Thursday, August 02, 2007
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: Gillingham takes post as new director for Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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Lewis Gillingham moves into to an elite position Sept. 1, when he becomes director of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. He will be just the third director of the 50-year old state-sponsored program, which tells you it is a nice job when you can get it.
Gillingham, of Norfolk, will replace retiring Claude Bain, who has been the high-profile head of the tournament for the past 20 years. Prior to Bain, Claude Rogers was director. He was a skillful angler who developed and promoted many of the fishing trends and techniques that now receive wide use.
The tournament is under the umbrella of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, a state agency were Gillingham has worked for more than 20 years. He will be stepping down as a fishery management specialist. Gillingham is best known among anglers for his weekly fishing report that he compiles for VMRC.
Bain said he took the position with the idea of retiring in about 20 years. He added a number of species to the tournament, expanding it to 35-cateories. He gave it a year-round format and stressed catch-and-release.
Last year, the tournament awarded 5,290 citations for fish meeting specific weight or length standards.
Bain could have stayed on, but said he wanted to step down before he grew stale in the position. His last day as director is Aug. 31. No doubt he will be playing more golf, a sport he loves, but he also is expected to continue rubbing shoulders with anglers, perhaps through the tackle business or writing fishing guidebooks.
Like Rogers, Bain spent a lot of time guiding writers whose articles brought wide attention to Virginia 's rich saltwater fishery. That part of the job has been declining because Internet fishing reports lessen the importance of getting fishing news out via newspaper and magazine articles, Bain said.
BILL
HATCHERIES PRODUCING STERILE TROUT
If you think Virginia 's trout hatcheries are in the business of raising and stocking virile trout, you'd be wrong. Trout officials prefer to use sterile trout for their put-and-take program.
That effort has been accelerated thanks to a $25,000 grant from Dominion Power and Virginia Council of Trout Unlimited, which has provided special equipment for the process at the Paint Bank Hatchery in Craig County .
The process is called triploiding. It involves using heat or pressure treatment on trout eggs which results in an extra set of chromosomes in the fish. The offspring of these fish are infertile and can not reproduce, but are not harmed in any other way, officials say.
This results in two major benefits. The stocked fish can not reproduce and compete with preferred native populations. This is expected to help conserve fragile native brook trout populations.
What's more, the sterile trout grow with more vigor and produce bigger fish since no energy is going into reproductive processes. This saves money and helps make put-and-take anglers happy.
BILL
BEAR HUNTERS DENIED EXTRA TIME
A request by members of the Virginia Bear Hunters Association to have the bear chase expanded to include the entire month of August and to be open 24 hours a day did not find favor from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
The season currently is open Aug. 11-Sept. 29 and Dec. 3-15, except on Sundays. Hunting hours are one half-hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.
Charles Montgomery of Buchanan presented the request for the association, saying that bear hunters had “made giant steps in improving our image” and should be afforded extra time in the field during the non-consumptive chase season.
The request was not included in proposals approved by the DGIF board.
BILL
FLOUNDER RULES TIGHT NOW, BUT JUST WAIT
If you think 2007 founder fishing regulations are stiff, just wait till next year. The Summer Flounder Monitoring Committee of the National Marine Fisheries Service has recommended another big decrease in catch quotas for 2008.
This almost certainly will result in efforts to reduce the catch of recreational fishermen, said the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA).
Over fishing is occurring, said the committee. This means the spawning stock has been depleted below a safe level and not enough spawning-age fish remain for the population to sustain itself unless the harvest is reduced.
There are three basic ways for officials to trim the catch: lower the keep limit, close portions of the season now open to fishing and increase the minimum-size limit.
Since this year's stiff 18.5-inch size limit already is resulting in complaints from many fishermen, that option is not likely to be considered.
It may be next year before new regulations are posted. Prior to that, anglers can expect to have an input in the process.
The CCA said over fishing of flounder has been out of control since the initiation of a management plan in 1983.
“The sooner that over fishing is brought under control, the sooner we will see a recovery in this fishery,” the CCA said in a statement.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>How did Virginia 's first June squirrel season go? “We didn't do any kind of survey. All the feedback I have received has been positive,” said Pat Cook, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries small game biologist.
>The latest list of International Game Fish Association's World Records contains two new marks for Virginia anglers. Dough Deese is in the record book with an all-tackle blueline tilefish that weighed 18 pounds, 10 ounces. Dr. Julie Ball landed a 15-pound, 10-ounce tautog that is the 8-pound line class world record.
>Gas prices will impact fishing and hunting participation according to two recent polls. Over half of the anglers and 40 percent of the hunters indicated high gas prices will cause them to reduce their outdoor activities or shorten their travel distance and boat use.
BILL
VIRGINIA SALTWATER TOURNAMENT
The Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament has new leaders in the croaker, dolphin, flounder and pompano categories. Here are the standings:
BLACK DRUM: 95 pounds caught by James Tran of Virginia Beach in Lynnhaven Bay .
