Thursday, June 26, 2008
Golden tilefish is a state record
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
The record catch, onboard.
Most of us don’t know much about golden tilefish, but Aaron Sledd likely would tell us it is a fish of extremes. He should know. His June 10 catch of a 56-pound, 8-ounce golden tilefish near the Norfolk Canyon was certified as a Virginia record this week.
About those extremes: The fish was hooked in approximately 600 feet of water. You get a feel for that depth when you think of it as the length of two football fields.
Sledd’s fish was one of four hooked simultaneously aboard the charter “Ocean Pearl” operated by Capt. Steve Wray.
According to Lewis Gillingham, the official keeper of records for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the line on one fish was cut by hammerhead sharks. The hooks were straightened on two other rigs. Sledd’s rig -- with its 400-pound mono leader, 80-pound line and pair of heavy 10/0 hooks -- held.
Virginia’s tilefish have been on a roll recently. A 44-pound record catch was taken by Jeffery Dail on April 29, 2007. The following September, that was topped by a 53-pound, 8-ounce catch by Charles Maresh. Sledd’s fish came in 3 pound heavier.
The International Game Fish Association reports the all-tackle world record is a 59-pound, 3-ounce Maryland catch taken May 2007.
BILL
DAVID DUDLEY WINS $125,000 IN FLW EVENT
Deep-water fishing has provided deeper pockets for David Dudley of Lynchburg, who won the $125,000 first-place prize Sunday in the Wal-Mart FLW Tournament on Fort Loudoun-Tellico Lakes near Knoxville, Tenn.
This wasn’t the first big prize for Dudley. According to FLW Outdoors, he stands fourth in all-time winnings for professional bass anglers. His total take is more than $2.5 million.
Money wasn’t the only big prize for Dudley in the weekend FLW event. He earned important points toward qualifying for the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup in Columbia S.C., on Aug. 14-17. The winner will earn roughly $1 million, which FLW Outdoors says will be the biggest award in bass fishing.
Dudley said his win the past weekend was particularly significant, because he caught his bass while fishing deep, what he has considered one of his “biggest weaknesses.” He said he caught all of his final day 29-pound, 11-ounce take while slow fishing a 10-inch green-pumpkin Berkley PowerWorm on a ledge in the upper end of Fort Loudoun Lake.
BILL
VIRGINIA’S QUAIL PLAN ONE OF SEVERAL
In May, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries launched a rejuvenated effort to restore quail to the state. The agency appointed a Virginia Quail Council and is working on a “Northern Bobwhite Quail Action Plan” for the state.
Such surges aren’t new. A trendsetting “Virginia Quail Plan” was adopted in the 1990s. Yet quail numbers and quail hunting success has continued to decline.
Virginia is one of several states dealing with declining quail numbers.
>In April, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources published a blueprint for restoring quail in that state. The effort has been endorsed by 33 conservation partners.
>The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fish and Parks is taking what it calls a comprehensive approach to quail restoration, which includes new staff and habitat initiatives along with quail workshops for landowners.
>For the past two years, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has promoted a Quail and Grassland Bird Task Force that is fostering the planting of native grasses, prescribed burning and increased time for biologists to work on private land projects.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>>Hunters can anticipate a discussion on changes in dove hunting regulations during a July 15 meeting of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in Richmond. The federal framework places emphasis on a 15 per day limit, which is two more birds in the bag than Virginia has allowed in the past. Expect wildlife officials also to give an eye toward more liberal resident goose hunting regulations.
>>Hunters for the Hungry addressed a letter to its supporters this week, informing them that funds to process deer are very low and the need to accomplish this work is high due to the worsening economy. Check the association’s Web site for some ongoing raffles.
>>Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., of Roanoke received praise from the National Rifle Association for his work on the Farm Bill as ranking member of the House Committee on Agriculture. The NRA lauded the bill’s Open Fields Initiative which will provide funding for states to increase public access to private hunting grounds.
>>The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Wildlife and Boat Committee had been scheduled to discuss Sunday hunting at its meeting earlier this month in Richmond but tabled the topic at the last minute.
