Thursday, June 29, 2006
DGIF audit positive
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
State and federal auditors have given the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries "very positive audits," according to C. T. Hill, board member and chairman of the agency's Finance, Audit and Compliance Committee. This is significant progress in light of concerns expressed by auditors last year.
Audit information can be viewed on the Auditor of Public Accounts Web site at www.apa.virginia.gov/report.htm.
In a recent Web site letter to sportsmen, board member Sherry Crumley and interim director Gerald Massengill said "Being good stewards of the monies coming to the agency is first and foremost. We are committed to insuring sportsmen's dollars are wisely and appropriately spent."
The board has new leadership under John Montgomery, Jr. of Sandstone, who was elected chairman, a position held for several months by Sherry Crumley of Buchanan. Crumley took the vice chairman slot. Among the new policies and procedures put into place by the board, the chairman position was given a time limit and a vice-chairman position was mandated.
The General Assembly reclassified the level of the board, lowering it from a Level 1 to a Level 2 agency.
The board had rekindled its efforts to hire a new director, a position being skillfully filled by Interim Gerald Massengill, who is ready to move back into retirement.
BILL
RULES RELAXED FOR TOURNAMENT
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission, with a unanimous vote from its commission members, agreed to relax striped bass size limits during a televised FLW Outdoors tournament set for Virginia Beach in December. This means contest participants can bypass the 28- to 34-inch slot limit; however, the contest requires that fish be released alive.
The FLW striper tour is new this year and consists of a series of qualifying events during the summer and fall with a final championship in Virginia when up to 175 teams are expected. The fishing should be excellent in December.
Supporters say the event will enhance the claim of Virginia Beach as "Striped Bass Capitol of the Word," but some sportsmen say the exemption of state rules sets a bad precedent. What's to keep a bunch of other organizations from requesting the same thing?
BILL
BASS TOURNAMENTS ANNOUNCED
The ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series, sponsored by Roanoke-based Advance Auto Parts, will hold seven regional tournaments, including one on Smith Mountain Lake Nov. 10 and 11. The other stops will be in Alabama, Louisiana, Indiana, Maryland and Missouri. Check www.bassmaster.com
FLW Outdoors announced its 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Tour. There are no stops in Virginia, but nearby there will be a June 14-17 event on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. and April 26-29 a tournament at Lake Norman near Charlotte, N.C. Check www.FLWOutdoors.com.
ATTENTION WAL-MART SHOPPERS
Wal-Mart, the nation's leading seller of rifles and shotguns and Virginia's biggest seller of hunting licenses, has announced plans to stop carrying firearms in 1,000 stores located in suburbia.
I have no idea how many, if any, stores this will impact in Virginia. I do recall years ago there was a bunch of Best stores in Virginia that did a big business in guns and ammo. That chain, based in Richmond, decided to quit selling firearms. When it did, I didn't have much reason for going there. Before long, the chain was gone.
More recently, K-Mart stopped selling guns and ammo. You know what is happening to K-Mart.
I'm not saying that declining to sell firearms is a kiss of death for retail stores, but I believe it can be bad for business. If a hunter can't buy dove shells at a certain chain, well maybe he will go elsewhere to buy diapers for his baby, school supplies for his children, household goods for his home, supplies for his lawn and garden.
BILL
REPORT FROM SMITH RIVER
I guided an angler on Smith River from Wake Forest, N.C. who had been fly fishing for about a year. He had attended an Orvis fly fishing school and could cast fairly well.
We tied on Allieworm nymphs and were soon watching the strike indicator disappear with regular consistency. They apparently didn't spend much time at the Orvis school teaching how to respond to a hit, because my client missed several strikes in a row.
There are several schools of thought on how to react to a strike. The method that works best for me is to make the cast and immediately get control of your slack line so that you have a direct line to the indicator without any loops or belly in the line.
I watch the indicator and gently strip line in as it drifts toward me or work line out if it is drifting away from me. The key is to maintain a natural drift while keeping a fairly straight line to the indicator.
If the indicator dips, skids sideways or goes down, pinch the line off in your left hand and raise the rod sharply with the rod hand. My strike sequence is much the same as I use in making my next cast. It if was a fish, the fight will be on. If it was a false alarm or if you missed the fish, follow through with your cast and place it right back in the same spot. If you didn't put a hook in him or if he has a buddy, you may be rewarded with a second chance.
