Thursday, February 23, 2012
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: It’s official: 74-pound striper a Virginia record
Courtesy Cary Wolfe
Cary Wolfe with 74-pound Virginia record saltwater striped bass
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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It is fitting that one of the finest winter striped bass fisheries in memory produced a Virginia record catch. On January 20, Cary Wolfe of Bristow was aboard the charter Bada Bing just off Cape Henry when one of the rods trolling a tandem-parachute rig bowed sharply.
Wolfe grabbed the rod from its holder, and after the fish made a brief run, he battled it to the stern in what was described as an uneventful 15 minute fight. That’s where the real contest began. The boat’s skipper, Capt. Tim Cannon, realized that the landing net that had had seemed to be plenty large at the outset of the trip now appeared to be little more than a kid’s butterfly net.
According to Lewis Gillingham, director of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, Wolfe was told to lead the fish headfirst into the net. While doing so, the 80-pound line snapped. The 56 ¾-inch fish was resting precariously on the rim of the net. One swipe of its huge tail and it would be gone. But the striper remained relaxed while it was heaved aboard.
Capt. Cannon and the crew took pictures and estimated that the fish would weigh at least 50 pounds. How about 24 pounds more than that? At Long Bay Pointe Marina in Virginia Beach it officially weighed 74 pounds. That was a pound more than the reining record, landed four years earlier by Fred Barnes of Chesapeake. Gillingham officially declared the fish a state record on Feb. 15.
According to Old Dominion University scientists, the fish was 26 years old, the product of the 1986 year class. That was the same year class that produced the previous record.
Happy 125th anniversary to Sports Afield Magazine
I received a copy of the 125th anniversary issue of Sports Afield Magazine. I wrote for the magazine in the 1960s, when it was part of what was called “the big three,” which included Field & Stream and Outdoor Life. The publications were designed for the Average Joe hunter, fishermen, camper and boater.
Sports Afield fell on hard times, disappearing off the magazine racks before its rebirth as a slick publication catering to safari-type hunters and hunting. It has a woman editor, Diana Ruff.
I enjoyed cruising the anniversary issue, but was taken back when I noted that a 12-issue subscription costs $69.94. I remember paying $4 for a year’s subscription in the 60s.
Outdoors briefs
- Virginia’s first-ever late January turkey hunting season resulted in a reported kill of 273 turkeys. That’s in line with what Gary Norman, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ turkey biologist, had predicted. The season dates of Jan. 14-28 were designed to give sportsmen additional turkey hunting opportunities at a time when competition with deer hunters was not a factor.
- The same issue of the Roanoke Times that had a half-page advertisement on the Feb. 24-26 Southwest Virginia Boat Show also contained a front-page story on soaring gasoline prices. The two are related. High fuel prices have an impact on boat sales. If you think it is painful to fill the gas tank on your car, try pumping 80-gallons in your boat. Already, boat registrations in Virginia are down about 10 percent, a fact blamed on the tough economy. On the positive side, now is the time to get a great deal on a boat.
- If you are into building fishing rods, the International Custom Rod Building Exposition is the place you want to be. The Feb. 25 and 26 event, set for the Showplace Center in High Point, N.C. will feature 80 booths featuring 50 rod builders, some of them the biggest names of the business. www.icrbe.com.
- The EPA has denied a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity that would have put serious restrictions on the use of lead fishing tackle, such as bucktails, sinkers and the like. Science didn’t support such a measure, reported a happy Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation.
- Dr. Ken Neill, III of Virginia Beach points out that there is a lot of Virginia in the March issue of Salt Water Sportsman Magazine. Including is a feature article by TV angler George Poveromo on his winter striped bass fishing trip to Virginia Beach. Another feature, “The Ultimate Spring Striper Tour,” has the Chesapeake Bay as its first stop. The magazine ranks Virginia first choice for stripers in March with Maryland second.
Meetings, seasons and events
Southwest Virginia Boat Show, Friday-Sunday, Roanoke Civic Center
Twenty-fifth annual Western Virginia Sports Show, Friday-Sunday, 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.
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, March 2, swap gear and enjoy hotdogs and BBQ, 7 p.m., Moneta Community Center, more information from SMSC@smithmountainstriperclub.com
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
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, April 4, program on bait tanks, 7 p.m., Moneta Community Center, more information from SMSC@smithmountainstriperclub.com .
The 12th annual Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, April 13-15, Waynesboro, www.vaflyfishingfestival.org
Smith Mountain Striper Club member/guest spring tournament, April 14, information from SMSC@smithmountainstriperclub.com.
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Shenandoah Valley Big Game Banquet, April 21, Waynesboro, contact Phillip Massie, 540-337-2929.
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, May 4, fish fry and program on trolling motors, 7 p.m., Moneta Community Center SMSC@smithmountainstriperclub.com
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.
