[btmfshr]

My name is Joe Massimini and I have been a boat owner for five years, fishing from a 23 foot Wellcraft with a 200 HP Mercury engine out of the Rhode River. I usually hang out anywhere between TPL and Poplar Island, although most everyone hear knows my usual spot is the oyster beds just inside #1 on the West River, where I catch lots of croaker, spot, and white perch.

I grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from Pitt, married a girl I met during my junior year, have two children, 22 and 18, the young of which is attending Pitt right now. I currently work as a Program Manager in Laurel, Maryland. I live in Bowie, where I am known as Bingo Joe, because I am found just about every Friday evening at St. Pius X Bingo, which I run.

In my younger days I used to help my grandfather fish for dinner in various lakes throughout the Pittsburgh area. I got pretty good at finding perch, crappie, and bluegills along with the occassional trout. When I moved here, my granndfather had just passed, so I gave up fishing until my son turned 9 and we got an invite to go fishing for Rockfish out of Ridge, Maryland (Scheibles). I have been fishing the bay ever since. Although I know how to catch rockfish, I still prefer going after the croaker, spot, and white perch.

My wish list includes figuring out where and how to catch a yellow perch, and moving up to a boat (maybe a Judge 27) that I can keep in the water year round. To do that, I need to get my son through college and be able to afford the slip fees.