Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Trout 'opener' looms this weekend
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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Trout Heritage Day is the closest thing Virginia anglers have to an opening day.
On the first Saturday in April the event draws thousands of fishermen to designated stocked streams.
Another quasi trout opener that also gets quite a bit of attention is coming up Sunday -- the day the ropes come down on Delayed Harvest trout waters.
Delayed Harvest waters are managed under special artificial-lures-only and catch-and-release regulations from October through the end of May.
But because many of the waters in the program don't provide good trout water through the summer, regular trout regulations go into effect starting June 1.
The hope is that anglers can remove many of the trout before they start dying when water temperatures rise and dissolved oxygen levels drop.
In some years, June 1 can't arrive soon enough for the fish.
A couple of years ago on the Delayed Harvest opener on the Roanoke River in Salem, anglers stood watching heat-stressed trout swim listlessly around in the slow pools.
This year should be better.
Although the past few nice days bumped water temperatures up a good bit, the relatively cool weather we've had through much of May has kept Delayed Harvest waters in pretty good shape. With modest temperatures and even a good possibility of more rain in the short- term forecast, things should remain good for at least a couple of more weeks.
In addition to sections of the Roanoke River in Salem and at Green Hill Park, other delayed harvest streams in the region include Chestnut Creek near Galax, Peak Creek in Pulaski and a section of the Pedlar River in Amherst County.
Fishermen are required to have a trout license on Delayed Harvest waters through June 15. After that, a trout license isn't required until special regulations go back into effect in October.
Anglers on Delayed Harvest waters shouldn't expect the kind of action that Heritage Day often brings.
Because the trout have been in the streams for a while they tend to be spread out. And because many have been caught and released already, they can also become somewhat educated.
On the flip side, they're used to seeing artificial lures, so good bait fishermen can really do well.
For more details on the Delayed Harvest program, including specific locations of the designated waters, visit my blog at blogs.roanoke.com/wildlife/.
DGIF offers angling workshops
Spending a day with a professional fishing guide can cost a few hundred bucks, but many folks who have done it say it's a good investment that seriously accelerates the learning curve, particularly on a new or different kind of fishery.
Virginians looking to learn more about river fishing for flathead catfish will have a couple of chances this summer to spend a day with a guide on the James River -- for a serious bargain.
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is hosting Flat Out Catfishing workshops on July 8 and Aug. 5, with guide Mike Ostrander of the James River Fishing School.
The wade-fishing workshops will be at Pony Pasture in Richmond from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and cost only $35. Tackle will be provided, as will lunch. Participants must have a valid Virginia fishing license.
Registration spots are limited for the workshop, which is for anglers 18 and older. The deadline for the first seminar is June 10, while the deadline is July 5 for the August workshop.
The DGIF is also offering a saltwater fishing workshop on July 22, during which participants will get out on the Chesapeake Bay out of Smith Point Marina in Northumberland County with charter captain Ryan Rogers on the Midnight Sun.
The saltwater workshop is for anglers 12 and older. Participants 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
The fee for the saltwater workshop is $65, with $15 due at registration and $50 due the day of the workshop. The registration deadline is June 24.
Registration forms for both workshops are available on the DGIF's Internet site (huntfishva.org) under the Education section.
For more information, contact Chris Dunnavant at (804) 367-6778 or chris. dunnavant@dgif.virginia.gov.
