Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 29, 1995 TAG: 9506290060
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
WHERE NOT TO GO: Many rivers are unruly, like old friends who have had too much to drink. The James, Maury, and Roanoke downstream from Leesville are high and discolored, even unfishable in some sections.
WHERE TO GO, BUT: Major lakes, including Smith Mountain, Claytor and Philpott, are going to be too crowded for the best fishing conditions. If you go, get started early, before the skiing and personal watercraft crowd cranks up. Or go late, like after dark for night fishing.
Claytor has been producing decent bass, catfish and sunfish action, but anglers need to keep a sharp eye for floating debris. Lee Grossclose of Radford weighed a Claytor flathead catfish that tipped the scales at 271/2 pounds.
Smith Mountain anglers are picking up a few striped bass, mostly on bait, but some on spoons and Sassy Shads. Regina Cecil of Elliston used a shad to land a striper that weighed 27 pounds, 7 ounces. Donald Beckner of Roanoke got a 20-pound, 6-ounce striper.
Bass fishing at Philpott is improving. It has been taking 14 to 17 pounds to win club tournaments. Fishermen are having to take care to get off the water well ahead of the quick-moving thunderstorms.
The level of Lake Moomaw has been going up and down like a window shade. It was about 4 feet above full pool Monday, then back to full pool Wednesday morning. The trout don't seem to care. Three-to 6-pound trout have been hitting well. Danny Anderson of New Castle landed a 6.8-pound brown. The lake has floating debris.
The Jackson River downstream from Gathright Dam has been a torrent one day and fishable the next. Wednesday morning releases were a fishable 262 cubic-feet-per-second at 55 degrees. The Corps of Engineers hopes to hold this release rate to help protect areas that are flooding downstream in the James River. If you plan to fish the Jackson, get the latest water conditions from the corps' recording, 703-965-4117. What you want is 300 CFPS or less.
The Chesapeake Bay cobia fishing continues to be the best in recent memory. Anglers are reeling in dozens of citation fish from hot spots like Bluefish Rock and Latimer Shoals. Nags Head, N.C., piers also have been delighting cobia fishermen. During one recent spurt, pier anglers weighed a mixed bag of 60 large cobia, king mackerel and jacks. Three of the mackerel were over 50 pounds.
Bottom fishing for croakers is picking up in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Striped bass and speckled trout can be caught along with croakers.
Offshore, amberjack are being hooked at ocean wrecks and reefs, and there are scattered catches of big bluefin tuna. A state record 344-pound bluefin was landed east of the Cigar by Sean Thomas of Norfolk. The record previously was held by W.J. Vance of Medina, Ohio, who caught a 204-pound bluefin at the Southeast Lumps off Virginia Beach in 1977.
Bay and ocean anglers must watch for thunderstorms that can bring heavy blows and high seas.
WHERE YOU CAN AVOID HIGH WATER AND CROWDS: Briery Creek Lake, where boats are restricted to engines of 10 horsepower or less, is offering good sunfish action for anglers casting live crickets or Beetle Spins at depths of 10 to 15 feet.
Gatewood Reservoir is turing out a variety bass, crappie and bluegills. Look for big bluegills around the weed beds. The lake, which is restricted to boats you paddle or power with electric motors, has enjoyed excellent largemouth bass fishing this season. It took 17 pounds, 5 ounces to win a tournament Saturday.
The Jackson River above Lake Moomaw, in the Hidden Valley area, is a spot where anglers can find solitude and trout. The 3-mile special regulations area, in the Poor Farm section, is the place to go. In the same region, landowner Ralph Cleek offers access to a private section of the river for fly fishing at $20 per day; call 703-839-2756.
For big-water fishing, Kerr Lake is a spot where high water helps you catch bass by shoving the shoreline into the willow trees. By Wednesday Kerr had reached an elevation of 307 feet. Anything over 303 feet puts it back into the brush.
TALKING TURKEY: Hunters set a record during the spring gobbler season, reporting 11,694 kills, a 30.2-percent increase over the previous high mark set in 1994. Most of the top counties were in the western end of the state. Franklin was first, with 295 birds; Bedford, 275; Buchanan, 261; Scott, 258; Pittsylvania, 252; Westmoreland, 241; Bath, 213; Halifax, 208; Rockbridge, 202, and Dickenson, 199.
by CNB