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Angler Annalysis
By Jerry Hale Sonny Capps has spent more time out on Smith Mountain Lake this year than any boaters we know — with the possible exception of law enforcement officers. And he’s probably right up there with several of them, when it comes to time spent on the water.
Capps was contracted by AEP to conduct the 2006 Angler Use Survey. In that capacity, he runs the Lake five hours a day, five days a week. That means the entire Lake – seven carefully delineated sectors from Bay Roc Marina (up near R75) to Craddock Creek, Bull Run, Gills Creek and the upper Blackwater — with nary a “secret cove” left unpatrolled.
Capps’ mission is to intercept and interview a representative sampling of people fishing SML waters this season. The goal is to gather data from as many anglers as he can before the study concludes Dec. 15. As of Aug. 1, he had talked with about 350 fishing parties. The data he gathers will be used to quantify the level of angler use of the SML Project — effort (hours), catch (hook-ups) and harvest (fish not released). Expenditure data will be used to estimate the value of the fishing industry to the area.
A typical intercept goes like this: Capps spots a boat containing one or more fishermen/women somewhere in the zone scheduled for that day’s operation. He idles his 17-foot Carolina Skiff up close, identifies himself, and asks the occupants if they’re willing to provide some information about their outing, briefly explaining the survey’s purpose and the kind of questions he’ll be asking.
Hearing some form of “OK,” Capps begins working through a two-page, 10-minute questionnaire, which records such data as number of anglers in the party; time of day fishing began; place of origin; species being sought; number of days fishing SML the previous full month; amount being spent on launching or boat rental, gas, bait, tackle, food, lodging, incidentals; several questions about fishing after dark; number and size of each species caught, kept and released; and a rating of the total fishing experience here on the Lake.
While no results have yet been tabulated, Capps said the angler’s estimated expenditure commonly exceeds $400. But the average went up considerably when a recent intercept found a bass fisherman who was aboard a $35,000 fishing rig he had purchased from a Lake marina the day before.
Each of Sonny’s outings includes a complete sweep of every nook and cranny of the day’s sector — in some cases, a two-hour boat ride.
“I’m getting to know the Lake pretty well,” he said. Using several counters mounted on a board atop his control console, Capps also clicks in every dock fisherman, fishing boat, pleasure boat and jet ski he spots. “I do quite a bit of clicking on the weekends,” he noted dryly.
Sonny began the project with a strong body of Lake knowledge, having conducted a similar survey for DGIF two years ago. He landed the job through his acquaintance with Rex Smith, president of the SML Striper Club.
“Most fishermen are quite cooperative,” Capps said. “After all, they are most likely in a ‘quiet time’ between strikes.” He’s talked with anglers from Ontario to Florida and most places in between. “Folks from Pennsylvania, New York, Jersey, North Carolina, and, of course, tons from right here in Virginia.”
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