Happy New Year 2006.  Here’s wishing for good fishing in 2006.  2005 wasn’t a good year for fishing in our area.  Spring was good, summer was bad and fall was fair.  However, I did get to fish with a lot of our members in 2005 and hope to fish with many more in 2006.

FLEA MARKET

     The Dorchester MSSA flea market is scheduled for Saturday, February 25th at the American Legion Post 91 in Cambridge. See the poster with your newsletter.  Take this poster and put it up in a place in your area that a lot of people will see it.  This flea market is very important to our Chapter for it brings in money to cover most all our chapter functions.  Plus it’s a great place to start setting yourself up with great fishing bargains for 2006.  Seriously, we need all our members to support this flea market. We need you to attend, buy raffle tickets, get a vendor’s table if you have a lot of stuff to sell and most of all, support the chapter table by donating items that we can sell. This flea market is great for our Chapter that has the best members in the MSSA and let’s keep making it the best by supporting your flea market.

MSSA CONVENTION

     The MSSA convention will be held on February 3rd - 4th - 5th in Ocean City at the Princess Royale. See your “Tidelines” magazine for details and contact the MSSA office if you want to attend.  It’s a great time and a good place to meet other MSSA members.

YELLOW PERCH MEETINGS

     The DNR wants to open the Choptank and Nanticoke Rivers for netting of Yellow Perch so commercial netters can sell them.  I have nothing against a person trying to make a living, but not on a fishery that is not ready for that type of fishing.  There will be a hearing in Cambridge on February 8th, in the Dorchester County Building in the Commissioners Office.  I need everyone of our members who can attend this meeting to show DNR that we are against opening these rivers up to netting.  Let’s give Yellow Perch a chance to make a comeback.

SPRING TOURNAMENT

     The MSSA Spring Tournament is scheduled for May 5th - 6th - 7th in the Chesapeake Bay.  Now is the time to start planing for this tournament.  See “Tidelines” or the MSSA tournament magazine for details

MSSA DORCHETER.COM WEB SITE

     Everyone who is a member of Dorchester County Chapter 11 will receive a newsletter in January and February, even the ones who get their newsletter on our web site.  The response by our members to get their newsletters on our web site has been fair.  I feel we have a lot more members who can get the newsletter and other information from our web site.  It does save money on our postage and that has gone up again this year.  So if you want and can get your newsletter on our web site, please contact me (Clint 410-376-3563).  The ones who get their newsletters online in 2005 will be the same for 2006 unless I’m told otherwise.

ATTENDING MEETINGS CONTEST

     Again this year, we will be giving $100 away at our May and November meetings.  To be eligible, when you attend a meeting you get a ticket with your name on it. That is put in a box and a name is drawn at our May and November meeting. That person wins $100 at each meeting.  Remember, if you bring in a new member, you get ten tickets to put in the box.  This year, you have to be in attendance at our May and November meetings to be able to win the $100. 

YEAR LONG FISHING CONTEST

      Starting January 2006, our Chapter of the MSSA will have a year-long fishing contest.  The contest will end at our November meeting.  There will be 16 different fish species covering both saltwater and freshwater fishing. $25 goes to each person who has caught the longest fish measured from tip of nose to tip of tail.  All fish must be measured and entered at the Recreation Center, 504 Poplar Street, Cambridge, Maryland.  This contest should be a lot of fun for every member.  Be at our meeting or get details and up-to-date results on our web site.

GUEST SPEAKER

     January’s speaker is Bill Tyndall.  Bill works with Ken Daniels at R & D Boat Supply, Inc., in Cambridge.  Bill and Ken also teach a Boat Captain's course.  I asked Bill to be our speaker to tell us about this Captain’s course, what it’s all about and what it takes to take this course.  I got my Captain’s license years ago by myself and if I had to do it over again, I would take a course through people like Bill and Ken.  This should interest anyone who is into boating.