Thursday, June 18, 2009
Striper club tournament results
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
Twenty-one teams representing 49 anglers participated in the weekend Smith Mountain Striper Club Fun Tournament and weighed in a respectable 17 fish.
The top team was Butch and Jeff Shaffer with a two-fish total that weighed 21.02 pounds.
The big fish category went to Cindy Turlington, who entered a 13.1-pound striper. She was a member of the second place team along with Frank Skillman and Danita Stokes. Their total was 20.04 pounds.
BILL
WAYNESBORO MAKES TOP 200 LIST
If you are looking for the perfect town for a hunter and angler, be aware that Virginia doesn’t have much to offer. That’s according to the June/July issue of Outdoor Life Magazine that lists what it considers the finest 200 places in the nation for an outdoorsman to live.
Waynesboro is the only Virginia town in the rankings, and it is deep in the pack, listed at 171.
The very best spot according to the magazine is Lewiston, Idaho. Three of the top five are found in Idaho. The runner-up is Marquette, Minn. followed by a tie for third between Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Rawlins, Wyoming. Pocatello, Idaho is fifth.
The magazine’s methodology was to consider household income, home values, cost of living, the unemployment rate, commute time, schools, hospitals and the like. These attributes were factored in with how gun friendly the town was along with the quality of hunting and fishing opportunities, particularly on nearby public land.
The magazine doesn’t say so, but what must have weighed heavily for Waynesboro outdoor wise was the nearby deer, bear and turkey hunting opportunities on George Washington and Jefferson National Forest land and the fact that South River, a special regulations trout stream, flows through the town and is site of a popular fly fishing festival each spring.
Should other Virginia towns have been included? I think a case could have been made for Bedford, which for years has been Virginia’s leading county in both the number and quality of deer. It also is a leader in the turkey kill, and, of course, nearby is Smith Mountain Lake and not far away is the fish-rich and floatable James River.
Also coming to mind is Cape Charles, wedged between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and offering a variety of fishing, including excellent trophy striped bass action in the winter and runs of black and red drum. Trophy deer are abundant on nearby table-flat farms, and there is waterfowl hunting.
You can see the entire rankings on the Outdoor Life Web site and give you an excuse to view the magazine’s newly designed Web site.
BILL
BLASTING AWAY AT HUNGER
Hunters for the Hungry has about $15,000 in unpaid bills it would like to blast away this weekend during its annual sporting clays tournament at Edmonds Farms Sporting Clays in Halifax County.
There still are openings for shooters who for $50 get 100 rounds on two courses plus lunch. Sponsors are needed at $100 to $1,000 and small donations are welcome, said Gary Arrington, the special events coordinator for Hunters for the Hungry.
Contact the organization at 800-352-4868.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
- Mark Taylor, outdoor editor for the Roanoke Times, was elected third vice president of the Outdoor Writers Association of America during its conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. This puts Taylor on the path to become president of the association.
- Gun and ammo sales have been booming and that has meant extra funds for wildlife projects through the 11 percent excise tax on firearms and components. Money collected the last three months of 2008 spiked 31 percent. Virginia and other states must match the federal money by 25 percent. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries generally receives more than $6 million annually in federal wildlife restoration money.
- When Virginia Beach commercial fishermen proposed placing nets outside busy Lynnhaven Inlet anglers and boaters argued they would be a navigational hazard. Still, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission approved them. And sure enough, they became a hazard. The first boat to hit one of the net pilings at nigh was a 25-foot Coast Guard patrol boat. No damage or injuries were reported.
- The Central Virginia Chapter of Quail Unlimited has contributed $5,000 in equipment and services to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ Quail Action Plan.
- Water conditions have been so favorable that Rose River Farm, a pay fishing facility in Madison County, has been able to extend its trout fishing by two weeks. The program will wind down for the season on June 28. Early morning and evening caddis and sulfur hatches have been offering anglers a chance to match the hatch.
