Thursday, October 26, 2006
Turkey flocks small and scattered
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
What can turkey hunters expect when the fall season opens Saturday? The answer is small flocks of birds that are scattered throughout the woodlands.
That means challenging hunting, but success should be better than last year, when the fall kill was a sorry 4,428 birds. It can’t get much worse than that.
“I’ve been seeing a fair amount of turkeys, but mostly still in small family size groups of five to 10 birds. No really big flocks yet,” said Freddy McGuire, who is host of a turkey hunting Web site, vaturkey.com.
McGuire believes the abundance of mast is keeping the turkeys scattered.
“The amount of mast is incredible,” he said. Oak mast -- white, red, chestnut -- is overflowing in the areas he has scouted. “There doesn’t seem to be many beechnuts, but the extra acorns should more than make up for it.”
Turkeys can better escape the attention of hunters and other predators during heavy food years. They don’t have to range as far to fill their corps and they don’t have to concentrate on scattered food sources where hunters can wait in ambush. A heavy mast season favors the turkeys and the experienced hunters.
Virginia’s turkey take has been in a nosedive the past five years. It was 11,891 in 2001; 8,084 in 2002; 6,556 in 2003; 5,565 in 2004 and 4,428 in 2005. Wildlife officials blame the decline on poor reproduction years which are the result of unfavorable weather during the key hatching period.
Details of this spring’s hatch really won’t be known until the fall season ends and wildlife officials can use turkey feathers provided by successful hunters to determine the adult-to-juvenile ratio of the flocks. Early observations indicate that there are good numbers of the big birds.
BILL
BASS AT SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE
A big fish in a small pond.
That describes Mike Iaconelli at Smith Mountain Lake this weekend. From New Jersey, Iaconelli, a past Bassmaster Classic winner and Angler of the Year, will be one of the few big-name fishermen in the Northern Tour event set for today through Saturday at Smith Mountain Lake.
He will be there, says Doug Grassian, a BASS publicist, to get in some practice for the prestigious BASS Elite event set at Smith Mountain next June.
Meanwhile, some well-known names from Virginia will be competing in the Northern tournament. They include John Crews, Woo Daves, David Dudley and Dale Wilson. The contest has attracted 40 pros and nearly 70 co-anglers from Virginia.
Don’t expect easy fishing, said Crews, a Classic contender from Salem. October can be tough on the clear-water lake.
“There won’t be a lot of fish weighed in, but the average size is going to be a pretty good size,” Crews predicted.
As for the pattern, most anglers will be hammering the lake’s abundance of boat docks, Crews said.
The daily weigh-ins are set for 3:15 p.m. at Mariners Landing Resort and Conference Center.
BILL
HEARTS WARM, HANDS COLD ON SMITH
I fished the Smith River Monday with a wonderful lady who came to fly fishing by way of Casting for Recovery, a national, non-profit support and educational program for women who have or have had breast cancer. She had been cancer free for more than four years and attributes the program and the continued contact with fellow participants with helping her cope with a very trying time in her life.
My hat is off to the Casting for Recover volunteer instructors because they turned a total novice into a very competent fly caster and also instilled a passion for fishing with the long rod, not to mention fly tying.
“Fly fishing takes my mind off things that can drive you crazy if you dwell on them too long,” she told me.
Mother Nature threw a curve our way when she sent a cold front that included a sudden drop in temperature and a brisk breeze through the area. Nevertheless, it was my guest’s birthday and my job was to keep her mind off all those ugly “what ifs” and to help her catch a few fish.
The walk down the railroad tracks from the Mirror Factory to the Trestle Pool kept us warm and allowed time to become acquainted. I knew that regardless of how the fishing went that it was going to be a good day.
The Trestle Pool gave us a small fish which brought smiles and put the skunk behind us. We fished the pool pretty thoroughly and caught a couple more, but I have to tell you, it was tough fishing. We had to time our casts to beat the wind and it was ice cold. She hung up a couple times and I found myself praying that she would not do so again, because I was not sure my fingers had another double surgeons or improved clinch knot in them.
I believe those were the first brown trout she had ever caught because she was in awe of their colorful markings.
We broke for lunch at my cabin and then tried to coach a few stocked rainbows from the hatchery-supported water south of Bassett. The sun finally came out, but the wind did not abate, nor did the fish go into a feeding frenzy. We saw a small flurry of surface activity in one pool but could not make anything work for us. We ended up adding one more brown trout to our catch.
It was not a good fishing day and the weather was not fun, but I can’t recall when I have spent a more rewarding day on the water.
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is making up to $150,000 available to continue an investigation of fish deaths in the Shenandoah River region, an area where he and his family have fished and canoed. A task force has been looking into the mysterious deaths of bass and sunfish since July 2005, yet fish continue to die. The new money is expected to keep the task force in business through early next year.
>The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is reinstating its urban trout program after a three-year absence that it blames on budget cuts. Stockings will take place November, December/January and February in Cook Lake (Alexandria), Dorey Lake (Henrico), Shields Lake (Richmond), Biggins Lake (Newport News), Northwest River Park (Chesapeake) and new this time, Old Cossey Pond (Fredericksburg). The limit is four per day and a trout license is required.