BLUEFISH: 16 pounds, Peter Carey of Fredericksburg in the lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay .
BLUELINE TILEFISH: 20 pound, 7 ounce, Robert Holtz, Virginia Beach , ocean off Virginia Beach .
COBIA: 93 pounds, 8 ounces, Kara Maples, Hampton , lower-western Chesapeake Bay .
CROAKER: 3 pounds, 12 ounces, James Mehring, III, Faber, lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay .
DOLPHIN: 44 pounds, 4 ounces, Chris Link, Virginia Beach , off Virginia Beach .
FLOUNDER: 12 pounds, 7 ounces, Quentin Munson, Virginia Beach , lower eastern Chesapeake Bay .
GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 4 pounds, 10 ounces, Geoffrey Filer, Chesapeake , ocean off Virginia Beach .
KING MACKEREL: 63 pounds, 1 ounce, Susan Smith, Virginia Beach , off Virginia Beach .
KINGFISH: 1 pound, 11 ounces, Jimmy Nicastro, Chesapeake , off Virginia Beach .
POMPANO: 2 pounds, 2 ounces, B.W. Wild III, Virginia Beach , off Virginia Beach .
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 7 ounces, David Howard, Leesburg, ocean off Virginia Beach .
SHEEPSHEAD: 12 pounds, 8 ounces, Alan Bunnell, Virginia Beach , lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay .
SPADEFISH: 14 pounds, Mark Ottarson, North, lower-western Chesapeake Bay .
SPECKLED TROUT: 12 pounds, 10 ounces, Michael Tomesch, Chesapeake , Elizabeth River .
SPOT: 1 pound, 4 ounce, Edward Farrah, Virginia Beach , off Virginia Beach .
STRIPED BASS: 62 pounds, 1 ounce, Wayne Rickman, Mechanicsville, off Virginia Beach .
TAUTOG: 22 pounds, 2 ounce, Lester Johnson, Newport News , off Virginia Beach .
BLUEFIN TUNA: 573 pound state record, Bo Haycox, Virginia Beach , off Virginia Beach .
TUNA: 241 pounds, Eric Kuester, Ashland , off Virginia Beach .
WAHOO: 64 pounds, Larry Davenport, Virginia Beach , off Virginia Beach .
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Roanoke Valley Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation banquet, Aug. 3, 6 p.m. , St. Elias Maronite Center, $50 singles, $70 couples, tickets from Robert Woods, 276-647-3409.
Wildlife Management and Land Conservation Program, Aug. 7, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. , Fincastle Firehouse, covers wide range of wildlife issues, register by calling Botetourt County Extension Office, 540-473-8260.
Public input meeting to discuss waterfowl regulations, 7 p.m. , Aug. 6, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries headquarters, 4,000 W. Broad Street , Richmond . Regulations will be set Aug. 21, 9 a.m. , same location.
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, 7 p.m. , Moneta Center .
Virginia Outdoors Sportsmen's Classic, Aug. 10-12, Roanoke Civic Center , information from www.vaoutdoorsportsmensclassic.com .
Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show, Aug. 10-12, ShowPlace, Richmond , sponsored by the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, www.sportsmanshow.com .
17 th annual Antique and Classic Boat Weekend, Smith Mountain Lake , Aug. 10-12, Mariners Landing, information from www.woodenboats.net .
New River Valley Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation Banquet, Aug. 18, 5:30 p.m. , Custom Catering, Blacksburg , $50 single, $70 couple, tickets from Chris Kaknis, 540-239-7573.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Aug. 21, 9 a.m. at agency's headquarters, 4000 W. Broad Street .
Dove hunting season, Sept. 1-29; Oct. 6-27 and Dec. 25-Jan. 12, daily limit of 12.
September goose season, Sept 1-25, daily limit of five.
Hunters for the Hungry banquet, Sept. 8, Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi dealership, Salem , inquire about tickets at Hunt4hungry@cs.com .
The Western Regional Championship of the Virginia Big Game Show, Sept. 8 & 9, Rockingham County Fairgrounds near Harrisonburg, information from www.vpsa.org .
Rail season Sept. 10-Nov. 7.
Early teal season, Sept. 17-26 east of Interstate 95.
The Eastern Region and State Championship of the Virginia Big Game Show, Sept. 22 & 23, Southampton County Fairgrounds in Franklin, information from www.vpsa.org .
David H. Horne Memorial Hunters for the Hungry Annual Golf Tournament, Oct. 3, 1:30 p.m. , London Downs Golf Course, Forest, captain's choice, $280 per foursome, includes greens fee, cart, awards, hole prizes, door prizes, beverages, catered dinner. Proceeds benefit Hunters for the Hungry.
Snipe season Oct. 4-28; Oct. 22-Jan. 31.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Oct. 16, 9 a.m. at agency's headquarters, 4000 W. Broad Street .
Woodcock season Oct. 27-Nov. 10; Dec. 22-Jan. 5.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net .
