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S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 8 1 i s h i n g F Larry Chesney dining. Along with seeing some of the tourist sites in Baltimore and spending a few hours in historic Annapolis, we planned to wrap up our visit chasing big striped bass, or rockfish. C onnie Yingling, communication's specialist for Maryland's Office of Tourism Development, had lined us up with Capt. Randy Dean in nearby Chesapeake Beach. Captain Randy runs three boats out of Rod I t was May 1, 2015, a Friday, and Baltimore seemed like the last place anyone would go for a peaceful getaway. But my wife, Kathy, and I had planned to visit her son Jay in Charm City that very weekend. We were determined to make it happen. Network news broadcasts gave the impression that riots, burning, looting, and general anarchy had taken over the town. But in most parts of Baltimore, AK-armed National Guardsmen, SWAT teams, tons of cops in riot gear, and a 10 p.m. curfew kept matters peaceful. Saturday, just to make sure we saw the big picture, Jay led us on a stroll to city hall where a few thousand folks with varying agendas had gathered. Some of the demonstrators simply wanted to agitate and inflame the situation, but most of the people were friendly, positive, and peaceful. All the while, quietly doing their jobs, the peacekeepers made us feel secure. We made a point of thanking as many of them as possible. Otherwise, we enjoyed a perfect weekend for walking, gawking, and Guide Jason Norton and Kathleen Chesney with her 40-inch rockfish, the biggest of six stripers caught in one day on the Chesapeake. Baltimore's burning, but the big rockfish are biting. What to do? Let's go fishing.