Trout Drought Strikes Virginia

My recent business trip to Virginia indicated that the Commonwealth is just as parched as our home state. Bill Cochran's latest article in the Roanoke Times tells us that the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is limiting the trout stocking until the rains come.

Over 90 percent of the trout streams we have would be unstockable,” said Gary Martel, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries fish chief.
Many trout that should have been stocked this month remain in hatcheries, and that creates a double whammy. When streams are low, hatcheries water sources also are in short supply, Martel said. The result is a need to move trout out of hatcheries with few places available to accommodate them.

North Carolina has also taken similar steps.

Drought worse on big trout in the Smokies

This article on Knoxville, TN television station WVLT's website says that big fish are taking the brunt of the drought in the Great Smoky Mountians National Park.

"What we found actually is the numbers of fish per mile were actually a little better than average this year. What we didn't see is bigger fish," said Bob Miller, spokesman for the National Park."

It might be a while before things get back to normal.

"If we saw natural or normal water conditions again this fall, we'd be back at a normal size distribution in about two years," said Miller

On another note, the same article has a quote from a visitor to the GSMNP that caught our eye:

"We got bites and I caught two trout that size, honest to God. And one that was eating the worm. I didn't even get him on my hook," said Busick.

We can only hope that if he was fishing in the park he was using an artificial worm.

Rain! I don't mind!

It is finally raining here in the Carolina's. It won't be nearly enough but lets celebrate anyway!

No Winter Draw Down for Tenn. Lakes

According to WBIR.com the TVA has announced that their will be no winter draw down on the state's lakes. The reason? Lakes are already at post draw down levels due to this year's extreme drought. The lack of rain and high temperatures are hurting the states fishing economy as well. Low water means wade-able tail waters and no float trips.

"I've sat here 3 or 4 days in succession and will do hardly any business," said Cal Ralston.Ralston owns CR Outfitters in Norris. He sells fly fishing supplies and guides tourists hoping to fish the Clinch river, but lately he spends most of his days not on the water, but in the shop.

"The people that wade this stream, they don't have a need for supplies, so they don't come by," Ralston said. "They come by and sit on the sofa and talk to us a little, but you can't put that in a cash register."

It's raining here today but...

According to the USGS North Carolina is in the midst of a drought. Stream flows in the Old North State are at record lows that rival the records set in the 1998-2002 drought. This coupled with recent hot temperatures are causing some area fishermen to tie flies rather than attempt to catch already stressed summer trout.

Conditions across the state range from "abnormally dry" in northeastern North Carolina to "extreme drought" in the southwestern mountains of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.