Thursday, December 04, 2008
Jumbo stripers on the coast
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
Big striped bass, some of them weighing more than 50 pounds, are bowing the rods of anglers in the lower Chesapeake Bay. None has gotten more attention than a 50.9-pounder landed by 9-year-old Jake Garren of Montgomery County.
That fish is a pending International Game Fish Association Small Fry World Record, according to Dr. Julie Ball of Virginia Beach, a representative of the association.
“I don’t see any problems with its approval,” Ball said. The current record is 47 pounds, 9 ounces.
Jake was fishing with is dad, Bill, out of Kiptopeke, on the southern end of Virginia Eastern Shore when the 51-inch fish hit an eel suspended under a float. The fish was weighed at nearby Chris’ Bait and Tackle.
It is one of several 50-pound striped bass recently caught in the lower Bay. Lures are taking smaller fish, but most of the giants are being landed on eels under floats, a technique introduced by freshwater striper anglers.
A 26.8-pound striper was taken off Sea Gull Pier on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel by Butch Hall of Virginia Beach. That fish won a 24-hour “Rock Around the Clock” tournament on the pier.
The bay fishing should continue to be productive through December, then much of the action can be expected to shift to the oceanfront along Virginia Beach and to the north and south. The Bay season closes Dec. 31.
BILL
DEER KILL UP/DOWN; WHO KNOWS?
How is the deer season going?
“Overall, it has been pretty quiet,” said Matt Knox, deer biologist for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. “A couple of processors I talked to were down slightly, but they think the economy may be a contributing factor.
“We have had a handful of comments from national forest deer hunters up around the [Shenandoah] Valley that there are no deer on the national forest,” said Knox. “And we have had lots and lots of Earn-a-Buck questions.”
In the meantime, the number of deer kills checked by telephone is up 12 percent over the same time last year. Thus far, the phone check is about 109,000.
“This does not mean anything, because I expect that the number of deer hunters checking deer by phone is up over last year,” said Knox.
Knox hopes the kill won’t be up, because that could mean the herd is outgrowing its habitat.
“If it is going to be down this year, I don’t expect it will be by much,” Knox said.
Last year, the kill boomed, setting a record and catching game officials by surprise. That wasn’t bad, because a large percentage of the kill was antlerless deer.
“I can live with this [a higher kill] as long as we are continuing to make headway on killing more female deer.” Knox said.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>>The NRA isn’t happy with President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of Eric Holden as his attorney general. Holden’s philosophy, according to the NRA, has been that the Second Amendment does not protect firearm’s possession or use that is unrelated to participation in a well-regulated militia.
>>The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, has launched a blog to deal with inaccuracies about firearms and the firearms industry. The blog, titled "Aiming for Accuracy," is updated regularly with news, links and other resources designed to promote accurate communications about firearms issues.
>Hunter John Olson reported seeing more than 40 coyotes opening day of the Pennsylvania deer hunting season.
BILL
SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
A 12-pound, 12-ounce speckled trout is the new leader for that category in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. It was no surprise that the trophy fish was taken in the Elizabeth River, an extremely productive trout hot spot that should be active into January. Here are the tournament standings:
BLACK DRUM: 87 pounds, 3 ounces, Paul Elliott, Surry, Latimer Shoals (C-2 Buoy).
BLUEFISH: 21 pounds, 8 ounces, Charles Southall, Poquoson, Triangle Wrecks.
BLUEFIN TILEFISH: 19 pounds, 9 ounces, Sidney Long, Jr., Branchville, Norfolk Canyon.
COBIA: 94 pounds, 6 ounces, Wesley Smith, Virginia Beach, Bluefish Rock.
CROAKER: 4 pounds, 14 ounces, B.W. Wild, Virginia Beach, Lynnhaven Inlet.
DOLPHIN: 66 pounds, Todd Conner, Midlothian, Norfolk Canyon.
