By Jane DeGeorge
Eagle Reporter
Published: March 27, 2008

Graves Mountain Lodge’s annual Kids Day fishing event has undergone a makeover. Besides being pushed forward a few weeks, the yearly Syria trout-fishing affair has been expanded to include a variety of educational offerings for the whole family.

“It was my idea to try to get some education in about protecting our streams,” said Jimmy Graves of Graves Mountain Lodge, who has been organizing the festivities for about 30 years.

The event – set for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 5 – will go by the name “Heritage Day,” as it will take place on the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ Heritage Day, which replaced the traditional season opening day when the department went to a year-round trout season in the mid-1990s. The all-day activities are jointly sponsored by the department of game and inland fisheries, Trout Unlimited and Graves Mountain Lodge.

As always, a stocked section of a stream will be closed off for those 12 and younger, however the location has moved. This year, an approximately three-quarter-mile stretch of the Rose River in front of Graves Mountain Lodge will be the primary fishing spot for children only. No fishing license is required for children 15 and younger. There is a six fish limit, according to Graves Mountain Lodge representatives.

Adults will be allowed to fish in a separate section of the Rose River and the nearby Robinson River, which will also be stocked for the day. All residents 16 and older are required to have a state freshwater fishing license to fish for trout. From Oct. 1-June 15, those who fish in designated stocked trout waters, including the Robinson, Rose and Hughes rivers in Madison County, must have a trout license as well.

The rivers are expected to be stocked with a combination of rainbow trout and brook trout, according to Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries representatives.  The fish will be catchable size (9-11 inches), with some larger fish as well, VDGIF Coldwar Hatcheries Manager George Duckwall said.
Duckwall suggests using live bait, such as worms, or Power Bait, which is similar to the pellets the trout are fed at the hatchery, he said. The fish should bite on spinners and flys, according to the department representative.

“Hopefully the water will be in the 50s and warm and people will enjoy the day,” Duckwall said.

In addition to the sponsors, the Virginia Wildlife Center, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia State University, the Culpeper and Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation districts, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Madison 4-H Adventure Club and the Old Rag Naturalists will offer a variety of activities including live bird exhibits, taxidermy animal displays, demonstrations of fly-tying and casting, stream insect monitoring and a presentation about safety while using all-terrain vehicles.

Harry Murray – who has written several books about fishing and conducts fishing classes along the Rapidan River – will present a talk and a demonstration about fly-fishing during the event, according to Graves.

“We’re figuring close to 1,000 kids, there may be a couple thousand people including parents,” Graves said. Additional adults may be attracted to the event to hear speakers Murray and another fishing book author, John Ross.

“The little kids can come and learn to fish and hopefully make it a lifelong thing and keep them off of drugs and keep them off the streets,” Graves said.
Registration for the event is set for 8 a.m.-4 p.m. For information, call Graves Mountain Lodge at (540) 923-4231 or visit its Web site at http://www.gravesmountain.com.

Fishing in the Robinson and Rose rivers is prohibited on Friday, April 4. Fishing is allowed in these rivers starting at 9 a.m., Saturday, April 5.