Boyd Pfeifer, The Examiner
2008-05-16 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

BALTIMORE -

Avid bass angler Eric Paugh of Glen Burnie has a problem. A few weeks ago he was trying to fish the lower Potomac out of Smallwood State Park. He was there plenty early — 4:30 a.m. and before the gates opened at 5 — but he had to wait in a long line of tournament fishermen vying for launch and parking space.

The tournament won, and Paugh lost. He went elsewhere after being told that there was no space, and he would have to visit ramps at almost-nearby Slavins, Nanjemoy, Marshalls Hall or Piscataway.

But Maj. Gary Burnett, southern region manager for Maryland State Parks in the Department of Natural Resources, said that no one on his staff told anyone to leave on that weekend and that parking spaces were available.

What we might have here is a “a failure to communicate,” as the warden told Paul Newman in “Cool Hand Luke.”

Burnett noted that of the 200 parking spaces at Smallwood, 150 are for tournaments, and the rest are for non-tournament anglers such as Paugh.

“We do have some tournaments that cheat [with more boats],” said Burnett, who suggested a possible solution of counting boats to cut off excess when the pre-agreed tournament number is reached.

Add to the mix the fact that many tournaments, particularly in spring, include anglers from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and elsewhere, adding perhaps a xenophobic flavor to the mix.

The complaint by Paugh and others on a Maryland Bass Federation Web site (www.mdbass.com) is that Pennsylvania and New Jersey anglers are taking “our” bass and vehicle/trailer parking spaces.

This gets exacerbated by the fact that in all nearby states (except Delaware), tournament bass fishing is prohibited to protect the bass during the spring spawning period. That’s true in Maryland freshwater also, but not in tidal fishing (lower Potomac), where there is a 15-inch, five-fish-per-day spring limit. Sure, tournament fish are released - but after being hooked, landed, and placed in a livewell for a few hours - and then released downriver of D.C. Natural Resources Police noted that this does not in any way constitute the catch-and-release policy.

Fortunately, according to Sgt. Ken Turner of NRP, no officers have been called into the Smallwood debate. But it goes on.

Paugh insisted that his main concern is for the bass, but despite the many tournaments during typical spawning periods, the Potomac gets better. Attribute that to good management along with grasses and hydrilla that protect bass and create a cafeteria for fast-food lunches. The Maryland largemouth record of 11 pounds, 3 ounces was caught in January on the Potomac.

Don Cosden, assistant director of fisheries for the DNR said that DNR spring and fall surveys show Potomac bass populations still improving, with the 2007 results the best yet. Why fix it if it ain’t broke?

While the bass population may not be broken, the situation between the various factions involved might be.

But just in the nick of time, Bob Gaudette, director of boating services for the DNR, has ridden into town with a possible answer. He noted that through the Waterways Improvement Fund, some $21.3 million is now available for boating — $20 million for the state and $1.3 million for the feds.

These funds go to fixing up and enhancing boating areas, including Smallwood. And Gaudette noted that a new ramp facility on the Potomac is planned for greater access — this in the Mallows Bay/Wilson Farm area.

Still, that does not make Paugh very happy. He said that more access just creates more popularity for the river, and possibly more conflict.

“I want them to cut back on the number of out-of-state tournaments. Just like drugs — ‘Just say no,’ ” he said. That’s not likely to happen.

One suggestion by bass guide Capt. Scott Sewell, conservation director for the Maryland Bass Federation, is to increase the ramp fees for non-residents from the present $10. That likely won’t help, considering the amount of money spent dragging around a bass boat for tournaments and the other related costs.

Burnett is quick to point out that a lot of money is generated for the Southern Maryland economy through bass fishing (resident and non-resident) with purchases of gas, snacks, motels, restaurant meals, etc. We don’t want these tournament anglers switching to Virginia sites to fish.

There is no easy way to cut this Gordian knot. Paugh would like the parking ratio changed.

“If they just made Smallwood 51 spots for non-tournament anglers to 149 for tournament anglers, it would be a step in the right direction,” Paugh said.