Table Of Contenttt
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CommonwealthofVirginia
MarkR.Warner,Governor
iiiiin LHUNTING & FISHING /^
ICENSE FEE b'
WilliamL. Woodfin,Jr
Subsidizedthispublication
SecretaryofNatural Resources
W.TayloeMurphy,
Jr.
Formanyofyou vidual pictvires for a variety of publica- DepartmentofGameand
whohavecome tions. Hehasthreestateduckstampsto InlandFisheries
to love Virginia hiscreditandhas donatedover500orig- William L. Woodfin,Jr.,Director
tWihledlifneammaegazCianrel, icnoanltrpiabiuntteisngsmutcohDuocfkhsisUnsluicmcietsesd.asHea MembersoftheBoard
"Spike"Knuthhas wildlifeartisttothefactthathehascon- CChhaarilremsaGn.McDamel, Fredericksburg
bmeocuosmewistyhnhounny-- tciannuaebdotuotsotuurdynaatnudralleasrunrarsoumnudcinhgsa,shseo RViicchea-rcdhaLi.rmCoarnrigan,Arlington
dreds of articles thathisillustrationsandpaintingscould CecilT. Campbell, Warrenton
and original illus- bemoreaccurate. SherrySmithCrumley,Buchanan
trations about Virginia's wildlife and ImightaddthatalongthewaySpike ChuckCunningham,Fairfax
theplaces,andpeoplewhohaveshaped hasalsomanagedtosharehisloveofthe JimmyDean, Varina
the states incredible outdoor heritage. outdoorsbyhelpingtohostandco-pro- DanielA. Hoffler, Eastville
But, most may know him best for his duce over 300 television programs, DanR. McCoy, BigStoneGap
artistic talents that have brought to life hoursand hoursofradioprogramsarid Will McNeely, Charlottesville
the pages of Virginia Wildlife. After al- shared his knowledge about the out- JRaicckhaTr.dShEo.oRsamiiletyh,,CCohuersttlearnd
most30yearsofwriting, picturetaking doorstohundredsofthousandsofindi-
and painting his way tlirough the Old viduals through articles that have ap- Magazine Staff
Dominion, Spike Knuth is officially peared in newspapers around the state. LeeWalker, Editor
hanging out the sign on his office door Ask what his biggest accomplishment MelWhite,RonMessina,JuliaDixonSmit
thatreads,"I'llbeoutoftheofficeenjoy- hasbeeninhislongcareerandSpikewill ContributingEditors
ingtheoutdoors." tellyouithasbeensharinghisloveofthe EmilyPels,ArtDirector
Retirement is something that most outdoorswithhiswifeSusieandhistwo SpikeKnuth, Illustrator,StaffWriter
people work for all their life, but as sons,BarryandMatt. CarolKushlak, ProductionAssistant
Spike puts it "it simply means I'll have Goodbyesarealwayshard todo,but StaffContributors: CarolHeiser
msoonrewthiomelittoerwarliltyehaansdnpoatinhta.d"Faordaaypegro- Swphiokehhaavseacsosmureedtomeen,joayndhiasllcoonfttrhiobus-e Color separations and printing by Nittaiti
ValleyOffset,StateCollege, PA.
by in the last 50 years where he didn't tions in Virginia Wildlife, that as long as
have his pen and paintbrush in hand, hecanpickupapaintbrushorpenthat Virginia midlife (ISSN 0042 6792) is publishd'
idtr'sivhearadntdo beenltiehvuestihaastmhetosticllonhatsintuhee hViergwiilnliaa'lswraiycshcoounttdionourethoerhietlapgepraonmdotteo mIandoldnartnehdslsyFicbshhyaenrtgiheeess.VitSoregVniindrigaailnDlieaspuWabislrdctlrmiifepen,ttiPo.onOf.oGrBadoemxres74aar7n!
