by Capt. James C. Brincefield III
Before you start reading this article and thinking I’m a bit biased, you need to know that I am a little partial to the subject that I am writing about. I am a Charter Fishing Captain and a Recreational Fisherman departing from "The Happy Harbor" in Deale, MD from April through mid October every season. I’ve been fishing around these parts for about 30 years. I truly believe that there is no finer place in the Chesapeake Bay to fish and enjoy the Bay during these months than the Deale area.
The feeling that comes over a fisherman annually on opening day late in April as the boats parade out to the "Old Gas Buoy" from Rockhold Creek is very special. Every ripple on the water, every Fish Hawk nest, every puff of wind has additional significance. All is right with the world on this day. The anticipation of catching Trophy Rockfish and the rites of spring center on this one event. As the days of the seasons continue, the ultimate significance of this event is somehow diluted.
All of the bucktails have been cleaned. The reels and rods have all been reworked. Fresh paint is on our wooden Bay Built boats. The Fish Hawks protect their young from the nests atop the buoys in Rockhold Creek as the fleet sails by. I get "goose bumps" just thinking about it... it’s only a month away.
The story of the Spring Rockfish Trophy Season has yet to be written, but I will attempt to give a preview of how I think it will go. Someone will break the Rockfish record this year. That’s it. I said it. You heard it here first. Last Spring Trophy Season, Capt. Butch Gee, aboard the "Ebb Tide" scored with a 62 lb. Rockfish - a fish that was just 5 lbs shy of the record 67 ½ pounder set in 1995 near Bloody Point. He is another Captain out of the "Happy Harbor" from the "Skull & Crossbones" Fleet. Last year the fleet out of Deale had a dream year. I saw the fish that came in to the docks and it was spectacular.
Count on it happening again. Although Deale is not the big, fancy fishing harbor that other venues offer, it is, by far, the most productive in the Spring. Last year’s Maryland Angler of the Year, Ms. Alex Bucher, caught her 5 species of citation fish aboard my Charter Boat, the "Charlotte K" out of Deale. The Captains and fishing vessels out of Deale have no rival...currently, or historically. Ms. Barbara Sturgell who owns and runs "The Happy Harbor" is shuffling slips this spring to accommodate the demand from incoming skippers. I can’t remember the last time that happened.
So, if all of this is true, why is Deale still a secret? There is one lonely sign on Route 4 with an arrow to Deale. It’s a little off the "beaten path" compared to fancy harbors like Annapolis, but Deale provides a look into the heart and soul of a real fishing town. Even if you don’t like to fish, come on down to the "Happy Harbor" and see for yourself as the fleet pulls in. The truth is on the dock. The atmosphere at the end of the fishing day is one of celebration of the bounty of the Bay. Anglers take pictures, the gathered crowd "oohs & ahhs" at the Trophy Rockfish... and the stories get told. Oh, those stories! Fishermen certainly have a way with stories! But that is exactly the point.
Why is the Deale Fleet so productive during the Spring Trophy Season, you ask? Part of it is geography. The Bay funnels right at the mouth of Herring Bay, just outside of Deale.The Eastern Bay, the Choptank River, the West River, the Rhode River and many other tributaries which are rich spawning grounds for Rockfish all converge in the Bay waters just outside of Deale. Part of it is habitat. The grasses, drop-offs, the underwater structure, the points and the channels all provide excellent habitat for Rockfish. Of course there are many other reasons, which I won’t go into here because of space constraints, but the most importantreason is the experience of the Captains. They call Capt. Frank Carver of the "Loosen Up" "Hoover" because he catches the Rockfish so fast it reminds us of a vacuum cleaner. He rarely misses one single fish. Capt. Carver is legendary with the Rockfish. (Of course if you listen to his mate, Capt. Frank Carver, Sr. a.k.a. "Twelvepack" you know where he got his expertise).