>>FLW Outdoors’ recently released 2009 Wal-Mart FLW Tour schedule does not include a stop in Virginia. The nearest venue is the $1.5 million National Grand Open April 23-26 on Lake Norman near Charlotte, N.C. Additional information is available on FLWOutdoors.com
>>Four years ago, one of Terry Totten’s co-workers invited him to try bass fishing for the first time. When they caught 18 bass, Totten was sold on the sport. Four years later a coworker invited Totten to try FLW Fantasy Fishing. This time his catch was $100,000 for winning the fifth tournament in a seven-tournament season. Totten, of Minneapolis, relied heavily on David Dudley of Lynchburg as the leader of his fantasy team.
BILL
SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
The first sheepshead and Spanish mackerel catches of Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament have shown up on the leader board and there is a new leading entry in the cobia division. Here are the standings:
BLACK DRUM: 87 pounds, 3 ounces, Paul Elliott, Surry, Latimer Shoals (C-2 Buoy).
BLUEFISH: 19 pounds, 4 ounces, Richard Brown, Richmond, off Virginia Beach.
BLUEFIN TILEFISH: 18 pounds, 12 ounces, Dr. Julie Ball, Virginia Beach, Norfolk Canyon.
COBIA: 82 pounds, Wes Blow, Newport News, York Spit.
CROAKER: 3 pounds, 5 ounces, David Richards, Williamsburg, lower York River.
DOLPHIN: 49 pounds, 7 ounces, Edward Pickett, Portsmouth, Norfolk Canyon.
FLOUNDER: 10 pounds, 8 ounces, Thomas Horsley, Gloucester, off Cape Charles.
GRAY TROUT: 9 pounds, 8 ounces, Joseph Hudgins, Jr., Chesapeake, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (4th island).
KINGFISH: 1 pound, 9 ounces, David Davis, Portsmouth, Sandbridge surf.
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 8 ounces, Reggie Myrick, Portsmouth, off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPSHEAD: 13 pounds, 15 ounces, Reggie Myrick, Portsmouth, unspecified wreck.
SPADEFISH: 13 pounds, 15 ounces, Donald Knight, Chesterfield, Wolf Trap Light.
SPANISH MACKEREL: 6 pounds, Alfred Simpson, Virginia Beach, Sandbridge pier.
SPECKLED TROUT: 9 pounds, 15 ounces, David Hester, Chesapeake, Elizabeth River.
STRIPED BASS: 73 pounds, state record, Frederick Barnes, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.
TAUTOG: 20 pounds, 6 ounces, Michael Shreve, Glen Burnie, Md., Monroe Wreck.
TUNA: 80 pounds, Bryan Johnson, Virginia Beach, Cigar.
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, 7 p.m., July 11, Moneta Center, Jeff Meeks on trolling tactics.
Meeting of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ board, 9 a.m. July 15 at the agency headquarters, 4000 West Broad St. in Richmond.
Shenandoah River Rodeo, July 19, Bentonville’s Low Water Bridge Campground, $40, to benefit Shenandoah Riverkeepers, pig roast, bluegrass, fishing, canoeing, camping information from Shenandoah Riverkeepers, P.O. Box 405, Boyce, Va. 22620.
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, 7 p.m., Aug. 1, Moneta Center, presentation by Ken Mitchell, manager of the Brookneal striper hatchery.
Triangle Archer’s 3D tournament, Aug. 17, Blacksburg, fee $12 or $25 per family, information from Triangle Archers 3D tournament, June 22, Blacksburg, fee $12 or $25 per family, information from James Overfelt.
Eastern Regional Big Game Championship, Sept. 13 and 14, Southampton County Fairgrounds, Franklin, sponsored by the Virginia Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association, more information from Kenneth Pickin, P.O. Box 1860, Williamsburg, Va. 23187-1860; 757-229-0490. This is the contest for deer, bear and turkey killed east of the Blue Ridge. Additional information from vpsa.org.
Triangle Archer’s 3D tournament, Sept 14, Blacksburg, fee $12 or $25 per family, information from James Overfelt.
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.
Western Regional and State Big Game Championship, for deer, bear and turkey killed west of the Blue Ridge or advanced from the Eastern Championship, Sept. 27 & 28, Rockingham County Fairgrounds, Harrisonburg, more information from Jon Ritenour, 2041 Spaders Church Road, Harrisonburg, Va. 22801, 540-434-8028. Additional information from vpsa.org.
Fall Optimist Club of Cave Springs Fishing Tournament, Oct. 3-5, Smith Mountain Lake.
Saltwater striped bass tournament opens Oct. 4.
Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA banquet, Oct. 18.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
