Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 15, 1995 TAG: 9510160094
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B13 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``I was in constant amazement and continued awe at the quality fishing experience this resource was able to provide,'' said the Newport angler.
``Maybe it was too good,'' Williams told board members of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries during a meeting Friday in Blacksburg.
``The last time I fished the tail water I left the river with a sinking feeling of disgust,'' he said. ``Fish that once seemed strong, healthy and unscathed now appeared as victims of a third-rate horror film. Mouths were ripped, slashed and scarred to the point that I wondered how they could even feed to sustain life. Maybe they couldn't.''
An active member of Trout Unlimited, Williams believes the Jackson tailrace, located northeast of Covington, is in dire need of more restrictive fishing regulations. The trout are being pounded too hard by crowds of anglers.
``I firmly believe that this river can become the Madison or the Bighorn of the East,'' he said. ``But we must act to protect it.''
Williams offered several suggestions:
Single-hook, artificial lures only and a no-kill or one-fish, 20-inch minimum size for the entire river.
Closure or limited access during the spawning season for the first 400 meters below the dam.
A special-regulations fishing license required, with the money going toward research and management at streams where fishing for fun is emphasized.
Current regulations allow any type of fishing in the 18.7-mile tailrace section of the Jackson. That includes the use of bait. All fish caught must be returned alive to the river.
Studies show mortality from bait fishing is higher than from artificial lures, said Larry Mohn, a regional fisheries manager for the game and fish department. The rate is 25 to 30 percent for bait; 5 percent for artificial lures.
It will be October 1996 before changes in fishing regulations are considered, and the Jackson likely will be one of the topics, said Gary Martel, chief of the department's fish division. The current regulations were adopted in March 1990 as a temporary measure to protect newly stocked trout until their survival and growth could be monitored.
The management of this fishery is made difficult by the squabble between landowners and fishermen, who have been fighting in court. With much of the stream property considered private, heavy pressure is placed on public sections, especially the first 400 meters below the dam, where Williams said the fish were scar-faced.
``There is no doubt in my mind there is a lot of hooking injuries there,'' Mohn said. ``It is just intensely fished because it is the only sizeable stretch of the stream available for public fishing.''
Elsewhere, the fishery is in good shape, Mohn said.
``There has been no statistical change in the population, either numbers-wise or quality-wise,'' he said.
The number of young fish is down this season, but Mohn attributes that to reduced stocking in 1994. Last year, fish officials began releasing half-wild browns and rainbows in an effort to stimulate natural reproduction, which has been low. The wild fish are in short supply.
Williams may not get the kind of restrictions he'd like, but board members appear ready to take a fresh look at the tailrace management.
``We have to be moving forward with intensive management there,'' said Larry Jahn, the board's vice chairman.
by CNB