Regulars (All)

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 7/19/12

The Scourge of Summer

Algae blooms mean red tides and stressed fish

We were already launched speeding toward our rendezvous as dawn broke on the Chesapeake. Then the radio crackled with bad news. “Don’t bother,” said a friend who had arrived on station first. “There’s a red tide pouring out of the river and the fish have left.” Fishfinder Rockfish remain good, though algae blooms have made locating them more complicated. Love Point has been good for chumming, live lining and...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 7/19/12

Don’t Plant Problems

Many fast growing trees have short lives

Contractors are notorious for planting what horticulturists call trash trees and shrubs around new housing developments. The plants they select are fast-growing, cheap and can be guaranteed to live for at least one year after they have been planted. The trees most commonly used are silver maple, weeping willow, mimosa, Lombardy poplar and white willow. They grow fast, provide quick shade and make the house more appealing at the time of purchase. The most...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 7/12/12

Enveloped in the Milky Way

There’s a lot to see in our galaxy

Venus is at its brightest in the east before dawn this week, reaching its greatest illuminated extent on the 12th, when it occupies the greatest chunk of celestial real estate as viewed from Earth. After that, the planet pulls away from us, dimming a bit but by no means losing its clear title as the brightest object in the sky other than sun and moon. As a comparison, the next-brightest object, Jupiter, is just a few degrees above Venus. The waning crescent moon joins the picture...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 7/12/12

Sow Seeds for Fall Crops

Now’s the time for Brussels’ sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage

The vegetable gardening season should not end with sweet corn and tomatoes. There is plenty of good gardening ahead, especially as temperatures cool. Last fall the Upakrik Farm garden produced a super abundance of peas and green beans until the first killing frost. We harvested broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips and kohlrabi well after Thanksgiving and Brussels’ sprouts well after Christmas. The collard greens and kale were at their best nearly all winter long. We harvested...

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

What Line Catches More Fish?

Read on to find out

The rod tip twitched, just a little and just once, but I caught the movement out of the corner of my eye. “Hey Mo, you’ve got a bite,” I hissed, needlessly. My friend’s hand had already moved to his reel and slipped off the clicker to reduce its resistance on the line. His thumb was on the spool, but he left the rod in its holder. The rod tip twitched slightly again, then again. The line began to pull out, slowly at first,...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 7/5/12

A Shout Out to the Heavenly Hero

Looking for ET with Hercules

Given the scorching temperatures of late, you might be surprised to know that earth is at its farthest point from the sun this time of year, called, aphelion. On July 4, Earth reached the apex of its elliptical orbit around the sun at 94,505,851 miles. That’s about three million miles farther than at perihelion, earth’s closest point to the sun. That may seem like a significant distance, it’s little more than three percent, not enough to account for earth...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 7/5/12

Summer Fishing

Get up early to find the fish and beat the heat

We were drifting quietly well off the mouth of the Severn in 30 feet of water. It was not yet sunrise but the first blush of daylight lit the water’s surface well enough to show some very nervous schools of baitfish swimming around us. Here and there small menhaden — peanut bunker — would shower into the air, fleeing something sinister below. There must have been a heck of a spawn this spring because I don’t believe I’ve ever seen so many...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 7/5/12

No Scarecrows for Me

I use fences, smells and my dog

Squirrels, rabbits, ground hogs and deer are a common problem in home vegetable gardens. I surround my garden with a four-foot-high four-inch-by-two-inch turkey fence supported by steel fence posts at 10-foot intervals. I also attach an 18-inch-wide pullet fence at the bottom with hog-nose rings. Groundhogs will not climb the turkey fence with the bottom pullet fence. They try but fall backwards because the pullet fence is loosely attached. The bottom edge is buried two to three inches deep to...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 6/28/12

Finding the Buzz in Cancer

See if you can beat Galileo’s 40

As the sun sets this week, its latest of the year at 8:35, Saturn and Mars appear in the darkening skies, Mars high in the southwest and Saturn trailing 25 degrees at due south. Mars sets at midnight, with Saturn following 90 minutes later. Our neighbor isn’t called the red planet for nothing: its orange hue is quite distinct and a real contrast to golden Saturn, although both shine at around first magnitude and are as bright as any star. See if you...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 6/28/12

Why Rockfish Prefer Spot

And what to do if perch is your only bait

I could feel the five-inch white perch on my line swimming toward the bottom 30 feet down. The pulses of its efforts transmitted plainly up the line on my bait-casting rod. As the baitfish reached its goal and settled down, I lightly thumbed the narrow spool of my casting reel and lifted my rod tip just enough to make the fish’s movements a bit more frantic. I was drifting over some nice marks on my depth sounder off the mouth of the Severn, and I suspected the arches...