - Weather, currents and catfish are beyond a fishery manager’s reach. Harvest is not. The 2026 Advisory Report found the stock is not being overfished, but its Stock Assessment Committee recommended that Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission “continue to be cautious when setting fishing guidelines.” Ingrid Braun-Ricks, the committee’s chair, said the report “gives us a shared, science-based understanding of the population, helping managers collaborate across different fisheries to sustain blue crabs, a resource that supports our local economy and remains a cornerstone of Chesapeake Bay heritage and culture.”

The bigger decision is coming. DNR says it is finalizing a benchmark stock assessment, a full re-examination of how the crab population is measured and managed, and will spend the next year discussing what it means with watermen and scientists. For Southern Maryland’s commercial crabbers and recreational crabbers alike, that assessment will shape bushel limits and seasons for years.

New Jersey Recs Seek Menhaden Catch Control

 Asbury Park Press, New Jersey's rec fishermen show support for cutting menhaden bay quota

The majority of New Jersey recreational stakeholders who spoke at Tuesday's public hearing on the Chesapeake Bay menhaden cap favor cutting the reduction fleet's bay harvest by as much as 50%.

Capt. Paul Eidman, who spearheads the non-profit Menhaden Defenders and chairs the Jersey Coast Angler's Association forage species committee, said the most precautionary options presented by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission would best address the concerns over the health of the menhaden population as well as sustaining striped bass and ospreys.

 

"What happens in the Chesapeake Bay effects the entire East Coast," Eidman said. "The bay is the largest nursery on the coast and the fish that begin their lives there, such as striped bass, migrate to New Jersey waters. New Jersey has a direct stake in getting this right."

The Bay Cap is the quota of menhaden Virginia allocates to the reduction fleet operating out of Reedsville, Virginia for harvest from the Chesapeake Bay. The cap is currently 51,000 metric tons annually.

Of the East Coast states, Virginia gets the lion's share of the total coastwide allowable catch, or TAC, for menhaden, which is 186,840 metric tons for the entire coast. Virginia gets 75.21% of the TAC, or roughly 139,000 metric tons. It then gives 90.04%, or about 125,000 metric tons of its quota to the reduction fleet.

I get the feeling something is going to change soon. Rick Hutzel at the Balmer Banner,  Finding balance on Chesapeake menhaden, the most important fish in the bay

 The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Oktoberfest up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Fish Pic Friday - Julie Higgs

Julie Higgs Duco@julie_higgs_spearfishing TV show @sportsmanchannel @worldfishingnetwork @myoutdoortv National & World Champion Spearfisher, IUSA World Record Holder, FF/PM, YouTube

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Oktoberfest up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain. Linked at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama.

Fish Pic Friday - Unhinged Outdoors

Unhinged Outdoors@unhinged_outdoors Outdoor page dedicated to Hunting & Fishing

📍VA Based YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@UnhingedOutdoors

 Linked at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Coffee & Sweater awaiting your digital pleasure.

That Thing That Never Happens Happened Again

On the Water, Chatham Commercial Striper Fisherman Caught with 324 Lbs of Illegal Striped Bass.  

A tip from the U.S. Coast Guard turned into a major bust off Cape Cod. Early on the morning of August 5th, Massachusetts Environmental Police officers responded to a report of a fisherman with suspected illegal commercial striped bass in the Ryders Cove area of Chatham.

Officers found the fisherman in possession of 18 striped bass, all of it landed on a closed commercial day. Six of those fish came in under the 35-inch minimum size limit for commercial striped bass. Further investigation showed the fisherman had landed double commercial limit for a single day.

A tip? I wonder who he pissed off. You can be sure for every case of poaching that gets busted, a hundred are getting away with it. And they're not being counted against the commercial quotas. 

In total, officers seized 324 pounds of striped bass. The fish were forfeited to the Commonwealth following a civil libel hearing, which came with a $1,863.00 penalty. On top of that, the fisherman was issued a Massachusetts Environmental Violation Notice totaling an additional $2,905.80 — bringing the total financial hit to nearly $4,800.

Massachusett commercial fishermen get a 35 inch minimum, and all we get is a slot from 24 to 28? 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Coffee & Sweater awaiting your digital pleasure.

Maryland Gets Money for Blue Catfish Control

 WBOC, Congressman Andy Harris announces $6 million investment in invasive catfish processing

Maryland Congressman Andy Harris has announced a multimillion-dollar U.S. Department of Agriculture grant fund aimed at expanding invasive catfish processing.

According to Harris’ office, the funding will provide grants ranging from $50,000 to $2 million to allow catfish processors to expand facilities, purchase equipment, and increase the number of invasive catfish processed.

Congressman Harris previously announced a similar round of funding in 2025, calling it a “big win” for coastal economies battling the invasive species. Here on the Chesapeake, the voracious fish pose a threat to native species such as striped bass, menhaden, shad, and blue crabs.

