Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 22, 1992 TAG: 9203230162
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Cochran
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Annual surveys conducted by state fish biologists reveal that survival has been exceptional. Anglers who have cast midge-type flies to the stream during the winter have described the pools and riffles as being "black with trout."
Suddenly the Jackson River, meandering through a pastoral valley of the Alleghenies upstream from Covington, has become Virginia's finest trout stream.
One of the reasons for its abundance of pink-hewed rainbows and bronze-sided browns is that fishermen have had to release all of the trout they catch.
The cast-all-you-want, but keep-nothing-you-catch law, was passed by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries early in 1990 as a temporary regulation to give the trout a chance to establish a finhold in the river.
"This regulation was adopted for the purpose of protecting trout while the department was trying to establish a high quality fishery," said Larry Mohn, a state fish biologist.
Now that remarkable strides have been made toward accomplishing that goal, some fishermen are wondering if the no-kill rule will be pulled.
Not this year; maybe next, said Mohn.
In fact, growing numbers of anglers are saying they like things the way they are, which reflects a change in philosophy.
"When we first made the regulation, we had a lot of people say, `They are our trout. We want to keep them.' " said Mohn.
"Now you see some of the same type of people saying, `Hey! We like it this way.' "
There is a time and place where it is acceptable - even desirable - to kill an occasional trout to roast over the coals of a campfire. There also is something to be said about making the heft of a good trout in your hand a momentary pleasure, feeling the throb of life, viewing the bright colors, then watching in silent admiration as the cold creature swims off in freedom.
Very likely the role of the Jackson in the future will be to provide both of these satisfactions through restrictive regulations that allow the taking of an occasional trout, but emphasize catch and release.
Mohn estimates that more than 50 percent of the fishermen attracted to the Jackson are fly anglers. But even many of the bait fishermen who try catch and release for the first time are impressed.
"They say they like it this way `because we can come up here anytime and catch fish. If we want to keep fish, we can go to Douthat,' " Mohn said.
Special regulations not only rest easily on trout, but also on the landowners who own property along a stream. That is important on the Jackson, because the river flows through private holdings, and selling landowners on the importance of developing a first-rate public trout fishery is vital. Some have embraced that idea; others haven't.
In the meantime, the George Washington National Forest has been upgrading a number of access points along the river. The work has been completed at Johnson Spring (site 2), Indian Draft (site 5) and Petticoat Junction (site 6). At Smith Bridge (site 4), land is being traded for an area across the river that will provide better access.
All the while, the trout increase in number and they grow in size on a high population of aquatic invertebrates. Fish stocked for less than a year range 8 to 10 inches, Mohn said. Trout in the water for 1 1/2 years are 11 to 14 inches. There have been reports of natural brown trout reproduction.
The absence of significant mortality indicates that the trout are under no stress, that the river has not reached carrying capacity, that catch and release is not causing harm, said Mohn.
With both the trout and the philosophy of anglers maturing, the Jackson holds wonderful promise for this season and the future.
by CNB