Catch and release signs for muskie fishermen are going up at the public access points on the James River between Iron Gate and Lynchburg.

According to Luke Kesler, the Jesse Carper Memorial Musky Tournament teamed up with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) to design and post the signs to help as an educational tool on the James River about  the preservation of the muskie fishery. The signs are metal and will be attached to posts at the access points. Kesler said VDGIF muskie biologist Tyler Young designed and did the footwork for getting the signs made. Funding for the signs came from those who donated to the Carper Memorial Musky Tournament headquartered at the Roanoke Moose Lodge in May.