Take a mix of water temperatures from 41 to 43 degrees, toss in some planer boards, deep waters, an experienced skipper with patience and a willingness to troll an area not ordinarily expected to catch early stripers, then add some parachutes of chartreuse, and what do you get? You get four early catch-and-release rockfish of 34 to 38 inches, that's what you get.

Surprise!

But, wait a minute, it's not really as unexpected as it seems - not when the guy at the wheel is recreational fisherman Skip Zinck of Severn and his buddies are Charlie Schneider of Tilghman Island and Jack Folea of Laurel, both also experienced fishermen....