Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 15, 1990 TAG: 9006160434
SECTION: SMITH MOUNTAIN TIMES PAGE: SMT-9 EDITION: BEDFORD/FRANKLIN
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
You cast your bait - worm, grub or minnow - and feel a nibble. You jerk and there is nothing on the end of your line. Not even your bait. It's gone.
You rebait, cast and wait. Your red-and-white float wiggles, just enough to dimple the water, but not enough for you to jerk. You watch, both hands on your fishing rod, ready to strike.
The bobber is motionless for several seconds, then it jiggles again, finally popping beneath the water. You set the hook and feel the tug of a fish this time.
Welcome to the world of yellow perch fishing.
The past three years, the yellow perch, a pint-size nibbler, has gotten a finhold in Smith Mountain Lake. The occurrence is not spectacular, like the striped bass boom of the '70s, but this modest panfish has carved a niche in the lake's family of fish.
"The first citation we got was in 1972," said A.L. LaRoche III, a regional fisheries manager for the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
A yellow perch, sometimes called ringed perch, must be 1 pound to earn a trophy fish citation from the game and fish department. The state record is a 2-pound, 2-ounce New River catch.
After that first Smith Mountain citation, others came slowly, one about every other year through the '70s. In the '80s, there were two or three per year until 1988. Then, BOOM! Sixteen were registered that year. Last season, there were 10. So far this year, there have been four.
The yellow perch may be adapting to a changing environment, La- Roche believes, admitting that his agency doesn't burn a lot of midnight oil studying this species.
Most likely, the perch is benefiting from a cleaner habitat, particularly in the upper reaches of the lake, where the once-rich load of phosphorus in the water has been reduced sharply by Roanoke's advanced waste-treatment plant.
Like its cousin the walleye, and like the striped bass (no kin), the yellow perch is classified as a cool-water fish, which means it is more demanding of its environment than many warm-water species.
LaRoche isn't certain how important the perch will become to angling at Smith Mountain. It is a popular sport and food fish in Southern Canada and the Northern United States, but it isn't likely to have a major impact in this region.
Even so, it already is gaining fans.
"I've had two or three people say, `I'd just as soon catch them as anything, the way they fight.' They fight real good," said Melvin Crusson, who operates the Minnow Pond tackle shop at Hardy.
Most of the catches at Smith Mountain are taken by fishermen after crappie.
Some don't even know what they are catching, said Wayne Blount, who operates Foxsport XIV Marine Camp at the mouth of Gills Creek.
"We have a yellow perch weighing over a pound mounted on our wall," he said. People come in here and say, `What kind of fish is that?' We tell them and they say, `I have one like it out in my livewell.' "
The heaviest perch registered from Smith Mountain this year weighed 1 pound, 3 ounces and measured 13 inches. It was landed by Joe Richardson of Ivanhoe. Last year's top catch weighed 1 pound, 10 ounces and reportedly was caught by Reginald Hancock of Wirtz.
The year 1986 was a big one for perch, which could mean that still another surge of citation catches could occur in a year or so, LaRoche said. "There have been a lot of perch caught this spring just under citation size," Crusson said.
The yellow perch is a good mom, pop and kids species. It can be taken on simple tackle by fishermen with limited experience. In addition, it is excellent for eating.
As for the serious fishermen, the potential of catching a state record is well within reason. Big fish traditionally are a product of an expanding population.
Bass and striper fishing has been tough for the average Joe at Smith Mountain, but experienced black bass fishermen have been enjoying success during the week when boating traffic is limited. A few stripers are being taken near the dam, where they are hitting broken-back Red Fin plugs during the early hours.
Among the week's better catches, James Lynch of Moneta caught stripers weighing 16 pounds and 18 1/2 pounds. Gary Hengel landed a 5 3/4-pound largemouth bass.
by CNB