Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 5, 1991 TAG: 9102050056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Cochran
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The two rivers are Virginia's hot spots for catching trophy-size walleye. Even though the runs are off to something of a slow start, anglers can anticipate hooking fish in the 8- to 12-pound bracket, which are big walleye anywhere in the country.
It was last February that 17-year old Christopher Thomas of Glade Hill landed the state-record walleye while bumping a chartreuse jig along the bottom of South Holston River near Alverado. The fish went into the record book at 12 pounds, 15 ounces.
The second-best catch of the year also was a South Holston fish, a 10-pound, 13-ounce trophy for S.W. Artrip of Castlewood.
The South Holston had three of the top 10 walleye of the year, and the same can be said of the Roanoke River in the Brookneal area.
Even so, the most walleye citations - fish 5 pounds or more - came from Kerr Lake, where fishermen registered 58. Smith Mountain Lake was second with 49, while Philpott Lake had 32, good for third spot. State biologists believe significant natural reproduction may be occuring at Philpott.
Virginia has two groups of walleye, those that spawn in rivers and those that confine their life cycle to lakes. The river fish become active first, with January through March the best months to catch them. The lake catches peak in April and May.
While there have been a few walleye in the South Holston Reservoir for several years, stockings there the past four season have been successful to the point that a significant upstream run has developed in the river, said John Jessee, a state fisheries biologist.
"Last year the walleye fishing was better than the year before, and I am anticipating that it will be even better this year than last," said Jessee.
In December, Jessee took net samples in the Virginia end of the reservoir and came away with the feeling that an excellent population is building.
"One night's netting caught me 110 pounds of walleye. The largest was near 12 pounds."
The run takes place in the Alverado area, with the walleye using exactly the same spawning grounds that will attract white bass a couple months later.
The river currently is low and clear, and the same can be said of the Roanoke River spawning grounds, said Mike Guthrie who operates a tackle shop in Brookneal. In fact, the condition of the rivers may be hampering fishing success for a species that prefers to mask its movements with unsettled conditions.
Guthrie believes the run in the Roanoke - the natives call it the Staunton River - is two weeks behind schedule.
"There have been some big ones caught," he said. "The biggest we've seen has been about 9-6. We have weighed a few 7 1/2s, 8s, along in there."
Guthrie expects the peak fishing to occur around the end of the month.
"That's just a guess," he said.
The average size of the walleye has increased annually since the mid-1980s.
"Three years ago we were seeing a lot of 6s," said Guthrie. "Last year we saw a lot of 7 1/2s and 8s. This year we have seen 9s. They have a pretty good growth rate, it seems. We are looking for a 10-pounder this year."
State fish officials aren't certain of the origin of the Roanoke River walleye. They began appearing after the flood of 1985. They could be from upstream Leesville or downstream Kerr or even escapees from a state hatchery in Brookneal, said Bud LaRoche, a state supervising fish biologist.
This year, walleye won't be stocked in Smith Mountain and Leesville, nor will any be raised at Brookneal, in an effort to determine if the river fish are reproducing, LaRoche said.
by CNB