Labor of love thrives on the Chesapeake Bay

I can recall the days nearly a half century ago when around Labor Day weekend, fishermen of the upper bay started to think about putting their boats up for the season. There weren't that many blues and sea trout around, hardheads were just about gone, perch weren't nearly as plentiful as in recent years and rockfish were quite small by standards of today.

A few fishermen found a better class of stripers drifting eels, mostly at night, at an old wreck off Love Point where more than a few fish had to go back - and not like today because they were too small. Rockfish of more than 15 pounds were valued as spawning stock and had to be...