Thursday, March 20, 2008
40th tournament for Optimist Club
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
The Optimist Club of Cave Spring Fishing Tournament on Smith Mountain Lake turns 40 this year, and is believed to be the oldest and biggest freshwater contest in Virginia. The dates are May 2-4 and the event will use Foxport Marina as its headquarters.
Ticket prices have been raised to $40 and a purse of $15,000 is being offered.
The contest offers awards for the biggest catches in categories for largemouth bass, muskie, crappie, smallmouth bass, catfish and striped bass. First place in each category is worth $1,000; second, $500; third, $300 and fourth, $150.
New this year: the largest smallmouth bass will earn an Ira “Sonny” Lower trophy. Lower was a charter member of the club and a tournament workhouse for years.
The event includes the Bill Cochran Youth Tournament, May 3, open to youngsters 12 and under at no charge as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult. Kids fish in carp and sunfish categories.
Tournament brochures and entry blanks are available at businesses around the lakes, as well as in towns and cities of the contest region. They can be ordered by phone from Keren at 540-389-4823 or Ike at 540-989-8488.
BILL
BEAR KILL
The bear kill has been increasing 7 to 8 percent annually, but it experienced a slowdown the past season when 1,517 were reported killed, a 7.5 percent decrease from the previous year’s record of 1,633.
The lower number is nothing to get excited about because it still is the second best figure on record. It points to the fact that Virginia’s bear population is in great shape and is providing sport across much of the state.
A 7.5-percent decrease could represent weather, food or hunting trends, but most likely it is the result of a synchrony in female breeding that produces a flush of cubs some years and lower number others, said Jaime Sajecki, bear project leader for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
A downturn in the number of yearling bears likely resulted in the lower kill last season, said Sajecki. The decrease wasn’t as much as some years, she said. The 2004 kill, for example, was off about 25 percent.
“Over the last 10 years, there has always been inherent variations in the annual harvest,” said Sajecki. “Short-term changes in harvest numbers are not as informative about the bear population status as long-term trends.”
The 35-percent female kill is well within the bounds of an expanding bear population. The long-term average is 37 percent. Virginia’s bear population took off several years ago when regulations were enacted to keep the sow kill below 50 percent.
BEAR FACTS
>Hound hunters accounted for 52 percent of the bears killed last season.
>Archers killed 393 bears, which was 25 percent of the total. Crossbows accounted for 38 percent of the archery total.
> The number of females killed by hound hunters was 31 percent.
>The four-days of muzzleloading hunting during the bear season accounted for 92 bears.
>Virginia’s prime bear hunting territory is the counties around the Shenandoah National Park. The top bear-kill county, by far, was Rockingham, with a kill of 159. Next came Page, 82; Rockbridge, 78; Albemarle, 78; Augusta, 77.
BILL
HUNTERS FOR HUNGRY BANQUET SET
Sportsman’s Warehouse has joined WSLS Channel 10 and Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi as a major sponsor of the third annual Hunters for the Hungry banquet in the Roanoke Valley. The event has been set for 6 p.m. Set. 27 at Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi in Salem.
The addition of Sportsman’s Warehouse, which opened a retail outlet in Roanoke late last year, should assure that the upcoming banquet is the biggest and best yet, said Gary Arrington, spokesman for Hunters for the Hungry. The banquet has become a major fundraiser for the program, he said.
Since its founding in 1991, Hunters for the Hungry has become the most successful program of its kind in the nation, processing over 3.4 million pounds of venison donated by hunters to feed the needy. The banquet receipts go toward the processing fee.
Arrington and members of a banquet committee are soliciting additional sponsors and donations. Arrington can be reached at hunt4hungry@cs.com.
The banquet will be family friendly and will include special events for kids. Tickets soon will be on sale at $20 for singles; $35 for couples, kids under 12 free. Contact Jeff Fletcher, 540-985-6523 or Fred and Phyllis Wells, 540-992-3874.
BILL
DEEP FISHING FOR RECORD GROUPER
Deep-water species are luring anglers out to waters deeper than 200 feet on days the wind allows. The charter, Rudee Angler, captained by Skip Feller, had a good day on a recent trip to the edge of the Norfolk Canyon. The crew hauled in limits of jumbo sea bass to over 5 pounds, blueline tilefish up to 16.5 pounds and bluefish ranging 8 to 10 pounds.
But the most interesting fish of the day were the snowy and yellow edge grouper that weighed 20 to 45 pounds. Skip called me from the dock at 8:30 p.m., and it just so happened that I recognized the description of the yellow edge he gave me and looked up the latest world record.
It turns out that his angler, Heath Cataulin of Norfolk, is now the applicant for the all-tackle world record yellow edge grouper weighing in at 46 pounds, 2 ounces, which beats the existing record of 41 pounds, 1 ounce. Capt. Skip comes from a family of respectable charter captains, so it is no surprise that he is breaking ground on the deep-dropping front. For more fishing information, go to drjball.com
Dr. JULIA BALL
CAUCUS LAUDS FOUR PIECES OF LEGISLATION
The Virginia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus has praised four pieces of legislation that it helped pass to benefit sportsmen during the recent General Assembly:
>An apprentice hunting license that lets newcomers try hunting without first having to take a hunter education course.
