Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.

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Bill Cochran's Outdoors

Recent columns

• Hunters and anglers still in the conservation business
• 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?
• Column archive

Bill's Mailbag

• Remembering A. Willis Robertson
• Putting down a bear cub brings complaint
• Mail archive

Bill's Field Reports

• Eagles are up; black rail are down
• A. Willis Robertson great name for new DGIF headquarters
• Field reports archive

Resources

• Trout stocking schedule

Dominion Virginia Power says that Smith River anglers now should be able to get a week-ahead notice of the generating schedule at Philpott Dam. That’s been the case for year, but recently under a new alignment of power brokers the schedule went from weekly to daily. Anglers said this didn’t give them enough time to adjust to the varied flows of the river.

The generating scheduled can be obtained by calling 276-629-2432.

The man most responsible for this change and others is Al Kittredge, a guide on the river. Kittredge has been writing letters, sending emails and making calls for the return of the week-ahead notice. At his urging, he has received the support of a handful of anglers.

“We have their attention, but it is not a done deal yet,” said Kittredge, who sees the change as being on a temporary rather than permanent basis. He also wants weekend generation to provide cold-water habitat for downstream trout.

The latter request is under consideration, said Daniel Genest, a Dominion spokesman.

“We are still looking at it,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it is not going to happen.”

In addition to the week-ahead generation schedule, Genest said Dominion has answered another request of anglers and fish officials. It has started staggering releases at Philpott to help even out the flow of the river. This was called for by a Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries/Virginia Tech study.

Two out of three issues resolved isn’t a bad average considering Dominion has only been involved in the operation of Philpott Dam for a short time, said Genest.

Kittredge has told fellow anglers that Dominion should be commended for making “what I understand are temporary changes in their operation policies. I call them temporary because there has not been a written agreement, officials announcement or press releases.”

Genest said Dominion wants to “work all the bugs out” before an official announcement is made.

BOOST IN SALTWATER FISHING LICENSES

A saltwater fishing license will cost you more next year. The basic state license for recreation anglers will increase from $7.50 to $12.50. Approximately 150,000 people hold such a license.

Most recreational fishermen who own a boat choose the boat license, which covers all people aboard their craft. The cost for it will be $38 rather than $30.

A 10-day trip license, used mostly by short-term tourist anglers, will remain $5.

Commercial licenses also increased, at the rate of 66 percent across the board. It was the first adjustment for many since 1979. The basic individual commercial license will jump from $40 to $190.

Some commercial fishermen balked at the increase, saying already they are having a difficult time covering expenses. But during a series of lightly attended hearings by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, recreational anglers said it was time for the commercial side to pay its way.

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted 4-to-1 for the increases. The vote of dissension was by Ernest Bowden Jr., president of the Eastern Shore Working Waterman’s Association.

HIGHWAY TO OUTDOOR FUN

The passage of the highway bill has brought praise from outdoor organizations. So how will a highway bill help outdoorsmen except by getting them to their favorite hunting, fishing or boating spot quicker and smoother?

The answer is surprising. For one thing, it will capture the final 4.8 cents of the 18.3-cents per gallon tax on each gallon of motorboat fuel and earmark it for sportfish restoration, angler/boating access and boating safety. This should mean an estimated $110 million per year in new money for outdoor recreation.

The bill also is designed to:

>Reduce wildlife/vehicle accidents through the construction of highway wildlife passages.

>Limit the spread of harmful invasive plants.

>Minimize the impact of highway projects on wildlife habitat.

>Improve access to hunting and fishing areas by repairing and creating trails and roads.

>Develop thousands of miles of trails and bike routes.

FISHING REPORT

Fishing for blue catfish has been excellent in the tidal James River. Capt. Chris Harris of Got The Blues Guide Service says the month of July was one of the best he has ever seen for trophy-size blue cats.

“We had so many citations this past week that I can’t even remember them all,” Harris said. “August should be just as good or better as long as the water temperature doesn’t climb much more.”

In some spots, the river temperate has reached 93 degrees, Harris said.

One of the largest blue cats reported the past week was a 68.5-pounder landed by Jason Miles of Bethesda, Md.

>Never mind the Dog Days, big largemouth bass continue to strike at Briery Creek Lake. Largemouth weighing 8-1, 8-3, 9.4 and 9.10 recently have been weighed at Worsham Grocery near Farmville.

>Charter boats out of Reedville last weekend ran into hoards of 3-to 5-pound bluefish in the Smith Point area of the Chesapeake Bay.

The hungry blues went for every lure,” said Capt. Ferrell McLain of Bayfish Sport Fishing Charters. “We were trolling with small spoons and rubber eels.

