George Palmer

Walleye (Sander vitreus) were collected during late winter-early spring in 2008 - 2011 at seven sites across Virginia to evaluate angler catch and exploitation. A total of 3116 walleye were tagged with FD94 T-bar Floy tags at four small impoundments (<200 ha), two large impoundments (>200 ha), and the New River during the course of the study. Anglers were offered a US$20 reward for the return of each tag, and 530 tags (17%) were returned. Adjusted annual catch rates ranged from 15% - 61%, with a mean of 29%. Annual exploitation ranged from 2% - 29% with a mean of 12%. Mean total...

The species largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides is comprised of two subspecies: northern largemouth bass M.s. salmoides and Florida largemouth bass M.s. floridanus. It is uncertain whether largemouth bass is native to the Atlantic slope and New drainages of Virginia. There exists a widely-held perception that Florida largemouth bass or F1 northern x Florida hybrids provide more trophy catches than northern largemouth bass, which has led to widespread stocking of Florida largemouth bass into native northern and intergrade largemouth bass populations. Twenty-four Virginia populations of...