AL KITTREDGE
Al's Smith River Guide Service
http://home.earthlink.net/
TOP 10 ANTI-GUN REPRESENTATIVES
Jim Moran, D-Virginia made the National Rifle Association's Top 10 List of Anti-Gun Representatives. He was ranked fourth behind (1) John Conyers, D-Michigan; (2) Henry Waxman, D-California and (3) Zoe Lofgren, D-California
Moran has a history of anti-gun, anti-hunting positions. The Top 10 ranking said he was "One of only four representatives who voted against requiring that, in the event that a prospective firearm purchaser is rejected by the national background check system, the government must tell the person why."
Behind Moran were (5) Nancy Pelosi, D-California; (6) Carolyn McCarthy, D-New York; (7) Anthony Weiner, D-New York; (8) Mike Castle, R-Delaware; (9) Diana DeGette, D-Colorado; (10) Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas.
BILL
YOUTH BENEFIT FROM BOTETOURT PISTOL
10 -- That is the number of Botetourt Pistols (Ruger Super Blackhawks in .44 magnum) engraved to tribute the history and people of Botetourt County.
1 -- Nine of the pistols have been spoken for, but one, which happens to be No. 1, is being raffled to raise funds to support the Botetourt County 4-H Shooting Education Club.
10 -- That is the cost of each raffle ticket, $10.
1,000--That is the number of tickets that are available.
16 -- That is the date in September when the winning ticket will be drawn, during the Botetourt Longbeards JAKES event.
540-473-8260 -- That is the number of the Botetourt County Extension Officer where tickets may be purchased.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>William Pruitt, who served 23 years as commissioner of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, retires July 3. Gov. Tim Kaine appointed Steven Bowman to take his place. Bowman is current colonel of the Marine Patrol, the agency's law enforcement arm. VMRC heads the state's saltwater fish and boating programs.
>John Crews of Salem ranks third with 1,704 points, in the prestigious 2006 CITGO Bassmaster of the Year standings. Ahead of him are superstars Michael Iaconell, with 1,753 points, and Dean Rojas, with 1,723. Other Virginians in the top 100 are Kurt Dove, 83rd, 969 points, and Rick Morris, 94th, 839 points.
>The Ridge Rifle Association will hold its first Youth Shooting Tournament for ages 5-19, July 15, 9 a.m. to noon, on its range in Botetourt County. The free event will include firearm safety training. Food and prizes will be provided. To register, call Gene Strickler, 540-473-2345.
>A new Army Corps of Engineers regulation prohibits boaters from leaving a wake within 150 yards of the shoreline within the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The goal is to buffer the bay's shallow areas from speeding boats that can churn up sediment, erode the shoreline and scare migrating waterfowl.
>This week's heavy rain has resulted in the need for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to hold back water behind the Bluestone Dam, causing flooding in several areas of Bluestone Lake State Park and Bluestone Wildlife Management Area.
>Jason Cook, a Spotsylvania County animal control officer, is facing 79 charges involving turkey hunting violations, according to the Associated Press. Cook is charged with killing more turkeys than allowed during the recent spring gobbler season.
>That $24,500, 175-foot pier to be built by Dan Hoffler for the wedding of NASCAR driver Kurt Busch on Hoffler's Eastern Shore property has run into beetle problems. No, beetles aren't eating the pier. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the pier location must be moved 200 feet in order to protect the federally threatened northeastern beach tiger beetle. It doesn't appear the necessary permits can be obtained in time to move the project prior to the July 27 wedding.
>Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever encourage land owners and counties/states to protect wildlife populations by waiting until August 1 to mow grasses in and along road ditches. A vast array of wildlife including pheasants, quail, ducks, songbirds, grouse and gray partridge utilize roadside cover as nesting ground during the summer months.
>A study published by the Journal of Forestry shows that there were 729 legal challenges to U.S. Forest Service land management plans in federal court from 1989-2002. The Forest Service won 57 percent of all the cases and had a 73-percent victory when cases were decided by a judge or panel of judges.
>A new boat ramp at Horn Point on the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge has been opened to kayaks and canoes. It is a joint project of Virginia Beach and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and provides a launch area, parking space, restrooms and a boardwalk.
