Scale certification will be offered for the first time at the February 25th VAC Membership Meeting, the first Membership Meeting of 2014.  Please check out the following hints to make the Weigh Masters’ job as easy as it can be.

Remember the following scale preparation pointers:

• Be sure your scales are operating freely and free of rust.
• Clean the outside of the barrel so certification stickers will adhere
• Gather your scales together in one or two Zip Lock type bags.
• Write your name on the outside of the bag.
• Leave your bagged scales on the certification team’s table.  

By Lee Rothgeb

• Virginia / North Carolina Striped Bass: Dec.14- Dec. 31 2013 (no blow date)
• Virginia Yellow Perch: March 8-9 (blow date following weekend)
• Kelly Stafford Memorial Hickory Shad and White Perch: April 5-6 (James River) (blow date following weekend)  
• Bernie Skydanek Memorial Eastern Shore VA Surf - Red & Black Drum May 10-11  
• Virginia/Carolina Flounder: July 19-20 (blow date following weekend)
• Catfish Tournament (Replaces Small Mouth Tourney.  Flatheads and Blues with 4 prizes total (2 Flatties/2 Blues)    James River Sep 6-7
• Virginia / North Carolina Speckled Trout: October 25-26 (blow date following weekend; Note: No fishing inside private hot ditch on Elizabeth River.
• James River VA (Chippokes Creek) Gar: November 22-23 (no blow date)

Anglers take note of rules:(Read More)

Collected here are brief synopses of the information each of the eight Members shared with those present at the November 26th Membership Meeting.  If you want more details, please get up with the speakers noted and they will willingly share more specifics with you.

Jim Sheffield and Rob Choi spoke about striper fishing.  Jim likes to tie a partially inflated colored party balloon on his line to serve a bobber when he is fishing for stripers.  The balloon will slide along the line as it is retrieved vs. a bobber stopping at a bobber stop and maybe preventing a complete retrieve.  Jim likes to put out balloons of different colors, each with a different leader length below the balloon, while he sets up his drift.   Carrying a pair of binoculars makes easy work of watching other anglers for evidence of a better fishing location than the empty hole you over which you might just be drifting.  Long drifts are favored.
<... (Read More)

Some nice gar can be found in many places in the James River system - including the Chickahominy, but this time of year Chippokes Creek (just off  the James) is the top venue for club members seeking large gar. There are many access points on the Chick and the James. Those who want to fish Chippokes can reach the area by leaving from the free Morris Creek Ramp in the Chickahominy Wildlife Management Area http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wmas/detail.asp?pid=1 or for a fee use the more convenient James City County Riverfront Park Ramp http://www.jccegov.com/recreation/parks/chickahominy-park.html   on the East end of the Route 5 Bridge over the Chick.    

Times: All Saturday and Sunday

Tips: The fish will eat large minnows, suspended live - or dead on the bottom. They range from 2 to 17 lbs. and can easily be caught on 2# or 4# test with 8# mono leader. They also will take artificial baits if you ha... (Read More)

Only two VAC Members reported entries to Angling Activities Chairman for the Virginia Speckled Trout Tournament.  All entries were on 2# spin.

Weight:    
1st.  - Robbie Robinson -  5 lbs. 3 oz.
2nd. - Mike Cline -    2 lbs. 8 oz.
        
Points:    
1st. - Mike Cline -         2 lbs. 13 oz.    187 Points
2nd. - Robbie Robinson -         2 lbs.   8 oz.       166 Points

By Quentin Corbett, Team Captain

The 56th Annual Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament sponsored by the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club was another unusual year. With the beach closures, nesting turtles, rip currents, wind and rain you would think this tournament is jinxed. However, there were fish caught this year. The bad news is, if you didn’t catch a puppy drum you didn’t score very many points. The winner this year had 369 points all attributed to their catch of puppy drum. One team member caught 8 the first session. Unfortunately we were not so lucky finishing in the lower quarter of teams in 105th position. It was all about the draw for your station and the tide at that time. The team is ready to go back next year and redeem itself. Maybe our luck will change.

Former Virginia Anglers Club Member Ray Black pulled lines for the last time on Saturday, October 19, 2013 in Orlando, FL.  Ray was active in the VAC during the 1980s and early 1990s, until he closed his orthodontics practice in Midlothian and retired to Cape Coral, FL.  Ray has 11 species among his 18 catches caught in 4 states that are recorded in the VAC data base.  Ray fished on the VAC Surf Team during his days as a Member.

The only change in the angling rules is how a tie in tournament entries will be handled. Currently the winner is determined by the first angler that reports his catch to the tournament chairman.  Going forward, this will be changed to the fish that was caught first, which is consistent with how ties are handled for awards.  This change goes into effect December 1, 2013, the first day of the 2014 Angling Year. Thanks to Angling Rules Committee Chairman Stuart Lee and members Bill Duval, Glenn Carter, Buddy and Danny Noland and Billy Nicar who keep our angling aligned with government regulations, in step with stock availability and fair for all who wet a line.