Angels and More

[Mark]

I paddled Weems Creek today near the mouth of the Severn with several hundred of my closest friends. This one I actually knew:

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It's John Veil incognito!

We were there to watch the Blue Angels' practice session for tomorrow's show. The river was full of boats of all kinds. The official practice started a little after 2:00 p.m. but the Angels had been buzzing overhead since 11:30 a.m.

For most of the pre-show time I was fishing in Weems. I caught my first perch of the year -- an 8 incher:

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Later I added another at 10.5 inches:

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I caught a third but it was a little guy. The perch are not there in numbers yet. I also caught a small striper on my perch spinner and I added this pickerel too:

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I've caught two picks in recently -- the one above and another in the Bodkin. Both looked as if they had just finished spawning. Their fins were ratty and bloodshot. I thought they spawned much earlier in the spring. Perhaps they take a long time to recover.

The Blue Angels put on a terrific practice show. There are not enough superlatives to describe their skills. I took lots of videos with my phone and I took lots of photos with my camera. The jets are so fast many of my photos are nothing but sky. But I did get a few nice ones like this:

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The real show is tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. By all means if you can get there to see them, do it.

Also, I did a good deed for the day. I saved a downed pilot. In fact, he just got his wings:

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The above cicada is the first live one I've seen. It was floundering in the water so I put my paddle out and it climbed on. Then I used my Hawg Trough to maneuver my kayak close to shore since my paddle was being used for emergency service. I took the cicada to a nearby riprap wall:

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Where it hopped off my paddle:

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It didn't make a sound. I think it was speechless with gratitude. High and dry, I hope the cicada completes the mission it began 17 years ago.

So, a good day on the water. The perch are back, although not in great numbers. And the Blue Angels provided some great entertainment.

[J.A. Veil]

We definitely got a long and excellent show today. From 11:00 to 12:00, a group of four planes ran through their routes. They left, but the other two team members stayed around for 45 more minutes practicing. Mark and I were floating around at the mouth of Weems and had the two jets go right over top of us time after time. We finally had some quiet time until just after 2:00, when the formal rehearsal started. It too was outstanding. Here is my favorite photo from the show (my 18-year-old digital water resistant camera still takes decent photos).

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I will be back out there again tomorrow if the weather allows the show to go on (thunderstorms predicted for mid-afternoon). For those who want to launch at Tucker St tomorrow, be advised that things were quite crowded there and parking is at a premium.

I caught five perch while waiting for the 2:00 show to start. One was about 11", the others small. I caught no other species today, but yesterday trolled up an 18" striper in Weems near the waterfront home of a famous retired baseball player.

Mark did his humanitarian deed with the cicada. Our neighborhood has been inundated with them for over a week. I don't think I would have been so kind if I had spotted the insect.

[Mark]

Terrific photo John.

I still have not seen a cicada in Pasadena.

I know they'll be here. I remember the damage they caused to trees in my yard on their last visit.

Also, I hope the weather allows the Blue Angels to fly again today so that others can see them. It's a wonderful performance. The pilots are flying new jets this year -- Super Hornets. As fast as they go in the show, the pilots are holding them far below their capabilities. They can reach speeds of over 1,000 MPH. There would not be an unbroken pane of glass in Annapolis if they did that.

They use the Severn River as a flyway during the show. There's not a bad seat in the house.

[dsaavedra]

Cool reports and awesome photos! I'll be there watching the show from Weems today, can't wait!

[J.A. Veil]

Cool reports and awesome photos! I'll be there watching the show from Weems today, can't wait!

Dave - Keep an eye on the weather. Thunderstorms are part of the forecast for much of the afternoon. I plan to launch about 11:00 and fish in Weems for a few hours. If the storms show up, I will return to the ramp quickly.

[dsaavedra]

I just missed you John. I saw you at the launch while I was fishing but you had moved on up the creek before I could come over and say hi. What a great show that was! Glad the weather held up. I caught 5 nice perch to boot... all under docks in the shade.

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[Mark]

Dave,

Glad you got to enjoy the show and found some perch too.

[Red_Beard]

I'm in Silver Spring, and let me tell you this town is ground zero for the cicada emergence. They are EVERYWHERE!!!

[UnkleRob2020]

Based on reports over the last couple of weeks, I was hoping that fishing would have picked up in the Severn. If you guys are only catching a couple small perch, I would probably get skunked. I am looking forward to fishing the Severn later this year. I had more fun on the Severn last year than I think I have ever had fishing anywhere :--)

[Mark]

Based on reports over the last couple of weeks, I was hoping that fishing would have picked up in the Severn. If you guys are only catching a couple small perch, I would probably get skunked. I am looking forward to fishing the Severn later this year. I had more fun on the Severn last year than I think I have ever had fishing anywhere :--)

Give it time.

A few show up in May and tease us.

In two weeks or so, there'll be plenty of perch in all our creeks.