Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.

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Bill Cochran's Outdoors

Recent columns

• Drum fishing on Virginia’s Coast comes in two colors
• Elk advocate finally gets his day
• Turkeys are plentiful, so why are hunting regulations so tight fisted?
• Anglers say closure of the point of Cape Hatteras is for the birds
• Column archive

Bill's Mailbag

• Putting down a bear cub brings complaint
• Recommendations for Virginia’s Wild Turkey Management Plan
• Mail archive

Bill's Field Reports

• A. Willis Robertson great name for new DGIF headquarters
• Big striper smashes Optimist tournament record
• Field reports archive

Resources

• Trout stocking schedule

No one is surprised when Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., dominates a BASS tournament. He is one of the best anglers on the tour.

On opening day of last week’s Tennessee Triumph, Van Dam weighed in 25 pounds of bass to take the lead on Kentucky Lake.

In second spot, just once ounce behind, was Rick Morris of Virginia Beach.

Morris faded, losing ground the remaining three days and failing to make the final-day cut.

John Crews of Salem, the only other Virginian in the Elite Series, went the opposite direction. After a slow start he made a charge finishing sixth with a four-day total of 77 pounds, 11 ounces, which was worth $13, 500.

Meanwhile, VanDam maintained the lead, winning $100,000 for his 92-pound, 5-ounce catch. It was the 17th win of his career.

Crews won the first Elite tournament of the season in California and placed third in another. In short, he has had a successful year and ranks fifth in the Angler of the Year Standings with 1,609 points. Californian Skeet Reese is first with 1,821. VanDam, by the way, is three slots behind Crews, with 1,549. All of these guys are bound for the Bassmaster Classic.

TIME FOR A FRESH LOOK AT MENHADEN MANAGEMENT

Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, says “the General Assembly needs to take a long, hard look at the management of menhaden.”

He has assembled a menhaden working group to do just that. The co-chair is Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Westmoreland. There will be 26 members, including senators and delegates and a diverse group of stakeholders ranging from menhaden fishermen and processors to sport-fishing organizations.

The menhaden is an important source of food for a variety of fish that anglers pursue in the Chesapeake Bay, including striped bass. It also is widely sought by commercial interests for its abundance of fish oil. Arguments continue as to whether or not it is being over-fished.

The past General Assembly, Northam introduced legislation to switch the management of menhaden from the General Assembly to the scientists of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, but it failed. Menhaden is the only marine species that isn’t managed by VMRC.

JOE FEAZELL’S 22-POINT ONE TO WATCH

A deer to watch this fall when the Virginia State Big Game Trophy Show is held in Harrisonburg is a 22-point buck killed in Botetourt County the past season by John Feazell of Clifton Forge.

The buck has been established as the record, non-typical, bow-killed buck in Virginia under the national Pope and Young measuring system. It scored it 221 2/8.

Feazell’s trophy hunt is featured in the July issue of North American Whitetail in a story by Bruce Ingram of Fincastle.

The rack was measured by Matt Knox, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wildlife biologist. Knox said he did not recall scoring it under the Virginia system, which is the route to the state record book.

From the size of the antlers, it appears that everyone else in the state contest bow division will be competing for second place.

HEARING SET FOR DRAFT ELK PLAN

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has set five public meeting to obtain public input on its draft elk management plan (see last week’s Cochran Column). The plan can be viewed and comments made on the department’s Web site.

Here is the public input schedule with all meeting to run from 7 to 9 p.m.:

June 24, Russell County Government Center, Lebanon

June 29, Wise County Courthouse, Wise

June 30, Ralph Stanley Museum, Clintwood

July 1, Appalachian School of Law, Grundy

July 6, Lee County High School, Jonesville

OUTDOOR BRIEFS

• Ace Virginia Beach angler Dr. Julie Ball landed a 74-pound cobia in the Chesapeake Bay that is a pending woman’s 20-pound line class world record.
• An open house for the recently revamped Coursy Spring Fish Culture Station in Bath County has been set by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 22.
• Due to unsafe flooding conditions on the Arkansas River, BASS has moved its AutoZone Sooner Run set for June 17-20 to Fort Gibson Lake with weigh-in at Muskogee, Okla. Anglers had only Wednesday for practice on the tournament water.
• I have been hearing more bobwhite quail calling than anytime in recent memory, and seeing fewer rabbits. I’m thinking quail are up and rabbits are down until I talk to neighbors who say they haven’t heard a single quail and they are covered up with rabbits.

SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT

The first sheepshead of the season has been entered in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, and there are new leaders in the black drum, blueline tilefish, cobia and sea bass categories. Here are the contest leaders:

BLACK DRUM: 80 pounds, 8 ounces, Jerry Ferrell, Chesapeake, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

BLUEFISH: 16 pounds, 5 ounces, Pete Kelley, Virginia Beach, Cigar.

BLUELINE TILEFISH: 19 pounds, 5 ounces, Demetrius Arnold, Chesapeake, Norfolk Canyon.

COBIA: 85 pounds, Jules Warren, Virginia Beach, Fourth Island Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

CROAKER: 3 pounds, 5 ounce, Zachary Washington, Hampton, James River.

DOPLHIN: 28 pounds, Matt Miller, Virginia Beach, 50 Fathoms off North Carolina.

FLOUNDER: 9 pounds, 12 ounces, Chuck Riddleberger, Joppa, Md., Wachapreague.

GRAY TROUT: 9 pounds, 8 ounces, Eric Cafini, Suffolk, Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.

SEA BASS: 5 pounds, 6 ounces, Robert Hubert, Garland, Tex., Wreck off Virginia Beach.

SHEEPSHEAD: 13 pounds, 11 ounces, Alan Bunnell, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

SPECKLED TROUT: 12 pounds, 6 ounces, Michael Whittaker, Chesapeake, Elizabeth River.

SPOT: 1 pound, 2 ounces, John Guthrie, Sutherland, lower York River.

STRIPED BASS: 64 pounds, Michael Collier, Sandston, off Sandbridge.

TAUTOG: 16 pounds, 14 ounces, Alexander Thompson, Deale, Md., Chesapeake Light Tower.

TUNA (bluefin) 196 pounds, Brian Davis, Virginia Beach, Cigar.

EVENTS, MEETINGS AND SEASONS

Meeting to reorganize the Virginia Mountain Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society, June 22, 6:30 p.m., Corned Beef Restaurant Downtown Roanoke, information from Brandon Harper, 540-343-1800 or Dave Hansroth.

Bluegrass/Bar-B-Q Family Festival, sponsored by Hunters for the Hungry and the Smith Mountain Lake Wildlife Control, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 26 at Lake Watch Plantation, 12374 Booker T. Washington, Moneta. Admission $5 for adults, kids under 12 free, food provided for a donation. Information from Teresa Tyree, 540-537-9003.

Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, July 9, 7 p.m., Moneta Community Center.

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. July 13 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond.

Sportsman’s Banquet sponsored by the Rockingham County Branch of the Quality Der Management Association, July 17, 5 p.m., Rockingham County Fairground, Harrisonburg, membership and meal, $60; couples, $80, youth, $20, information form Keith Wilt or 540-433-2482.

Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show sponsored by the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, Aug. 13-15, The Showplace, Richmond.

3D archery tournament August 15, register 9 a.m. to noon, Triangle Bowhunters range in Blacksburg near Corning Plant, sponsored by Whitetail Outfitter, hosted by Triangle Bowhunters, variety of classes, shooting stakes and food, shooting fee $12; $25 for a family and $6 for youngsters.

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. August 17 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond

Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA banquet, Aug. 28, Salem Civic Center.

Eastern Regional Big Game Championship, Sept. 11 & 12, Southampton County Fairgrounds, Franklin, information from Kenneth Pickin, 804-633-0275

3D archery tournament Sept.l9, register 9 a.m. to noon, Triangle Bowhunters range in Blacksburg near Corning Plant, sponsored by Whitetail Outfitter, hosted by Triangle Bowhunters, variety of classes, shooting stakes and food, shooting fee $12; $25 for a family and $6 for youngsters.

Hunters for the Hungry banquet, Sept. 25, Moose Lodge on Virginia 311 at foot of Catawba Mountain in Roanoke County (3233 Catawba Valley Drive), $20 singles, $35 per couple, kids under 12 free, advanced tickets only, contact Ralph and Lois Graybill, 540-427-5125 or Fred and Phyllis Wells, 540-992-3874, banquet benefits feeding the needy.

Western Regional and State Big Game Championship, Sept. 25 and 26, Rockingham County Fairgrounds, Harrisonburg, information from John Ritenour, 540-434-8028.

Virginia Hunter Skills Weekend, Oct. 1-3, Holiday Lake 4-H Center, Appomattox, sponsors include Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, weekend of instruction on a variety of outdoor skills, $100 includes meals, lodging and instruction, register at holidaylake4h.com or 434-248-5444.

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. October 5 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond

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