showcasing all the wonderful natural trytoeducatepeopleontheimportance RedOak,Iowa51591-0477.Addressallothercoii
resources that abound in the state. But, ofprotecting ournatural resources. We munications concerning this publication '
forthosewhoknowSpike, tliisisnoth- certainly wish him and his family the SVtirregeitn,ia Rmiidclhifmeo,ndP.,O.VBiorxgi1n1i1a04,234203100-1W1e0s4t.BrSouiS
ing new coming from an individual verybestin thisnextstageofa truly re- scriptionrateis$12.95foroneyear,$23.95fortw
who grew up around the lakes and markable career of bringing the out- years; $2.00 pereachback issue, subjecttoavai
marshesofsoutheasternWisconsinand doorsalittleclosertoeachofus. aybeialri,ty.anOdutm-uofs-tcobuentprayidraitnesU.aSr.e f$u2n4d.s9.5TfoorsOuil
beganhuntingand fishingattheageof scribe, call toll-free (800) 710-9369. Postmaste
seven. Spike says he quickly became Please send all address changes to Virgin
fascinated with the natural world Wildlife,PO.Box7477,RedOak,Iowa51591-047
PostageforperiodicalspaidatRichmond,Virgin
around him and found that he had a andadditionalentryoffices. j
burning desire to become a wildlife il- Copyright 2003 by the Virginia Department i
lustrator, thanks in part to a movie GameandInlandFisheries.Allrightsreserved.
called "Whispering Wings" produced The Department of Game and Inland Fisherii
byDucksUnlimitedinthe1950s.Itwas shall afford to all persons an equal access i
the sight and sounds ofwaterfowl that Department programs and facilities withoi
sparkedapassiontopaintbirdsandes- rabeiglaitryd,tsoexr,acoer,caogleo.r,Ifreylioguiobn,elniaetvieontahlatoryiogiun,hdaiv
pecially ducks in their natural habitat beendiscriminatedagainstinanyprogram,acti>
thathelped his professional career take ity,orfacility,pleasewriteto:VirginiaDepartmei
ofGameandInland Fisheries,ATTN:Complianc
flight. Officer, 4010 West Broad Street. PO. Box lllO'
Since that time Spike has illustrated Richmond,Virginia23230-1104.
over 80 covers and thousands of indi-
"ThispublicationisintendedforgeneralinformJ
tional purposes only and every effort has bee
madetoensureitsaccuracy.Theinformationcor
tainedhereindoesnotser\easalegalrepresent:
tion of fish and wildlife lawsor regulations.Th
MissionStatement Virginia Department of Game and Inlan'
Fisheries does not assume responsibility foran
TomanageVirginia'.swildlifeandinlandfishtomaintainoptimumpopulationsof:illspeciestosei\ellieneedsoftlieCoininonwealtli; change in dates, regulations, or informationth<
toprovideoppoiHinityfor:illtoenjoywildlife,inlandfish,boatingiuidrelatedoutdoorrecreation;topromote,safet\' mayoccurafterpublication."
forpersons;mdproperty'inconnectionwithboating,lumtiiig;uidfl.shing.
¥
IRGINIA
WILDLIFE
page4 page 10
Aboutthecover:TheSmithRiver,belowPhilpottDam,haslong
beenconsideredoneofthebesttailwatertroutstreamsinVirginia.
Anglersoftenfindthemselvessurroundedinablanketoffogasthe
coldwaterfromtherivermixeswithwarmair.©DwightDyke
Features
4 AnglingforWesternVirginia'sBigThreeSunfish
byBruceIngram
Whenitcomestoapopularitycontest:There'snothinglikeadayof page 15
catchingamessofrockbass,redbreastsunfishorbluegill.
10 DwarfSunfish byTimCopeland
Youmayneverreelinoneofthesesmallfish,buttheysurewillcatch
your attentionifyoueverseeone.
12WhatLiesBeneath. .TheSurfaceOfTheSmithRiver?
.
byMaryDail
FisheriesbiologistsaresmdyingtheSmithRivertofindwaysto
improveoneofVirginiasbesttroutstreams.
15 HabitatatHome® by CarolA.Heiser
Lookingforwaystoimprovetheenvironmentandhelpwildlife?
