Well, the cat is definitely out of the bag in regards to the anglers being sued by a development group for fishing on the Jackson tailwater. The Virginia Rivers Defense Fund has made their first press release to help bring this situation to light.
Author and Director of the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, Beau Beasley, has followed up his original article in Midcurrent.com with a deeper look into the controversy. We are continuing to ask the AG to attach the state as Party Defendant, since the anglers being sued for fishing waters don’t claim ownership of the riverbed, but the while the state holds that it is public water, they to date have not stepped up and put their money where their mouth is.
I have called and e-mailed Attorney General Cuccinelli repeatedly with no answer and once, when I finally got past the receptionist at the Attorney General’s office, was told there was nobody I could speak with, since I was neither an attorney nor an employee of the state. Seems a little fishy to me, since that is an elected office, but what can you do when they hang up on you? It seems the AG has hitched his political cart to the healthcare suit and that is that.
The initial court date has been set for July 25, 2011 and I urge any and all who are able to attend to show up and support the defendants. Even if you have never fished the Jackson and have no plans to do so, this may set a dangerous precedence for other rivers in the Old Dominion.