Pirate Poachers of the Bay: Now a prosecutor takes a stand! See actual video of Pirate Poacher Booty!

Pirate Poachers of the Bay

Over the past year, THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY has been highlighting the arrests of outlaw watermen in the Maryland and Virginia waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Readers who have been following these violations and the tracking of the court appearances have been learning that, for most cases, the legal repercussions of these infractions have been very minor or non-existent.

Maryland releases tagged rockfish in Bay worth $10,000

Over the summer, hundreds of imposters and one genuine Diamond Jim will be pursued by anglers. Each month that Diamond Jim goes uncaught, the reward increases from $10,000 in June, to $20,000 in July, and $25,000 in August. With a $25,000 guaranteed payout, if Diamond Jim is not caught by midnight Labor Day the cash will be split equally among those who catch imposters.

Last year was the first time in the contest’s nine-year history that the official Diamond Jim was caught. The captor, Blair Wheeler, 25 of Herndon, Va., walked away with the $25,000, and other great prizes. A novice angler, Wheeler snagged the winning striper while fishing aboard a charter boat.

Cap’n Larry Jarboe: The Captain and the Kid

Though I was only four or five years old, I still remember my first charter boat fishing trip on the Chesapeake Bay.

When my Dad told me I was going fishing, I got my toy plastic reel and steel rod that had a rubber hook for snatching up open mouthed plastic goldfish in a dexterity game.

I cut off the rubber hook with safety scissors and tied on a Christmas ornament hook. I was ready to catch a fish.

Capt. Bill Dixon from Town Creek must have been amused as I carried my rig onto his boat with my Dad, his business partner Howard Carpenter, and members of our families.