Thursday, February 09, 2006
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: Heads up on stripers
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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Among members of the Smith Mountain Striped Bass Club, Mike Snead is known as the head man. No, he isn’t president of the organization. That job belongs to Steve McCallum.
Snead is the guy who collects the heads of 10-pound plus striped bass caught by fellow members. The heads offer valuable data for Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologists.
“They acquire this by studying the Otolith bone in the ears of fish,” said McCallum.
Club members have been collecting heads for eight years. “The problem always has been, where do you store a fish head?” said McCallum. Snead has volunteered his freezer and said that he will deliver the heads to Dan Wilson, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist in charge of striped bass management on
Club members also are providing data by keeping diaries of the hours they striped bass fish and the success they have.
“The diary project has gone very well the past few years,” said Wilson.
Members of the club and state fish biologists have not seen eye-to-eye on recent striped bass management plans for
BILL LOSES BITE ON DGIF
A bill designed to revamp how board members of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries are selected and how they conduct business lost some of its bite when it was amended and combined with four other measures in the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources.
In its original language, HB 362, introduced by Del. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Woodbridge, would have dismissed the current 11 board members of the DGIF and replaced them with 13 newcomers, appointed by the governor, the Speaker of the House and the Senate Rules Committee.
The bill is one of several responding to the highly publicized improprieties of the agency.
The substitute bill maintains a board that has a member from each of the 11 congressional districts appointed by the governor, as is now the case.
It would require the board to adopt a governance manual, something members recently accomplish, and to elect a chairman and vice chairman annually. At the board’s January meeting, Sherry Crumley, board chairman, appointed a nominating committee to do that.
Under the bill, board members would appoint a director of the agency, as in the past, but that appointment would have to be confirmed by the General Assembly, and reconfirmed every four years. The latter requirement could interject politics into the process and cause many qualified wildlife professionals to back away from the position or make compromises to appease lawmakers.
The bill calls for an annual audit, would limit the power of the board chairman and require a minimum of one board meeting every quarter.
Board members who have been reestablishing the credibility of the agency during recent months have been meeting monthly.
Another bill, SB 564, would require the Attorney General to meet with new board members to instruct them of their duties. It also requires the board to have a governance manual and it limits the power of the chairman. It calls for a minimum of four meetings a year and an annual audit. It passed the Senate and was sent to the House without a negative vote.
WESTERN VIRGINIA SPORTS SHOW
The 19-year old Western Virginia Sport Show traditionally is the place to go for the first look at trophy deer killed during the past hunting season, but it offers much more. The event is set for Feb. 17-19 at the Augusta Expoland in Fisherville and will feature a 50-percent increase in exhibit space.
The keynote speaker Saturday morning, Feb. 18, is Ward Burton, winner of the 2002 Daytona 500 and board member of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
The lineup of speakers and celebrities includes champion turkey callers Chris Parrish and Tom Stuckey; Lake Anna guide Chris Parrish; wildlife artist Dan Christ; Walker’s Game Ear developer Bob Walker; turkey call designer Bill Zearling; dog trainer Neil Selby and co-host of the Sportsman’s Outdoor Strategies TV show Paul Butski.
In addition to the display of Virginia-killed trophy deer will be Sammy Schrimsher’s 60-foot display of giant whitetail deer killed in
More details are available on www.westernvasportshow.com.
FISHING FOR A NEW JOB
James Kennedy is one of 51 anglers who qualified for the Bassmaster Classic set for Feb. 24-26 at Lake
First, there was Hurricane Katrina. The storm didn’t bother his house, but it did damage some around him and it destroyed the home of his mother-in-law just across the border in
The rout to the Classic for Kennedy was through the BASS Federation, an organization which recently has been split by controversy. Kennedy said he has remained a believer in the Federation.
But his boss wasn’t a believer in Kennedy. When Kennedy, an auto technician, said he was going to take some time off to fish the Federation Championship, his employer told him not to bother to come back if he did.
Like many Federation members, Kennedy dreams of making fishing his profession. A good finish in the Classic could make that dream come true.
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>Hunting dog owners are disturbed over Virginia Congressman Rick Boucher’s support of the Pet Animal Welfare Act, “Paws,” which is advocated by the Humane Society of the
>A spadefish landed last season in the Virginia Beach area put angler Julie Ball of Virginia Beach in the International Game Fish Association’s World Record book. Ball broke the 20-pound line class for spadefish with a 9-pound, 12-ounce catch. This wasn’t a fluke. She entered 18 citation catches in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament.
>The brook trout has been
>A joint resolution commending Virginia Game Wardens for their work in the Gulf Coast following devastation by Hurricane Katrina has been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly.
>When President Bush dropped the word “switchgrass” in his State of the Union address it must have caught the attention of a bunch of outdoorsmen. The President suggested switchgrass as an alternative source of energy, but outdoorsmen recognize switchgrass as excellent wildlife cover, especially for quail.
>Two organizations that are committed to collecting data on mountain lions have agreed to share data rather than duplicate there efforts in
>There is a new addition to the popular Princeton Field Guides series. This one is titled “Raptors of the World and is an able addition to any bird watcher’s library. Check nathist.princeton.edu.
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show, Feb. 4-12, State Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg,
Mid-Atlantic Boat Show, Feb. 4-12,
Richmond Chapter Ducks Unlimited banquet, Feb. 16, Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond, details on www.durichmond.com.
“Greatest Little Fishing Show,” for trout and bass anglers, Middleburgh, Feb. 12,
Virginia Mountains Chapter Ruffed Grouse Society banquet, Wyndham Hotel, Roanoke, Feb. 18, information or tickets from Mike Taylor, 540-977-0087 or 540-890-5133.
Ole’Timey Tanning Workshop, Feb. 19-22, Holiday Inn 4-H Center, Appomattox, information/registration, 434-248-5444.
Natural resources education program for educators, Feb. 24 & 25,
Southwest Virginia Boat Show, Feb. 24-26, Roanoke Civic Center.
Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 24-26, Lake
Old Forge Sporting Claus 5th annual Fun shoot for Ducks Unlimited, Feb. 25, Providence Forge, $50 person, $200 for four-person team. Information from www.claytargetsonline.com/club.php/1900.
Dixie Deer Classic, March 3-5, North Carolina Fairground, Raleigh ,
Appalachian Highlands Chapter of Ruffed Grouse Society banquet, March 4, Holiday Inn, Bristol, information from Mark Tester, 423-926-9323.
Tidewater Fresh and Saltwater Fishing Expo, March 10-12, Virginia Beach.
Wilderness First Aid Class, March 25-26, Blacksburg , two-days of classroom study, hands-on practice that results in a two-year certification, $160. For additional information and to register, phone 703 836-8905 or visit http://wfa.net.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting,
ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series tournament, March 26, Lake
Spring gobbler season, April 8-May. 13.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting,
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting,
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting,
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting,
Bassmaster tour event,
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Dec. 12, 4000 W. Broad Street, Richmond.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