 

“Invasive blue catfish are reducing the blue crab and native fish populations that Maryland watermen harvest and sell,” Congressman Harris said in a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 9. “Increasing processing capacity will strengthen the market for wild-caught catfish, expand opportunities for watermen and seafood processors, and remove more invasive fish from the Bay. I thank Secretary Rollins and USDA for making this funding available to protect the Chesapeake Bay and strengthen Maryland’s seafood economy.” 

It's worth noting that Andy Harris is Maryland's sole Republican representative, who the Democrats are desperately trying to gerrymander out of office.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Coffee & Sweater awaiting your digital pleasure.

The Return of Flotsam and Jetsam

Yes, I'm back from my Syrupean fishing vacation. I made it home by late in the afternoon Friday, and after putting away the mess, a quick trip to the Drs, Gabby's soccer game, and general fatigue, I didn't get much accomplished yesterday.

It was interesting traveling out of Minneapolis/St. Paul on the morning of the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Speaking of which, according to NYPo, AOC spotted laughing next to Mamdani at 9/11 ceremony — as victims’ families weep during reading of names. Hat Hair's Dave Strom calls it Enraging: AOC and Mamdani Laugh It Up at 9/11 Memorial As Names of the Victims Read. Ace, Victory Lap: Communist Jihadi Zohran Mamdani Does "Interfaith" Walk on 9/11, Which Ends at... Islamic Center, "Unbelievable," and Twenty Five Years After 9/11, Most Have Forgotten -- and the Children Who Were Born After the Terrorist Attack are Being Taught That Muslims Were the Victims and Americans the Racist Aggressors, "How on earth was this allowed to happen?" At Twitchy, Abigail Spanberger Gets TORCHED on X for Claiming Americans 'Lost Their Lives' on 9/11. PJM's Vicky Taft has one of her West Coast, Messed Coast™ — Nothing Says 'We Hate America' Quite as Much as UCLA's 9/11 Event. TownHall's Matt Vespa likes how Bill Maher Zeroed in on the Biggest Moral Cowards Post-9/11. It's Exactly Who You Think. "Maher added that the biggest cowards post-9/11 are Democratic Party politicians, whose moral confusion, which has become cancerous over the past quarter century since the attacks, has been laid bare by the Gaza War: a strip of land the Israelis gave back as part of a peace deal, made possible when then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ditched Likud to form the now-defunct Kadima Party. It was later taken over by Hamas, a terrorist organization, and used to launch attacks on Israel. Israel launched a counterattack after the equivalent of their 9/11, the October 7 attacks, isn’t genocide. And yet, it’s the issue Democrats police their candidates like the Gestapo—they must say it, or at least not bash the terrorists."

Nicole Russell at USA Today, As Texas Senate race tightens, Talarico's mask is slipping. "Newly surfaced comments on capitalism, faith and abortion reveal Texas state Rep. James Talarico is more progressive than his campaign lets on. Voters are starting to notice." Hat Hair's Capt. Ed had Saturday's Final Word. @amuse @amuse, "TEXAS SENATE RACE: Would you be surprised to learn that the architect of James Talarico's political career is a trans man who attended Furman University and got a degree in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies? Tyler Mitchell, now known as Hyacinth High (they/them/theirs), shaped Talarico's campaigns and ensured they were staffed primarily by LGBTQ folks, with a particular focus on hiring trans staffers. Hyacinth is now Regional Campaigns Director at The Fairness Project. Texas doesn't need someone with Talarico's extreme ideology representing the interests of Texans." Capt. Ed was pretty happy when The Cavalry Arrived: Senate GOP Drops $32 Million Into Texas for Paxton. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn thinks the Dems Got Themselves a Case of the Cray Crays and They Just Can't Seem to Shake the Loons Off. But Driscoll at Insty notes DEMOCRATIC PARTY PULLS SUPPORT FOR NC HOUSE CANDIDATE SHELLY HEADEN: The Calvin Coolidge Project @TheCalvinCooli1, "Report: North Carolina Democrats have withdrawn support for State House candidate Shelly Headen after she called for violence against Republicans and compared herself to Jesus Christ She said: “I think our only hope is an attack on US soil, preferably Alabama, Louisiana where the stupid people live.” She said: “I’ve sacrificed myself just like Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross, and Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln and all the people that put themselves out there to sacrifice for our country,” she said. “If a few angry moments on social media are the end, then so be it. MAGA will keep winning if we continue with not standing up for what’s right.”" Tippinsights wonders Sen. Tafoya? Minnesota Polling Shows a Dead Heat. AMAC warns Don’t Buy Democrats’ “Farm Revolt” Narrative, "The media is buzzing about a brewing farmland revolt against Republicans in November. But that narrative has far less basis in reality than Democrats would have Americans believe."