Anglers caught their limit of blues then moved south to concentrate on Spanish mackerel, McLain said.

>Mike Fowler of Williamsburg has been loading up with striped bass form Little Creek Reservoir. The past week he landed 13 that weighed up to 11 pounds, 13 ounces. Fowler fishes deep with live herring, a technique that also has been catching largemouth bass. He landed eight largemouths weighing up to 4-pounds apiece.

>Trout fishing in the Jackson River below Lake Moomaw Dam is reported to be excellent.

>The Shenandoah River recently has received bad publicity in the wake of fish kills, but that didn’t keep John Dumphreys from landed 83 fish from the river’s South Fork during a one-day outing. Most were smallmouth taken on spinner and plugs, including Jitterbugs.

OUTDOOR BRIEFS

>It was the lightest three-day catch in the 35-year history of the Bassmaster Classic -- 12 pounds, 15 ounces -- but it was enough to declare Michigan’s Kevin VanDam the Classic winner at Pittsburgh. It was his second Classic win and worth $200,000, not to mention all the glory and endorsements that go with it. A fishless first day spoiled the chances of Salem’s John Crews to make the final cut, but he received gobs of good publicity in the Roanoke Times.

>Fishing and environmental experts from government, conservation organizations and academia have formed a taskforce to investigate the significant outbreak this year of dead and ailing fish in the South Fork of the Shenandoah River.

>More mercury found in largemouth bass has prompted the Virginia Department of Health to extend a fish consumption advisory 46 additional miles down the Piankatank River to Deep Point Landing at Virginia 606 in Gloucester County.

>The nearest that the newly created Women’s Bassmaster Tour will get to Virginia in 2006 during its initial year will be Lake Norman, N.C. July 27-29. Triton Boats and Mercury Marine will be major sponsors and interest in the new league is high.

>Wet conditions in the prairies of Canada have afforded improved breeding conditions for waterfowl. The abundant water should assure high brood survival and recharge groundwater supplies, according to Ducks Unlimited. Water conditions are not as favorable in the U.S. prairies.

>Rick Clunn was named the greatest bass anger of all time in the ESPN Greatest Angler Debate. He bested 34 other nominees who were voted on by viewers.

>Gaining membership in a hunt club can be difficult, often requiring the assistance of a member who is your friend or a relative. So it was a bit of a novelty to see one hunt club advertising for members in the August/September issue of Whitetail Times, the publication of the Virginia Deer Hunters Association. The 40-year old Cabin 6 Club in Keysville says it looking for four to six new members. The club hunts with dogs and still hunts on lands with ample game, so the ad says. Contact Billy Hammock, 434-736-8677.

>Charles Chuck Myers has been appointed regional forester of the Southern Region of the National Forest Service headquartered in Atlanta. The region encompasses Virginia and 12 other states and Puerto Rico. Myers replaces Bob Jacobs who retired in June.

>The NRA has asked its members to keep on trucking past Conoco and Phillips 66 gas stations. Wayne LaPierre, NRA executive vice president, launched an aggressive billboard campaign and national boycott against energy giant ConocoPhillips in response to what he called the corporation’s anti-gun policy.

>Managing wild striped bass in Massachusetts as game fish for recreation use and replacing the commercial striper harvest with aquaculture-raised fish would boost the state’s economy by $334 million and support 2,781 new jobs, according to a study commissioned by Striper Forever.

>BASS says its new “Bass Angler Championship TV Games” offers realistic bass fishing action. The plug-and-play TV game was unveiled at the Bassmaster Classic and sells for about $20. Users can hope it doesn’t depict fishing as tough as that experienced at the Classic.

>Four snakehead fish have been discovered in New York City’s Meadow Lake (in Queens, near Shea Stadium). Officials say the snakehead is a popular food fish and is sold alive to certain ethnic markets and restaurants. Snakeheads earlier were found in the Potomac River in Virginia where authorities fear they will be harmful to native smallmouth bass.

>Butterfly watching has become a popular pastime for many people. Good butterfly guidebooks are abundant, but what about the caterpillars you see. What will they turn into? The answers can be found in a 512-page book titled “Caterpillars of Eastern North America” by David L. Wagner. It is part of the Princeton University Press guidebook series. The book can be ordered through nathist.Princeton.edu.

>If you have been to Cape Hatteras chances are you’ve visited the Red Drum Tackle Shop in Buxton. If you are lucky, you have met the owner, Bob Eakes, well known as a red drum and tuna expert. Eakes has been elected to the board of the American Sportfishing Association to represent the Southeast Region.

