2004 FISHING CALENDAR The calendar is in PDF format. The Adobe Reader can be downloaded for free here.

By Bruce Ingram

I have a confession to make; I have not watched one of those fishing shows on television in years. Why should I be an armchair angler? Virginians have plenty of lakes, rivers and streams that provide excellent sport throughout the year. So stop watching someone else hauling in the big one, and try some of the winter destinations mentioned here right now. And after doing that, consider planning out your itinerary for the rest of the year with some of these destinations.

During that swing, by far the most impressive of these lakes was one of the Suffolk-area impoundments, 777-acre Lake Prince, which lies near Windsor. For the angler looking to fill a cooler with tasty sunfish fillets, Prince is the place to go. Crappie, bluegills, warmouths, redbreasts, pumpkinseeds, redears and fliers all dwell in this body of water. And if these members of the sunfish family are not enough to raise your spirits and eliminate the winter doldrums, Prince also harbors more than a few yellow perch - one of the tastiest panfish around.

Another reason to visit Anna in February is because this impoundment usually receives intense fishing pressure from April through September, but the winter months are one of the few times all year when you won't have to wait in line to access Anna. The cold-water fishery here is by no means a secret, however - the word has been out for a long time.

Solid places to prospect for Anna's off-season bucketmouths include Sturgeon Creek, the Pamunkey River arm, and Ware and Duke creeks. If you want to concentrate solely on the water below the nuclear power plant, a good place to start is downstream from the discharge at Dike No. 3.

Finally, don't be discouraged if the weatherman predicts a cold, nasty day with the chance of precipitation. Local expert Teddy Carr, a guide from Locust Grove, has told me that some of his best catches have taken place when the water temperature is barely in the 40s and a front is approaching.

Dale Thacker of Troutville hoists a big Smith Mountain Striped bass. Photo by Bruce Ingram

March is my favorite time to go after the lake's striped bass because the chances are very good that an angler can duel with fish in the 10- to 20-pound range. In fact, a pair of fish in that size range brought to one of the lake's many marinas would not raise many eyebrows among the locals. Late winter/early spring fish have to be at least 25 pounds or so before a fisherman can consider having temporary bragging rights. And bigger fish certainly are a possibility.

In March, many stripers congregate in the area between Hales Ford Bridge and up the lake to Bay Rock Marina near Vinton. Linville Creek is a well-known striper hotspot, as are the back ends of tributaries in the Roanoke and Blackwater River arms. Sometime in March or April, the stripers will start to migrate to the Cedar Keys area, among others, as the fish stage in their attempt to spawn. Such reproductive attempts always fail though, because the lake simply does not have enough free flowing water for the linesides to carry off a successful spawn.

At Smith Mountain, the limit is two stripers per day with a minimum length of 20 inches. Consider releasing fish that size and holding out for bigger ones - you may be very glad you did so in March. Later in the year during the warm weather period, released fish have a much lower chance for survival and it is probably best that an angler keep legal-size fish.

The only downside in this idyllic scenario is that the river's browns are notoriously hard to fool, and once a bruiser brown has sipped in a size 18 pattern of some sort, he'll be as hard to bring in as he was to fool. Many anglers converge upon the stream on weekends when the water levels on this tailrace fishery are lower and more stable. The stream is often quite clear then and long, delicate casts are an absolute must.

Actually, though, my best days on the Smith have been during the middle of the week when I have forsaken the fly rod and employed spinning equipment. In my opinion, the browns are easier to fool when Philpott Lake is releasing plenty of stained water into the Smith River. "Easier to fool" is a very relative statement when the topic is this stream's browns, however.

The Buffalo, Grassy and Butcher creek arms are well-known spring holding grounds for the lake's specks. And anglers can expect a goodly percentage of those fish to be between 9 and 12 inches. With fish that size, anglers shouldn't have to endure too long a time on the water before having enough good size fish to take home to eat. And, frankly, when I go after the lake's crappie, that goal is always foremost on my mind.

Another positive attribute having to do with Buggs' crappie is the fact that finding good habitat for this game fish is usually no problem. Many brushpiles have been sunk in the lake's coves and an overabundance of natural cover exists as well. Both are reasons why year after year, Virginians drive from both the eastern and western reaches to angle for Buggs Island's crappie.

Big Tumbling comes by its name naturally as the stream cascades down a mountain forming a series of small waterfalls and plunge pools. The stream receives heavy infusions of trout, and every one of these pools seems to have several good-sized rainbows lurking within. The little slicks and runs below these pools and above the next waterfall are also fetching places to seek out trout.

Because Big Tumbling is an upper elevation stream and the stocking continues throughout the summer, this is one place anglers can visit throughout the dog days and expect solid trout action. A daily permit fee of $4 is required from the first Saturday in April through Sept. 30.