Itmaybeassimpleasstarringagardenfornatureinyourownyard.
Z(dTomorrow'sAngler byKingMontgomery
Theimpressionsyoumakeonayoungstertodaywilllastalifetime.
V
IRGINIA
JuneJournal WILDLIFE
30 Journal 33 Recipes Magazine
31 BackyardWild BreamontheTable
Bird(andToad)Baths 34 NaturallyWild Subscriptions
32 OnTheWater ProthonotaryWarbler
BoatInsurance??? 35 OutdoorCatalog subscriptioncallsonly
1-800-710-9369
DedicatedtotheConservationofVirginia's WildlifeandNaturalResources 12 issues for $12.95!
24 issues for $23.95
VOLUME NUMBER
64 6
Wea
Angling
for
BigThredi
byBruceIngram
Rock bass, bluegill and redbreast are three
T
hree recent fishing trips of ofthe 11 species ofsunfishfound in
mine stand out not because
they produced trophy bass, Virginia. Thesefun to catch andfeisty
citationtrout, orovergrownstripers,
butbecausetheyengenderedplenty fighters offer plenty ofangling action, and
ofpiscatorialpleasureofthepanfish
kind. On the upper James, my son are a great sportfor all ages.
Markand 1 enjoyed avoyagewhere
every eddy seemed to yield a rock
bass to my delighted offspring. A Bud LaRoche, a regional fisheries HaditatRequirements
week later on the South Fork of the manager for the Virginia Depart-
ShenandoahRiver, thehardeststrik- ment of Game and Inland Fisheries Rock bass (AmblopUtes rupestris)
ing fish of the day was a large red- lists the rock bass, redbreast sunfish hold the title as the panfishwith the
breastsunhshthatsmashed a3-inch and bluegill sunfish as the three most colorful nicknames. This sun-
longtopwaterplug, thenlooped the most popular and widespread sun- fish is known variously as a redeye,
bait twice around a rock. And on a fishinWesternVirginia.Followingis blackp—erch, rocksunfishandmyfa-
BotetourtCountyfarmpond,Ispent someinterestingbiological informa- vorite goggle-eye. As several of
a relaxing day flyfishing with pop- tionon the region'sbig three, where these monikers intimate, the rock
pers for willing bluegills that later to go in the western reaches of the bass possesses large eyes of a crim-
served as the main ingredient for Old Dominion to catch them, and sonnaturewith the second mostdi-
dinner. somehow-totips. agnostic featurebeing its dark olive
sides. Rock bass also possess large
mouths, which extend beyond the
eyes and dark blotches on the gill
A
flaps. similarspecies in Virginia is
the Roanoke bass, which typically
grows much larger in size and is
largely restricted to the Roanoke
Riverdrainage.Therockbasshassix
spines in the anal fin whereas the
Roanokebasshasthree.
Ayounganglerproudlydisplaysa
rockbassthatwascaughtwhile
wadingtheJames Riverin Bote-
tourtCounty.
VIRGINIAWILDLIFE* www.dgif.state.va.us
[em
Virgin
Sunfisii
"Normally,
anglers will find
rock bass in streams
that have cobble, boul-
dersandfasterflowingwater,
like theJames, New, Rappahannock
andSouthForkoftheShenandoah,"
says LaRoche. "Rock bass typically
feed in the main current, but they
will also move to the shoreline and
hide around boulders and sub-
merged logs. This is especially true
on rivers like the James where rock
bass will hide along the banks to
avoid flathead catfish, which are
their major predator. Rarely will an-
glers find rock bass in deep, slow
movingpools.
"Rock bass have been making a
comebackon theJamesbecauseflat-
head catfish numbers have recently
decreased.Fishermenhavejustbeen
wearing out those big flatheads and
Asmallspinnerbaitand ultra-light
spinningtackleisaperfectcombina-
tionforcatching redbreastsunfish crimsonshade), longblackgillflaps,
(above) and bluegill (left), illustra- small mouths, and turquoise-col-
tion bySpikeKnuth.
oredstreaksacrossthecheeks.