Perhaps one of the best Rockfisherman on Rockhold Creek in fishing history is Capt. Doyle Kendall of the "Bonnie Bett". No one is exactly sure how old Capt. Doyle is now, not even Capt. Doyle himself. I suppose he is "eighty something". He is still fishing. Now that’s experience. And what would a Spring Trophy day on the Bay be without Capt. George Prenant of the "Stormy Petrel" growling over the radio (as only he can) - "Hah" or "Bingo"? You can count on a bunch of beautiful Spring Trophies in his box. Another experienced Captain - Capt. Vinnie Austin on the "Vigilante" consistently brings in beautiful Spring Trophy Rockfish.
One of the best kept secrets (other than Deale) is Capt. Jeff Henderson of the "Tenacious". He is Capt. George Prenant’s son in law and carries on the family tradition with his son Jacob "Yo Mate" Henderson as first mate. Capt. Henderson slaps a bunch of big, beautiful Trophy Rockfish on the dock year after year. Capt. Al Jones of the "My Bea" is another experienced Captain who has caught more than his share of Trophy Rockfish. In fact, the scale of sizes of trophy Rockfish are measured by the "Al Jones System". 30" - 40" is a "Buckethead". 40" - 50" is a "Henry". Anything over 50" is an "Al Jones". And then there’s Capt. Smushke. Nothing more needs to be said, just Capt. Smushke.
Capt. Kerry Muse has a new boat closely resembling a rocket ship coming in for the fleets newest addition to it’s ranks. It’s probably going to be another "Darlene" boat. Just how many Darlene’s are there now? Capt. Kerry has done his share of catching Trophy Rockfish - I know. I used to mate for him. There are many other Capt’s who are good, productive fishermen out of Deale. In fact the Deale fleet is one of the largest on the Bay. There are far too many to name here in this article, and those whom I have mentioned are just a few examples of good Captains to charter fish with.
As if this wasn’t enough to convince you to come and check it out, there is also a large, successful, productive Recreational Fleet out of Deale. The "My Pal" and the "Mary Ann" are two good examples. There have been days when members of the Recreational Fleet have put us on the fish.
Deale is the closest real fishing town to Baltimore and DC. In fact, it is probably the only real fishing town left on the Western Shore in Maryland. So, the next time you are sitting there thinking what to do - come on down to Deale and say hello. You may never go home!
Before you start reading this article and thinking I’m a bit biased, you need to know that I am a little partial to the subject that I am writing about. I am a Charter Fishing Captain and a Recreational Fisherman departing from "The Happy Harbor" in Deale, MD from April through mid October every season. I’ve been fishing around these parts for about 30 years. I truly believe that there is no finer place in the Chesapeake Bay to fish and enjoy the Bay during these months than the Deale area.
The feeling that comes over a fisherman annually on opening day late in April as the boats parade out to the "Old Gas Buoy" from Rockhold Creek is very special. Every ripple on the water, every Fish Hawk nest, every puff of wind has additional significance. All is right with the world on this day. The anticipation of catching Trophy Rockfish and the rites of spring center on this one event. As the days of the seasons continue, the ultimate significance of this event is somehow diluted.
All of the bucktails have been cleaned. The reels and rods have all been reworked. Fresh paint is on our wooden Bay Built boats. The Fish Hawks protect their young from the nests atop the buoys in Rockhold Creek as the fleet sails by. I get "goose bumps" just thinking about it... it’s only a month away.
The story of the Spring Rockfish Trophy Season has yet to be written, but I will attempt to give a preview of how I think it will go. Someone will break the Rockfish record this year. That’s it. I said it. You heard it here first. Last Spring Trophy Season, Capt. Butch Gee, aboard the "Ebb Tide" scored with a 62 lb. Rockfish - a fish that was just 5 lbs shy of the record 67 ½ pounder set in 1995 near Bloody Point. He is another Captain out of the "Happy Harbor" from the "Skull & Crossbones" Fleet. Last year the fleet out of Deale had a dream year. I saw the fish that came in to the docks and it was spectacular.
Count on it happening again. Although Deale is not the big, fancy fishing harbor that other venues offer, it is, by far, the most productive in the Spring. Last year’s Maryland Angler of the Year, Ms. Alex Bucher, caught her 5 species of citation fish aboard my Charter Boat, the "Charlotte K" out of Deale. The Captains and fishing vessels out of Deale have no rival...currently, or historically. Ms. Barbara Sturgell who owns and runs "The Happy Harbor" is shuffling slips this spring to accommodate the demand from incoming skippers. I can’t remember the last time that happened.
