ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610220009
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-10 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Outdoors
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
The first thing you notice about the Jackson River is that it is big by Eastern trout stream standards. And it is wild, its frequent riffles and lengthy, quiet stretches holding colorful trout that you earn by long, sock-eating walks in cumbersome waders.
We aren't talking about the Jackson below Gathright Dam, which has grabbed most of the attention recently because of legal battles over ownership rights. The description fits the upper Jackson, in the Hidden Valley area of Bath County - the peaceful Jackson, the public-ownership Jackson - where special regulations on a three-mile stretch provide some of the finest trout fishing in the state.
The fly-fishing fraternity still is buzzing over the mid-summer, 131/2-pound brown trout catch on the upper Jackson by Charles Ford of Lexington.
``That is something I couldn't conceive being in there,'' said Larry Mohn, a regional fisheries manager for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
During sampling efforts, biologists will turn up a few 5- to 8-pound fish, and find excellent numbers of smaller trout, many of them just under the 12-inch mark. They are nice-sized fish, but biologists believe if given more protection the fishery could be better.
``The feeling is we have the potential to grow more larger fish,'' Mohn said. ``Certainly this one [the 131/2-pounder] tends to indicate they will grow pretty well.''
In an effort to increase the average size of the trout by returning smaller fish to the river, the department has proposed a regulation change that would place more emphasis on catch-and-release. It would boost the minimum keeper size in the special-regulations section from 12 to 16 inches and lower the creel limit from six to two daily. The proposal is scheduled for final action Thursday at a hearing in Richmond. It has the support of Trout Unlimited and should pass. If so, it will become law Jan.1.
``Rather than having 10- to 11-inch fish, which you catch regularly, I am hoping we will get a lot of 13- to 15-inch fish, which really ups the quality of the fishing experience,'' Mohn said.
The stream flows through a wild, scenic gorge that is reached from the upper end off U.S. 220 north of Warm Springs, or from the lower end at the Warwick House in the Hidden Valley Recreation areas off Virginia 39 west of Warm Springs. From either direction, you must walk to the special-regulations section, which adds to its allure. There is little problem finding stretches all to yourself.
The stream is stocked fall, winter and spring, and there is modest natural reproduction in some of its tributaries and around some of its springs, Mohn said. It's mostly-limestone water generates some dandy hatches.
``I wouldn't hesitate to say that it has about all of the major hatches on it,'' said Jason Woods of the Outpost, a tackle shop at The Homestead in Hot Springs. The stream banks offer productive spots to drift streamers and nymphs, and in the summer, terrestrials such as hoppers, ants and beetles can bring swirling strikes.
Spin fishermen aren't excluded. Under the current and proposed regulations, anglers can use any single-hook artificial lure, which includes spinners and jigs. Along with fly anglers, sportsmen with ultra-light spinning outfits can enjoy wonderful outings that are destined to be even better if the proposed regulations are approved.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 linesby CNB