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2012 Smallmouth Bass River Fishing Forecast

New River

Lower New River (Below Claytor Lake)

Anglers fishing the New River below Claytor Lake in 2012 will enjoy good catches of small bass, but are not as likely to catch 14 to 20 inch or larger smallmouth bass as they did in past years. The large bass spawns of 2004 and 2005 were not prominent in electrofishing samples in fall 2011 due to an unknown source of mortality in large smallmouth bass. While things look good for the future, anglers will catch fewer big bass in 2012.

Department fisheries biologists have documented site specific declines in smallmouth bass electrofishing catch rates since 2010. These sites are the same ones noted by New River anglers during the fall 2011 online fisheries regulation public comment period. The declines noted by anglers and confirmed by biologists are primarily slot-size (14 to 20 inch) smallmouth bass. The lack of smallmouth bass in these size ranges is most noticeable in the Claytor Dam to Whitethorne section of the New River. Larger smallmouth bass are still available in the Parrott to Eggleston and Pembroke to Pearisburg sections of the river.

Two of the most prominent reasons noted by anglers for the site specific bass population declines were increased musky populations and increased tournament activities. Neither of these potential reasons would be impacted by a change in the smallmouth bass regulation. Slot-size bass are the only portion of the population that has declined. These slot-size bass are protected by the current New River bass regulation. Some anglers suggested banning all fishing in the affected area. However, this regulation would be too restrictive, and there is no hard evidence from Department electrofishing and angler surveys indicating that fishing mortality (either through harvest or delayed mortality due to handling stress) is the problem. A catch and release regulation would serve no purpose, since slot-size bass are already protected by the current regulation. In addition, good numbers of bass in the 6 to 12 inch size range are still available, indicating that spawning success was good in recent years. Therefore, no regulation change is being proposed at this time.

Department fisheries biologists will conduct studies during 2012 and future years to identify the potential sources of mortality in slot-size smallmouth bass. They are considering possible explanations for the decline, including one or more of the following factors: 1) Annual bass spawning differences within sampled sections of the river; 2) Increases in fishing pressure and resulting delayed mortality from handling stress; 3) Increased tournament fishing pressure, which may involve a high degree of delayed mortality, particularly in smallmouth bass from 10 to 14 inches; 4) Musky population changes, due to increasing their size limit from 30 inches (2 per day creel) to 42 inches (1 per day creel) in 2006, as well increased size of stocked musky in recent years; 5) Habitat changes in the affected river area, including the establishment of the non-native aquatic plant hydrilla throughout the Claytor Dam and Radford sections; 6) Potential disease problems in adult fish; and 7) Increases in otter populations in the impacted areas.

Department fisheries biologists will continue to monitor the smallmouth bass population during spring and fall 2012 to describe trends in the population and to better understand reasons for the smallmouth bass population decline of 2010 - 2011. To address angler concerns, a concerted effort will be made to reach out to tournament fishing enthusiasts, clubs, etc. on the New River to access tournament data and to work to improve handling protocols for tournament fish. Although biologists have no evidence to indicate musky have caused the decline, they are continuing to monitor population levels and natural reproduction. Extensive food habit assessments for musky in the past have shown little impact to smallmouth bass populations. Therefore, no additional musky food habit assessments are warranted at this time. An attempt will be made to reach out to the angling public in a pro-active way to inform them of ongoing research and to provide updates on the status of the fish community.

The good news is that anglers will catch numerous 6 to 12 inch smallmouth bass in 2012, due to the 2007, 2010, and 2011 smallmouth bass spawns, which were among the best spawns in recent years. Bass from these spawns will contribute significantly to angler catches during the next few years. The numerous small bass currently present in the Lower New River have the potential to be future trophies, so the future outlook for smallmouth bass fishing is good. Top locations for smallmouth bass fishing are the Parrott to Eggleston section in Pulaski, Montgomery, and Giles counties, and the Pembroke to Pearisburg section in Giles County.

Targeting panfish like rock bass and redbreast sunfish when smallmouth bass are not available is simply a matter of downsizing your lures to catch fish with smaller mouths. Fall 2011 electrofishing catches for redbreast sunfish and rock bass were among the highest catches in the last 10 years. Most of the rock bass collected in fall 2011 electrofishing were in the 5 to 7 inch size range, with good numbers also available in the 8 and 9 inch size range. Most of the redbreast sunfish collected in fall 2011 electrofishing were in the 3 to 5 inch size range, with limited numbers available in the 6 and 7 inch size range. Good areas for panfish include the Radford to Whitethorne section of Montgomery County and the Pembroke to Rich Creek section of Giles County.

If you would rather catch bigger fish than the small bass and panfish available from the New River, why not really upsize your gear and lures to target musky? Musky are abundant in certain sections of the New River, with good numbers of 25 to 30 inch musky being caught. Anglers targeting musky will find that throwing large spinnerbaits and stickbaits will result in hair-raising strikes. The next one could be a trophy musky pulling at your line, so why not try? Remember, musky in the New River are regulated by a 42-inch minimum size limit with a 1 per day creel limit.

