While we’ve spent years sampling the reservoirs and trout streams in western North Carolina, very little is known about our smallmouth bass populations. In part to an increased interest by anglers coupled with limited fish data, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission biologists started a three year project intended to obtain some baseline information on smallmouth bass from western North Carolina rivers and streams. We completed the final year of data collection in 2009, and plan to submit a final report by 2011.
Our primary goals were to (1) collect life history information for smallmouth bass so that we could determine management possibilities, (2) better educate NC anglers on where good smallmouth fishing opportunities exist, and (3) improve angler access to smallmouth populations. In order to obtain this information we have collected length, weight, and age information for smallmouth bass from throughout western NC, and surveyed public access opportunities to these rivers and streams.
From 2007-2009 over 3000 smallmouth bass were collected from approximately 40 different populations. All fish were measured for length and weight, and aged. We have not completed analyzing the data from 2009, but our findings from 2007-2008 suggest a few things:
1) Although the vast majority of smallmouth collected were less than 11 inches (84%), fish in excess of 14 inches were collected from most of the streams (70%), and fish greater than 17 inches were collected from 12% of the streams surveyed.
2) There appears to be a huge variation in the growth rates of smallmouth bass from the streams sampled. This wasn’t to surprising since we collected fish from a wide range of streams, varying from 600 feet to only 30 feet in width. Furthermore, the elevation of the streams sampled ranged from 600 feet to 2600 feet above sea level.
The size and elevation of a stream often plays a role in the potential growth rates of smallmouth bass. Unlike trout, smallmouth bass are a coolwater species, so high elevation streams and rivers will likely have shorter growing seasons and slower growth rates than similar sized waters at lower elevations. A good comparison might be the Yadkin River and the South Fork New River. Many anglers would assume the South Fork New River would be the better of the two for catching smallmouth bass, but actually your chances of catching an 18 inch smallmouth bass are much better on the Yadkin River. It is lower elevation, and therefore has a longer growing season for smallmouth bass. Another important aspect controlling the size of fish is the nutrient levels. We often associate clear, clean water with big fish, but this is often not the case. A stream must also have nutrients to support fish growth. Streams in the southern Appalachians are natural low in nutrients. As a result, streams with nutrient inputs from agricultural runoff, wastewater treatment plants, etc. are often better at growing big fish than similar pristine streams. Obviously it’s a balancing act, and streams receiving excessive nutrients can be counterproductive for fish growth and survival.
3) On average, it takes a smallmouth bass 5 to 6 years to reach 12 inches in size in NC streams. In some streams fish reached 12 inches in only 3 years, but in others it might take 7 or more. This information is important when modeling the impact of possible regulation changes to these fisheries. As a general rule, faster growing populations offer the best opportunity for improving fish sizes through restrictive creel and size limits. Putting restrictive regulations on slow growing populations often results in limited improvement or may even reduce growth rates/fish sizes. Stunted bluegill in a farm pond offers a good example of this. Anglers sometimes assume the best way to improve the size of fish is to release them and give them more time to grow. This can be counterproductive in cases where food availability is low. In those cases, a reduction in the number of fish might be the best way to improve overall sizes, unless of course you can improve nutrient levels. There is much data analysis needed before we can suggest any regulation changes, but the majority of streams surveyed appear to be moderate to slow growing.
4) In northwest NC we have a wide variety of smallmouth streams – from small streams where you might catch as many wild brown trout as smallmouth, to streams 2 to 3 football fields in width and more rocks and ledges than you could fish in a lifetime.
Here’s a quick synopsis (without providing to much detail in case one of these is your favorite ). The Yadkin has the potential for big smallmouth anywhere below W. Kerr Scott Reservoir that has habitat (think rocks!), but I personally prefer the stretch between the Mitchell River and the HWY 67 bridge in Donnaha. I know that’s a long stretch, about 40 miles, but I guess my point is there’s plenty of room to spread out. In addition to the Yadkin, the area around Wilkes and Surry County contain numerous fun smallmouth destinations. Practically all of the sizeable tributaries of the Yadkin hold smallmouth. The Elk, Reddies, Roaring, Mulberry, Mitchell, and Fisher all offer some great fishing opportunities. They all have numbers, but a few have some nice surprises for the angler willing to give it a trip or two. Maybe just as important, these rivers along with the New (Ashe and Alleghany County), Watauga (Watauga County) and Dan River (Stokes County) have some gorgeous areas. The numerous tall, hemlock bluffs on the Dan River are worth a float trip even if the fish aren’t biting!
