Photo courtesy of UMCES

After a snowy winter, the welcome sunshine and relaxing day of fishing are a sight for sore eyes for the recreational sport fisherman who enjoy this special day.

But the weather this year was a brisk and windy 70 degrees, even colder on the bay.

Hardcore fisherman still ventured out onto the choppy waters to bring in the best rockfish this trophy season has to offer.

Rick Warren, an avid fisherman,” told  Hometown Glen Burnie, “We’re all excited. We’ve been down at the dock for a week.”

Like many sport fishermen, Warren also is concerned about impacting the bay. “I don’t want to hurt the stock of the bay, and a lot of people feel the same way,” he said.

Some catches are even returned to the water. But many people keep their fish, grill them up and have a delicious meal Saturday night. After all, the first day of the season is a celebration.

During spring rockfish season,  the legal fishing area for catching striped bass spans the main stem of Maryland’s part of the Chesapeake Bay south to the Virginia line, and includes Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds. In an effort to protect fish that are late in spawning, the state closes some bay tributaries to catching rockfish until June 1.

The summer flounder season, meanwhile, also opened on April 17 and runs through November 22.