FLOUNDER: 13 pounds, 9 ounces, Christopher Mounie, Suffolk, Third Island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
GRAY TRIGERFISH: 5 pounds, 8 ounces, Nick Wright, Virginia Beach, inshore waters of Virginia Beach.
GRAY TROUT: 9 pounds, 8 ounces, Joseph Hudgins, Jr., Chesapeake, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (4th island).
KING MACKEREL: 62 pounds, 3 ounces, James McDonald, Virginia Beach, Sandbridge Pier.
KINGFISH: 2 pounds, 10 ounces, Kenneth Godsey, Norfolk, Sandbridge Pier.
POMPANO: 2 pounds, 8 ounces, Ron Pennington, Annandale, Kiptopeak Pier.
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 8 ounces, Reggie Myrick, Portsmouth, wreck off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPSHEAD: 14 pounds, 5 ounces, Kay Alley, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. .
SPADEFISH: 14 pounds, 1 ounce, Josh Durvin, Dunnsville, The Cell.
SPANISH MACKEREL: 6 pounds, Alfred Simpson, Virginia Beach, Sandbridge Pier.
SPECKLED TROUT: 12 pounds, 12 ounces, Bartley Tuthill, Portsmouth, Elizabeth River.
SPOT: 1 pound, 8 ounces, Michael Whittaker, Chesapeake, 664 Bridge-Tunnel.
STRIPED BASS: 73 pounds, state record, Frederick Barnes, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.
SWORDFISH: 190 pounds, Aaron Peckham, Virginia Beach, Norfolk Canyon.
TAUTOG: 20 pounds, 6 ounces, Michael Shreve, Glen Burnie, Md., Monroe Wreck.
TUNA, BLUEFIN: 226 pounds, Kim Schwallenberg, Edgewater, Md., off Wachapreague.
TUNA: 305 pounds, Rick Wyatt, Norfolk, Norfolk Canyon.
YAHOO: 69 pounds, Brian Davis, Virginia Beach, Norfolk Canyon.
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Smith River Trout Unlimited meeting, Dec. 4, 6 p.m., Rania’s Restaurant, Martinsville, meal can be ordered, additional information from B.J. Walker.
Rabbit hunting workshop for youth ages 7 to 17, Dec. 6 Bedford County, information from Jimmy Mootz.
Fifteenth annual Benefit Rockfish Tournament, Dec. 6. sponsored by Coastal Conservation Association, Norview Marine, Deltaville, $225 per boat entry fee, top prize $5,000, tournament forms and rules from ccavirginia.org.
Virginia Beach National (Striped Bass) Tournament, Dec. 13, fishasa.com.
Bay Creek Resort Contender Cub (striped bass), Dec. 30, Cape Charles, 757-650-4509.
Matthews Rotary Rockfish Tournament, Dec. 31, dnfitch@wildblue.net.
Mid-Atlantic Rockfish Shootout, Jan. 8-10, $100,000 in prizes, fishasa.com.
Fishing Expo, Jan. 16-18, Richmond Raceway, featured pros include Kevin Van Dam, richmondfishingexpo.com.
George Washington National Forest workshop on the forest plan, Jan. 20, 6:30-9 p.m., Augusta County Government Center, Verona.
George Washington National Forest workshop on the forest plan, Jan. 29, 6:30-9 p.m., Rockbridge County High School, Lexington.
Virginia Outdoor Sportsmen’s Classic, Roanoke Civic Center, Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2009, vaoutdoorsportsmensclassic.com.
Board meeting of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to consider hunting/trapping regulations, 9 a.m., Feb. 26, DGIF headquarters, 4000 West Broad St., Richmond.
Youth spring turkey hunting day, April 4, 2009.
2009 spring gobbler season, April 11-May 16.
Board meeting of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to finalize hunting/trapping regulations, 9 a.m., June 2, DGIF headquarters, 4000 West Broad St., Richmond.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