5) We have encountered some exceptional landowners during this study, and have recently worked out agreements for smallmouth bass fishing and small boat access at a few new spots in northwest NC. These access sites were basically obtained from generous landowners that wished to provide anglers an opportunity to get in the river and fish. We are working with various state agencies and local governments to obtain additional access sites, and hopefully the list will continue to grow.
Feel free to give me a call for additional information or more specifics - Thanks,
Kevin
Kevin Hining
Fisheries Biologist - NC Wildlife Resources Commission
336-818-0283
hiningk@charter.net
I would also like to remind everyone about the 6th annual “Kid’s Fishing Day” coming up in April at Cub Creek Park in Wilkesboro, NC. This is usually the second Saturday in April so tentatively speaking that would be the 10th. For those of you who haven’t helped with this event before it is a fun time for our members, kids, parents, grandparents and guardians. Be sure to check back with our web-site for more details as the date approaches.
It has been a snowy winter so I hope as the weather improves everyone can find time to do a little fishing and volunteer for some of the events and programs we have coming up. Help us help our communities by making young people aware of the need to protect the environment and the world around us in general. By getting young people outdoors and involved and educated we help to guarantee that our grandchildren can enjoy the world around us as we have been able to do.
Please remember you do not have to be a member to come to our meetings and you are encouraged to bring family and friends concerned about our water and environment in general. Thank you.
Your President,
Jeff Payne
Meeting date is May the 6th, 7:00 PM @ the Foothills Arts Council Building in Elkin.
Officers
President -Jeff Payne
Vice President-Rick Parish
Treasurer-Bob Pearson
Project Coordinator-
Dick Everhart
Newsletter Editor-
Nancy Payne
Hopefully the next big date on your new 2010 calendar is the banquet, February 6th, at the Jonesville Holiday Inn right off I77. It starts at 5:30 and we hope to see everyone there. We moved it this year to allow some of our members in the Surry and Alleghany area a little easier drive to the event. Please remember that this is our only major fund raiser for 2010-2011 and it funds all of our projects which are almost exclusively on a local level. I feel we have many worthwhile projects that our chapter is working on and we would like to expand on these in the up-coming year. Below are the projects we have now and in parentheses are the areas we would like to grow our chapters involvement in.
1) The 6th Annual “Kid’s Fishing Day” is scheduled for April 10th in Wilkesboro and we will be helping the Surry County 4-H Outdoor Day in 2010. (Plans are underway for adding a “Kid’s Fishing Day” in Surry County.
2) Bob Pearson is working on setting up sponsorship of a student at one of the mountain area universities. (We would like to sponsor students at more than one school if funds allow.)
3) We have sponsored several children for the TU Kid’s Fly Fishing Camp and would like to send more. We have had nothing but positive feedback from this camp from the youths we have sent.
4) We now have Trout in the Classroom at East Wilkes Middle School. (We plan on adding a school each year if funds allow.)
Our banquet is very important in raising the necessary funds to cover these projects as well as allowing us to add to our projects which in turn helps to get the word out about conservation. It also helps to maintain our web-site management, update members on meetings, and allows us to provide cook-outs at various events. It is easy to see that our chapter is active and by being active we make good use of the banquet money we raise with the help of our members and community. You can help with this effort by inviting people to attend the banquet or asking local merchants to donate merchandise and prizes.
We look back on 2009 with thankful hearts that we have been allowed to accomplish so much and look forward to 2010 to continue to grow this club. I am so glad that we can take something we all enjoy so much and use it to better our community and reach out to the younger generation. We will continue to grow if everyone pitches in and makes this a priority.
I would also like to thank everyone for the help I have received over the 2009 year. Thanks to Keith who is the on-going banquet chair, Scott for organizing the Smokies trip, Dick for getting us worth while projects, my wife for making my gibberish sound better, Kevin our area NC Wildlife Biologist, the teachers at EWMS (Shelly and Russell) and especially to Bob Pearson for his effort in getting the sponsorship of a college student concentrating their degree in Environmental Science going. This has turned out to be more of a task than one would think.