"Redbreast sunfish are found in
keeping a number of them. Fewer thesamewesternVirginiastreamsas
flatheadsmeansmorerockbass." the rockbass, butthey arenotlikely
Redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auri- tobefoundinthesameplaces," says
tiis)alsosportsomeinterestingnick- LaRoche. "Redbreasts prefer differ-
names, amongthemtheyellowbelly ent habitat niches such as deep
and sun perch. Redbreasts are char- pools, shaded shorelines and the
acterized by theiryellowbellies and fringes of water willow beds. And
lowersides(redduringthebreeciing whilerockbass,especiallyafterthey
season, the malesespecially flaunt a growlargerinsize, consumea lotof
JUNE 2003
Above:TheSouth Forkofthe ©Bruce Ingram
Shenandoah Riverisamarvelous populationandnotesthatthismem- ion anglers caught was the bluegill
redbreastsunfishstreamandholds ber of the catfish clan can similarly sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). This
excellentpopulations. Below: Ofall decimate redbreast sunfish num- panfish'sbynamesincludebluesun-
thesunfishspeciesnonemaybeas bers. Butthesamecannotbesaid for fish,copperbellyandbreamorbrim.
populartocatchandeatasthe muskies. Frankly, the nicknames bream and
bluegill. "The Department is doing a brim are real sore spots forme. True
muskiestudyontheNewRiverand bream live in European lakes and
the preliminary data indicates that can weigh up to 15 pounds with a
minnows; redbreastsaremorelikely shinersarethemajorfoodforone-to nice fish running 3 pounds. When
topreyuponstoneflies,mayfliesand two-year-old muskies and that the someone tells me that they caught
various other aquatic insects. Red- biggerfisheatmainlysuckers," says some really large bream, I ask how
breasts also will often cruise shore- Williams. "From what we know so many ofthem were over 10 pounds
lines as they search for beetles, far from the preliminary data, I and then explain what real bream
grasshoppers,cricketsandotherter- would not classify the muskie as a are.
restrials." majororminorpredatorofrockbass Bluegillsoftenvaryagreatdealin
DepartmentfisheriesbiologistJoe andredbreasts." theircoloration. Gillscan sporthues
Williams agrees with LaRoche that Chances are that the first game- from dark blue to light yellow, but
flatheads can se- fish that many, if not they almost always possess six to
verely impact most. Old Domin- eight irregular vertical bars that are
the rock bass quitevisible.Oftendefiningtraitsin-
clude black gill flaps, a dark blotch
on the rear of dorsal fins, and small
mouths that do not extend beyond
the eye. Unlike European bream,
American bluegills infrequently
topapound;a9-inchfishisavery
nicespecimenindeed.
"In Virginia, bluegills are
real bug eaters with aquatic
and terrestrial insects being a
major part of their diet," says
LaRoche. "Occasionally, though,
bluegills will consume fish. For ex-
ample, atLeesvilleLake, Ihaveseen
Bluegill largebluegills congregate above the
VIRGINIAWILDLIFE* www.dgif.state.va.us
turbines at the dam and wait for large redbreast will measure 9 inch-
shad to approach. Then just before es, but most of them will run 5 or 6
the shad are sucked in, the bluegills inches.
will rush out and attack. Generally, LaRoche relates thatbluegills can
though, bluegills prefer the still sometimes be found in the state's
water sections of the state's lakes upland rivers, specifically those sec-
and ponds. Docks and backwaters tions above power dams. But the
aregreatplacestofishforthem." state's lakes and ponds are where
copperbelliesthrive.