>The NRA and other hunting/gun/sportsmen groups are elated over the passage of S. 397, which is designed to block wrongful civil liability lawsuits aimed at bankrupting gun manufacturers. The bill is now before the House.

SALTWATER TOURNAMENT

There have been multiple changes in the leader board of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. Here are the standings”

BLACK DRUM: 93 pounds, 9 ounces, Willie McWhite, Jr., Richmond, lower eastern Chesapeake Bay.

COBIA: 89 pounds, Mark Shaffer, Fredericksburg, upper eastern Chesapeake Bay.

CROAKER: 4-pounds, 8 ounces, Elliott Souldourian, Virginia Beach, lower western Chesapeake Bay.

DOLPHIN: 35 pounds, Richard Brink, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.

FLOUNDER: 17 pounds, 2 ounces, Hopie Firth, Poquoson, lower western Chesapeake Bay.

GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 4 pounds, Richard Roberts, Virginia Beach, lower western Chesapeake Bay.

GRAY TROUT: 12 pounds, 14 ounces, William Flipin, Hayes, upper eastern Chesapeake Bay.

KING MACKEREL, 47 pounds, Frank Riganto, Virginia Beach off Virginia Beach.

KINGFISH: 1 pound, 12 ounces, Damon Moore, Sterling, off Virginia Beach.

SEA BASS: 6 pounds, 14 ounces, Chad Stoker, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.

SHEEPSHEAD: 16 pounds, 2 ounces, Bob Lee, Portsmouth, lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.

SPADEFISH: 12 pounds, 8 ounces, Jerry Carnell, Jr. Oxford, N.C. upper eastern Chesapeake Bay.

SPANISH MACKEREL: 7 pounds, 6 ounces, Tami Staten, Virginia Beach, ocean off Virginia Beach.

SPECKLED TROUT: 11 pounds, 3 ounces, Brain Pomije, Chesapeake, Elizabeth River.

SPOT: 1 pound, 4 ounces, Robert Richardson, Richmond, Elizabeth River.

STRIPED BASS: 63 pounds, 8 ounces, state record, Paul Leckner, Greenbackville, Bradford Bay.

TAUTOG: 18 pounds, 4 ounces, Larry Larue, Virginia Beach, ocean off Virginia Beach.

TUNA (BLUEFIN) 128 pounds, Robert Hughes, Virginia Beach, ocean off Virginia Beach.

TUNA: 90 pounds, 8 ounces, John Mackey, Virginia Beach, ocean off Virginia Beach.

WAHOO: 47 pounds, Tim Montgomery, Prince George, ocean off Virginia Beach.

MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS

Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show/Virginia Deer Classic, Aug. 12-14, Showplace, Mechanicsville, contact Denny Quaiff, 804-743-1290.

Inaugural Virginia State Sporting Clays Challenge, presented by Ruffed Grouse Society, Aug. 13, The Homestead Shooting Club, Hot springs, $275 for singles, contact is Michelle Benedict, michelleb@ruffedgrousesociety.org.

Inaugural Highland Drummer Chapter Ruffed Grouse Society banquet, Aug. 27, Brier Inn, Lewisburg, W.Va. $45 pr $65 for couple, ticket information from Todd Spencer, 304-645-7039.

Virginia’s dove season opens Sept. 3.

Dove shoot sponsored by the Kanawha Valley Chapter of Ruffed Grouse Society, Sept. 3, Mountain Meadows Hunting Preserve, Greenville, W.Va., $100, contact Larry Rodgers, 304-206-3303 or Steve Cale, 304-757-6465.

Western Division of Virginia Big Game Contest, Sept. 10 and 11, Rockingham County Fairgrounds near Harrisonburg, see vpsa.org for details.

Urban archery season, Sept. 17-30 and Jan. 9-25.

Eastern Division and state finals of Virginia Big Game Contest, Sept. 24 and 25, Southampton County Fairgrounds, Franklin, see vpsa.org for details.

Bowhunting/crossbow season, Oct. 1-Nov. 18 and Dec. 5-Jan. 7.

Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA banquet, Oct. 15, Salem Civic Center, $30 single, $50 couple, lots of guns to give away, proceeds go to grants and programs for youth and sports shooting programs, information from Chris Kessler, 884-3259.

Fall turkey hunting season, Oct. 31-Nov. 12; Nov. 24 and Dec. 12-Jan. 7.

Muzzleloading season east of Blue Ridge Mountains, Nov. 5-18.

Muzzleloading season west of Blue Ridge Mountains, Nov. 12-18

Deer hunting season west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Nov. 19-Dec. 3

Deer hunting season east of Blue Ridge Mountains, Nov. 19-Jan. 7

Late muzzleloading season, Dec. 17-Jan. 7.

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