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DORCHESTER COUNTY CHAPTER CLIPS by Clint Waters
MSSA Dorchester County Chapter review of 2005 events. At our January meeting, our guest speaker was Jack Travelstead, chairman of the Menhaden Management Board of the ASMFC. Jack was invited for he is at the center of the Menhaden issues. The MSSA Menhaden Committee which consists of all Dorchester County members was deeply involved with the Menhaden depletion problem. The Committee members were Charlie Hutchinson (chairman), Clint Waters (co-chairman), Chuck Prahl, Jesse Maffuid and Dan Sides. This Committee would put many hours of reading, letter writing, story writing and attending ASMFC meetings before the year was complete. February 19th, our Chapter had its annual Fishing-Hunting-Boating Flea Market. This event was a complete success for we cleared enough money to cover all of our yearly Club expenses. Thanks to Chuck Prahl (chairman) and all our members who helped to make the Flea Market a success. The Flea Market for 2006 is February 25th. See announcement in this issue of the “Tidelines”. Also, in February the MSSA held its convention in Ocean City and the Dorchester County Chapter donated $200 to the MSSA Scholarship Fund. In March, we got our own web site (MSSADorchester.com) started by Curt Brandt. Curt did a fantastic job putting this site together and keeping it updated with all the activities of our Club. Thank you Curt for a job very well done. We asked our members to get their newsletter on our website if they could to help save on the cost of postage. About ¼ of our members are getting the newsletter online. By the way, our membership increased by 15-20 percent in 2005. I feel that the members getting their newsletter online sometimes forget and aren’t getting all the information and fishing trips information that our Chapter is very actively providing. To help people remember, I will be sending everyone a newsletter by mail three times a year. Our web site has a lot of information and our members should be using this site for that information. I want our Chapter members to be the most well-informed in the MSSA. April and May, the Spring Trophy season for Rockfish, was again this year a great success. There were plenty of large Rockfish caught all around the Chesapeake Bay. The MSSA Spring Tournament was very successful for the organization, with a big money winner winning over $46,000.00. At this time of year, the Dorchester County Chapter reef ball project gets started. We had four molds this year that were made and given to our Chapter by Composite Yacht. The molds were put together at Barnett’s Concrete. Barnett’s Concrete filled the molds with concrete that they had left over. We finished the year with 82 reef balls made. Thanks to Tom and Andy Barnett for all the donated concrete and an area to make the reef balls. Thanks also to all our members who helped and thanks to the member who helped the most, Phil Todd, Bob Geisler, John Bryde, Ken Guelta and Bob Granados. If I missed anyone, forgive me for I do have “senior moments”. Thanks again! Norm Bell moved all the reef balls with a boom truck donated by Tieder’s Electric. Thanks Norm! The reef balls are stored at Mid-Shore Electronics on Cambridge Creek in Cambridge. Thanks to Mid-Shore Electronics for giving us space to store and stage the reef balls. At our May meeting, David Asplen won the fishing combo raffle. Gordon Ries won the $100.00 attending meetings award. Our Chapter gives away $100.00 twice a year as a reward to members who attend our monthly meetings. When you attend a meeting, your name is put on a ticket and a winner is drawn at our May and November meetings. Michael Lyons was the winner in November. Also, one of Dorchester County Chapter members won the new member contest put on by the MSSA. Timothy Mills won the all expense paid fishing trip for six people out of Ocean City on the “Muff Diver” with Captain Joe Riley. Everybody is a winner in the Dorchester County Chapter. June, July and August a lot of time was spent by our Chapter on the Menhaden depletion problem. A lot of traveling to meetings and letter writing was done by the Dorchester Chapter. All this time came to a head at the ASMFC meeting in Alexandria, Virginia on August 17th. See and read the article by Charlie Hutchinson in this issue of “Tidelines” to get a complete report on what transpired with the Menhaden problem in 2005. Also the Dorchester County Chapter went on quite a few Club fishing trips put together by Bob Watson. This is a tough assignment, however Bob did an outstanding job. Thank you, Bob. Here are the trips: February 16th Indian River Inlet, Delaware Tog Fishing June 7th Ocean City, Maryland Sea Bass June 13th-14th-15th Onancock, Virginia Flounder Fishing July 5th Ocean City, Maryland Sea Bass July 19th Chesapeake Bay (evening trip) Rock Fish and Hardheads August 30th Bowers Beach, Delaware Flounder October 19th Onancock, Virginia Flounder October 31st Ocean City, Maryland Sea Bass November 7th Poplar Island Tour Because of bad weather, four trips were cancelled: September 26th, October 12th and 17th and November 16th. If you’re not involved in these fishing trips, you’re missing out on great fishing and great times with your fellow Club members. Sunday, October 9th was the Dorchester County Chapter fishing tournament and crab feast. This day is a lot of fun and competition for our Chapter. Charlie Hutchinson checked in the biggest Rock Fish and Bluefish. Bob Shenton (Swamp Rat) caught the largest Trout and Lenny Hyre checked in the biggest Perch. The ladies provided a great assortment of side dishes for the crab feast. A great day of fishing and eating crabs was had by all. This year wrapped up with the annual Christmas party held Saturday, December 10th at the Nanticoke Inn in Vienna, Maryland. 2005 was a busy and full year for the Dorchester Chapter. If I left an event out or missed thanking someone, please forgive me. My only wish is that 2005 fishing could have been better in the mid-summer months, but that’s fishing. See you at the meeting or on the water. Clint
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