>The Rose River Farm, a pay trout fishing facility in Northern Virginia, will host a Project Healing Waters event Oct. 27. The project involves Trout Unlimited, the Federation of Fly Fishers and others who aid in the physical and emotional recover of soldiers by introducing or rebuilding their skills of fly fishing and fly tying. Information can be found on projecthealingwaters.org
>Kentucky’s elk herd is reported to number 6,000 animals following stockings of western elk that began in 1997. Hunting permits will be issued to 200 sportsmen this season. Last year, two state-record elk were killed, and observers say they have spotted even bigger trophies as the herd matures. Elk that wander into Virginia are legal targets during the deer season.
>The Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan, HMS, has released a guide to complying with Atlantic Tunas, swordfish, sharks and billfish regulations. 1. Billfish tournaments must use circle hooks with natural bait, no “greensticks.” There are some exceptions; 2. the South Atlantic is closed to keeping large coastal sharks from Jan. 1-April 30; 2. Recreation anglers must possess an HMNS permit to land sharks. More details on nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms.
>As the saltwater striped bass migrate down the coast, so does the Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series contest. The next stop is Milford, Del. on Oct. 28 where $20,000 will be offered the winning team. Next comes a stop in Cambridge, Md. on Nov. 4. The top 25 teams in the series will advance to a championship in Virginia Beach Dec. 7-9 where the winning team gets $50,000 and coverage on Fox Sports Net. Information on mc.flwoutdoors.com.
BILL
SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT.
Saltwater fish migrating toward warmer water can provide some big catches this time of the year. An example, there are new leaders in the croaker and kingfish categories of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. Here are the standings for catch-and-keep entries:
BLACK DRUM: 83 pounds, 13 ounces, Charles Porter, Birdsnest, caught at Oyster Bay.
COBIA: 109 pound pending state record, Joseph Berberich II, Hayes, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.
CROAKER: 5 pounds, 4 ounces, William Bull, Jr., Poquoson, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.
DOLPHIN: 56 pounds, 6 ounces, Richard Koch, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
FLOUNDER: 13 pounds, 13 ounces, Lewis Graves, Sr., Fredericksburg, lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.
GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 5 pounds, 13 ounces, Earl Sari, Chesapeake, ocean off Virginia Beach.
GRAY TROUT: 12 pounds, 4 ounces, Marvin Williams III, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
KING MACKEREL: 39 pounds, David Worton, Norfolk, off Virginia Beach.
KINGFISH: 2 pounds, 3 ounces, Robert Vick, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
POMPANO: 2 pounds, Bruce Williams, Virginia Beach off Eastern Shore.
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 2 ounces, Steve Harding, Norfolk, off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPSHEAD: 17 pounds, 13 ounces, Arun Nhek, Newport News, lower western Chesapeake Bay.
SPADEFISH: 14 pound state record, Austin Edwards, Powhatan, Cell in the Chesapeake Bay.
SPANISH MACKEREL: 6 pounds, 13 ounces, Charles Quann, King George, upper western Chesapeake Bay.
SPECKLED TROUT: 12 pounds, 1 ounce, Barclay Shepard, Poquoson, Elizabeth River.
SPOT: 1 pound, 5 ounces, Selby Balance, Virginia Beach, Lynnhaven Bay.
STRIPED BASS: 68 pounds, 1 ounce state record, Clay Armstrong, Mechanicsville, off Virginia Beach.
TAUTOG: 18 pounds, 1 ounce, Paul Hurtubise, McGaheysville, off Virginia Beach.
TRUE ALBACORE: 40 pounds, John Hanna, Seaford, ocean off Virginia Beach.
TUNA, BLUEFIN: 168 pounds, Cory Cinque, Annapolis Md., off Eastern Shore.
TUNA: 260 pounds, John Travers, Damascus, Md., off Eastern Shore.
WAHOO: 91 pounds, Aurelio Diaz, Jr., Glen Allen, off Virginia Beach.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
17th annual H.C. Edwards Chapter Ruffed Grouse Society banquet, Oct. 28, 6 p.m., Augusta Expoland, Fisherville, Va., tickets or information from Matt Smith, 540-459-3559.
Bassmaster Northern Open, Smith Mountain Lake, Oct. 26-28, information on bassmaster.com.
Membership meeting of Smith Mountain Striper Club, 7 p.m. Moneta Community Center
Woodcock season Nov. 4-18; Dec. 23-Jan. 6.
Two-day wilderness first aid course, Nov. 4 and 5 in Blacksburg, $160, information and registration, wfa.net.
Two-day wilderness first aid course, Nov. 11 and 12 in Richmond, $160, information and registration, wfa.net.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Dec. 12, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond.
Final portion of the dove season, Dec. 28-Jan. 15.
Western Virginia Sports Show, Augusta Expoland, Fisherville, Feb. 16-18.
CITGO Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 23-25, Birmingham, Ala.
BASS Elite Series, June 7-10, 2007, Smith Mountain Lake, information from bassmaster.com.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net
