By Rick Perry, the Assistant to Executive Director for Law Enforcement at DWR. His goal was to catch a Virginia walleye, and he was shocked at what happened! This last Thursday, March 3, I caught the fish of a lifetime in the New River. I had always wanted to catch a walleye, but didn’t really want to go to Canada to catch one. Last September I was working with CPO Wes Billings when … [Read more...]

  The big news on the Virginia saltwater scene is that large red drum have arrived on the shoals near Fisherman’s Island. Dr. Ken Neill, Stan Simmerman and David Brabrand made a run over and caught a shark, had two drag screamers, and pulled the hook on one. But David did manage to tag and released their first bull red of the season. Good puppy drum action continues in Virginia Beach … [Read more...]

Fisheries biologists with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) recently identified gill lice on rainbow trout in Blue Springs Creek, a tributary to Cripple Creek, located in Smyth and Wythe Counties. Gill lice are tiny, parasitic copepods, a type of zooplankton, that attach to a fish’s gills, mouth, and fins. The gill lice recently found is likely Salmincola californiensis, a … [Read more...]

  It’s spring, for sure. Lake Orange is open for business. Darrell Kennedy with Angler’s Landing at Lake Orange says the water temperature at the lake is creeping into the lower 50’s and things are starting to happen. Bass and crappie are leaving their winter haunts and are in a preseason feeding mood. They’re hungry! Bass are taking advantage of the lake’s large shad population as well as … [Read more...]

  The next time I get married, it won’t be in early March. The fishing sucks that time of year. When Nancy and I head out to celebrate our anniversary each year on March 3, the trout streams are too cold, the smallmouth are still wearing mittens, and the only thing biting in the Outer Banks surf are skates and dogfish. Or so I thought. This year, we went to Nags Head and rented an … [Read more...]

    It’s March and good fishing is right around the corner. Charter crews are working on their boats, tackle shops are servicing reels and replacing old line. Marinas are prepping for the season. March will have some angling opportunities. Puppy drum aare available in Rudee Inlet, Lynnhaven Inlet, the Elizabeth River and other inlets. In fact, Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle … [Read more...]

By Peter Brookes When late February rolls around, most anglers have had about as much of being stuck indoors and away from their favorite fishing hole as they can stand. “Cabin fever” among anglers ranks right up there with the flu as an unwelcome winter illness. This year’s bone-chilling polar vortex only made it worse. But letting cabin fever get to you isn’t the answer. Instead, put on … [Read more...]

Not Bengal Tigers. Tiger trout. They are now lurking in Virginia trout waters and if you are a minnow or a stone fly, you’re in trouble. They are vicious predators. According to the DWR, a tiger trout is a sterile hybrid created with a female brown trout and a male brook trout. Although rarely, tiger trout do occur in the wild where both wild brown trout and wild brook trout occur. Tiger trout … [Read more...]