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| FishTails |
Stonewall To Remain Catch and Release
By Chris Lawrence [March 12, 2002]
WVBF angler Dion Bright (left) fishes with youth angler Todd Lambert
at Stonewall Jackson Lake during the Governor's Youth in the Outdoors Program May 11, 2001. |
A soft splash echoed 30 feet off the bow and a gentle click could be heard as the angler engaged the reel's drag
in hopes a hungry mother would be lurking just beneath a fallen log. The log had seen many years of standing tall
and proud, but now years of water penetrating the bark had taken its toll and the former white oak now served as
a submerged ambush point for the wide bodies of pass lying in wait.
The white colored lure skimmed the surface just above the log the stopped dead in the water. A slight twitch followed
by a silvery flash and green line was slowly moving away from the boat. The angler reeled down to a crouched position,
loaded up his 7-foot fiberglass rod, and dropped the hammer. The ritual initiated a spectacular response as the
four-pound hog was wrestled deep from her springtime lair. Moments later she posed for a picture or two and returned
to that log now 40 to 50 feet away from the drifting boat to play the same game another day.
This scenario has played out for just about every member of the West Virginia Bass Federation over the last decade
at Stonewall Jackson Lake. This Corps of Engineers impoundment in Lewis County just east of the Roanoke and South
Weston exits of I-79 has become the playground of bass enthusiasts interested in bettering their chances of catching
big fish.
Stonewall was first flooded in 1986 along the West Fork River. Sporting an already healthy bass population in the
West Fork, many farm ponds teaming with bass also became a stable of the bottom scape of this sprawling impoundment.
The waters are blessed with standing timber, heavy brush cover, and loads of channels, points, and hiding places.
Tremendous foresight in planning this waterway has helped extend the grace period for fish growth. A 100 percent
catch and release restriction for black bass remains in effect today, and according to DNR biologists, will stay
that way.
"We have no plans to change that special regulation at Stonewall Jackson anytime soon." Says DNR Warmwater
Fisheries Chief Brett Preston.
Typically when waters are first flooded in a lake, the impoundment experiences better than average fish growth.
The high volume of nutrients in the water from flooding green vegetation is a tremendous asset to the growth process.
It's not out of the question to have several fish on the right day at Stonewall to be in the four to five pound
range. While these aren't big numbers for other states, they are a rare jewel in West Virginia.
In recent years there has been some movement by tournament and non-tournament anglers alike to lift the catch and
release law. Some tournament fishermen would like to see the regulation lifted to hold tournaments at the lake.
Others would like to be able to keep and mount some of the weighty bass that are being pulled from the green waters.
Neither argument appears to be selling with the agency.
"We do get those requests from time to time," says Preston, "But the overwhelming majority of people
want to leave the restriction alone. Individual anglers, clubs, and the Bass Federation have all indicated they
would be against the move."
If it ain't broke, don't fix it seems to be the mantra the DNR is standing behind on the idea.
"Catch and Release allows for fish to remain in the system longer and allows them to grow to a bigger size."
Says Preston, "By implementing catch and release restrictions right off the bat it's allows a lot of those
fish to grown. The lake now sports a good trophy fish population and that good period of growth in a lake's first
few years has been extended."
"We still find a good number of quality bass at Stonewall Jackson and a lot of that is because of the catch
and release restriction. " |
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