Cruising the web looking at bass fishing as I often do, this web page on Virginia’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries caught my eye. They actually have taken the time to rank their best largemouth bass fisheries by region in their state. What a great tool for both residents and tourists of Virginia.
I wish Minnesota and some of my neighboring states would put lists like this together for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Although somewhat interesting, Kerr Reservoir was #81 on Bassmasters’ Top 100 lakes in the country, but was only ranked 10th in the South Region by it’s own state’s fisheries teams. Smith Mountain Lake was is #63, at least that is second in the South Region. The Potomac River is #31 on Bassmaster list, unranked by state, probably because it is largely a border water with Maryland.
Among other cool things that Virginia has is a Virginia boating safety course. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is gradually
phasing-in mandatory boater education for all operators of PWCs and
motorboats over 10HP.
A new block of boaters will be added each year until
July 1, 2016 when all boaters shall meet the requirement. This seems like a great program to create boater safety. With all the high speed and high powered vessels on our waterways, it seems like a no-brainer!
Every now and then, it is cool to take a look at what other states are doing for fishing and boating and maybe think what could apply to our local resources.