If you remember the 'good old days' of bass fishing in the New River, hold on, those days are coming again. For now, plan to catch the many 6 to 12 inch smallmouth bass from the 2007, 2010, and 2011 spawned bass in the river. These spawns will be the New River trophy bass you remember in a few years, so hang on, grab a rod and go fishing!

Upper New River (Above Claytor Lake)

Once again, 2011 angler reports were that fishing is not what it used to be. For three fishing seasons reports of poor fishing on the New River have been common place. While fishing has been slower than past years, the smallmouth bass collected in spring samples are abundant. We sample the river at different sites throughout the 80 mile reach of the upper New River and catch does differ between locations but when considered as a whole the fishery appears healthy. There are a lot of young smallmouth coming on and should result in an increase in the catch. Fishing for walleye is getting better every year from Fries Dam down to Claytor Lake due to the Department's stocking efforts. So far in 2012, anglers are catching decent numbers of walleye at Fosters Falls. Catch rates of walleye from sampling in 2011 are good, and tagging study information indicates anglers are catching good numbers of walleye from February through May. Rock bass and redbreast sunfish continue to be abundant and will provide fun fishing opportunities. Anglers may also encounter an occasional channel or flathead catfish and maybe even a muskie.

James River

Middle James River (Scottsville to Richmond)

Smallmouth bass anglers in the middle James should experience a slight improvement in catch of smaller fish in 2012. A strong 2010 spawn should offer anglers a good bite for smallmouth in the 10-12 inch range. Additionally, the 2007 year class was exceptional and those fish should remain an important portion of the big fish catch in 2012. Results from fall 2011 smallmouth bass samples indicate that anglers can still expect success targeting bass greater than 14 inches and fish from the 2010 year class should keep the action a bit more lively than in past years.

Bream fisheries remained essentially unchanged in 2011 when compared to the previous years and all fish collected were less than eight inches. Bream populations in this section of the James have been dominated by small fish for a number of years and will hopefully improve. Channel and flathead catfish sizes were comparable with previous years' samples. Most flatheads were sampled near the New Canton landing and the largest fish measured was 41+ inches. Most channel catfish sampled came from the Scottsville area where large schools were observed in the deeper pools. The largest channel catfish sampled measured 31+ inches. There are some good fishing opportunities available on this stretch of the James River and the smallmouth bass fishery shows promise with the strong 2010 year class.

Upper James River (Iron Gate to Scottsville)

The upper James River should provide decent fishing in 2012. Due to the variable spawning success of smallmouth over the past several years, you should expect to see a decent number of fish up to 12 inches or so, not a whole lot of fish between 12 and 15 inches, and a fair number (more than in some years) of fish over 15 inches. This won't be the best year ever for the upper James, but it won't be the worst one either. Overall, fishing should be average to a little above average this year.

The fish disease outbreaks we've been seeing on the upper James since 2007 did not show up 2011. We will be testing again this spring to see what 2012 brings. It may or may not be a problem this year, but we will see. We are still working on this issue, but have not pinpointed the exact cause yet. We will continue our monitoring of the problem, and have made some progress over the past few years towards narrowing down the source(s) of the problems. There have been some fish lost to these outbreaks, but so far, not in catastrophic numbers. The recent spawning success (or lack thereof) has played a larger role in the number of fish in the river than the disease problems.

As for other species in the upper James, channel and flathead catfish numbers should be similar to last year. They are still plentiful in places, but not consistently abundant up and down the river. Numbers of fallfish have continued to increase since the 1990's, particularly in the Botetourt County portions of the river. Numbers of muskellunge continue to rise in the river from Lynchburg, upstream. There are now enough musky in the upper James to provide a relatively good chance of hooking one. Sunfish (rock bass, redbreast, and bluegill) numbers should also be pretty good this year, following a couple years of lower abundance. So, all in all, 2012 should be a slightly above average fishing year on the upper James River.

Shenandoah River (North Fork, South Fork, and Main stem)

South Fork and Main Stem Shenandoah

The South Fork Shenandoah River is known in angler circles as a "numbers" fishery, where high catch rates can be expected. 2012 should be consistent with past years in regards to anglers seeing high catch rates of smallmouth bass and redbreast sunfish. A creel survey conducted in 2011 revealed good angler success, and biologists predict the same for 2012. The relative abundance of adult smallmouth bass remains well above the 16-year average. In 2011 biologists documented an increase in the number of adult smallmouth bass 11 to 20 inches as compared to 2010. The majority of quality-sized smallmouth comes from two excellent spawning years (2004 and 2007). The fish from 2004 are currently in the 16-18" range and the 2007 fish hover in the 12-13" range. Spawning success was below average in 2008 and 2009. For this reason anglers could see fewer bass in the 9-11" size range in 2012. Overall, smallmouth bass fishing in the South Fork and Main stem Shenandoah River should be good for 2012. Anglers should also expect excellent catches of redbreast sunfish in 2012. Density of sunfish can vary by location and habitat, but overall there should be plenty of 6-7 inch fish available this year. Anglers should not overlook largemouth bass when visiting the South Fork or Main stem Shenandoah. The Shenandoah harbors a quality largemouth bass population and finding good numbers of fish in the 2-4 pound range should not be difficult. Seek out the deeper sections of the river with slower currents and woody debris when targeting largemouth. The South Fork and Main stem Shenandoah River harbor a very robust muskie population. Anglers also reported excellent musky catches and sightings in 2011. Target the longest, deepest pools and you will be in musky territory. The Shenandoah is also an excellent channel catfish destination. Cats in the 3-6 lb range are common and anglers should concentrate on the lower South Fork and the Main stem. There is always the strong possibility that anglers might catch a mixed bag of species in the Shenandoah. Don't be surprised if you catch quality-sized pumpkinseed, bluegill, green sunfish, fallfish, black crappie, or even a walleye while fishing the Doah. Overall, in 2012 anglers should encounter similar (to better) fish populations in most of the South Fork and Main stem as compared to last year.