WheretoGo "Leesville is one of the best lakes
for big bluegills because the water
AsBudLaRochenotedearlier,the levelsfluctuatesomuchthatthefish
upper James and Rappahannock
don't typically produce large year
above their respective fall lines, the classes," he says. "Typically, the
entire length of the New, and the
fewer bluegills there are, the larger
South Fork of the Shenandoah all they grow. That's the problem with
harbor goggle-eyes. Christian
bluegillsonSmith Mountain, forex-
Goebel, who operates Shenandoah
ample. There are so many of them
River Outfitters in Luray says that that many of the fish are only 5 or 6
for some reason the South Fork
seems to contain many more rock iVnicrhgeisnlioan'gs.Ooftchoeurrse,maaljloofrwelsatkeersn
bass above the Bixlers Ferry Bridge (Moomaw, Philpott, Claytor and Whetherit'sfromtheshorelineorin
Holston)containbluegills. a boat, wettinga lineforbluegill,
"But the region's farm ponds is redbreastsunfishorrockbass
wherefishermenwill typicallycatch (below) isagreatwaytointroduce
thebiggestbluegills.That'swhereto ayoungstertotheenjoymentof
gotofind8-to9-inchandevenlarger fishing.
bluegills."
Shenandoah, my kids love to fish
AnglingTips
small minnow plugs for rock bass
On our recent float down the and suiifish," says Goebel. "Those
upper James, my son Mark caught plugs that can be twitched on the
his redeyes on a Cordell Big O surfaceandthenwhenretrievedrun
crankbait. Similar small crankbaits, about 6 inches under the top are es-
those that measure under 2 inches, peciallyeffective. ButifIhadtopick
arejustafewoftheluresthatwillbe- justone lure forboth ofthese game-
witch rock sunfish and yellowbel- fish, it would be an inline spinner.
lies. Both rock bass and redbreasts can't
"On the South Fork of the seemtoleaveaspinneralone."
than below it. Many of the smaller
riversinwesternVirginia,continues
LaRoche, alsocontainrockbass,
among them the Maury,
Roanoke, Rapidan and
North Forkofthe Holston,
just to name a few. Red-
breast sunfish also frequent
thesamestreams.
Rock bass typically attain
lengthsof6 to 7inches, and myper-
sonal best was a fish from a James
tributarythatwent12inches.Atruly
Rock bass
JUNE 2003
OnatriplastJunedowntheSouth
Fork with Christian and his son
Caleb, the youngster caught a num-
ber ofplump redbreasts that fell for
ultralight crankbaits. Usually, the
fish mauled thecrankbaitassoonas
itlanded oraftera few cranksofthe
reel.
My
biggest rock bass have all
been caught when I was fishing for
jumbo size smallmouths. Given
their large mouths, overgrown rock
bass can easily engulf 6-inch plastic
worms and 4-inch plastic crawfish
—
and tubebaits all classic lures for
largerriverbronzebacks.
My
biggestredbreasts, truebehe-
moths that measured 10 inches in
length, have come from the James
between Scottsville and Richmond
and fell to, of all things, V4-ounce
buzzbaits. More likely lures include
2-inchgrubsanddownsizedtopwa-
terpropbaits.Effectivelongrodpat-
terns for both rock bass and red-
breastincludedamselanddragonfly
—
imitationsand theold standby the
SneakyPetepopper.
Bluegills are great fun on flyrods,
and, frankly, don't worry about
matching the hatch with this game-
fish. Any dry or wet fly that works
for trout will attract gills, and small
poppers and imitations of terrestri-
als will entice them as well. Again,
VIRGINIAWILDLIFE* www.dgif.state.va.us
though, don't spend time debating
thecolorschemesandrealismofany PfunPanfishingPfacts
fly thatyou plan to toss to these ag-
gressivepredators. » Femalerockbasswilllayonav-
Ofcourse, budding anglers espe- erage around 5,000 eggs, but
cially don't have to be experts with themaleguardsthenest.
the long rod to bewitch bluegills.
Friend Doke Harbison of Roanoke » JRaomceksbaosrsSahreennaontdonaathi,veatmootnhge
and liis two grade-school-age chil-
otherstreams.
dren. Leal"! and Luke, joined me at a
Botetourt County farm pond last » Redbreastsunfish arenativeto
June. The duo baited up with por- westernVirginia'srivers.
tions of nightcrawlers, aiid the kids » A redbreast may take four or
caughtanumberofgillsbydunking fiveyearstoreach6inches.
portionsofwormsunderared-and- » Bluegills rarely live to be over
whitebobber.
sixtoeightyearsold.