>A special fishing permit that will let patients residing in or receiving outpatient treatment from a veteran’s or military hospital in Virginia to be part of a therapeutic trout fishing program without having to purchase a trout license.
>A Natural Resources Commitment Fund where 10 percent of revenue generated by a 1 percent sales and use tax will be allocated for agriculture best management practices to enhance the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay.
>A charge for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to provide for greater citizen input when wildlife regulations are discussed.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>>Calls to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries reporting poaching activities in Page and Rockingham counties resulted in six months of undercover investigation that led to 13 felony and 150 misdemeanor charges. Conservation police found drug violations in addition to wildlife violations.
>>Turkeys are starting to gobble across the state, according to reports from hunters anxiously awaiting the April 12 opening of the spring gobbler season.
>>During a red drum blitz you might expect 100 beach vehicles to gather on the Outer Banks at Cape Point, N.C., but in March? The fleet of 4X4 at the Point on a recent Saturday was there to protest actions by environmental groups to close sections of the beach to driving. The gathering was to bring attention to a hearing scheduled in Raleigh, N.C. on April 1. For details, check obpa.org or nccba.org.
>>The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and 22 other organizations that represent outdoor sportsmen say legislation introduced in Congress, HR5535, to amend the Lacey Act under the guise of protecting bears being killed illegally is unnecessary and counter productive. Bears already are well protected and the legislation could take aim at lawful bear hunting, opponents say. One of its backers is the anti-hunting Humane Society of the United States.
>>The Bureau of Land Management is bringing about 70 wild American mustangs and a few burros to the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington March 28-30. The animals will be put up for adoption for a minimal fee. They can be viewed beginning 1 p.m. March 28 and adopted with a competitive bid the next day.
>>Rick Morris of Virginia Beach finished a respectful 12th place, with a four day 44 pound, 12 ounce catch, in the BASS Citrus Slam on Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Florida. His earned $12,300. Winner Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., took home $100,000 with his 59 pound, 7 ounce catch.
>>The Appalachian Highlands Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society will be a co-sponsor of the April 4 Arbor Day celebration aimed at promoting the planting of hardwood trees on mined land in Appalachia. The project was initiated by the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative and co-sponsors include the Virginia Department of Forestry, the American Chestnut Foundation, the Nature Conservancy and Take Pride in America.
>>Bruce Ingram has written guidebooks on the James, New and Rappahannock rivers, but his latest is more about the how-to of fishing rather than the where-to. It is titled “Fly and Spin Fishing for River Smallmouths.” The book has a strong underlying theme of protecting the health of waterways. Ingram teaches English at Lord Botetourt High School and lives in Fincastle. The book can be ordered from www.finneyco.com.
>>The March 15 Farm Bill deadline has come and gone and the new bill still has not been passed. The Farm Bill represents the single largest federal investment in conservation on private land.
>>Quail populations are responding dramatically to habitat improvement efforts in Scott County, Mississippi. Hunters report finding five coveys per 8 hour day -- the most in decades.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Board meeting of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, 9 a.m. April 1, DGIF headquarters, 4000 West Broad St., Richmond.
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, April 4, 7 p.m., Moneta Community Center, program by Dan Wilson, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist.
Youth spring gobbler day, April 5
Wilderness Fist Aid training, April 5 and 6 in Blacksburg, $200, information from http://wfa.net.
Spring gobbler season, April 12-May 17.
Chester Ducks Unlimited Banquet, Kings Korner Restaurant, Chester, April 12, tickets $55/$80, information from Kenny Bowman.
Virginia Mountains Chapter Ruffed Grouse Society banquet, Roanoke Plaza Hotel (formerly Wyndham), April 12, 6 p.m., tickets and membership $55, spouse $30, information/tickets from Brandon Harper.
Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, April 19 and 20, South River in Waynesboro, vaflyfishingfestival.org.
The Optimist Club of Cave Spring 40th annual Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Tournament, May 2-4, $40 for tickets, $15,000 in prizes offered, includes fourth annual Bill Cochran Youth Tournament, Saturday, May 3, kids when 12 and under fish free with paying adult, tickets available at businesses around the lake or in nearby towns, money benefits the club’s youth programs, information from Ike Harris, 540-989-8488.
Seventh Annual David H. Horne Memorial Hunters for the Hungry Golf Tournament, May 7, Birkdale Golf Course, Richmond, contact Braxton Bell, 804-739-3010.
Twenty-fifth annual Bluefish Derby, June 13 & 14, Reedville, information from Jett’s Hardware, 804-453-5325.
Third annual WSLS 10 Hunters for the Hungry banquet, 6 p.m. Sept. 27, Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi, Salem, tickets $20 singles; $35 couples, kids 12 and under free, to benefit the organization’s feed-the-needy program, tickets from Jeff Fletcher, 540-985-6523 or Fred and Phyllis Wells, 540-992-3874 or may be purchased at Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi, additional information from hunt4hungry@cs.com.
Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA banquet, Oct. 18.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
