An angler survey will be conducted in 2006 to assess fishing pressure, catch rates and harvest from Lake Moomaw. If you think lake fishing for bronzebacks is fun, then this beautiful mountain lake should be highlighted on your list of places to visit.

"The Maury River continues to produce smallmouth bass like they are going out of style," Bugas said. "An angler survey was completed in 2004, and clerks saw many large smallmouths darting among the rocks in the clear water. Although big fish are available, Maury River is a small river with high reproduction and slow growth. The scenery and abundance of 8- to 10-inch smallmouths make this an ideal destination for kids or beginning anglers. Four stations, from Beans Bottom to Glasgow, are sampled by electrofishing annually. Catch rates for 2004 were comparable to 2003, which produced good numbers of bass."

FAR WESTERN VIRGINIA
Fisheries biologist Tom Hampton offers an overview of the smallmouth possibilities in far western Virginia.

"The North Fork Holston really shines for smallmouths from 16 to 18 inches," the DGIF biologist said. "There are some trophy fish available as well, but the proportion of fish from 16 to 18 inches is really impressive.

"The Clinch River has good numbers of smallmouths, with a chance for a trophy fish. The 2004 year-class was a good one, so anglers can anticipate great fishing a few years down the road. Laurel Bed Lake offers smallmouth fishing in a spectacular setting. Angler catch rates are excellent, and the size of fish improves each year. Fish in excess of 20 inches are possible."

The New River is arguably the best smallmouth bass fishery in Virginia, so, in the case of this article, the best has been saved for last. DGIF biologist John Copeland offers these thoughts.

"Below Claytor Lake, the best recent New River smallmouth bass spawns were in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2004," Copeland said. "The 2004 year-class is the best spawn documented on the New River below Claytor Lake since 1996. These smallmouth bass were in the 5- to 7-inch size range in 2005, so anglers now should start catching them regularly. Anglers will have the opportunity to catch some trophy smallmouth bass from the 1996 spawn, a strong year-class that should have started producing fish over 20 inches in 2005."

He noted that during fall electrofishing for smallmouth bass in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004, DGIF fisheries biologists collected 2,375 smallmouth bass from 2 to 22 inches long. About 63 percent of these smallmouth bass were over 7 inches, which is the size when fisheries biologists consider them part of the fishable population. About 39 percent of the smallmouth bass over 7 inches in past samplings were over 11 inches, which is when fisheries biologists consider them quality size. About 15 percent of the smallmouth bass over 7 inches were over 14 inches, which is when fisheries biologists consider them preferred size.

"As you can see, smallmouth bass over 20 inches only accounted for about 1 percent of the smallmouth bass collected over 7 inches long during these years, so smallmouth bass over 20 inches are real trophies," Copeland said.

Interestingly, Copeland added that in the most recent angler survey, between 68 and 91 percent of anglers were targeting smallmouth bass, depending on which section of the river downstream from Claytor Lake was surveyed.

Editor's Note: Bruce Ingram is the author of the following books (cost in parentheses): The James River Guide ($15), The New River Guide ($15), and The Shenandoah/Rappahannock Rivers Guide ($18.25). To obtain a copy, send a check to Ingram at P.O. Box 429, Fincastle, VA 24090.