Virginia DWR Smith River Sample 9-8-21 (Bassett - Fieldale)

[Woolly Bugger]

NOTE: This is Al's report that he asked me to post

Virginia DWR and SRTU volunteers continued the sampling of the Smith River trout fishery. We did from the North Bassett canoe ramp to an improvised ramp just south of the Fieldale Bridge on 9-8-21. Let me give you the layman's bottom line first. The fishery is doing well. We didn't collect any browns that measured past 20 inches but we did collect a whole mess that were in the 12-14 inch range and several beyond that. Lots of fish and they are all eating well.

My ride for the day. I love riding in this but must sheepishly admit I am not as nimble as I used to be. Getting in is not a problem but getting out is not easy as my hips and legs no longer spring up without something to brace on. I learned quickly that leaning on the kayak while it is still in a foot of water just skates it off to one side. Your humble scribe was floundering around on his hands and knees when we stopped to process the first run of fish. Thankfully the air temperature was warm so the only thing that suffered was my pride.
 


Lot's of assembly of equipment. It takes awhile to get set up.  You have to check and double check because once we get started there is not turning back for a forgotten item. DWR had a couple of folks helping who are not normally part of the Smith River crew but they are all professionals and after the first run things go very smoothly.
 


Off we go. It was foggy first thing. The sampling raft goes first, followed by a canoe containing scales, measuring boards, large tub, nets and other "work up" equipment. Volunteers in rafts, canoes or kayaks bring up the rear.






It doesn't take long to fill the sampling raft tank. Once that occurs the sampling raft pulls over to a relatively low depth area.  The fish are quickly transferred to a holding tank and we start the process of collecting data.
 





We collected some nice fish. Some were as big as footballs. They are eating well.
 
 




Each fish is identified for species, (chub, dace, sucker, rainbow and brown) measured and weighed. Our main emphasis is on the health of the stream spawned brown trout.
 
 



Five fish from each run sacrificed their life for science. These fish are analyzed for age, sex, sexual maturity, and stomach content. Lots of  forage or small fish and crayfish in their diet.
 





 

The drop at 220 Bridge is always a thrill and potential bath site


 

No problem - Old Al can stay upright in a kayak - he just has a difficult time getting out of it to help process fish.


 

The ramp where we take out at Fieldale was not exactly designed as a ramp. It is a good thing DWR has powerful 4WD vehicles. They also have a winch just in case.
 


There ya have it. Another section of the Smith River Fishery has been sampled. If flows and work schedules permit  DWR will use a jet propulsion boat to sample from the Koehler downstream to the Martinsville Dam in the near future. They also plan to sample[/ below the Martinsville Dam sometime in October. All of the data collected is analyzed for trends which helps make management decisions. As a fisherman who has been fishing the Smith for over 30 years and volunteer who has been helping study the river for over 25 years it is my opinion that the fishery is doing very well. Again my opinion - the almost constant flows we have seen for the past several years with little or no "on again-off again" generation have had a positive impact on the health and growth rate of the fish.