Copy that. With the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Ocean and the mountains to the west there is no way of knowing what is going to happen here in Tidewater weather wise. We usually say "if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it'll change. Mike

PS, note to BOW RIDER, this is why a 18' will be ok if you're hanging close to port but is too small for the main bay. Unless you have a lot of experience on the Bay, a really good knowledge of boat handling, I think you're going to need a bigger or different type of boat. I've been out to the second island of the Bay Bridge Tunnel running out of Lynnhaven Inlet in a 14' alum vbow. I also was 16-18 years old but knew the signs and also knew when to hide behind an island or run like a scalded cat straight for the beach, not home. Good luck and tight lines. Mike

63* today expecting 2 to 3" Thursday nite. Mike

I have been on the water for most of my life. I was flounder fishing on the west side of the Hampton Bay Bridge tunnel by myself and everything was great until I was ready to come home. Doing that meant I had to go into the main channel which the waves had gotten up to about 8 to 10'. I'm in a 17' really good, wide boat but I put on two life jackets and luckily my throttle was working well or I'd have been sunk.

My experience on the water saved me that day. A person who didn't know to ride the back of the waves but get in front of them would have been dead.

Before you get that boat, PLEASE, learn all you can about boat operation. Also refer to another person who referred, THE CHESAPEAKE BAY can and does go really angry really quickly, with no warning.

I've been on that water for 61 years and I don't trust her to this day but I feel that as long as I respect her and read her signs, she won't hurt me. Beware my friend. Boating is serious and dangerous. Good Luck. Mike

I live near the Chesapeake Bay and have been here since I was 8. Grew up on the water in boats of all sizes since then. Have run Charter Boats, fish locally in a 12' vbow. If what you say is your intention, do more investigation and definitely get yourself a different and bigger boat. Mike

Good morning guys. Well it's that time of year again for me. Saturday is annual first workday and dinner/meeting of deer camp. That means spring is right around the corner and that means getting the boat and gear ready for another season of specks, flounder and such. Tight lines to all and happy Bday Bama. Mike

Been there done that caddying for my father 55 years ago at Eagle Haven Golf Course on Dam Neck Naval Base, Va. Beach, Virginia. Mike

I don't know why but bourbon and wine make me stand on my head and I never remember having done so. The wine I know why but the bourbon I can't explain. When younger drank 150 rum and coke with a twist of lime, probably the lime that keep me erect, both ways. Mike

The thing is we can only laugh at it but the commercial guys and I was one once kill much smaller fish in greater numbers. Don't get me wrong, the commercial guys service a purpose to us and need to make a living but I can attest to the waste. In the fall we would set out 1000 feet of gill net right off the beach. After two days we'd haul it. We'd catch tons of croaker, specks, spots, drum, etc. even a dolphin which almost killed two of us trying to get it out of the net. Those SOBs are nothing but muscle.

Unfortunately the by catch was blue crabs. This is in the fall and the females are loaded with eggs. Now female blue crabs only reproduce once so it's important that they are protected. Well, we'd pull our net and it's not only loaded with fish but totally loaded up with crabs. The males will free themselves from the net for the most part and crawl back into the water but the egg caring females won't, don't so after emptying the net of fish we went back to the start and with two people on either side streaching the net up and open 6 would walk down beating the female crabs out of the net with base ball bats. Thousands of female crab, ripe with eggs sacs smashed into nothing. These were fishermen, not crabbers. If someone had thought about it, fisherman and crabbers could have gotter together and after the fish were harvested let the crabbers pick the crabs out of the net. My last time gill netting for commercial purposes.

I do have stories of me gill netting for myself. 20' net. Most are really funny. Mike

You and your's are in my Prayers. Good night Kyle. Mike

In the 50's I lived with my family at my Grandparents in the Finger Lakes region of upstate NY. We would get Lake Affect snow off of the Great Lakes and would have 20' of snow before spring. The main road was plowed and by spring the autos would be driving 4 to 5 feet above the road surface. The telephone poles were buried and yet everyone just carried on. From our house it was almost a mile to Scipio Center, a post office/grocery and voluntary fire dept. a cross road and yet we'd walk there to get milk or what ever. There was always at least a half of beef hanging in the cooler which you could see and you could order the cut you wanted. The grocerer was also the postmaster.

The reason for walking is that the road was only as wide as the plow, one way traffic and this was a main artery N&S with pass arounds cut into the walls of snow. You could actually let got of the wheel of the car and you'd bounce your way along, the walls of snow were 10 to 15' over your head. Plus getting out of the house and get some exercise.

I will never live there again. Here in Va. I get the best of both worlds, great springs, hot summers with fantastic beaches, falls to die for and winters that sometimes kick our butts but only for a couple of days. The saying here is "IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE WEATHER, STICK AROUND AND IN 5 MINUTES IT'LL CHANGE". That's because we have the Chesapeake Bay to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Blueridge Mountains to the West. When the wind is out of the South we kinda cuss North and South Carolina because they send their humidity our way.

So to wind this up, I feel for y'all who are doing the snow thing. Tight lines and look for the thaw. Mike

The beauty to me is we tend to be united on an agreed upon subject with out, except occasionally BB, not that he isn't enjoyed, all the BS.

How are things in Asia? You and yours are staying safe? Mike

And the ICEMAN has arrived. Welcome aboard Kyle. Mike

Hi Berndog, if when sending a reply you use the "QUOTE REPLY" tab we will know who you are replying to. It makes it so much easier for everyone to keep up. Thank you and tight lines. Mike

Hey Bob, a couple of years ago I took a co-worker flounder fishing in the Lynnhaven River, sort of where I grew up. We went to a particular hole I knew and between us we caught 75 flounders. We kept 1. The limit at the time was 17" and every fish we caught but one was 16.5, 16.75 and all were fat, fat, fat. Talk about being sick but at least we were catching. That day was called catching, not keeping. Mike

Good luck, have fun but be careful dude and wear your lifejacket, you never know and we don't want to hear about another fisherman being found. Mike