Deer Hunting
Preseason precautions for trail cameras
Trail cameras are unbeatable for keeping tabs on the deer in your area. But checking them too often can scare away your trophies before the season even starts. […]
July 2016
Inshore Fishing
Make sure you can distinguish Spanish mackerel from king mackerel
When the water temperature in nearshore waters reaches the upper 70s, it’s not uncommon to see a blending on the fishing grounds between Spanish mackerel and king mackerel. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Smallmouths are at home under New River’s foam
What’s the best way to approach raft, canoe or kayak fishing for smallmouth bass in a mountain river with moving current, as opposed to a reservoir. […]
Inshore Fishing
Popping-cork rigs are just the start when targeting speckled trout
Fishing with an artificial lure under a popping cork is a popular way of attracting and catching speckled trout. The noise created by the cork draws attention to its location, and once trout see it, they spot the lure. It adds the element of sound to a lure that primarily relies on sight. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Long battle over New River set precedent to save streams
The successful, 14-year battle to save the New River in North Carolina and southwestern Virginia in the 1960s and 1970s created a coalition that local residents, environmental groups, conservation organizations, anglers, businesses, state agencies and politicians have used to preserve natural resources elsewhere. […]
Inshore Fishing
Making noise is a key for speckled trout lures
Noise — at least the right noise — can attract speckled trout and give your bait or lure a better chance at being eaten. Popping corks are great noisemakers, and they add an extra or sound to live bait or artificial lures equally, as long as they are used as more than just strike indicators. […]
Inshore Fishing
Carry a big variety of lures when targeting speckled trout
Any time you’re going trout fishing at daybreak, you need to bring a collection of topwater lures. Nothing is more exciting, heart-stopping and on certain days as effective as working topwater lures through likely speckled trout holes. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Head upriver for Kerr Lake crappie during drawdown conditions
It’s no secret that Kerr Lake’s status as a flood-control reservoir makes it subject to excessive pooling during wet seasons, but since Lake Gaston downstream began furnishing water to the Virginia Beach area in 1998, Kerr also has the potential to see major drawdowns in summer droughts. […]
Freshwater Fishing
For quick color fixes, pull out that container of dye
Ask two anglers for their opinion on lure color, and you may get two different answers. But the general consensus is that silver or chrome spoons perform best on bright sunny days with clear conditions and gold or painted spoons are best for cloudy days or stained water. […]
Inshore Fishing
How long should you wait before setting the hook on a flounder?
For years, fishermen have debated how long they should wait before setting the hook on a flounder. Some support a 10-second count after the fish takes a live bait, but when anglers are using artificials, there never seems to be any lag time between the bite and hookset. […]