Thursday, November 30, 2006
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: Big striper in tournament
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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There are some big striped bass available along Virginia’s coast as evident by the leader board in the Mercury Thanksgiving Special Event held Thanksgiving Day Weekend in the Virginia Beach area.
The overall leader was Bill Rogers of Mount Olive, N.C., who entered a 40-pound, 10-ounce fish. Second, and winner of the women’s division, was Joan Cummings of Providence Ford. She posted a 39-pound, 11-ounce catch.
Filling out the top five were (3) William Mariner, Greenbackville, 38 pound, 13 ounces; (4) Lynwood Guy, Exmore, 34 pounds, 12 ounces and Tim Nugent, Chesterfield, 24 pounds, 15 ounces.
Winner of the Sea Gull Pier Rockfish Tournament, a 24-hour event on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, was Gene Harden of Hampton with 9-pounds, 5-ounce catch.
In the meanwhile, Capt. Ferrell McLain (1-888-BAYFISH) reported encountering big stripers in the Reedville area of the Chesapeake Bay.
“We have been plucking a few big fish for the past week,” said McLain. “But today many boats boated limits of trophy stripers with some fish measuring over 40 inches.”
BILL
THE YEAR AFTER DEER
Last September, Brian Lytton won top honors in the Virginia Big Game Contest with a 17-point, Pulaski County buck he killed during the 2005-06 bowhunting season. It was the biggest buck entered in the annual contest.
So how is the state champion hunter doing the follow-up year?
“Hunting is going fairly slow,” said Lytton. “I did kill an 8-point buck Nov. 11 during the muzzleloading season. It was just a typical 21/2-year old.
It was “a trophy in my book for being able to spend time afield with my dad and cousin, but no record breaker. As always, we are still at it. Dad always says, ‘It ain’t over 'til the fat lady sings.’ ”
Lytton said his scouting camera had provided pictures of two nice 10-point bucks, but he has not met up with either one.
BILL
TAGGING FISH
>If you were to tag a fish caught in the vastness of the Chesapeake Bay or Atlantic Ocean, what would be the chances of it ever showing up again? Pretty good, in fact.
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science for the past 12 years have had a tagging program operated through the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. Using volunteer recreation anglers, the program has tagged more than 102,000 fish during the past dozen years and 10,150 of them have been recaptured.
The program is looking for 200 volunteers to participate in the 2007 tagging efforts. Participants must attend at least one workshop. Species targeted for tagging include black drum, black sea bass, cobia, flounder, gray triggerfish, red drum, sheepshead, spadefish, speckled trout and toutog. The information gained during the tagging process is used in the conservation and management of these species.
Details can be had by e-mailing mrcswt@visi.net.
BILL
OUTDOOR NOTES
>Hunters for the Hungry raised about $8,225 during a banquet held last month in Salem. Gary Arrington, special project coordinator for the agency, called it “a wonderful accomplishment,” and said it would fund the distribution of more than 40,000 servings of venison for the needy in Roanoke and surrounding areas.
>J. Carlton Courter III officially takes over the leadership of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Nov. 1, when he becomes the agency’s executive director. Interim director Col. W. Gerald Massengill steps down today and is expected to be honored by the DGIF board at its meeting Dec. 12.
>Peregrine falcons have bred in record numbers in Virginia this year, but few have settled in Southwest Virginia where rock cliffs appeared to offer the once-endangered birds ideal habitat. The population has shifted eastward to Hampton Roads where falcons nest on bridges, high-rise buildings and ships in the James River Reserve Fleet.
>The latest update of world records by the International Game Fish Association lists two catches from Virginia: a 37-pound, 9-ounce snowy grouper caught at Virginia Beach by Jason Ferguson and a 17-pound, 5-ounce blueline tilefish from Virginia Beach by Darren Foster.
