There are lots of fishermen who fish their entire lives and never catch a single citation-sized fish. There are others who will maybe land a fish or two that exceeds the minimum citation weight or length and there are a handful of anglers who catch 6 or 8 citations for different species. But there is only one in all of Virginia who has a caught a citation fish in all 25 official categories and that’s Stephen Miklanric.
On April 7, 2019, Stephen hooked and landed a citation, fresh water drum on the Dan River becoming the first ever Level V Master Angler. After catching his first citation, it took Stephen nearly 33 years to complete his goal. There was a lot of pressure catching that final fish. Stephen recalls it this way:
When I reached the point where I had citations in 24 out of the 25 gamefish species present here in Virginia, the freshwater drum was the last remaining. Naturally, this meant that I had to focus on the bodies of water that contained them. This meant Buggs Island Lake and the rivers that feed it. I had to research them, learn about their habits and where freshwater drum can be found based on the time of year. Again, it’s all in the details or puzzle pieces as I like to think of it.
Freshwater drum are bottom feeders and they prefer sandy bottoms. I knew that it being April, they would be moving into the rivers to spawn just as the white bass do every April. So now, it was just a matter of putting my time in once again. It can never happen if you don’t put in your time.
On Sunday, April 7, 2019 I chose to fish the Dan River. Important to note, after all of the flooding that occurred last year, the contour of the river had changed in many places. I found new fishing spots that had been created along the river, especially where smaller creeks enter the river. They were scrubbed clean and with a heavy sand deposit. I thought that this looked really good for drum.
I used a 3” plastic shad body on a ¼-ounce jig head to mimic a baitfish. I figured the bigger drum would most likely prefer a bait fish for a meal. I made sure to bump it along the bottom and feel the lure scratch the bottom of the sandy river floor with each retrieve. Then bam! The rest was history.
Below are the requirements for citations in Virginia by weight or length:
Largemouth Bass: 8 lbs. or 22”
Smallmouth Bass: 5 lbs.or 20”
Crappie: 2 lbs. or 15”
Rock Bass: 1 lb. or 12”
Sunfish: 1 lb. or 11”
White Bass: 2 ½ lbs. or 18”
Striped Bass: 20 lbs. or 37”
Hybrid Striped Bass: 8 lbs. or 24”
White Perch 1 lb., 4 oz. or 13”
Channel Catfish: 12 lbs.or 30”
Blue Catfish: 30 lbs. or 38”
Flathead Catfish: 25 lbs. or 40”
Rainbow Trout: 4 lbs. or 22”
Brook Trout: 2 lbs. or 16”
Brown Trout: 5 lbs.or 25”
Chain Pickerel: 4 lbs. or 24”
Muskellunge: 15 lbs. or 40”
Northern Pike:6 lbs. or 30”
Walleye: 5 lbs. or 25”
Sauger: 2 lbs. or 18”
Yellow Perch: 1 lb. 4 oz.or 12”
Gar: 10 lbs. or 40”
Bowfin: 10 lbs. or 30”
Carp20 lbs. or 34”
Freshwater Drum: 6 lbs.or 24”