- Shallow Water Angler, a magazine devoted to inshore saltwater fishing, has ceased publication after a short run. Subscribers have been told that their remaining subscription would be switched to Game & Fish Magazine.
- Selling a few deer antlers and a bear skull at a flea market may sound innocent, but it got one vendor in trouble at the Hillsville flea market and caused many observers to say they didn’t know it is illegal to sell wildlife parts.
- Senior Officer Wes Billings has been named Virginia’s Boating Officer of the Year for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and has been nominated boating officer of the year for the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. His duties include patrolling the New River and Claytor Lake.
BILL
VIRGINIA SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
The Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament has registered its first cobia catch of the year and has new leaders in the croaker and spadefish categories. Here are the standings:
BLACK DRUM: 84 pounds, 12 ounces, William Brown, Hampton, Inner Middle Ground; C-13
BLUELINE TILEFISH: 20 pounds, 4 ounces, David Akridge, Jr. Norfolk, caught at Norfolk Canyon.
COBIA: 105 pounds, 2 ounces, Keith Cole, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
CROAKER: 4 pounds, 4 ounces, David Morris, Hampton, Fort Monroe.
DOLPHIN: 39 pounds, Robert Manus, Ark, Triple Zero’s.
FLOUNDER: 10 pounds, 9 ounce, James Breen, Newport News, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 4 pounds, 4 ounces, Julie Ball, Virginia Beach, wreck off Virginia Beach.
SEA BASS: 8 pounds, 4 ounces, Rob Collins, Norfolk, wreck off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPHEAD: 11 pounds, 6 ounces, tie between Michael Hurst, Gloucester, York River and Wendell Sparrer, Seaford, York River.
SPADEFISH: 9 pounds, 9 ounce, Christy Vu, Chesapeake, Chesapeake Light Tower.
SPECKLED TROUT: 13 pounds, 14 ounces, Michael Whittaker, Chesapeake, Elizabeth River.
SPOT: 1 pound, 2 ounces, Chris Brooks, Virginia Beach, Elizabeth River.
STRIPED BASS: 66 pounds, 8 ounces, Pete Johnson, Hampton, Smith Island.
TAUTOG: 21 pounds, 13 ounces, Skip Feller, Virginia Beach, wreck off Virginia Beach.
TUNA (BLUEFIN): 119 pounds, Ryan Masters, Ellicott City, Md., Cigar.
WAHOO: 51 pounds, Steven Carter, Heathsville, Norfolk Canyon.
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Smith River Trout Unlimited cookout and fishing outing, June 20, meet at the Mirror Factor along Smith River at 8:30 a.m. for fishing and 3:30 p.m. for the cookout. The event is open to the public. Club members will act as fishing guides for guests. Check smithrivertu.com for details.
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, July 10, 7 p.m., program on fly fishing for stripers, Moneta Community Center.
Marlene A. Condon, author of “The Nature-Friendly Garden,” will offer a presentation on creating wildlife habitat around homes, 11 a.m., June 27 at the New Dominion Bookshop in Charlottesville.
South Holston Fly Fishing Fest, July 18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., on South Holston River near Bristol, Tenn., anglers, artists, activities, vendors, $5 entry fee.
Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament, North Carolina Outer Banks, Aug. 10 and 11, information form Kevin Crum.
Triangle Bowhunters of Montgomery County 3D tournament Aug. 16, check vfaa.org for for details or contact Jim Overfelt.
Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA banquet, Aug. 29, Salem Civic Center. Address questions or ticket purchase to Mike Kessler or Al Milton.
Hunters for the Hungry banquet, Sept. 12, 5:30 p.m., Roanoke Moose Lodge #284, 3233 Catawba Valley Drive, Roanoke County, $20 single, $35 couple, children under 12 free, tickets from Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi, Jeff Fletcher, 540-985-6523 or Fred and Phyllis Wells, 540-992-3874.
Triangle Bowhunters of Montgomery County 3D tournament Sept. 13, check vfaa.org for details or contact Jim Overfelt.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
