Nice conversation with Scott of VDGIF
Last week called VDGIF and asked to speak with a fish biologist in Central VA. The next person asked for more info to better select the right person. I called him and got his voice mail with my cell number. He called me yesterday at about 4:15. Really nice guy and likes to talk about fish. My main question for him, was "do yellow perch come up the James to Richmond, just like they do in the Chick to Walkers dam. If not, why?"
Right off he told me that he could not offer much help on that. For three reasons: 1. The freshwater biologist (like him) don't follow the yellow perch since much of the population comes from down stream. 2) the yellow perch run is so variable that it is very hard to get a return on the labor required for sampling. 3) yellow perch anglers are very closed mouthed about their catches, that the only date they get is an actual creel check face to face with anglers.
He did say that records could be looked up, but he does know that they are in the chick, James, dragons run, mattiponi, pumunkey, etc. He did say that they do catch them in samples of Powells and Herring creek on the James.
He did tell me a couple of interesting things about yellow perch.
1) good luck predicting when they get here and exactly when they spawn.
2) They will travel in tight school until they are just about ready to spawn. If you are catching them spread out, you may want to move very shallow.
3) Yellow perch eggs come out in a ribbon, not in a free mass pieces.
4) Many species migrate up river to spawn, and lay eggs in moving water. The get fertilized and need to continue to move for a good amount of time. Yellow perchs' move into shallows and like to attach that ribbon of eggs to old, dead vegatation. The eggs will attach and stay there to be fertilized.
So, for the really fat ones getting ready to bust, you may have to move into very shallow water and pick the vegatation/structure apart.
Crappie Spawn
He is in charge of Lake Chesdin, but has done much work in other freshwater system in the area, including Diascund, Little Creek, Beaverdam, James, Chick. He was not the man for Buggs. He talked a bit about how short the actual crappie spawn can be. Unlike bass that will drag out over several weeks once the water temp gets right, crappie will move up and make it happen and pull right back off. In Lake Chesdin specifically, he said once the water gets to 58-60°, get shallow for those first few days. Once it is over 62'ish, the big ones may be done and back out in a little bit deeper water, instead of up in the old/new veg growth and brush piles.
Also, for Lake Chesdin, he asked that we invite people up there to please take home white perch and bream. Take as many as you can and make fish tacos with them. The bass are doing well, with increased numbers of 5-7 pound fish. Also, the crappie size is improving, up for the "almost stunted", large numbers of small fish. They have now found flathead catfish in Chesdin. Which will help with the bream population. They have been stocking Walleye and Saugeye and both are doing well.
No word yet on wether or not Chesidn will get the raised dam level. There is a "fish elevator" at Chesdin, but it has to be opereated by someone. He doesn't know when/if that gets done any more. But my recieve new life, as they recently breached another dam on the Appomatox to allow more fish to migrate.
Snakeheads
I ask if there were any in central VA. No, just Potomac and Rapp, including Dragon run. I asked is that bad. He said not really. Yes, they can spawn multiple times per year and in a smaller or closed system, they could get crazy high numbers, for for large bodies like those, you can pick which side of the fence you want to be on. Guys up there are now targeting snakeheads as they would bass. They get big, bite hard and fast and like to fight. Lots of fun on rod and reel. There are guys bowfishing for them up there now at night. The rod and reel guys with they would stop because they want those bigger fish to catch.
2 real upsides to snakeheads:
1) The stomachs of the bass they sample up there are full of snakeheads. Even 8-9" bass are puking up a bunch of 3" snake heads.
2) They are good eating. Really? I asked him to repeat that. Yes, he said. Nice meat with a good taste. He said he loves crappie and walleye fillets, but snake head comes in third. He swears. Said they are slimy on the outside. But said to take one and admire it's color and pattern then fillet it and cook it up. He is not concerned with them over populating those waters.
Catfish
James is flat. Still good but not going to catch the 125 and 143 pounds from Kerr. He has personally seem an 88 and 76 pounds in the Mattiponi. Pumunky is exploding too.
He had info on Beaverdam crappie and perch. Diascund bass, crappie, gar etc. Little creek numbers.
I asked about the herring, American and Hickory shad, white perch, striper runs on the James. He said he would have that guy call me too. He gave me his email address and said he would like to here interesting news about the waters around here. Numbers change, size trends, etc.
What a super nice guy. When we hung up I looked at my phone. 47 minutes of shooting the breeze and learning some cools stuff. Wish I had recorded it. I can't recall all the good info he gave me. If you remember, I called VDGIF back in the summer to get info my son to complete a wildlife merit badge for scouts. I got good help then, including help of finding and reading the otolith ear bone to age crappie and white perch. So, if you have questions about the waters you hang out on, give them a call and get in touch with the guys that actually sample those places. They are certainly willing to help and seemed appreciative of the interest and feedback from anglers. It was a good time.
Dayton
