BRAVO Virginia Dept of Game and Inland Fishery

I wanted to share this because today is a historic day that will get little of the attention that is much deserved!

 Today the Virginia Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries took down a concrete dam from the 1930s called Harvell Dam.

 While this sounds very insignificant, it opened up the entire 120 miles of the Appomattox River for all of the migratory fish that head upstream in the spring. It is a HUGE step in restoration and opening of habitat that man had once blocked off for their own personal gain.  If you listen closely you can almost hear the cheers from thousands of Striped Bass, American Eels, Shad, and Herring!

Below is the copy and paste from the DGIF website and a link to a video of the removal.

“Harvell Dam in Petersburg Removed”

Old dams prevent fish from traveling upstream. The Harvell Dam in Petersburg—the most critical fish passage impediment on the Appomattox River, and one of the highest priority sites for migratory fish restoration in Virginia—has now been removed. The demolition of this 1930s-era concrete dam has opened 127 miles of upstream habitat for migratory fish, such as American and Hickory Shad, and greatly enhanced recreational boating and fishing opportunities. Learn more in this video.

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More Puppies Than a Pet Store ------ A Fishing Report for Lower Chesapeake Bay August 22 2014

Puppy drum fishing is off the hook right now in the lower chesapeake bay. Last years amazing quantities of fish have tuned into QUALITY fish! Almost every outing we are getting into schoold fo red drum from 22 to 30 inches in size. Action was hot yesterday with me and 2 others catching a 3 man limit plus many throw backs due to being TOO BIG! the current VA regulations state you can only keep three fish per person and they must be 18-26 inches. These fish can be found around oyster bars, shallow grassy flats, and along the edge of marsh grass shorelines. Look for them to be boiling on bait as a dead giveaway they are around.

 

 

 

Cobia are starting to school up and will be making their trek back south anytime now. If you want to catch them on their way out of here, your best bet would be to head to the VA Beach oceanfront and fast!.

Speckled trout are starting to turn on with the recent cooler weather. I suspect they will arrive in full force on the flats by the first week in September.