Speckled trout catches qualified four residents for citations in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, newly listed in the Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 issues of vasaltwaterfishing.com.

Andy Schramm of Gloucester, won a citation for a 5-pound, 4-ounce fish caught Nov. 25 in the James River;

William Wade Flippin of Bena, won a citation for an 8-pound, 4-ounce fish caught Nov. 30 in the James River;

Dwayne Carter of Hayes, received a citation for a 5-pound, 6-ounce fish caught Dec. 7 in the James River; and,

Matthew Pierro of Gloucester, got his citation for a 5-pound, 11-ounce fish caught Nov. 30 in the James River.
Pierro also qualified for a citation that day for a 52-inch red drum caught and released in the James.

Tournament leaders

Leading entries in this year’s saltwater fishing tournament, as of Dec. 25, include the following:

Bluefish, 17 pounds, 8 ounces, caught by Davie Wineman of Suffolk; blueline tilefish, 23 pounds, caught by Chris Cheffer of Virginia Beach; cobia, 68 pounds, 2 ounces, caught by Laura Regal Buto of Leesburg; dolphin, 64 pounds, caught by John Barker of Oak Hall; flounder, 13 pounds, 12 ounces, caught by Robert Lowe of Sedley.

Also, golden tilefish, 64 pounds, caught by Glen Morgan Boykin of Elizabeth City, N.C.; gray triggerfish, 5 pounds, 8 ounces, caught by Laura Robinoux of Midlothian; king mackerel, 37 pounds, 14 ounces, caught by Brian Gardner of Virginia Beach; kingfish, 2 pounds, 12 ounces, caught by Angel Villalpando of Virginia Beach; and pompano, tied at 3 pounds, 8 ounces caught by Angel Villalpando and by Benjamin J. Breen of Hampton;

Also, sea bass, 8 pounds, caught by Kenny Davis of Chesapeake; sheepshead, 19 pounds, 3 ounces, caught by David B. Estis of New Kent; spadefish, 11 pounds, 8 ounces, caught by Kimberly M. High of Brooksville, Florida; Spanish mackerel, 6 pounds, caught by Warren Swann of Callao;

Also, speckled trout, 11 pounds, 1 ounce, caught by Donald Rogers of Portsmouth; tautog, tied at 21 pounds, 5 ounces by Bruce A. Stout Jr. of Howell, New Jersey, and Daniel J. White of Carrollton; tuna (bluefin), 220 pounds caught by Hunter Carstens of Virginia Beach; tuna (other), 237 pounds, 9 ounces, caught by Kevin Bremer of Virginia Beach; and wahoo, 73 pounds, 11 ounces, caught by Cole Colbert of Deltaville.

Programs for anglers

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission operates two programs for recreational anglers, with details available on vasaltwaterjournal.com.

One program, the Marine Sportfish Collection Project, collects fish carcasses. The fisherman catches the fish and fillets it, but instead of throwing the remains in the trash, donates them to science.

The second, the Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program, is a cooperative project of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament that provides an avenue for anglers to assist in collecting scientific information about the movements and biology of marine game fish.