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BASIC INFO:
River sampled:
Roanoke River
Fisheries Biologists conducting sampling:
Jeremy McCargo, Katy Potoka and Kevin Dockendorf
Date of sample:
April 24, 2014-American Shad
April 28, 2014-Striped Bass
Area(s) of river sampled, and water temps:
American Shad-HWY48 to Powerlines near Gaston
Striped Bass-Around Weldon from the Gap to Troublefield Gut
Boat ramp(s) used to access river:
American Shad-Gaston BAA
Striped Bass-Weldon BAA
American Shad 4/24: Species (spp) information:
· Spp. captured:
American Shad
· Numbers by spp:
102 American Shad
· Size range by spp:
Males: 15-20 inches
Females: 18-22 inches
· Max size for spp:
Female: 22 inches, 4.4 pounds
· Sex ratio by spp:
55 males, 47 females (approximately 1:1 males to females)
· Were the fish tagged?
No
Striped Bass 4/28: Species (spp) information:
Striped Bass
752 Striped Bass
Males: 11-26 inches
Females: 15-37 inches
Female: 37 inches, ~30 pounds
728 males and 24 females (approximately 30:1 males to females)
659 Striped Bass were tagged by DMF staff with yellow internal anchor tags
ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS:
River level and other water quality observations (turbity, etc.):
Flows were moderate on both sampling days (around 8,000 cfs)
Weather conditions on sampling date?
Cloudy with showers
Your observations of other people fishing on the river:5
Fishing activity at Weldon was heavy on Monday. The parking lot was full of trucks and trailers and many boats were on the water. We saw anglers catching lots of stripers, and reports were that fishing was good but most fish were small.
Comments to anglers about your sampling results, and fishing-related conclusions that can be drawn from your data:
Male Striped Bass were abundant on the spawning grounds this week. Our catch rate increased dramatically from last week, and we collected the most stripers of the season so far. The majority of our catch this week was between 15 and 17 inches, but 17% of our sample was of harvestable size (18 to 22 inches). Although flows had come down and stabilized somewhat, recent heavy rainfall will cause flows to increase for the coming week. Anglers should use caution when boating in the river during high water conditions.
American shad continued to be fairly abundant on the spawning grounds last week. Our electrofishing catch rate dropped slightly from the previous sample, but was still relatively high at 90 fish/hour. Gravid females were collected, indicating American Shad are still spawning.
Roanoke River Creel Survey Information: April 21 to April 30
Creel clerks observed a tremendous increase in striped bass angling activity in the upper Roanoke River at Hamilton, Edwards Ferry and Weldon. Many anglers continued to catch more than 100 striped bass in an outing, with an apparent improvement in the ratio of number of striped bass harvested as to the total number of striped bass caught. Many limits of striped bass were observed during the creel sessions this period. The striped bass harvest season closed as scheduled in rule on April 30th. Anglers can continue to catch striped bass on Roanoke River, provided all striped bass caught are quickly released.
Click here to view map. Note: This map is to be used for general informational purposes only and not for navigation of the Roanoke River. Rocks, logs, and other hazards are likely to be encountered anywhere in this area.
Click here to view map. Note: This map of the Roanoke River Boating Access Areas is to be used for general informational purposes only.
Katy Potoka (left) and Jeremy McCargo hoist an enormous blue catfish estimated at 90+ pounds that was collected near the Gaston boating access area on the Roanoke River on April 24, 2014.