Time for crappie fishing in Virginia

by YankeeJim | April 10, 2011 at 08:10 am

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I don’t fish for the sport of it – catching and throwing them back. I fish because I want a fresh fish dinner. So here is the challenge: 1) locating a place to fish where the water is clean, 2) fishing for a species that is good to eat, and 3) keeping it fresh until I get home and make a mess of the kitchen.

In some places in California, Wisconsin, and Ohio where I have fished, the parks provide a place to clean the fish so that you keep the mess out of your house. Well, I have not found such a place in Virginia.

I like crappies because they can only survive where the water is descent and they taste good too. So, here looks like the place for me to go this week.

It is still “Low Season,”

“Low-season (generally mid-October through mid-April) you can expect mild weather, very few visitors, discounts of 20%-50% on your SML vacation rental, flexible check-in and check-out dates - plus weekend, daily, and monthly rate options.

Many SML lakefront vacation rentals include a dock; ask if you need one for your boat. Public Smith Mountain Lake boat launching ramps are usually nearby. If you can't bring your own boat, marinas rent pontoon boats for about $175/day. Most other motorboats are far more expensive - including PWCs (Seadoo, Yamaha, etc.) and ski boats.”

“Virginia's Best Crappie Fishing

Is one of our picks for great crappie fishing in Virginia near you?

By Bruce Ingram

Jay and Betty Honse of Fincastle and I had been fishing on Smith Mountain no longer than five minutes when Betty announced that her bobber had disappeared and a plump papermouth was the reason. Thus, Betty quickly leaped into first in our three-person crappie competition, a position she had not relinquished when sunset occurred two hours later.

Smith Mountain is just one of many state waters that offer crappie action. Except for far Southwest Virginia where Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) biologist Tom Hampton told me that populations are "at the bottom of the cycle right now," quality sport can be found statewide.

CENTRAL VIRGINIA
DGIF fisheries biologist Bob Greenlee states that the Tidal Chickahominy River is currently the premier crappie fishery in his part of the state and should retain that title in 2011. Recent spawns have resulted in good population numbers, with average size specks running 11 to 14 inches or about 1 to 1.25 pounds.”