Virginia Wildlife Demo - 24

strategic placement of donated Christmas
trees each winter throughout the lake. Nearby Saunders Pond at 4.5 acres hosts the same
species as the lake.
Both bodies of water are user-friendly
for those seeking to fish the shoreline areas,
although you may have to do a little bushwhacking to get into some places. e best
way to fish Amelia Lake is by dropping in a
small kayak, canoe, or boat with electric
motor at the boat ramp. On most days, you
will see only a handful of other boat anglers.

BEST OF VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

Charlie Petrocci is a maritime heritage researcher,
lecturer, and consultant who specializes in coastal
traditions such as fisheries, seafood, and community
folklife. He has lived on the Shore for 25 years.

Amelia WMA has something for every outdoorsman, including ﬁne hunting for rabbit,
deer, and turkey.

©John R. Ford

General Robert E. Lee had held the huge Union
army at bay around Petersburg for more than
nine months, but things began to unravel on
April 1, 1865. General Sheridan smashed his
way through Confederate lines at Five Forks
(Gen. George Pickett reportedly was away at a
shad feast). The next day the massive Union
army surged and the long, thin Confederate line
ﬁnally collapsed. Lee was forced to abandon Petersburg and Richmond on April 2 and retreat in
three columns, moving along the Appomattox
River corridor.
Hoping to move into North Carolina to regroup, the Confederate army headed toward
Appomattox Station and much-needed supplies. Union Gen. Grant kept the pressure up by
using federal cavalry in blocking maneuvers,
forcing Lee to cross and re-cross the Appomattox River. A series of short battles took place
over the next few days, including Namozine
Church, Amelia Springs, Rice's Station, and
Sailors Creek. There were also two critical actions at High Bridge over the Appomattox.
On April 6, 1865, a small Union force tried
to burn High Bridge to keep Confederate forces
from crossing. When rebel forces arrived, a wild
cavalry battle took place and what was left of
the Union troops surrendered. Several key oﬃcers were mortally wounded in the action, including James Dearing-the last Confederate
General killed in the war.
After Lee's men crossed the Appomattox
River, they in turn tried to burn the bridge as
well, but were pushed back when Union soldiers arrived and attacked the structure while it
was on ﬁre. Using the lower "wagon" bridge
across the river, federal troops pushed Lee and
his struggling army toward its historic appointment with destiny at Appomattox Courthouse.
High Bridge State Park recently opened as
the newest park in Virginia. Located just outside
of Farmville, it oﬀers hiking and biking trails and
historic signs with insight to the battle at this
crucial Appomattox River crossing. And as the
name implies, High Bridge does impress. The
original structure, completed in 1859, was at
one time the largest bridge in the United States.
For more on Civil War Trails, go to www.
virginia.org/civilwartrails.

Encircled by the Appomattox
e Appomattox River, which surrounds a
good portion of Amelia WMA, oﬀers additional recreation. e shallow, slow-moving
river is a major tributary of the historic James
River. Just before it reaches Petersburg, the
dammed Appomattox forms man-made
Lake Chesdin, a great place to fish for walleye, striped bass, crappie, catfish, and largemouth bass. During its 175-mile meander,
the Appomattox forms the boundaries of
Buckingham, Prince Edward, Cumberland,
Amelia, Powhatan, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, and Prince George counties.
e Appomattox can be a very productive river to fish, with its wide assortment of
species. But that being said, it unfortunately
is not very user-friendly. In other words, access can be limited. Most of the river is accessible to only small boats such as canoe,
kayak, or tin boat. e put-in and take-out
sites along the river are usually found around
bridges, and even that can sometimes mean
going commando to get your boat into the
water. During summer months, the water
can be pretty darn low.
"One good access point is by launching
at Buﬀalo Creek and paddling into the Appomattox. It's about 20 miles if you want to
take out down at Sunnyside, but there is
great catfishing and smallmouth bass fishing
along the way. High Bridge is a hot spot," reports Tom Detrick, a long-time employee at
the Appomattox River Company.
e canoe and kayak company located
on the river has been dumping boats into the
water for decades. Small boat fishing in the
Appomattox is doable, but challenging, due
to the shallow waters, fallen trees, and long
distances between boat access points. Detrick adds, "e Appomattox is a pretty river,
very isolated, with long stretches between
places to take out, but that makes it very special for those of us who paddle it."

©Charlie Petrocci

Lee's Last Week Along
the Appomattox

Most anglers who fish the Appomattox
River tend to target largemouth bass and
smallmouth bass that are perennial winners
throughout the year. But there is another fish
closely related to these guys that keeps things
interesting in the waterway: the spotted bass,
(AKA Kentucky bass).
Spotted bass were introduced to the
river in the 1970s and have taken up residence primarily from the Farmville area
down to the county line around Route 360.
ey diﬀer from largemouth bass in several
ways, including that the mouth ends before
the eye like a smallmouth, and they have a
dark, blotchy lateral band from head to tail.
Also they have black spots on their belly
scales; thus, the name "spotted bass." ey
will hit spinners, jigs, and live bait fished near
cover or holes.
Other species in the river include channel catfish, crappie, pickerel, sunfish, bluegill,
and feisty little fallfish, which are in the chub
family. And striped bass and walleye will
move upstream out of Lake Chesdin during
the cooler months of early spring.
Together, Amelia WMA (www.dgif.virginia.gov/wmas) and the nearby Appomattox River oﬀer a broad range of outdoor
action that can be engaged in one form or another, virtually year-round. I think fall and
spring may be the best time to visit. So pack
up all the toys and retreat for the hills. You
will find yourself hunting and fishing on
land once tread by hardened men of both
blue and gray, who struggled to the bitter end
of a civil war. *

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wmas http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wmas http://www.virginia.org/civilwartrails http://www.virginia.org/civilwartrails

Virginia Wildlife Demo

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