ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 6, 1997 TAG: 9702060029
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: OUTDOORS
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
Walleye angling is one of the fastest-growing outdoor pursuits in the country, with some of its fans saying their fish could be the most sought-after catch of the 21st century.
The upswing in interest has spawned walleye clubs, walleye tournaments, walleye boats, walleye magazines, walleye videos and even catalogs catering exclusively to walleye fishermen.
But in Virginia, the hot topic is walleye woes.
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries continues to pour walleye into Virginia streams and lakes, but catches have been disappointingly few.
Nearly 1 million walleye were stocked by the department last year. That's more than twice as many as any other warm-water species, including striped bass.
So where did they all go?
Tom Hampton, a fisheries biologist for the department, hopes to find some answers by getting inside walleye at John W. Flannagan Reservoir. A research project he is heading has a goal of equipping a dozen walleye with transmitters to determine their seasonal habitat preferences and their movements. About the size of a tube of lip balm, each transmitter is surgically implanted into the body cavity of the fish.
Flannagan, a 1,143-acre federal lake on the Pound River in Dickenson County, has a strong population of bragging-size walleye, Hampton said. But, as at many other spots in Virginia, few of the toothy, big-eyed fish are taken by fishermen. For the average angler, walleye continue to be an elusive catch across Virginia.
Last year, 974,500 fingerling walleye were stocked in impoundments that ranged in size from 50,000-acre Kerr Lake, in the south-central part of the state, to 31-acre Lake Robertson in Rockbridge County. In addition to Kerr, the major impoundments that received walleye were Leesville, Philpott, Claytor, Gaston and Anna. The Clinch and New rivers also were stocked. Hidden Valley, a 61-acre state-owned lake at a 3,500-foot altitude near Abingdon also received walleye, along with a bevy of small Piedmont and Tidewater lakes.
Fishermen frequently praise walleye because the fish are excellent to eat and are active year-round, even when other species can be docile and difficult to catch.
But in Virginia, walleye aren't always the February friend they are touted to be. The most recent trophy-fish information shows the best months for catching them at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia's top producer of big walleye, are May and April, in that order. Ranking behind Smith Mountain as trophy producers are Kerr Lake, Lake Gaston, Philpott Lake and the New River. The very biggest walleye, and that includes the 14-pound, 2-ounce state record landed Dec. 23, 1994, come from the New River. But the annual number of citations can be counted on two hands.
Hampton chose Flannagan for his research because gill-net sampling there turned up hefty catches of walleye, even though you couldn't prove their presence by the catches of fishermen.
The first transmitter was implanted last year as a test and monitored for a 24-hour period. During that time, the fish moved 1 1/2 miles, which was a surprise to Hampton. What didn't surprise him was that most of the movement came from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. After all, walleye are known as a nocturnal species.
The fish favored depths of 28 to 48 feet, which could be one of the reasons fishermen find them difficult to catch.
Hampton hopes to determine if the walleye are running up river to spawn, or if they are spawning on rocky shorelines in the lake. Comparison studies will be conducted in other lakes, including Hungry Mother Lake in Smyth County. Hungry Mother, biologists say, also has an impressive walleye population.
Maybe some day the presence of walleye in Virginia can be determined more by fishing fun than by science.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 linesby CNB