>The Outdoor Channel's "Step Outside" TV program has opened its new season with 13 new episodes tracking the adventures of newcomers to the outdoors. It is designed to draw attention to the joys of outdoor sports. Information can be found at www.stepoutside.org.
>A $50 surcharge on passengers who check their firearm as baggage has caused some sportsmen to boycott Air Canada.
>The World Hunting Association has promised to take hunting to a new level by sponsoring big money competitive hunts with tranquilizer guns that are ballyhooed as "kill and release" affairs. Many sportsmen say it is a bad idea; that hunting isn't meant to be competitive.
>Kevin VanDam last week passed the $2 million mark in BASS tournament winnings, the first angler to do so.
>The 98th Edition of the Shooters Bible and the 29th Edition of Gun Trader's Guide are out and available from Stoeger Publishing: www.StoegerBooks.com.
>Landowners often want wild turkeys on their property and are eager to establish populations, even if it means releasing pen-raised turkeys. Experts at the National Wild Turkey Federation say that's not a good idea. Releasing pen-raised turkeys simply provides a warm meal for predators and can hinder natural population expansion.
BILL
SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
The 109-pound cobia, caught by Joseph Berberich II of Hayes has been certified as a state record. Berberich was anchored and chumming with ground menhaden at York Spit in the Chesapeake Bay when the 69.5-inch fish hit. The previous record weighed 104.5 pounds and was caught at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel by Steve Hasynic of Norfolk on July 7, 2002.
Here are the standings for non-release catches, including the tournaments first dolphin of the season and new entries in the flounder, spot and tuna categories:
BLACK DRUM: 83 pounds, 13 ounces, Charles Porter, Birdsnest, caught at Oyster Bay.
COBIA: 109 pound pending state record, Joseph Berberich II, Hayes, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.
CROAKER: 4 pounds, David West, Deltaville, upper-eastern Chesapeake Bay.
DOLPHIN: 44 pounds, Jack Clifton, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.
FLOUNDER: 13 pounds, 4 ounces, Andrea Minio, Newark, De., lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.
GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 4 pounds, 8 ounces, Wayne Seymour, Virginia Beach, off Eastern Shore.
GRAY TROUT: 12 pounds, 4 ounces, Marvin Williams III, Virginia Beach off Virginia Beach.
KINGFISH: 2 pounds, 2 ounces, Any Backowski, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 2 ounces, Steve Harding, Norfolk, off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPSHEAD: 16 pounds, Walter Scott, Smithfield, lower western Chesapeake Bay.
SPADEFISH: 13 pound, 5 ounce state record, Michael Hanhart, Huddleston, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.
SPECKLED TROUT: 12 pounds, 1 ounce, Barclay Shepard, Poquoson, Elizabeth River.
SPOT: 1 pound, 4 ounces, Michael Mihalcoe, Gloucester, lower York River. .
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.
TUNA: 184 pounds, 8 ounces, Warren Smith, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
TUNA BLUEFIN: 260 pounds, John Travers, Damascus, Md., off Eastern Shore.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
The Roanoke Group Sierra Club to feature author/hiker Leonard Adkins, 7 p.m. July 14, Roanoke Unitarian Universalist Church, corner Brandon Ave and Grandin Road in Roanoke, no charge, public invited.
Ridge Rifle Association first Youth Shooting Tournament for ages 5-19, July 15, 9 a.m. to noon, on its range in Botetourt County. No charge, includes food, prizes and firearm's safety training. Call Gene Strickler, 540-473-2345.
NRA Whittingon Adventure Camp for youngsters, July 25, for two weeks, teaches shooting and traditional outdoor sports, information form info@nrawc.org.
Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show, sponsored by the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, Aug. 11-13, Mechanicsville, information from www.sportsmanshow.com.
Smith Mountain Lake Classic and Antique Boat Society Show, The Point at Mariners Landing, Aug. 11 & 12, www.woodenboats.net.
Belvoir Bowhunters 3D Tournament to benefit Hunters for the Hungry, Aug. 13, information from Bob Foster, 703-758-5540.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Aug. 22, 4000 W. Broad Street, Richmond.
National Hunting and Fishing Day, Sept. 23.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Oct. 17, 4000 W. Broad Street, Richmond.
Bassmaster tour event, Smith Mountain Lake, Oct. 26-28, information on www.bassmaster.com.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Dec. 12, 4000 W. Broad Street, Richmond.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
