Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 4, 1993 TAG: 9303040012
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
STUDY WILL HELP IN BASS MANAGEMENT
The largemouth bass is Virginia's most popular sport fish, thriving everywhere from the tiny farm ponds in the far southwest, to the big lakes of the central Piedmont, to the brackish water of Back Bay.But what about at Smith Mountain Lake? What if you were to put the black bass (largemouth and smallmouth) up against the striped bass in a popularity contest?
Smith Mountain, remember, is one of the top striper lakes in the world. Last year, it produced more than 70 percent of all of Virginia's landlocked striper citations, including the state record.
Even so, the black bass wins.
When anglers were surveyed by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries last year during a major study of the lake, most often they said they were after black bass. Stripers came in second.
The study will be made public at 7 p.m., March 22, during a meeting hosted by the game and fish department at the Moneta Elementary School.
Fishing pressure on both the black bass and the striped bass continues to mount, the study revealed.
"We were surprised that it was that much," said Mike Duval, the biologist in charge.
The Smith Mountain Striper Club has been a critic of fish officials, saying the state doesn't take into consideration the heavy fishing pressure when stocking quotas are compiled.
Fishermen have softened the impact on black bass by practicing catch-and-release, Duval said.
"There is a whole lot of recycling going on - for the largemouth it is phenomenal," he said.
"This study will be useful in helping us determine where we go with our management," Duval said.
No major changes are anticipated immediately, but "we have some ideas we might be willing to try," he said.
For one, officials want to increase their stocking of larger striped bass fingerlings, called Phase II fish. Biologists hope to determine if these fish have a better survival rate than the 1 1/2- to 3-inch fish that traditionally are stocked. Last year, about 13,000 Phase II fish were stocked. Duval wants that boosted to 25,000 this year.
\ A $500 FISH: The Early Bird Bass Masters Tournament at Kerr Lake attracted 40 fishermen and resulted in the catch of a single 1-pound, 2-ounce bass that was worth $500.
The tournament points out how poor fishing is across much of the state, including Smith Mountain, Gaston, Leesville and Moomaw lakes.
The best reports are coming from Philpott Lake and the Piedmont section of the James River. Several bass limits have been landed at Philpott, and a James River angler near Cartersville caught and released eight smallmouths estimated to weigh a total of 20 pounds.
\ NET RESULTS: The Nags Head Town Council has sided with sport fishermen in the battle between surf casters and commercial netters.
The council is asking the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission to prohibit haul seining on the northern 6.7 miles of the Nags Head beachfront between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15. That's when the peak of the fall bluefish angling occurs. Still open to netters would be a 4.6-mile stretch in the town's less-developed southern reaches.
\ BANQUET FOR ELK: The Blue Ridge Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation raised about $26,000 for wildlife work at its Roanoke banquet.
The foundation, headquartered in Montana, is considering a proposal to sponsor a live elk display at Explore Park in Roanoke County. The project would involve considerable fence building, and that can be a sore spot for western foundation members, who encourage free-roaming herds, said Ron White, the southeastern field director. White said he favors the Explore project, and Blue Ridge Chapter has been raising enough money for the people in Montana to take notice.