North Fork Shenandoah

Biologists have not been able to consistently sample to North Fork due to extreme-low flow conditions the past few years, but were able to do some limited monitoring in 2011. While the shortage of long-term electrofishing information makes it difficult to provide an accurate fishing forecast for 2012, DGIF has observed consistent spawning success over the past several years. This means that anglers should mostly encounter smallmouth bass in the 9-12 inch range in 2012. There is also always the possibility of encountering some quality-sized smallmouth when fishing the best habitat. Fallfish are plentiful in some sections of the North Fork, can reach 14+ inches, and should not be overlooked by anglers. Anglers should also encounter adequate numbers of redbreast sunfish in most areas and bluegill in the deeper pools. The North Fork also provides the opportunity to catch a quality-sized largemouth bass, channel catfish, or musky. Pool habitat is limited in the North Fork so anglers should seek out deeper water to find the higher densities of fish. If you plan a float rip on the North Fork stick to the spring and early summer as low flows and aquatic vegetation make fishing difficult later in the summer.

Rappahannock River

Fisheries surveys on the upper Rappahannock River (above the fall line) in 2011 finally returned to standard format after two years of record low flows during fall months resulted in suspended sampling. All four standard sites (I-95, Mott's Landing, Kelly's Ford and Ely's Ford) were sampled.

Results suggested Rappahannock/Rapidan River anglers may experience below average catch rates during 2012. The persistence of strong and weak year classes was again documented, and the formation of these year classes continued to be heavily influenced by spring river flows. It still appeared that while the 2009 year class was average, the 2008 year class was below average. Luckily, the 2010 year class was strong and will likely support this fishery (with numbers) for the next few years. However, it appears a below average year class was produced last year (2011).

Fisheries Biologist John Odenkirk emphasized that this will still be a good year to land some larger fish due to the strength, persistence and maturity of the 2007 year class. Fish growth, documented as improved since the removal of Embrey Dam, remained high. Most of the largest fish observed were in the vicinity (upstream) of Mott's Landing. For more information, contact Fisheries, (540) 899-4169.

Middle Fork Holston River

The Middle Fork Holston River will offer a variety of good fishing opportunities in 2012. The river has good numbers of smallmouth bass, redbreast sunfish, rock bass and bluegills located throughout the 32-mile navigable sections in Smyth and Washington Counties. Smallmouth bass are abundant and can grow to decent size, up to 18-20 inches. Anglers may also catch a few largemouth bass, black crappie, channel catfish and pumpkinseed sunfish. There are no public access points on the 32-mile navigable portion of the Middle Fork Holston River, so anglers are encouraged to obtain landowner permission when accessing the river from private lands. The upper portions of the Middle Fork Holston in the Town of Marion, Town of Chilhowie, and Atkins provide excellent trout fishing opportunities, as these sections are part of the Department's stocked trout program. Remember when fishing stocked trout waters, a trout license is required in addition to a freshwater fishing license.

Clinch River

The Clinch River will provide some good fishing in 2012. Most of the smallmouth bass collected during the last electrofishing sample were less than 14 inches in length, but some larger fish are available. About 15 percent of adult smallmouth bass exceeded 14 inches in length, 4 percent measured more than 17 inches and about 1 percent was over 20 inches in length. Rock bass size and numbers are good, so they might fill in some of the time between smallmouth bites. Reports are coming in of anglers catching a few walleye already. Fisheries biologists plan to conduct an angler survey this year so you may encounter a creel clerk at some of the Clinch River boat ramps asking questions about your fishing results. The Clinch has a wide range of fish species to catch and makes for a great day out on a local river. Visit the Clinch River website for additional access and fishing information.

North Fork Holston River

Anglers will find very good numbers of smallmouth bass between 14 and 18 inches in the North Fork Holston River. About 33 percent of adult smallmouth bass exceed 14 inches in length, and 10 percent measure more than 17 inches long. The abundance of fish in this size range appears to be the result of high annual survival (79%) rather than strong year classes or fast growth. Smallmouth bass over 20 inches in length are not as common as 14 to 18-inch fish, but many are landed each year. Smallmouth spawning success has been good for the past couple of years, as evidenced by an increase in the number of small fish collected per hour of sampling. Visit the Holston River - North Fork website for additional access and fishing information.