Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 11, 1993 TAG: 9302110011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Cochran
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
WALLEYE NO LONGER BIG SECRET
Michael Guthrie operates a farm store in Brookneal, a rural Piedmont Virginia town, where some people tell him he should stick to selling feed and seed.But Guthrie also is the ambassador of walleye fishing in the Staunton River, a ribbon of green water that threads through a corridor of sycamore trees along the outskirts of Brookneal.
Guthrie sells lures, dispenses fishing information, fills out citation forms for trophy catches and talks to outdoor writers eager to gleam some information about the big-eyed mystery fish that runs the river this time of year.
Some of the locals believe Guthrie draws far too much attention to their fish. In fact, they were delighted when the February issue of Virginia Game & Fish Magazine failed to mention the Staunton River as a place to catch walleye in its annual angling predictions.
The same fisherman who would be proud to have his picture in the paper with a trophy striped bass or black bass will slip a walleye into his cooler and sneak it home without a word.
As for why that's the case, Guthrie says, "They are kinda hard to catch to start with, and they are the best eating fish out there."
Casting for walleye isn't just fishing, it is a shopping trip to fill your freezer. The species' smooth, white flesh is the nearest thing you'll find to flounder swimming in freshwater.
"Everybody is exceptionally tight-lipped about it, more so than ever this year," Guthrie said.
That's because the walleye also have been tight-lipped.
There was a flurry of good fishing a couple of weeks ago, then catches fell off. At least, that's what Guthrie thinks happened.
"If they are being caught, we aren't hearing much about it, I will tell you that. The guys who fish every day, you ask them and they will say, `Oh, I caught one or two.' That is about all you will get out of them."
One thing has Guthrie a little suspicious, though.
"Something is kinda funny, because we still are selling a lot of smoke- and chartreuse-colored grubs. But I haven't heard of anybody catching any the last week or so. We don't know if the fish aren't there or if they just aren't hitting. Usually February is a good month."
Last year the river accounted for four of the top 10 walleye listed in the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries citation program. The largest was a 9-pound, 12-ounce fish caught Feb. 6 by Timothy Childress of Rustburg.
\ FISHING ELSEWHERE: Old-timers can remember when Claytor Lake would be frozen over in February, but its open water has been producing some dandy catches this winter.
West Virginia angler Nathan Shroeder docked with Claytor stripers that weighed 15 pounds, 3 ounces; 12 pounds, 7 ounces; and 11 pounds 8 ounces, along with a citation-size 5-pound, 3-ounce smallmouth bass. Errol Hash of Radford got a 5-pound, 2-ounce smallmouth.
The New River is in excellent shape, and is producing smallmouth catches to 4 pounds, along with small muskie.
Fishermen who are catching black bass across the state often are finding them in spots where the water warms more quickly. Submerged road beds have been hot spots at Smith Mountain Lake, while creeks on the sunny side of Kerr Lake have been active late in the day.
At Lake Anna, big bass are moving into the shallows along points and drop-offs, but the key to success is finding habitat where there is quick access to deep water.
Wayne Nugent, a guide at Kerr and Gaston lakes, has been reminding fishermen to work their lures slowly. A big bass isn't going to do much chasing when water temperatures are low.