Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 24, 1995 TAG: 9508240035
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Have the good old days returned?
Probably not, but old-timers say the river fishing has shown a marked improvement this season. There are more bass chasing lures, and, best of all, the fish are averaging heavier in weight. The river turned out one of its biggest catches ever when Liz Sellick of Lynchburg landed a 6-pound, 4-ounce smallmouth in the Bennett Creek area.
But keep it all quiet. Many fishermen believe the James received too much attention in the mid-'80s, and the bass were overexploited. Who can blame them for wanting to keep any rebound under their fishing cap?
For the first time in ages, the James wasn't the state's leader of smallmouth citations last year. That honor went to the New River, which registered 33 citations - fish 5-pounds or more. The James had 21. Smith Mountain Lake was third, with 16.
In the 1980s, the James produced citation bass by the hundreds. Granted, the minimum weight to earn a citation was a pound lighter then. It reached its peak in 1986, when the count climbed to 377.
Tackle shops and canoe liveries were popping up along the river. Feature articles on the superb bass fishing were appearing in national magazines. Guides were setting up businesses. Parking spots became scarce at launching areas. Research by Virginia Tech revealed an annual use of about one-quarter million recreationists. The river had been discovered.
Bass numbers began to decline, and so did redbreast sunfish.
Why the bass turnaround this season?
There are many theories. The slot limit has helped. So has boosting the minimum citation size from 4 to 5 pounds. Some fishermen believe a reduction in predators, including muskie and flathead catfish, has had a positive impact. Maybe it also has to do with several seasons of more stable water flow from Gathright Dam. Or, perhaps, some fishermen gave up on the river, reducing fishing pressure. And, then, there is catch-and-release.
There is little reason why the bass fishing can't continue to improve if fishermen put back the smallmouths they catch.
BRAGGING RIGHTS: Roanoke fly fishermen James Williams caught a 6 1/4-pound rainbow trout in the Jackson River immediately below Gathright Dam.
While trolling spoons in Philpott Lake, North Carolina anglers Randy and Geraldine Clifton caught three rainbow trout that weighed 4 pounds, 10 ounces; 3 pounds, 12 ounces; and 3 pounds, 10 ounces.
Dale Coley caught a 27-pound, 6-ounce striped bass from Smith Mountain Lake.
C.J. Phillips of Covington landed a 6-pound largemouth at Lake Moomaw. Chuck Coch of Lexington caught a 3-pound, 11-ounce smallmouth from the Maury River.
TOURNAMENT BOUND: The father-son team of Jimmy and Matt Cannoy of Franklin County won the American Bass Association adult-youth Virginia championship and will move on to competition in Alabama in October. Matt is 13 years old.
TRAIL PARKING: Last year, 100,000 people climbed Old Rag Mountain in Madison County. Many came during the fall color season. So many, in fact, that hikers had to wait in line to go through the ``rock scramble'' near the summit. Sanitation, litter, illegal camping and trail erosion were problems. Parking was a nightmare.
In an effort to reduce the negative impacts of this love affair with the mountain, the Shenandoah National Park has proposed a parking permit system. Under the idea, expected to be adopted next month, free permits would be issued at the Old Rag parking on a first-come, first-served basis. When the lot is full would-be hikers would be turned away.
MARLIN OUTLOOK: Marlin fishermen will do well to watch the weather report along the Virginia-North Carolina coast. On the last fishable day before Felix, five charter boats - No Problem, High Hopes, Poor Girl, Hooker and Water Witch - combined to catch nearly 90 billfish. The action took place between the Cigar and Norfolk Canyon and should reoccur when the seas settle.
by CNB