>The Bassmaster Weekend Series tournament trail, designed for weekend anglers, has posted five events for its Virginia Division, two at Kerr, two at Gaston and one on the James River. The series is scheduled to be operated by American Bass Anglers, Inc. beginning next year.
>The National Wildlife Refuge Association is inviting photographers to help showcase the refuge system during a digital photo contest. Details can be found at refugenet.org.
BILL
SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
Headed toward its final month, the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament has registered 4,267 citation catches in 2006. Last year at the same time the count was 5,048. Here are the standings for catch and keep citations:
BLACK DRUM: 83 pounds, 13 ounces, Charles Porter, Birdsnest, caught at Oyster Bay.
BLUEFISH: 18 pounds, 1 ounce, Julie Ball, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
COBIA: 109 pound pending state record, Joseph Berberich II, Hayes, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.
CROAKER: 5 pounds, 4 ounces, William Bull, Jr., Poquoson, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.
DOLPHIN: 56 pounds, 6 ounces, Richard Koch, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
FLOUNDER: 13 pounds, 13 ounces, Lewis Graves, Sr., Fredericksburg, lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.
GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 5 pounds, 13 ounces, Earl Sari, Chesapeake, ocean off Virginia Beach.
GRAY TROUT: 12 pounds, 4 ounces, Marvin Williams III, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
KING MACKEREL: 39 pounds, David Worton, Norfolk, off Virginia Beach.
KINGFISH: 2 pounds, 3 ounces, Robert Vick, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
POMPANO: 2 pounds, Bruce Williams, Virginia Beach off Eastern Shore.
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 2 ounces, Steve Harding, Norfolk, off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPSHEAD: 17 pounds, 13 ounces, Arun Nhek, Newport News, lower western Chesapeake Bay.
SPADEFISH: 14 pound state record, Austin Edwards, Powhatan, Cell in the Chesapeake Bay.
SPANISH MACKEREL: 6 pounds, 13 ounces, Charles Quann, King George, upper western Chesapeake Bay.
SPECKLED TROUT: 12 pounds, 1 ounce, Barclay Shepard, Poquoson, Elizabeth River.
SPOT: 1 pound, 7 ounces, Herman Jones, Norfolk, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.
STRIPED BASS: 68 pounds, 1 ounce state record, Clay Armstrong, Mechanicsville, off Virginia Beach.
TAUTOG: 18 pounds, 1 ounce, Paul Hurtubise, McGaheysville, off Virginia Beach.
TRUE ALBACORE: 40 pounds, John Hanna, Seaford, ocean off Virginia Beach.
TUNA, BLUEFIN: 168 pounds, Cory Cinque, Annapolis Md., off Eastern Shore.
TUNA: 260 pounds, John Travers, Damascus, Md., off Eastern Shore.
WAHOO: 91 pounds, Aurelio Diaz, Jr., Glen Allen, off Virginia Beach.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Smith River Trout Unlimited Chapter meeting, 7 p.m. Dec. 7, Ranias’ Restaurant, Martinsville, information from e-mailing Al Kittredge.
Ruffed Grouse Society Highland Drummer Chapter banquet, Dec. 9, State Fair Grounds (Underwood Building) Lewisburg, W.Va.; information from Todd Spencer, 304-645-7039.
Turkey season reopens Dec. 11 in many counties.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Dec. 12, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond.
Final portion of the dove season, Dec. 28-Jan. 15.
Western Virginia Sports Show, Augusta Expoland, Fisherville, Feb. 16-18.
CITGO Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 23-25, Birmingham, Ala.
The National Wild Turkey Federation’s 2007 National Convention and Sport Show, Feb. 22-25, Gaylord Opryland Resort, Nashville, Tenn.
Shenandoh Valley Sportsmaj’s Alliance banquet, March 3, details from Myron Reedy.
BASS Elite Series, June 7-10, 2007, Smith Mountain Lake, information from bassmaster.com.
Outdoor Writers Association of America conference, June 16-19, Hotel Roanoke.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net
