THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 24, 1996 TAG: 9603240196
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
Western Branch Reservoir in Suffolk was the hottest fishing hole in Virginia for anglers trying to win citation awards from the state's 1995 Fresh Water Fishing Program.
The 1,579-acre impoundment was responsible for 690 of the 7,191 awards earned from the program, conducted by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. That was more than any other single water.
``The Branch,'' as Western Branch is widely known, produced 299 awards for sunfish, including shellcracker, and 84 for largemouth bass, its two most popular species.
But Lake Anna, northwest of Richmond, was the No. 1 largemouth water. Some 102 of the state's 1,551 bass awards came from there. Overall, more anglers caught award-winning largemouth bass than any other species.
This year's grand total represented a decrease of 513 from 1994. But the largemouth bass total more than doubled 1994's 648.
The bass increase apparently was because, for the first time, the state allowed anglers to measure and release their catches without weighing them. The minimum qualifying length was 22 inches. Some fish of that size weigh as little as 5 pounds.
The minimum for weighed bass remained 8 pounds, so by measuring their catches, as opposed to weighing them, many additional anglers caught qualifying bass.
State officials attributed the overall decrease to the fact that, for the first time, anglers had to pay for the awards, popularly known as citations. The fee was $4.
The top spot for giant bass was Briery Creek Lake in Prince Edward County, south of Farmville. The relatively new impoundment produced the state's three heaviest largemouths.
The heaviest weighed 16 pounds, 3 ounces, and was boated by Scott Moss of Richmond. That was just 1 ounce off the state-record 16 1/4-pounder landed at Lake Connor, near South Boston, by Richard Tate in 1985.
Bernard Hamilton of Richmond had 1995's No. 2 largemouth at 14-15. The third-heaviest was claimed by Charles A. Raymond of Powhatan and weighed 14-9.
Smith Mountain Lake near Roanoke held its position as the state's top area for freshwater stripers with 147 of the 277 awards.
The top trout stream was Cripple Creek, a trout farm near Rural Retreat. It accounted for 361 of the 587 brook trout awards, 50 of the 573 for rainbow trout and 26 of the 176 for brown trout.
Southside Hampton Roads winners (biggest of species) included:
Sunfish: Michael W. Whittaker, Chesapeake, 3 pounds, 4 ounces, caught at Western Branch.
White perch: Jimmy A. Roper, Portsmouth, 2-8, Lake Prince.
Yellow perch: Christopher L. Brooks, Portsmouth, 2-8, Notttoway River.
Chain pickerel: Vincent Ruggiero, Virginia Beach, 6-12, private lake.
Bowfin: John L. Welge, Suffolk, 14-12, Lake Meade.
Other winners included:
Smallmouth bass: John M. Saville Jr., Blacksburg, 6-13, New River.
Rock bass: Curtis E. Hamlet, Brookneal, 2-8, Staunton River.
Crappie: Cynthia C. Moorfield, Brookneal, 4-5, private pond.
Striped bass: Michael Rogers, Thomasville, N.C., 45-10, Smith Mountain Lake.
White bass: David M. Duckworth, Skipwith, 4-2, Buggs Island Lake.
Walleye: Brian K. Mabry, Max Meadows, 12-14, New River.
Muskellunge: Steve A. Akers, Christiansburg, 36-0, New River.
Northern pike: Larance Sutherland Sr., St. Paul, 18-8, Bark Camp Lake.
Brook trout: Ronald M. Call, Saltville, 5-9, Greer's Pond.
Brown trout: Cecil E. Welcher, Bridgewater, 15-11, Lake Moomaw.
Rainbow trout: Garland M. Farmer Jr., Marion, 13-10, Ironweed farm pond.
Blue catfish: John D. Butler, Chesterfield, 65-12, James River.
Channel catfish: Marvin E. Bisic, Amelia, 28-12, James River.
Flathead catfish: George F. Kerns Jr., Manassas, 50-0, Occoquan Reservoir.
Carp: Kevin L. Pillsbury, Woodbridge, 55-8, Potomac River.
Gar: Douglas B. Biggs, Green Bay, 21-10, Roanoke River.
Minimum weights and lengths for the 1996 contest, which opened Jan. 1 and runs through Dec. 31:
Largemouth bass, 22 inches or 8 pounds; smallmouth bass, 20 inches or 5 pounds; rock bass, 12 inches or 1 pound; crappie, 15 inches or 2 pounds; sunfish, 11 inches or 1 pound; striped bass, 37 inches or 20 pounds; white bass, 18 inches or 2 1/2 pounds; white perch, 13 inches or 1 1/4 pounds; muskellunge, 40 inches or 15 pounds; northern pike, 30 inches or 6 pounds; chain pickerel, 24 inches or 4 pounds; yellow perch, 12 inches or 1 1/4 pounds; walleye, 25 inches or 5 pounds; brook trout, 16 inches or 2 pounds; brown trout, 25 inches or 5 pounds, rainbow trout, 22 inches or 4 pounds, channel catfish, 30 inches or 12 pounds; blue catfish, 34 inches or 20 pounds; flathead catfish, 40 inches or 25 pounds; gar, 40 inches or 10 pounds; bowfin, 30 inches or 10 pounds; and carp, 34 inches or 20 pounds. by CNB