Thursday, February 09, 2012
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: Winterize your boat? Heck no! Keep on fishing
Courtesy of Michael Smith
Michael Smith with 36-pound striper caught on Virginia Coast
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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Mike Smith is one of Virginia’s most accomplished striped bass anglers. He uses his handmade “broomstick” surface lures to entice trophy stripers in the landlocked impoundments of Virginia, Tennessee and beyond.
The other day, Smith, who lives in Rocky Mount, was fishing for stripers along the cost of Virginia.
“This (saltwater) is not my favorite kind of fishing, but anytime you catch a 30-pound plus fish it is fun,” he said. “My son, Michael, caught one 36 pounds and I got one 30 pounds. There have been several really nice catches, one at 70 pounds and many 50-pounders.”
This fishery normally is in its waning stages by now, but this time the pelagic parade continues. First come the menhaden, then the striped bass, and this year the bluefin tuna, followed most recently by whales. All this has attracted flotillas of fishermen well past the time boats normally have been winterized.
The lack of cold snaps barreling down from Canada appear to have kept many of the stripers hanging around in Virginia waters rather than fining toward their wintering grounds off the coast of North Carolina. Batfish are abundant.
This evokes two angling axioms: “When the snow flies the bass go by” and “As the bait goes so goes the bass.”
The stripers are fairly easy to figure out, but the bluefin tuna are not just exciting to anglers, but perplexing to marine biologists, said Dr. Julie Ball, an International Game Fish Association representative in Virginia Beach. Some days the tuna fishing has been better than the striper fishing.
“No one can recall this type of phenomenon ever occurring to this degree in the past,” she said. The tuna have been hanging within the shadow of the high-rise buildings of Virginia Beach. Some have pushed 200 pounds in weight. Smith heard of one that weighed 274 pounds.
“It took four hours to land, and they guy stayed with it. It took all five people to get it in the boat,” he said.
As for the whales, they cruse right beside your boat and flip their tails, Smith said.
Elk restoration hits snag
Virginia’s Elk Restoration Plan calls for releasing 75 elk in Buchanan County this year, but right now it appears that the state will be lucky to get 15.
Missouri and Virginia showed up in Kentucky about the same time with a quest to capture and transport elk from that state’s heard of 10,000. Missouri got first chance, but ran into mortality problems during the trapping, penning and quarantining process. It was successful in shipping just 34 animals, well under its goal.
Concerned about the mortality, Kentucky officials threatened to end the relocation efforts, then agreed that the two states could capture up to 55 elk this year and ship a maximum of 50. Since Missouri didn’t meet its 2011 quota, it will attempt to ship 35 animals, leaving Virginia a modest 15.
Virginia has been working with Missouri in an effort to cut costs and prefect relocating techniques. Bob Ellis, wildlife chief of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, said trapping goals are nearing completion.
Meanwhile, Virginia wildlife officials have been scouting release sites on strip mine locations in Buchanan County. They are looking for habitat similar to that in Kentucky where elk restoration efforts have been so successful they are 11 years ahead of schedule.
Ellis said enthusiasm for the project in Buchanan County has been unbelievable. Donations of $130,000 have been contributed to help fund the effort.
“I can tell you, Buchanan County is ready for elk,” Ellis said.
Let’s hear it for Sportsman’s Warehouse
There are many reasons to cheer the planned return of the Sportsman’s Warehouse to Roanoke. For one, it is a success story out of a sagging economy.
The Utah-based company closed its store in Roanoke, May, 2009, along with 22 other outlets. It sold another 15. Then it got to work honing business at the remaining locations. That went so well the company now is looking to expand by reopening some of the stores it closed.
Like many outdoorsmen in Western Virginia, I fell in love with the Sportsman’s Warehouse when it opened Nov, 2007. It was the first outdoor mega store in our region, a place of pure outdoors, no lawnmowers or sack of fertilizer to remind you of work to be done, or even golf equipment or exercise machines—just the things outdoorsmen love.
Beyond the 48,000-square feet of outdoor stuff was a philosophy and staff that catered to community causes, such as Hunters for the Hungry and the National Wild Turkey Federation. The business didn’t just contribute items that outdoor organizations could use to raise funds, it also sent its staff to fund-raising events.
