Potomac River Bass Anglers Beware...

...of the potential threat to your largemouth bass fishery.  Gene Mueller posted two articles, one sets the stage, and the other is the warning facing specifically bass anglers as a result of the first. 

Let's make sure that we stand up for our tidal bass fishery on the Potomac River, so we can enjoy catching fish like these and protect the resource for years to come.

Basically, in a nutshell, Robert T. Brown, head of the St. Mary's County Waterman's Association and the chairman of the Potomac River Fisheries Commission's Finfish Advisory Board opposes regulations regarding the harvest of menhaden and instead wants to impose regulations that affect largemouth bass fishing, creel limits, and catch and release fishing (even tournaments) creating a real threat to the fantastic tidal bass fishing in our state.  Every angler that fishes for largemouth bass and catfish in Maryland tidal waters needs to take note of this threat, and write the following people:

Gene suggests contacting Maryland DNR's director of Fisheries Tom O'Conell (toconnel@dnr.state.md.us) and Kirby Carpenter, director of the Potomac River Fisheries Commission in Colonial Beach, Md. to politely air our concerns. 

Gene Mueller has been our voice for years, bringing news on the politics of fishing to us and being an advocate for our fishery.  We need to take his advice, and wake up to prevent changes in our tidal bass fishing regulations that could damage our great bass fishery.

Here are the links to Gene's posts for more detail on this issue, and I suggest that if you're concerned that you read them and take heed:

Protect the menhaden...
http://www.genemuellerfishing.com/2011/10/please-help-protect-menhaden-from-haul.html

Threat to Tidal Potomac bass fishing:
http://www.genemuellerfishing.com/2011/10/fish-netter-wants-to-control-upper.html

You can bet that in the next few days I'll be posting this info on various fishing forums, especially those read by anglers locally.  I suggest that you all do some research, and if what you've read here and on Gene's blog ticks you off as much as it does me, then you'll do something about it by spreading word of the threat and also write the powers that be about this.  Like Gene says, it's time Maryland takes back what's rightfully ours, the Potomac River so that we can ensure that Maryland residents as well as it's visitors can enjoy our bountiful bass fishery.