Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.

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Bill Cochran's Outdoors

Recent columns

• Less freedom at Hatteras for surf casters
• Here’s the scoop on hunting shed antlers
• Want more grouse? Get used to hearing chainsaws
• Sunday hunting bills aplenty, but some hunters hold out
• Column archive

Bill's Mailbag

• Hunting for a book on rabbit hunting
• More comments on Sunday hunting
• Mail archive

Bill's Field Reports

• Winterize your boat? Heck no! Keep on fishing
• Senator gets attention of DGIF
• Field reports archive

Resources

• Trout stocking schedule

BILL: I enjoyed the report on the 102-pound blue catfish in which you said is the first freshwater catch to exceed 100 pounds. What are the next largest catches for other species?

A.C.: Nothing really is close to Tim Wilson’s 102-pounds, 4-ounce James River blue catfish. Here are the fish that rank behind it:

• 66- pounds, 4-ounce flathead catfish landed by Mike Willems from Occoquan Reservoir May, 1994.
• 53-pound, 7-ounce landlocked striped bass caught March, 2000 at Leesville Lake by James Davis.
• 49-pound, 4-ounce carp landed by Jeffery Graham from Lake Prince, June 1986.
• 45-pound, 8-ounce muskie from the New River caught June, 2007 by Shannon Hill.

BILL: I would like to know if there are any pay-trout facilities in Virginia that have a campground/cabins attached to them? I believe my wife found one last year on the Internet. The place that I am speaking about was off I-81.

G.P.: I believe you may be describing Cedar Springs, which is the state’s oldest and biggest pay-trout fishing are located off I-81 near Rural Retreat. It has a lodge and is operated by Jim and Carlene Hilton, 276-686-4505.