Thursday, July 17, 2008
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: Guide catches big muskie -- twice
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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Mike Coley with a trophy New River muskie.
Mike Coley has what he considers a compelling argument for catch-and-release. Last year in early June, he caught and released a 40-pound, 53-inch muskie from the New River. Just over a year later, he landed what he considers to be the same fish.
“I caught her about 100 yards from last year’s location and she now tips the scales at 42 pounds and is 54 inches long,” Coley said.
Coley has a guiding service on the New River (savagestrike.com) and says he has been putting a “tremendous amount of effort into finding and catching above-average muskies.”
For much of the 1990s, he was a striped bass guide on Smith Mountain Lake with a reputation of going after big fish
“I moved away from Smith Mountain Lake in the summer of 2003, following the major striper die-off,” he said.
For a time, he continued guiding for striper on Tennessee lakes, and still does occasionally, but most of his work now is on the New near his home in Radford.
“Gas prices and the economy have taken a big bite out of trying to guide long-distance,” he said.
BILL
DOVE, WOODCOCK AND RAIL SEASONS SET
Better save some money to buy additional shotgun shells. The daily bag limit for doves this fall has been boosted from 12 to 15, with no reduction in the length of the season. This could require anywhere from three additional shells to three boxes, depending on skill levels. What is certain: hunters will be afield under some of the most liberal dove regulations in memory.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries officials have set a three-way split season that offers 70 days of hunting beginning Sept. 1, which is Labor Day Monday. The final hunting date is Jan. 10, which is later into the year than in the past. The hunting dates are Sept. 1-27; Oct. 4-31 and Dec. 27-Jan. 10. Hunting hours are from noon until sunset during the first segment and one-half hour before sunrise until sunset the next two segments.
A declining woodcock population has resulted in a brief, 30-day season, so short it is difficult to spread it across the calendar to cater to the desires of hunters from the mountains to the coast. The season will be Nov. 8-22 and Dec. 20-Jan. 3. The bag limit is three.
The big news in rail hunting is that non-toxic shot will be required during the Sept. 10-Nov. 18 season. The bag limit is 15 for clapper/king rails and 25 for Sora/Virginia rails.
Hunting conditions appear favorable, thanks to good nesting conditions this spring.
Snipe hunting dates are Oct. 9-13 and Oct. 22-Jan. 31 with an eight-per day limit. Non-toxic shot will be required.
BILL
SEPTEMBER GOOSE LIMIT IS DOUBLED
The bag limit for Canada geese during Virginia’s special September season has been set at 10 daily, twice that of a year ago. It could have gone as high as 15, under federal guidelines, but Department of Game and Inland Fisheries officials said some hunters believe going beyond 10 daily would risk harming the population.
The early hunting dates are Sept. 1-25.
The resident Canada goose population increased to the point of become a nuisance during the 1980s and 1990s. Populations have been reduced through liberal hunting regulations; even so, there are an estimated 1 million resident geese in the Atlantic flyway.
Addition hunting days are expected to be set next month.
BILL
DUDLEY WINS ANGLER OF THE YEAR TITLE
David Dudley has won the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title, the latest in an impressive number of career accomplishments for the Lynchburg bass fishing pro. The title is determined by the total accumulated points form six regular-season FLW Outdoors tournaments.
It was Dudley’s first such title, but not the first time he has been in the spotlight. He owns the FLW Outdoors career earnings record with more than $2.3 million in winnings. He was the youngest angler in history to surpass the $1 million milestone at age 26 in 2002. He passed the $2 million milestone in 2006.
Dudley grew up around fishing tournaments, often partnering with his father, James, in Smith Mountain and Kerr Lake events. On the FLW tour, he has a history of winning the really big events, including the Forest Wood Cup and Wal-Mart FLW Series.
The next big ticket item for him is the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup set for Columbia, S.C., Aug. 14-17. A win there would boost him past the $3 million mark in career earnings.
Coverage of his Angler of the Year victory is scheduled for FLW Outdoors Aug. 31 and Sept. 7 on Fox SportsNet.
