Thursday, July 30, 2009
Smith Mountain Lake stripers slow to move deep
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
Striped bass at Smith Mountain Lake have been slow to move into their summer patterns due to cool temperatures. That is the information Mike Snead is passing along to fellow members of the Smith Mountain Striper Club. Snead operates the Virginia Outdoorsman tackle shop on the lake.
Hot temperatures generally send the fish deep, but this year, even into late July, stripers are being caught at night near the shoreline on topwater, jerkbaits and wakebaits, Snead said. That kind of fishing normally is over by July 4, he said.
One of the reasons stripers are shallow is because alewives continue to be found in their shallow-water spawning areas. Alewives are a favorite food of stripers.
When striped bass are feeding in the upper-water column of the lake, often the best time to catch them is at first light or in the evening. Hot spots are the mid-lake areas, from the S-Curve to Hales Ford Bridge on the Roanoke side and from Gills Creek to the Cliffs on the Blackwater side, Snead said.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
- A 20-pound, 10-ounce blueline tilefish, caught June 28 by Kenneth Bowe of Chester, has been certified by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament as the new state record for the species. Bowe caught the 31-inch fish near the Norfolk Canyon while fishing in 400 feet of water aboard Michael Adkins 30-foot craft.
- While it is too early to determine what impact it might have on 2010 flounder fishing regulations in Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has recommended an increase in the quota from 18.45 to 22.13 million pounds. Anglers in Virginia have done a lot of complaining about the restrictive 19-inch minimum size limit this season, which has resulted in lots of throwbacks for each keeper taken home.
- The National Rifle Association is hosting a free volunteer kick-off meeting Aug. 18. 6:30 p.m. at the Tanglewood-Roanoke Holiday Inn for the purpose of preparing gun advocates for the Nov. 3 election.
- Cass Sunstein, President Obama’s choice to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, is anti-hunter and animal rights advocate, according to the U.S. Sportsman’s Alliance. The alliance is asking sportsmen to help block the appointment by voicing opposition to their senators.
BILL
VIRGINIA SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
A new leader in the Spanish mackerel category has been registered in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. Here are the standings:
BLACK DRUM: 84 pounds, 12 ounces, William Brown, Hampton, Inner Middle Ground; C-13
BLUELINE TILEFISH: 20 pounds, 5 ounces, Kenneth Bowe, Chester, Norfolk Canyon.
COBIA: 105 pounds, 2 ounces, Keith Cole, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
CROAKER: 5 pounds, 3 ounces, Nathan Clendenin, Richmond, lower York River. .
DOLPHIN: 39 pounds, Robert Manus, Ark, Triple Zero’s.
FLOUNDER: 12 pounds, 12 ounce, Mike Perron, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 4 pounds, 4 ounces, Julie Ball, Virginia Beach, wreck off Virginia Beach.
KINGFISH: 1 pound, 11 ounces, Tarah Gilmore, Chesapeake, Sandbridge surf.
SEA BASS: 8 pounds, 4 ounces, Rob Collins, Norfolk, wreck off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPHEAD: 14 pounds, 4 ounces, Lesley Inge, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay.
SPADEFISH: 14 pounds, 14 ounces, state record, Roland Murphy, Fredericksburg, the Cell.
SPANISH MACKEREL: 6 pounds, 7 ounces, Michael Bell, Lynchburg, 26 Mile Hill.
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): 168 pounds, Paulette Johnson, Uniontown, Ohio, 100 Fathom off Virginia Beach.
TUNA: 230 pounds, Jeff Creekmore, Chesapeake, Norfolk Canyon.
WAHOO: 51 pounds, Steven Carter, Heathsville, Norfolk Canyon.
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Outdoor Classic show, Roanoke Civic Center, July 31-Aug. 2, information from outdoorclassicva.com.
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, Aug. 7, 7 p.m., program on fly fishing with Dover England, Moneta Community Center.
Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament, North Carolina Outer Banks, Aug. 10 and 11, information form Kevin Crum.
Look for displays by Trout Unlimited and Hunters for the Hungry at the Aug. 15 Celebrate Catawba event at the Catawba Community Center in Roanoke County. The displays, crafts, food and music are designed to call attention to the Catawba Valley and how it can be kept natural.
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.
September goose hunting season, Sept. 1-25, 10 per day.
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, Sept 4, program by Captains Spike and Kathy Franceschini, 7 p.m., Moneta Community Center.
Dove hunting season, Sept. 5-26; Oct. 7-Nov. 7 and Dec. 25-Jan. 9. Bag limit 15 daily.
Rail hunting season, Sept. 8-Oct. 3; Oct. 5-Nov. 17.
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.
Virginia Big Game Western Regional Contest, Sept. 12 and 13, Rockingham County Fairground, Harrisonburg, information from vpsa.org or John Ritenour, 540-434-8028.
Triangle Bowhunters of Montgomery County 3D tournament Sept. 13, check vfaa.org for details or contact Jim Overfelt.
H.C. Edwards Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society, 20th annual Sportsmen’s Banquet, Sept 19, 6 p.m., Augusta Expoland, Fisherville, ticket information from Kenny Wilkinson, 540-337-1298.
September teal hunting season, Sept 21-30, east of I-95 only, four daily.
Virginia Big Game Eastern Regional and State Championship, Sept. 26 and 27, Southampton County Fairground, Franklin, information from vpsa.org or Kenneth Pickin 757-229-0409.
Hunters for the Hungry Sporting Clays Benefit Shoot, Sept. 27, Flying Rabbit Sporting Clays, Mount Crawford, $50 per shooter, prizes and lunch provided, information from 540-574-2529.
Snipe hunting season, Oct. 8-12; Oct. 21-Jan. 30.
Woodcock hunting season, Nov. 7-21; Dec. 26-Jan. 9, three per day.
BASS Elite Blue Ridge Brawl, April 15-18, Smith Mountain Lake.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
