Regulars (All)

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 8/16/12

The Hounds of the Heavens

We’ve rewarded our most loyal companion with three constellations

Of the 88 official constellations over our heads, nearly half are animals, serpents, birds and fishes. Admired for their beauty or feared for their strength, these are wild creatures, beasts you wouldn’t want to encounter, let alone have in the house. In fact, of them all, only a few are domesticated animals. One of the oldest recognized constellations is Taurus the bull. Goats have played a role in civilization at least as long as have cows, but their celestial reward is the...

Article - Bay Reflections; by Michael White - 8/16/12

My Dog and I Are Creatures of Habit

Life on the Bay Can Be Exhausting

I rise early even on weekends, continuing the habit of a lifetime, look out and see the civil twilight and the promise of the sun. Over the flat water, dark blue now, like a sheet of glass, wisps of dark clouds with a hint of pink on the horizon in a sky of light blue. The day is already alive with morning sounds, distant traffic. Gulls cry from afar, geese honk as they fly over, a tern drifts by, Bay ducks leave their traces on the water surface like a flotilla, and a common loon emerges from...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 8/16/12

Dog Day Exercise

How to lead dogs to water and make them swim

The Dog Days make August a difficult month for canines, especially the sporting variety. Hunting season is just around the corner, but it’s been many weeks since the weather has been cool enough for serious field exercise. Inactivity takes a toll on human-dog cooperation and communication, not to mention their mutual physical conditioning. Water play beats the heat and does the job. The easiest form of training for any dog is masked by the semblance...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 8/9/12

The Greatest Show Off Earth

Don’t miss the Perseids, the best of the meteor showers

The moon reaches last-quarter Thursday, rising around midnight. Look for the faint lights of the Pleiades star cluster, marking the back of Taurus the bull, 10 degrees above the moon. The next night, or rather morning, the moon rises near 1am, now just scant degrees from Aldebaran, the red heart of the bull, and Jupiter, forming a tight triangle. Brilliant Venus trails this pack by about 20 degrees. The waning moon rises in the wee hours Sunday before...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 8/9/12

How to Fight Back Brush

If you’ve got to use weed killer, now’s the time

Spraying weed killer is generally a bad idea. Spraying must be done with great care and careful targeting when the wind is calm. But if you need to spray to kill underbrush, late August and September is the time. When foliage is mature, photosynthesis is in high gear and the roots are being resupplied. In other words, the sugars being produced by the leaves are now translocating back to the roots. Root resupply generally begins in mid-July and is at its peak in August and...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by - 8/9/12

A Pox of Marauding Bluefish

You can’t tell a fish not to bite

We had arrived on station at eight that morning with 10 live-lining-size Norfolk spot frisking about in our aerated bait tank. My longtime friend Mike Kelly was in the bow with a short light-casting rod, intent on getting a 5/0 hook just in front of his baitfish’s dorsal. The channel edge off of Podickery had been a rockfish magnet the last two weeks and couldn’t last much longer. Just the day before, sporting anglers and commercial watermen had been fishing hook...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 8/2/12

Summer’s Brightest Stars

Three points to summer’s triangle

Thursday’s full moon brightens the sky from dusk till dawn. American Indians called this the sturgeon moon, as it marks the time when these great fish once began their migration and were most easily caught. Sturgeon have been plying our waters for more than 150 million years, yet today most species are endangered. More common names for August’s full are the grain moon, the lightning moon, the green corn moon and the red moon. As darkness...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 8/2/12

Spider Mites Love This Weather

They’re infesting roses and spruce

While driving I passed a planting of roses that did not appear normal. Up close I saw that the plants were heavily infested with spider mites. The foliage and stems had a rusty red color and were covered with fine webs. The variety of roses appeared to be Knockouts, which are advertised as very resistant to insects. This summer’s hot, dry weather is ideal for the growth and development of spider mites. The small spider-like creatures are about the size of the pointed...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 8/2/12

How Much Fish Is Safe to Eat?

From the Bay, you can enjoy a little more

After yet another great rockfish dinner, I decided to do a little research on past warnings about contaminants in our Bay waters, hence in our striped bass. Checking out the latest Maryland Department of the Environment Updated Fish Consumption Advisory for Maryland, I found great news and a little bad news. Good news first: The most recent testing of Bay rockfish showed a decided decrease in contaminant levels, meaning more rockfish can now be safely...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 7/26/12

Luring Big Bubba

This old dog learned a new trick

I have dedicated a great deal of effort and financial investment in my quest for big perch on artificial lures. Last week I discovered I had been on the wrong track. I experimented with the Super Rooster Tail, Beetle Spins, the Tony Accetta Pet Spoon, small Rat-L-Traps, the Little Cleo spoon, Acme Kastmasters and small Bass Assassins and Finesse minnows in various colors. All can catch white perch. At catching really big perch, 12 inches or over, none...