BILL
NEW STOCKING PLAN FOR PAY AREAS
Changes have been announced for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ two pay-fishing streams, Big Tumbling and Crooked creeks. The streams are being stocked with trout six days a week, and some days only a handful of anglers show up, according to Gary Martel, DGIF fish chief. That’s costing the agency money for a small return, especially in view of soaring gas prices, he said.
The new plan calls for stocking three times a week, but doubling the number of trout released, Martel announced this week. Stockings will take place Mondays, Wednesdays and a weekend day.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>>Bass announced Wednesday that it is returning its top-tier Elite tournament series to Smith Mountain Lake April 23-26, 2009. There’s more. The following year, Aug. 12-15, 2010, the series is scheduled to return again. A previous Elite tournament brought big-name anglers and considerable publicity to the lake during June, 2007.
>>The revenue pool for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ next fiscal year could be “dicey.” That was the word used by Ray Davis, the agency’s financial officer, who said there is a better than 50 percent chance that revenue in 2009 will be less than what it is this year. Blame it on high gas prices and a slow economy, which Davis said are impacting fishing license sales and the tax on boat sales.
>>The emerald ash borer has been discovered in two locations in Fairfax County. The metallic green beetle is fatal to ash trees when it feeds just beneath the bark cutting off water and nutrients. The borer has killed millions of ash trees since its discovery in 2002 in the Detroit area.
>>Recent restrictions on beach vehicles use along the Outer Banks of North Carolina could also occur on Assateague Island National Seashore along the northern coastline of Virginia. Driving on the beach there is under review. About 20 miles of beach from Virginia into Maryland currently is open to vehicles and frequently is used by surf fishermen and campers.
>>What is believed to be a near 100 percent die-off of fish in 50 acre Sleepy Lake in Suffolk is being attributed to a cold rain during a hot period which reduced the oxygen level of the lake.
>>A Richmond property owner wants to turn approximately one mile of James River frontage in Chesterfield into a public boat landing, park and river walk. The property stretches from Falling Creek downstream to near Drewry’s Bluff.
>>Mark Taylor, Roanoke Times outdoor reporter, won five awards for outdoor coverage excellence during the recent Outdoor Writers Association of America conference in Bismark, N.D. The Roanoke Times weekly outdoor page was named the nation’s best for the second consecutive year.
BILL
SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
You get an idea of how good the coastal fishing is by the fact that there are six changes in this week’s Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament report. The first king mackerel and wahoo catches of he season have been registered and their are new leaders in the dolphin, flounder, kingfish and tuna categories. 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: 90 pounds, 10 ounces, Charles Thain, Birdsnest, Inner Middle Ground, C-13.
CROAKER: 4 pounds, Lorie Richardson, Mechanicsville, Rappahannock River. DOLPHIN: 58 pounds, 6 ounces, Burt Whitt, Norfolk, Cigar.
FLOUNDER: 11 pounds, Rudolph Levasseur, Chesapeake, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
GRAY TRIGERFISH: 4 pounds, 2 ounces, Adam Lyons, Chesapeake, Seagull Pier on Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
GRAY TROUT: 9 pounds, 8 ounces, Joseph Hudgins, Jr., Chesapeake, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (4th island).
KING MACKEREL, 24 pounds, 2 ounces, J. Scott Taylor, Mechanicsville, off Wachapreague.
KINGFISH: 2 pounds, 3 ounces, Bill Pope, Norfolk, Sandbridge surf.
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 8 ounces, Reggie Myrick, Portsmouth, off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPSHEAD: 13 pounds, 15 ounces, Andrew McDougald, Raleigh, N.C., Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. .
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, BLUEFIN: 195 pounds, Troy Hart, Locust Grove, Norfolk Canyon.
TUNA: 89 pounds, Troy Holtry, Newburg, Pa., 20 Fathom Finger.
WAHOO: 58 pounds, 5 ounces, Frederick Haycox, Virginia Beach, Cigar.
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
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.
