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I broke 4-6 inches of ice in the winter of 80/81 with an old steel 40-foot Coast Guard Boat in the Chesapeake. It freezes over quite often although not as much as I can remember in my youth. The state has a boat that breaks ice for the oystermen.
The spring spawn success has less to do with the freezing of the bay then it has to do with the spring rains. The bay salinity levels are the real concern but someone more scientific than me will need to provide the details.
I did think about picking up some spot for the crabpots but I still have plenty of bluefish and peanut bunker to cover. They we all over the shore. Although when I finally pulled the empty crabpots in December (I was late due to shear laziness) I had perch and spot in them. Apparently they didn't migrate as much as they usually do.
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