In a chat with corporate headquarters, Mark Taylor, outdoor editor of the Roanoke Times, learned that plans call for opening the Roanoke store April 16 with a grand opening celebration April 28. The store will be returning to the same building it previously occupied near William Fleming High School.
Anglers register more than 5,000 saltwater citations
Striped bass grabbed the spotlight in the 2011 Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, accounting for 985 citations. That was nearly 20 percent of the tournament’s total of 5,178 citations awarded for 35 species.
Seventy-four of the striped bass citations were for fish weighing 50 pounds or greater, not counting catch-and-release entries. Fifteen weighed 55 pounds or more and two were over 60 pounds, according to Lewis Gillingham, tournament director.
Already striped bass citations are piling up in the 2012 tournament as anglers reel in impressive catches along the Virginia coast, including a pending state record. Fishermen wonder, however, if there will be a tournament in the future. Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposed budget calls for ending the tournament and using the money elsewhere. Funding comes from the saltwater fishing license.
Speckled trout were a close second to striped bass, accounting for 948 awards, the second highest for the species in the tournament’s 54-year history. Seventy-three percent of the trout citations were for releases, which was almost the opposite of striped bass, where releases numbered only 26 percent.
White marlin fell to third place in number of citations, after being the leading category in 2009 and 2010. Even so, the 915 entries were the second highest for the species in the tournament’s history, behind the 1,253 registered in 2010.
Red drum were fourth, with 755 citations, the third highest in the program’s history. Last season’s first red drum catch was registered April 17 off Smith Island. Some anglers are predicting that spring fishing will start earlier than normal this year, thanks to a mild winter.
Other species that did well include cobia, blueline tilefish and sheepshead.
Meanwhile, spadefish citations dropped to eight, the lowest since the species was added to the tournament in 1995. Flounder citations declined for the seventh year in a row to 197. Some 23 of these, however, were for fish 10 pounds or more.
Not a single gray trout was registered for a citation. There were only six spot citations and amberjack citations were classified by Gillingham as the “biggest loser” with just 21 citations, the lowest since 1988.
More liberal flounder regulations
Four options are being considered for Virginia’s 2012 flounder season, all of them more liberal than last year’s 17.5-inch minimum size limit and four-fish catch limit. Here’s what is being considered by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission:
A. 17.5-inch minimum size; five fish limit, no closed season
B. 17- inch minimum size; five fish limit, no closed season
C. 17-inch minimum size; four fish limit, no closed season
D. 16.5-inch minimum size; four fish limit, no closed season
I believe “D” is going to be highly popular with many anglers who have grown tired of having to throw back so many flounder just under the minimum size limit.
You can let VMRC know your choice by sending a letter to Jack Travelstead, VMRC, 2600 Washington Ave., Newport News 23607 or email him at jack.travelstead@mrc.virginia.gov. Include your name and address. The deadline is 5 p.m. Feb. 27.
Meetings, seasons and events
National Wild Turkey Federation annual convention, Today-Sunday, Gaylord Opryland Resort, Nashville
Mid-Atlantic Sports & Boat Show, Friday-Sunday, Virginia Beach Convention Center, www.vaboatshow.com
Greater Virginia Sports and Big Game Show, Feb. 17-19 Rockingham County Fairgrounds near Harrisonburg, www.vasportsshow.com
Southwest Virginia Boat Show, Feb. 24-26, Roanoke Civic Center
Twenty-fifth annual Western Virginia Sports Show, Feb. 24-26, Augusta Expoland, Fisherville, www.westernvasportshow.com
Smith River Trout Unlimited meeting, March 1, 6:30 p.m., Rania’s Restaurant, Martinsville, program on fly tying, guests welcome, information from Al Kittredge, aakitt@earthlink.net.
The Highland Drummer Chapter Ruffed Grouse Society, seventh annual banquet, March 3, 5:30 p.m. Blackwell’s Restaurant, Elks Club Golf Course, Lewisburg, W.Va., tickets $50, information from Charlie Brown, cnbro47@frontier.com.
Tidewater Boat Show, March 26-28, Hampton Roads Convention Center, www.agievents.com
Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, April 13-15, Waynesboro, www.vaflyfishingfestival.org
Sport Fishing School, June 3-7, Hatteras, N.C., sponsored by NC State University, classroom and Gulf Stream instruction, information from www.ncsu.edu/cpe/fishing.html
Friends of the NRA Banquet, Aug. 25, Salem Civic Center
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