Hat Hair's John Sexton has A San Francisco Squatter Story for the Ages. Variety worries Paramount Leaving California Would Devastate Los Angeles Economy, Leaked Report Finds. From the OC Reg, Orange man gets 30 years for role in $269 million Medi-Cal fraud. 

Stacy McCain considers the The Permanent Problem of Liberalism "You see the point of this narrative — the emotional payoff of the melodrama — is that the liberal is always the hero, deserving praise and admiration for his courage in opposing the Republican villain. Once you recognize this, you realize why there is no point arguing with the liberal. He cannot be persuaded by facts or logic, because facts and logic are not the basis of his belief system. And this is why I say that liberalism is a permanent problem. If we could not vanquish liberalism in 70 years, during which time we had such brilliant minds as Buckley advocating for the conservative cause, isn’t it the height of folly to imagine we’ll be able to declare a final victory anytime in the foreseeable future?"

Da Signal has two from the Great Victor Davis Hanson: When Will the Iranian People Overthrow the Regime? and Canadians Feel Real Pain in Stage 4 of Trade War. I have to see, I didn't see a lot of pain there. At Hat Hair, Salena Zito is pleased with the 'Trump Power Plant' Coming to Fayette County, the Largest Investment in Its History. Dennis Santiago at RedState sees a Firestorm Ignited Over Proposed US Census Rules. Here Is What Citizens Can Do About It. Taking the illegals, and other non-residental aliens out of the count for apportionment.

Twitchy calls it PERFECTION! Guess Who Rescued a Stranded Anti-Trump MS NOW Crew in the TX Desert: New York Post @nypost, "MS NOW crew gets stuck in Texas desert - and has to be rescued by Border Patrol https://trib.al/nsL6CAq."

From Ace, The "Rogue" Juror the Extreme Left-Wing AWFUL Karens Berated and Bullied for a Week? B L A C K and Of Course: Garbage Tier Network NBC Is Now Doxxing the Lone "Rogue" Holdout in the Lindsay Clancy Case, "The media exists solely for purposes of blackmail and incitement to murder." Sister Toldja at RedState says Whoa: NBC News 'Tries to Bury' Holdout Clancy Juror, but DeSantis Makes Him an Offer They Won’t Like. Sundance at CTH, NBC Targets and Doxxes Lindsay Clancy Juror Holdout – Visits Home, Searches, Investigates Family and Worse. Matt Walsh @MattWalshBlog, "They’re flat out doxxing an anonymous juror because he didn’t acquit a triple murderer. These people are evil beasts. Demons from hell. Sue, you deserve nothing but shame and scorn. You despicable freak." Quote Sue O'Connell: COMMENTATOR, not a reporter @SueOC_NBCBoston, "EXCLUSIVE: The holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial had a history of domestic violence allegations, the @NBC10Boston Investigators have learned through court documents and interviews with family members ..."

Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "I have no words… USA Today says the people mocking Charlie’s ass*ssination is actually good because they’re just using humor to deal with it emotionally USA Today is covering up for the violent scum who want us dead and celebrate m*rder I can’t believe this is real They have no shame."

From the Robinson Report a Chinese National Accused of of Illegally Modifying Homeland Security Computers - MWTV. "A Chinese national working as a CBP supervisor in Calais was charged after investigators said 46 government computers were altered at Maine border facilities."

Matt Margolis at PJM, Were You Hoping Jessica Tarlov Would Get Fired From Fox News? I've Got Some News. Three year contract. They need someone to spew the DNC line, Harold won't.

Ace finds out The UK Branded Turning Point Members as Dangerous Right Wing Extremists, Claimed Leftists, On the Other Hand, Were "Moderate". "They actually tracked and surveilled Turning Point UK members because they thought they were dangerous -- after a leftist killed Charlie Kirk. They feared they would agitate for "free speech," which is of course dangerous to a corrupt authoritarian and wildly unpopular regime. They also complained that the "ERW" -- "extreme right wing" -- blamed Kirk's assassination on "the political left." I am done with the UK. I am done with NATO."

Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal is outraged Parents Can’t Escape Washington’s Transgender Policies by Changing Schools, Supreme Court Brief Argues.

And much, much more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 09.11.26 (Afternoon Edition) and In The Mailbox: 09.11.26 (Evening Edition). The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Finally, A Winning Week awaiting your digital pleasure.

Fish Pic Friday - Natalie Underwater

Natalie@natalieunderwater, freediving, spearfishing, hunting, fishing, adventuring AIDA 3 & PADI Master Freediver

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: SecTreas Taking The Long Position? up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.  Linked at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama.

Fish Pic Friday - Ania Chrostowska

 A European up and comer:

Anna Chrostowska@local.princess, Polish fishing girl in europe 🇵🇱🇫🇮🇧🇻🇸🇪, Fishing with @local.fishandhunt collab anna.chrostowska97@gmail.com

Gone Fishin'

 Quite a bit like this actually. Eventually:

Wish us luck.