Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 14, 1993 TAG: 9303150588
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A PREVIEW OF THE SEASON-TROUT OPENING DAY 9 A.M. SATURDAY
The trout fishing season opens at 9 a.m. Saturday amid the promise that the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will have a few additional fish for stocking, and they will be of decent size.State hatcheries are turning out about 24,000 more trout this year than last, said George Duckwall, the game and fish department's cold water fish hatchery manager.
The total number of trout for the put-and-take program, including spring and fall stockings, will ease above the one-million mark - 1,007,950. An additional 88,000 fish will be available for the state's three pay-fishing areas.
The stocking figures have jumped 20 percent since 1985.
"The fish will average in the 11-inch range," said Duckwall. "An 11-inch trout is a fish that will weigh just about a half-pound."
Duckwall still hears gripes from some fishermen who say the trout being stocked are too small, but Virginia's fish compare favorably with those released in other states, he said.
"I would say that under Virginia's put-and-take fishery, the anglers are fishing over as large or larger fish than anywhere in the country. We have a very dedicated, efficient staff in the trout hatcheries. They deserve an awful lot of credit for the fish they produce."
Mother Nature provided assistance in the rearing efforts this time. The water supply in the hatcheries has been adequate, and the generally mild winter has resulted in good growth, said Gary Martel, the department's assistant fish division chief.
"Everybody thinks about trout in terms of cold water, but a mild winter allows us to get better growth on the fish. You don't want your water temperatures to get so cold the fish won't take feed and grow readily. What you look for is a mild winter and a cool summer."
The recent rains and snows have sent trout streams rumbling off the ridges and surging through the meadows in brim-full condition.
That's another plus for anglers, Martel said.
"It does all kinds of good things," he said. "It spreads the fish out; it keeps poaching to a minimum."
Some fishermen have been concerned that trout stocked early may be swept away by the high water that has occurred throughout March.
"High water doesn't hurt anything," Martel said. "It is the fish's natural instinct to get down on the bottom when the floods come. They aren't going to go off swimming through the fields and gullies."
Some 140 streams and 19 ponds and lakes are scheduled to be stocked with trout this year. That represents a slight decline, caused mostly by a loss of stream mileage on private property that has occurred because landowners have posted their property.
Streams lost to the posting process this season include the Bullpasture River above McDowell in Highland County, the North Fork of Tye River in Nelson County, Garth Run in Madison County; Wolf Creek in Bland and Tazewell counties; Green Cove Creek in Washington County and the upper portion of Helton Creek in Grayson County (the lower mile will continue to be stocked).
"I'm not happy with the loss, but we have to abide by the wishes of the landowners," Paul Bugas said of the Bullpasture River. Bugas, a biologist assigned to the region, said a couple of landowners along the three-mile stretch asked that it not be stocked this season.
Several years ago, state fish officials and Trout Unlimited members built more than a dozen fence crossings along the stream to enhance landowner-fisherman relationships. The portion of the Bullpasture in the Williamsville area remains open.
The decrease in the number of miles of trout streams that are stocked on private property is a national trend, said Duckwall, who worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation prior to coming to Virginia in January, 1992.
"Part of it is a response to the very small minority of fishers and hunters who trash up an area - we call them slob hunters and slob fishers. And part of it is also the fact that we have a growing population and a finite area of land, and people are becoming jealous with that land."
Ben Buckner, who lives across from the Garth Run in Madison County, said he's seen his share of inconsiderate anglers.
"Those people are crazy," he said. "I've been run off the road several times. And the roads will be full of beer cans. It's the same with hunters. They think a posted sign is a target."
Losses of the North Fork of the Tye River have been occurring over a 9-year period, said Scott Smith, a fish biologist. "The section that was open kept getting smaller and smaller," until there wasn't enough left to stock, he said. A portion of the stream on national forest land will remain open to native trout fishing.
"Even through we do a lot of stocking on national forest land, the majority of the trout streams still are on private land, especially the larger streams, like the Bullpasture, the Maury River, the South Holston River, the North Fork of the Shenandoah," said Martel. "If it weren't for private landowners, we would lose the majority of our streams."
"I think anglers need to be very aware of the rights of the landowner, and treat them the way they would want to be treated by someone coming onto their property," said Duckwall.
A few of the losses have been offset by additions to the stocking program. Lake Witten, a 54-acre Tazewell County water supply impoundment is being stocked with rainbow trout and opened to public fishing, said John Jessee, a state fish biologist.
The Middle Fork of the Powell River is back on the stocking list, after being removed in 1989 due to poor water quality conditions. A new water treatment facility has made 5 1/2 miles of the stream suitable for trout, Jessee said.
Lick Creek in Smyth County has been added to the list. This will be an extension of the portion that has been stocked in Bland County during past seasons.