Ed Darwin: ‘You must be able to think like a fish’

Ed Darwin, who died early Sunday at age 93, was widely known in Chesapeake fishing circles as a knowledgeable and successful charter boat captain for more than 50 years. As I note in my Friday Sun column, he had an engineer’s mind and applied a kind of mystical science to the sport. My column serves as an obituary and an appreciation of this interesting man. So absorbed was Ed in fishing that he went fishing with his son, Peter, when he was on vacation. And during winters at home on Mill Creek, near Annapolis, Ed carved wildlife — waterfowl and the fish he chased in the Chesapeake.

At a friend’s suggestion, Ed had contacted Charles Bryan, a retired machinist from Middle River who was one of the Upper Bay’s premier waterfowl decoy carvers. Bryan was also an angler, and he became a regular aboard Ed’s boat, the Becky-D. Ed learned to carve and paint decorative decoys, including waterfowl and local birds, along with gamefish chasing prey. He did not sell his creations, according to his daughter, Melissa, but would give them away as gifts.

On being a charter boat captain, Ed wrote this in his unpublished memoir: “In order to be a fishing guide, you must be able to think like a fish, keep a good sense of humor, and be somewhat sane.”

Steve Kaiser, one of Ed’s frequent customers, had this reflection: “Ed cared deeply about fishing, about the Bay, and was always a source of stories that spanned his many years fishing. But he was equally interested in discussing the last book he read and always asked about friends and family. While he was certainly irascible, he had an encyclopedic knowledge of his bay and was very old school. I fished with him long enough to learn a few of his dead reckoning marks, which I think he preferred over modern electronics. …

“He was a man who paid very close attention to what was working [to catch fish] and he was willing to change tactics or location as a result. … He also loved children. My daughter began fishing with him at age 5 and he spent the next 20-plus years telling any of my guests that, ‘Elizabeth was the best fisherman ever on my boat.’ … Ed was indeed a treasure and enjoyed by the select few he deemed worthy of fishing on the Becky-D. I am privileged to have learned about fishing, the bay, and life in general from him.”

In his final months, Ed managed to fish a little from his pier in the Mill Creek boatyard, and he apparently was prepared to fish into eternity. “When Peter cleaned out dad’s refrigerator on Sunday,” says Melissa, “there were three cartons of bait— live worms!”

Ed Darwin is survived by his wife, Becky Kekenes Darwin, son Dr. Peter Darwin, his daughter Melissa, and granddaughters Dr. Sophia Darwin and Georgia Darwin.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “He was really opposed to any sort of memorial service, ” says Melissa. “When he was sick, one of the nurses asked him what his religion was, and he said, ‘The sea.'”