Happy New Year,
Jeff
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We as a chapter approach the end of another year and I can’t help but reflect on what we have done over the past year. At the first of the year we really made strides in getting our long talked about and anticipated web-site up and running. What you are reading here is a product of the current officers making a decision to forge ahead with newer ways to reach our members and get our message out to prospective new members. Each month our number of visits grows and it is our hope that as time passes those that enjoy reading our web-site will also contribute to it and our projects. We had another successful “Kid’s Fishing Day” at Cub Creek Park in April that marked our 5th year doing this. In 2011 we are planning on helping with a similar event presented by 4H Club in Surry County that not only covers fly fishing but other outdoor sports. Our sponsorship of a young adult this year marks the 4th year we have participated in that camp by sending a boy or girl for a week of conservation study and fly fishing in Western North Carolina in June. As the end of Summer rolled around we did a “River Sweep” clean up day on the South Fork of the New River picking up several canoes full of trash from the river. The end of the year we tackled our first “Trout in the Classroom” project, a national TU project that we have brought to East Wilkes Middle School. Our long term plan is to expand this program over the next several years to schools in our chapters area.
Now that 2009 is winding down take a little time to spend with family and friends at the holidays and enjoy your time together. But don’t foget that we need to continue to move forward with projects like TIC, sponsorship of young adults at Rivercourse, river sweeps on our home waters and working on our web-site. Remember too, our next big event will be the Stone Mountain TU Banquet on February the 6th in Elkin at the Holiday Inn. This is our main fund raiser so that we can continue to grow and support worth while efforts to make sure the waters in our chapter area is as good as it can and should be. We hope that all our members will become more active in the future, whether it be postings on the SMTU web-site or helping with the many projects and events we sponsor. Our chapter can only be as strong as it is with the efforts of our members and their continue support and activism.
Your President,
Jeff Payne
Before I go on, I should probably explain my definition of home water. I am not fortunate enough to own any property that has any fishing water, much less moving water with trout (maybe some day). But thanks to the many miles of public trout water in our state I, like you, have access to some really great streams. Home water doesn’t have to be yours, except in a figurative sense. Home water is simply some place to angle that you enjoy, and have become very familiar with; you consider yourself “at home” when you are there. It can be big water or small; it could even be just one favorite pool or run you know of on So-And-So Creek. Of course, it helps if this place has certain characteristics: close proximity, great scenery, productivity…..the list could go on. Additionally, even though I have no illusion that no one but me fishes my home water, I also like a stream where I don’t need to bring my own rock to fish off of. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be a certain way. I’m sure other folks’ home water is very different from mine, and that’s perfectly OK.
I really enjoy exploring and fishing an area or stream that is new to me. That’s a big part of the fun-finding new places to fish! Sometimes you can luck up on a real gem too. But when you go on an exploratory trip, you usually don’t know quite what to expect. Is the stream tight or wide-open? What flies work best there? Can I even find it and, if so, is it posted? Answering all these questions can make for a great adventure, and there’s nothing wrong with adventure. But when you want to just relax and just have a great time of fishing and enjoying creation, it’s hard to beat home water.
I have two stretches on two different streams that I think of in this way. Why two?-Because I just can’t decide between them. Last weekend I visited one of these places, and had a great day on the water. I know exactly how long it takes to get there, and when I do, I know just where I’ll start. I know which particular places usually hold fish and which I can fish through quickly….or skip altogether. (I remember, too, where that really nice, bright trout hangs out that I have yet to bring to hand.) I know what flies and tactics have worked well for me in the past so I don’t have to carry the whole catastrophe of gear, just a small fly box and a few other sundry items that will all fit in a shirt pocket or two. All this helps me to relax and focus on and enjoy the fishing and my surroundings.
There’s something very satisfying about home water. If you don’t have any water that you consider home, get out there and try some different places. It may take several visits but, sooner or later, you’ll have your own familiar place. After all, you know what they say: “There’s no place like home!”
