Thursday, March 08, 2007
Big catch dominates striper tournament
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
Mackey May with the 28-pound, 4 ounce striped bass that dominated the Smith Mountain Striper Club tournament.
When Mackey May reeled in a 28-pound, 4-ounce striped bass during the weekend Smith Mountain Striper Club tournament, suddenly everyone else was fishing for second spot. That is a huge fish, and is more evidence that the big-fish population in Smith Mountain Lake is showing signs of bouncing back following a major die-off.
May was teamed with Dave Brown (Team Fastrac) and the two weighed a tournament-winning, two-fish limit of 33.98 pounds. No one else was close.
Second was Team All-For Fun, Dwayne Lamb and Hawk Lamb, two fish, 13.56 pounds; third, Team Kenner, Frank Skillman and Ken Urlich, two fish, 12.26 pounds.
The youth winner was Brian Prowse and the woman winner was Jennifer Fitzgerald.
This was the club’s first tournament of the year as the organization moves toward an expanded tournament format. Sixteen teams, composed of 43 anglers, showed up for what Club President Steve McCallum described as tough fishing. Six stripers were caught, two of which were released alive.
BILL
WAYNE BAILEY WAS TURKEY PIONEER
If you enjoy turkeys -- seeing them, hearing them, hunting them -- then you owe gratitude to Wayne Bailey. He was a pioneer in modern turkey restoration and played a huge role in the development of the National Wild Turkey Federation. He died last week after a long battle with cancer.
As a wildlife biologist in West Virginia in the 1950s, Bailey spearheaded the procedure of live-trapping bird in areas where there was a remnant of this species and relocating them to the many spots where they had disappeared. Biologists had discovered that stocking pen-raised turkeys did not work, but the relocation of wild birds was the key to modern turkey restoration.
In 1970, Bailey went to North Carolina where he used methods he had perfected to turn a declining turkey population around. His early research still is cited today.
“His contributions to West Virginia and North Carolina are easily recognized, but his reach went beyond those two states and influenced turkey management across the country,” said Gary Norman, turkey biologist for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Bailey was a member of the first NWTF advisory board in 1973 and was the first recipient of the federation’s Conservationist of the Year Award in 1978.
In his late years, Bailey resided in Danville, where in six weeks his family has planned a celebration of his life at the Stratford Conference Center.
“Never was a man more happy at work, he loved every day of it,” said his daughter, Cheryl Hardy.
That joy was evident at the Southeast Wild Turkey Tech Committee meeting held in Virginia two years ago. Bailey was paired on the program with Kit Shaffer, Virginia’s highly respected turkey biologist, now in his 80s. Both shared a passion for hunting and telling jokes as they reflected on the old days of turkey management.
“They were still ornery … it was hilarious,” said Norman.
Bailey’s book, “Wild Turkey in West Virginia,” is a collector’s item.
BILL
I’D WALK A MILE FOR A GROUSE
Most grouse hunters measure their sport by the number of birds flushed per hour of pursuit. Cliff Rexrode, who lives in Waynesboro, added another dimension the past season.
“I wore a pedometer each day and it recorded I walked 80 miles. That works out to one flush per mile I walked and almost 7 miles for each bird I killed.”
Rexrode, who is a consulting forester, hunted grouse 14 days, 12 of them with a favorite companion. They counted 80 flushes on 61 birds, killing 20.
“We were greatly encouraged by the fact that nearly all the birds killed were juveniles, indicating there was a better hatch last spring and hope for better numbers next fall.”
BILL
WIDER DOORS AT GROUSE BANQUET
When Brandon Harper told me that the price for attending the annual banquet of the Virginia Mountains Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society in Roanoke was $25, I thought he had made a mistake.
Most wildlife banquets will cost you twice that, and sometimes a great deal more. That’s because along with payment for a meal comes payment for membership dues.
This time, Harper, who is the banquet chairman, said people can come for the meal, auction and fellowship without becoming a member of the society. If you want membership the total will be $50.
Harper, who is a young, Roanoke Valley businessman, said the idea of the reduced rate is to attract new people to the banquet, especially young people, in order to tell them about the society and give them an opportunity to be part of the fun and fund-raising apart from mandatory membership. If they want to join later, that’s fine.
The banquet is set for 6 p.m., March 16 at the Wyndam Roanoke Hotel. Tickets are available from Harper at 540-537-6275.
BILL
BAGGING BASS FROM THE BACK SEAT
Years ago, I fished Smith Mountain Lake with bass legend John Powell. He was catching bass after bass while casting a plastic worm from the bow of his bass boat. In the back seat, I was catching nothing.
“I bet if I were seated up front and had first crack at the fish I would be catching them,” I told Powell, halfway in jest. He quickly relinquished the front seat and moved to the back. Powell continued to catch fish while I hardly had a bite.
