There are lots and lots of trout now in the South River in Waynesboro. The state has stocked trout twice so far, and the local chapter of TU has added three more loads – plus, there were plenty of holdovers to start off with. Tommy at South River Fly Shop says the best shot at catching some of these nice fish is with a double nymph rig, but the sulphur hatch should happen any day.
The run of shad upriver in both the James and Rappahannock has peaked, but there are still plenty of fish to be caught. Right behind the shad will be striped bass. The white perch run has also topped out, but the perch are also available in good numbers.
Largemouth bass catches on tidal rivers have been extraordinary this spring. Topwater baits are beginning to attract more and more hits from the bass.
Crappie are in various stages of spawn – some have, some haven’t, but they are still relatively shallow and won’t go deep until the water heats up – and with these frigid nights, that may be a while.
Smallmouth are turning on throughout Virginia – the New, Shenandoah and James have all been productive and topwater baits are doing the job.
Striper fishing has been excellent at both Anna and Smith Mountain, but hit or miss at Buggs Island as fish are on the move upriver to spawn. We are approaching the peak time to striper fish on the Staunton Ron. The walleye bite on the Staunton is also good.
Saltwater
In Virginia saltwater, the flounder have been slow to bite, but the speckled trout are turning on. Puppy, drum, too.
Big red drum are now patrolling the shallows of the Easter Shore and should arrive en masse along the CBBT in the next week or so,
Tautog fishing over wrecks and structures is as good as it gets. Fresh blue crab is the ticket. Anglers on the piers are decking some bluefish, sea mullet and trout.
On the OBX, deep water boats are finding plenty of Yellowfin Tuna, Blackfin Tuna, Wahoo, and some Mahi. The inshore boats are catching Puppy Drum, and Specks. Nice sized stripers are biting well back in Albemarle Sound.
Surf action at Hatteras is spotty with a few blues and specks reported, but some nice shad were caught from the piers. The ocean temp is still below 60 degrees,
Stocking Up on Walleye
Slowly, surely, Virginia is becoming a top choice for walleye fishermen. Good fisheries management and an excellent walleye hatchery system area to be thanked – that and some great Virginia lakes and rivers suitable for walleye.
At one time, Virginia swapped striper fingerlings for walleye fingerlings produced by other states. Now, we have our own production facility at the Vic Thomas Fish Hatchery in Brookneal, one of the three warmwater fish hatcheries in our state.
Walleye used for egg production are captured in March from the Staunton River, which runs parallel to the Vic Thomas Hatchery. The Staunton, by the way, is a terrific walleye fishery in itself. Brood fish are captured from the river by biologists using electro fishing techniques – both males and females are gathered. Milk is collected from the males and then eggs from the females, when they are ready to spawn. The eggs and milk are mixed under controlled conditions. Bits of clay are added to keep the eggs from adhering together – much like wild conditions when walleye spawn over sand and gravel. The fertilized eggs hatch in about 12 days and are then moved to an aquarium for three additional days. Then, the small larvae are transferred to a warm water pond for about 30 days. The fingerling walleye are then collected by biologists to be stocked in appropriate lakes and rivers. The original brood stock are all released unharmed back into the Staunton River.
It takes about three years from that point until the walleye reach creel-able sizes. The all-time Virginia state record for walleye weighed 22 ½ pounds, caught in 1973. Perhaps, soon, there will be one caught even larger.
Good job, Wildlife guys.
