This past Wednesday, DCMSSA had it’s first meeting of 2010 at the usual meeting location in Bethesda. We began this week’s meeting discussing some dates to remember. On February 24th, the Recreational Fishing Alliance is organizing a fishermen “March on Washington”. This event is an organized demonstration against the unintended negative impacts of the Magnuson Stevens Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the federal fisheries law which was revised in January 2007. The revisions of this law were based on non-scientific data, and has led to the imposed restrictions on fisheries including amberjack, red snapper, and black sea bass. This event will take place on the steps of the US Capitol on February 24th 2010 from noon until 3pm. For further details, please see the Recreational Fishing Alliace website at www.joinrfa.org.

We also briefly discussed the new National Saltwater Angler Registry program, ran by NOAA. This new law, part of the Marine Recreational Information Program, went into effect on January 1, 2010, requiring anglers to register online. For further specific details, please visit https://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov/

January 14-17 is the weekend for the 26th Annual Fishing Expo and Boat Show at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, MD. DCMSSA will have a booth at this expo to promote our newly formed chapter. Come on out and show your support. Our chapter President, Jeremy Bendler, will be in attendance on Sunday (Jan 17th). Feel free to contact Jeremy Bendler (President@dcmssa.org) for further information should you wish to participate in this event. For general information with regards to the Fishing Expo & Boat Show, visit http://www.fishingexpo.com/.

This week’s guest speaker was Captain Sean Crawford. Captain Sean Crawford gave an in-depth presentation on tides and currents. While we all know that tides and currents are key driving forces in the feeding patterns of the fish we target, Captain Crawford gave us an in-depth as to WHY and HOW these phenomena actually work. It was a great presentation and I’m sure we all came away with a better understanding of tides and currents, and how they interact with each other. Captain Sean Crawford has over twenty years of experience fishing the Chesapeake Bay. He is a fly and light tackle fishing guide that can teach you a thing or two with his vast knowledge. Further information on Captain Crawford’s operation can be found at http://www.terrapinbayfishing.com.

The next DCMSSA chapter will be held on February 3rd. Our guest speaker will be Captain Pete Dahlberg, better known as “Walleye Pete”. Walleye Pete has been featured on ESPN, and is the owner of Four Seasons Guide Service & Light Tackle Charter. He will be sharing his wealth of knowledge on spring catch and release on the Susquehanna Flats. It should be a great meeting, be sure to come out and bring a friend or two!

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