Icanthinkoftwomajorreasonsto » Bluegillsareoneofthemostin-
fish for rock bass, redbreast sunfish
troduced panfish in Virginia
and bluegills. All three are fun to
andelsewhere.
catch, especially for kids, and make
outstandingtablefare.Quitesincere- • Copperbelliesspawnwhenthe
ly, each memberofthistriotastesfar water temperature reaches the
better than their close relatives, the mid-60s, one female can lay as
largemouth, smallmouth and spot- manyas35,000eggs.
Asthewarmermonthsofsummer
approach, whynotplana tripto ted bass. Those are reasons enough
oneofthemanylakes, streamsor to ply Western Virginia's waters for CanoeRental
riversfoundinWesternVirginia? theregion'sthreemostpopularpan-
Anglerswhoenjoypursuingsun- fish. D
fishwillfindthatflyfishingisanex- Shenandoah River Outfitters
cellentmethodtolurefishintobit- BruceIngramistheauthoroftwobookson cansupplycurrentriverinforma-
ipnegr.sLaenftd:Astgreoaomdersse,ltechtaitoinmiotfaptoepi-n- RriivveerrfisGhuiingdeanadnfdloTathieng:NTehwe JRaimveesr t6iCoAnNaOnEd2o)f.fers guided trips (800-
sects, isallthatyou needtoget Guide,bothavailablefromEcopress(800-
theirattention. 326-9272) or directly from the authorfor
$15.00 at P.O. Box 429, Fincastle, VA
24090.HeandhisfamilyliveinFincastle.
JUNE 2003
D^warf
What these little fish nevercatchonebyhookandlinebut outline and makes dwarf sunfish
these tiny sunfish are an important hard to see in vegetation. Scientists
lackinsize^ they and colorful part of Virginia's consider the dwarf sunfish a primi-
make up for in wildlife. All are small, less than 4 tivegenusoftheCentrarchid family
inchesmaximumlength.Dwarfsun- (sunfish,crappie,blackbass).
their colorful fisharecompressed and shaped like Insome circles, dwarfsunfishare
the other sunfish but have more popularasfishforaquariaandwater
appearance. flowing dorsal and anal fins and a gardens. They adapt readily to
rounded, spoon-like tail. This shape aquariumlife,althoughmaleterrito-
byTimCopeland makes them excellent at h—overing riality limits the number per tank.
and making sharp turns useful Theyhelpkeepmosquitoesdownin
maneuvers in the shallows of the outdoor watergardens (as they also
Althoughfamiliarinoutline, calm, weedywaterstheyprefer. The dointhewild).Thereisawell-estab-
the tiny fish in my hand blackbanded sunfish has distinct lished blackbanded sunfish popula-
was something different vertical black bands. The banded tion in captivity in Europe and
andspecial. Itsshapewasthatofthe and bluespotted sunfish are hard to southeast Asia and this species is
abundaiit bluegill, but its body was distinguishexceptduringspawning legally available from these sources.
the color of old leather with shim- season. When on the lookout for However, they are endangered in
mering spots of robins-egg blue. It mates, the male bluespotted is dark Virginia,anditisillegaltotakethem
wasabluespottedsunfish,oneofthe brown with numerous bluish spots, fromthewild.
most colorful inhabitants of Vir- whilethebanded isgreenish-brown Wild dwarf sunfish are found in
ginia'scoastalplainwaters. with bands still apparent under the backwaters and swamps on the—At-
This species is one of three sel- light-colored spots. Females, juve- lantic and Gulf Coastal Plains all
dom-noticed dwarf sunfish (genus niles and non-spawning males of three are present in Virginia. The
Enneacanthus); the bluespotted, both species have indistinct vertical bluespotted is the most widespread
banded, and blackbanded sunfish bands with light spots otherwise. and occurs throughout Virginia's
found inVirginia'swaters. You may Thispatternhelpsbreakupthebody Coastal Plain and even above the