I was reminded of that when Bryan Hastings of Littleton, N.C., caught the heaviest string of bass in the recent Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League tournament at Kerr Lake. His take was five fish that weighed an impressive 17 pounds, 8 ounces. Hastings caught them from the back seat, because he was a co-angler.
The tournament was won by Jason Houchins of Woodbridge, who entered a slightly lighter total of five bass that weighed 17 pounds, 1 ounce, but took home top prize because he was a front-seat guy.
The back seat also proved to be the right seat for Milton Lockamy Jr. of Clayton, N.C. who entered the tournament’s biggest bass, a 6-pound, 10-ounce catch.
BILL
OUTDOOR NOTES
>The Bedford County Planning Commission this week voted to deny a special-use permit for a 10-station shooting range on 23 acres in the Thaxton area. Commission members said the facility would attract too much traffic on a narrow road and would created noise for neighbors.
>Anglers out of Virginia Beach making a long haul to offshore wrecks are enjoying impressive catches of sea bass. Capt. Skip Feller, at Rudee Inlet, reported a week’s catch of 12 sea bass citations up to 6 pounds. Blueline tilefish also are being landed.
>The International Mountain Biking Association has joined the Virginia Wilderness Committee in support of recent legislation introduced in Congress to protect 54,000 acres of the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia as wilderness and national scenic areas. The legislation, introduced by Congressman Rick Boucher, D-Va. and Sen. John Warner, R-Va., would allow bicycling on these areas.
>Three Virginia anglers are among the 106 that will open the 2007 Bassmaster Elite Series March 8-11 on Texas’ Lake Amistad. They are John Crews, Salem; Kurt Dove, Warrenton and Rick Morris, Virginia Beach.
>A hefty number of woodcocks arrived at our place in Catawba this week. I heard their nighttime activities Tuesday, March 6. The past decade I have kept notes on the arrival of migratory birds. My earliest record of woodcocks is Jan. 31, which occurred in 2002. The latest is March 21, in 2006.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
National Capital Boat Show, March 9-11, Dulles Expo Center, Chantilly, agievents.com.
Bedford Outdoor Sportsman Association Sport Show, March 10, Bedford Armory, information from Steve Grant, 540-586-3807.
Celebration of American woodcock, March 11, 1-5 p.m., Canaan Valley State Park, W.Va. $25 donation, panel of experts, information from Dennis LaBare, 304-358-3154.
Virginia Mountains Chapter of Ruffed Grouse Society sportsman banquet, March 16, Wyndam Roanoke Hotel, 6 p.m., tickets $25, $50 with membership, information from Brandon Harper, 540-537-6275.
Farmville Ducks Unlimited Banquet, 6 p.m., March 16, Fuqua Lower School Gym, tickets/information from Chris Dowdy, 804-399-8282.
Smith Mountain Lake Striper Club meeting, April 5, 7 p.m., Moneta Community Center, president is Steve McCallum, SMSC@hughes.net.
Spring gobbler youth day, April 7.
Trout Heritage Day, April 7.
Spring gobbler season, April 14.
Hooked For Life banquet, April 20, Roanoke, will feature bass fishing pro Jay Yelas, information from www.hookedforlife.org.
Seventh Annual Virginia Fly Fishing Festival and Wine Tasting, April 21-22, Waynesboro, vaflyfishingfestival.org.
Botetourt Longbeards Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, April 28, 6 p.m., Lord Botetourt High School, $45 for single; $60 for couple, includes meal and membership, tickets from Richard Pauley, 540-992-1883 and Ed McCoy, 540-473-2741.
James River Chapter of National Wild Turkey Federation hunt open to disabled sportsmen, April 28, details from Barry Arrington.
Cave Spring Optimist Fishing Tournament, Smith Mountain Lake, May 4-6, brochure at tackle shops, marinas and from KLbirk@aol.com.
Spring gobbler season ends, May 19.
BASS Elite Series, June 7-10, 2007, Smith Mountain Lake, information from bassmaster.com.
Reedville Bluefish Derby, Buzzard’s Point Marine, June 8-9, Reedville reedvillebluefishderby.com.
Outdoor Writers Association of America conference, June 16-19, Hotel Roanoke.
The Western Regional Championship of the Virginia Big Game Show, Sept. 8-9, Rockingham County Fairgrounds near Harrisonburg, information from vpsa.org.
The Eastern Region and State Championship of the Virginia Big Game Show, Sept. 22 & 23, Southampton County Fairgrounds in Franklin, information from from vpsa.org.
DGIF meetings
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, March 27, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, June 5, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, July 17, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Aug. 21, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Oct. 16, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