So, if all of this is true, why is Deale still a secret? There is one lonely sign on Route 4 with an arrow to Deale. It’s a little off the "beaten path" compared to fancy harbors like Annapolis, but Deale provides a look into the heart and soul of a real fishing town. Even if you don’t like to fish, come on down to the "Happy Harbor" and see for yourself as the fleet pulls in. The truth is on the dock. The atmosphere at the end of the fishing day is one of celebration of the bounty of the Bay. Anglers take pictures, the gathered crowd "oohs & ahhs" at the Trophy Rockfish... and the stories get told. Oh, those stories! Fishermen certainly have a way with stories! But that is exactly the point.
Why is the Deale Fleet so productive during the Spring Trophy Season, you ask? Part of it is geography. The Bay funnels right at the mouth of Herring Bay, just outside of Deale.The Eastern Bay, the Choptank River, the West River, the Rhode River and many other tributaries which are rich spawning grounds for Rockfish all converge in the Bay waters just outside of Deale. Part of it is habitat. The grasses, drop-offs, the underwater structure, the points and the channels all provide excellent habitat for Rockfish. Of course there are many other reasons, which I won’t go into here because of space constraints, but the most importantreason is the experience of the Captains. They call Capt. Frank Carver of the "Loosen Up" "Hoover" because he catches the Rockfish so fast it reminds us of a vacuum cleaner. He rarely misses one single fish. Capt. Carver is legendary with the Rockfish. (Of course if you listen to his mate, Capt. Frank Carver, Sr. a.k.a. "Twelvepack" you know where he got his expertise).
Perhaps one of the best Rockfisherman on Rockhold Creek in fishing history is Capt. Doyle Kendall of the "Bonnie Bett". No one is exactly sure how old Capt. Doyle is now, not even Capt. Doyle himself. I suppose he is "eighty something". He is still fishing. Now that’s experience. And what would a Spring Trophy day on the Bay be without Capt. George Prenant of the "Stormy Petrel" growling over the radio (as only he can) - "Hah" or "Bingo"? You can count on a bunch of beautiful Spring Trophies in his box. Another experienced Captain - Capt. Vinnie Austin on the "Vigilante" consistently brings in beautiful Spring Trophy Rockfish.
One of the best kept secrets (other than Deale) is Capt. Jeff Henderson of the "Tenacious". He is Capt. George Prenant’s son in law and carries on the family tradition with his son Jacob "Yo Mate" Henderson as first mate. Capt. Henderson slaps a bunch of big, beautiful Trophy Rockfish on the dock year after year. Capt. Al Jones of the "My Bea" is another experienced Captain who has caught more than his share of Trophy Rockfish. In fact, the scale of sizes of trophy Rockfish are measured by the "Al Jones System". 30" - 40" is a "Buckethead". 40" - 50" is a "Henry". Anything over 50" is an "Al Jones". And then there’s Capt. Smushke. Nothing more needs to be said, just Capt. Smushke.
Capt. Kerry Muse has a new boat closely resembling a rocket ship coming in for the fleets newest addition to it’s ranks. It’s probably going to be another "Darlene" boat. Just how many Darlene’s are there now? Capt. Kerry has done his share of catching Trophy Rockfish - I know. I used to mate for him. There are many other Capt’s who are good, productive fishermen out of Deale. In fact the Deale fleet is one of the largest on the Bay. There are far too many to name here in this article, and those whom I have mentioned are just a few examples of good Captains to charter fish with.
As if this wasn’t enough to convince you to come and check it out, there is also a large, successful, productive Recreational Fleet out of Deale. The "My Pal" and the "Mary Ann" are two good examples. There have been days when members of the Recreational Fleet have put us on the fish.
Deale is the closest real fishing town to Baltimore and DC. In fact, it is probably the only real fishing town left on the Western Shore in Maryland. So, the next time you are sitting there thinking what to do - come on down to Deale and say hello. You may never go home!