Scott
Regards,
Rick
I want to make sure everyone from SMTU knows about our November meeting featuring some of the good people from the National Committee for the New River (NCNR). We had these folks over earlier in the year but due to scheduling conflicts for several of our members we have invited them back hoping to give everyone a chance to meet the people from NCNR. This group has done so much for the New River and its protection that our chapter feels that working with NCNR is a good way to meet SMTU conservation goals at little cost to us and is in the early stages of forming a close working agreement throughscheduled spring and fall clean ups on the upper New where there is a good trout and smallmouth bass population. Courtney Wait, who is the spark plug in charge of organizing the efforts, set up this past fall clean up in an area that holds a decent brown trout population, therefore meeting NCNR’s goal and SMTU’s conservation goal also. Many of us use the New River for both trout and smallmouth bass fishing and feel this is one of the best conservation efforts we have as a small chapter with limited funds. So please check this program out and get involved in giving back to our resources like the New River.
I would also like to mention that if all goes well we will be setting up our first Trout in the Classroom aquarium at East Wilkes Middle School in November. We will be discussing this at the November meeting and will touch base on the up coming banquet also. SMTU has something for all its members and we invite you again to get involved to make sure the environment we leave for our children and their children is as close to what we have enjoyed as possible.
Your President,
Jeff Payne
Have you ever had one of those times when you’ve been faced with a dilemma of which activity to choose? Sure you have! We all have. One recent early Fall Saturday I had just such a quandary. I had planned to fish, but no one else was available to go and the weather forecast was looking pretty lousy. Not just rain, but lots of it! I imagined the streams would be blown out and my time would be wasted. I went to bed Friday night still undecided, but leaning toward staying in to get some housework done. Early the next morning I was wide awake, and figured I’d go ahead and get up. I had coffee and breakfast. I read some. I checked the TV schedule and found nothing worth watching all day (imagine that). I piddled around. Then I finally decided I’d go fishing to keep from being bored and going crazy. After all who was I kidding? I wasn’t going to work around the house anyway.
So I threw some gear in the vehicle and headed up the mountain. Drizzle and light rain met me as I got closer to my intended destination, and I thought, “This may be just right!” After rigging up I got in the water about 11:30. Immediately I started catching pretty wild fish-Browns and Bows-6 in the first run alone. I started noticing that the rain wasn’t too heavy, then got in sort of a zone and noted that it was a pretty day, despite the rain. The leaves had just begun changing, with a few yellow ones in and along the stream that were just slightly brighter than the yellows on the Browns.
Within a few minutes the weather went sliding downhill of course. The rain began in earnest and pretty much continued for the rest of the time I was there. But the fishing never slowed down, so I really didn’t care. It was one of those days when you cast your fly to every likely looking piece of “nervous” water and, Bam!, there’s another one. All gorgeous and wild fish willing to take my fraudulent little offering without a second thought. I even got to fish the same dry/dropper combination for the entire time. Nope. I didn’t mind the rain one bit. About three hours after I started I got to the end of my usual stretch for that area. By now the water was pretty off-color and really rolling, easily 3-4 inches higher than when I started. But It had been a good day. No. It had been a great day! I was glad I had elected to go, as it was obviously the correct choice. I went home satisfied and refreshed. I even got just a little housework done after hanging all my gear to dry.
When you have one of those times when you’re faced with a dilemma, sometimes your choice is the right one…..sometimes not. But, when it comes to fishing, “You never know ‘til you go!”
”
Fin,
Scott
]]>Surry County Youth Conservation Day September 26, 9AM to 4PM
Mission
Surry County Youth Conservation Day is designed to promote and educate youth in the community on outdoor recreation, environmental education, and sportsmanship safety.
Who is involved?
Through the concerted effort of Surry County 4-H and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, local commodity groups such as the National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail Unlimited, and Trout Unlimited; associations like Archers for Christ, and the Surry Baptist’s Men Association; and parks and services such as Pilot Mountain State Park, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and the North Carolina Forestry Service; and local farm, W-4 Farms, Youth Conservation Day is an educational event that will equip the community’s youth with the knowledge of how to safely participate and manage various outdoor related activities.
Who can participate?
This FREE event is open to youth between the ages of 5 and 15. At least one parent must accompany youth to the event.
As a chapter we are moving forward with the plans for the banquet in February and will have tickets available soon after the September meeting. Anyone who is interested in extra tickets for sale to help us out needs to let us know so we can get those to you asap. We hope to have a get idea of the number of those who plan to attend by January 2010 meeting. If anyone has items they want to donate or know of someone who we may want to ask for items please let us know about that also. We have live and silent auctions along with door prizes to give away, so most anything can be used for one of the categories. As the time for the banquet gets near we will try to post items the we have so some of you who want to help but aren’t sure what is needed can get and idea as to what we are talking about. All help is appreciated.
