Post by VFR on Mar 8, 2023 15:09:57 GMT -5
Good and Bad News in an Update on the Lower New River’s Fishery
by Bruce Ingram
The New River below Claytor Lake Dam has traditionally been the state’s best waterway for smallmouth bass, and both good and bad news exists concerning smallmouths and other gamefish. Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Fisheries Biologist John Copeland said smallmouth bass year class production has been poor in three of the last five years, driving adult bass numbers to their lowest level since the 2004 to 2006 period.
Additionally, the 2021 catch rate for adult smallmouths (>18cm or about 7 inches) of 47 per hour was below the long-term average rate of 60 per hour since fall 1996. Adult bass catch rates were lower (68 per hour) in the Giles County section of the river and higher (86 per hour) in the Montgomery County section. The smallmouth bass length-frequency distribution in fall 2021 electrofishing was composed primarily of bass up to 45cm or about 17¾ inches. Read more.....
by Bruce Ingram
i.postimg.cc/DzwYKW5L/screenshot-dwr-virginia-gov-2023-03-08-15-10-45.png
Plastic baits drifted across the bottom can produce good size New River smallies
Plastic baits drifted across the bottom can produce good size New River smallies
The New River below Claytor Lake Dam has traditionally been the state’s best waterway for smallmouth bass, and both good and bad news exists concerning smallmouths and other gamefish. Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Fisheries Biologist John Copeland said smallmouth bass year class production has been poor in three of the last five years, driving adult bass numbers to their lowest level since the 2004 to 2006 period.
Additionally, the 2021 catch rate for adult smallmouths (>18cm or about 7 inches) of 47 per hour was below the long-term average rate of 60 per hour since fall 1996. Adult bass catch rates were lower (68 per hour) in the Giles County section of the river and higher (86 per hour) in the Montgomery County section. The smallmouth bass length-frequency distribution in fall 2021 electrofishing was composed primarily of bass up to 45cm or about 17¾ inches. Read more.....