A Couple of Changes

There aren’t a lot of changes to West Virginia‘s 2010 fishing regulations.   Those are now in print and available at license retailers across the state of West Virginia.

As a matter of fact, all of the regulations mirror the 2009 rules, with two exceptions.

The first includes a catch and release restriction on hybrid striped bass at Rollins Lake in Jackson County.   The restriction comes as the DNR attempts to control a problem with gizzard shad in the impoundment.

"We’ve tried a couple of different management approaches and lately we’ve been stocking hybrid-striped bass fingerlings for these gizzard shad," said DNR Warmwater Fisheries Chief Brett Preston. "We’d like to let them get a good start."

The second major change in the 2010 fishing regs is creation of a delayed harvest section on the Bluestone River through Pipestem Resort State Park on trout.

"You can catch fish and keep fish from June 1 until September 30, but during the period October 1 – May 31st it’s a catch and release regulation."  Said Preston. "It’s an opportunity when they’re visiting Pipestem State Park to have a trout fishing experience that’s a little different than other places." 

The park area has limited access to the waterway, except by foot and offers a rewarding remote fishing experience if visitors are interested.  Preston says they’re hoping the delayed harvest will entice more visitors to the park for that fishing experience.