With all that being said hope everyone can attend the next meeting to see Anthony Hipps a noted fly tyer and author, spend more time on the water, and come to the SMTU meeting and give back to the resource we care so much about.
Your President,
Jeff Payne
Anthony served as the Federation OF Fly Fishers-Southeastern Council (FFF-SEC) Conclave Fly Tying Co-Chair 2004-2007 and is 2010 FFF-SEC Conclave Chairman. Anthony has served on the FFF- Southeastern Council Board of Directors and tied flies at the FFF-SEC conclaves since 1999. He is a professional speaker, tier and tying instructor having taught numerous fly tying seminars. He has served as president, vice-president, and program chairman of his local club, the Nat Greene Fly Fishers in Greensboro, NC. Anthony has been nationally recognized for his spun deer-hair bass flies, smallmouth bass nymphs, saltwater streamers and especially his unique soft-bodied foam poppers, divers and sliders. In 2004 he was a featured bonefish fly tier on the Outdoor Life Network’s Fly Fish TV Magazine. Fly Tyer Magazine published Anthony’s article on tying his unique soft-bodied popper in the summer 2006 issue. Since then Anthony has authored 4 additional articles in Fly Tyer Magazine (Soft Bodied Frogs, Jig Flies, Hipps Hellcraw Nymph, and Soft Bodied Divers).
So be sure to mark your calendars for this one. We will meet, as usual, at the Foothills Arts Council Building in Elkin NC at 7:00 pm. If you are not familiar with Elkin call me for directions or even better find it here on our web-site. See ya’ there.
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I also want to remind everyone that on Saturday, August 8th, we will be working with NCNR (National Committee for the New River - http://ncnr.org/) to do a clean-up on lower Big Horse Creek, near the confluence with the New River. We plan to meet at 9:00 AM and the clean-up should only last about 4 hours. Please mark your calendars for this worthwhile effort, and let Scott Frye know ASAP by phone or via email if you can help. Scott’s e-mail is SCOTTF@cityofws.org and his contact number 336-961-3115, please leave a message if no answer. He needs a tentative head count to give to the NCNR person that is coordinating on their end. Feel free to bring your fishing gear as well, since some of us will be floating or wading for smallies afterward.
There are several exciting events coming up such as a group camping/fishing trip to the Smokies at the end of September. We are also in the process of getting a tyer that has been featured at the Charlotte Fly Fishing Show and it looks like he will be our September meeting presenter. We are working hard to make sure that all our members are proud of being in the Stone Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited so be sure to come out and join us at our meetings and events.
Your President,
Jeff Payne
Our speakers for the month of June are Ian and Charity Rutter of R&R Fly Fishing located in Townsend Tennessee just minutes from the Smokies and other great fishing destinations.Ian & Charity Rutter have produced numerous articles and books and are sought-after speakers. Ian wrote Great Smoky Mountains Angler’s Companion and Tennessee Trout Waters: A Blue Ribbon Guide, the most comprehensive fly fishing guides to the Smokies and Tennessee. Their latest book is Rise Rings & Rhododendron: Fly Fishing the Streams & Tailwaters of Southern Appalachia. I am sure they’ll bring some books with them so if you want one or more be prepared to purchase them and I bet they could be convinced to sign them for you. You may want to be there a little early because there should be a full house for this one.
Please remember you do not have to be a member to come to our meetings and you are encouraged to bring family and friends concerned about our water and environment in general. Thank you.
Your President,
Jeff Payne
Meeting date is May the 6th, 7:00 PM @ the Foothills Arts Council Building in Elkin.
Officers
President -Jeff Payne
Vice President-Rick Parish
Treasurer-Bob Pearson
Project Coordinator-
Dick Everhart
Newsletter Editor-
Nancy Payne
“that area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community.”
Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. They cross county, state, and national boundaries. In the continental US, there are 2,110 watersheds; including Hawaii Alaska, and Puerto Rico, there are 2,267 watersheds.
Learn more about your watershed at this EPA site: http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm
http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/wqg/srp/rivercourse.html
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