New DNR fisheries chief wants to focus on research

DAILY MAIL OUTDOORS EDITOR

WEST Virginia has a new bass czar.

The official title for Bret Preston is the Division of NaturalResources' "assistant chief of the Wildlife Resources Section, incharge of warmwater fisheries." Around the agency and around thestate, however, he'll simply be the "warmwater chief."

That means he'll be in charge of all the state's bass fisheries,its muskie fisheries, its catfish fisheries, its walleye fisheries -well, you get the point. If it's a fish and not a trout, Preston willbe in charge of it.

He replaces Bert Pierce, who retired in early November. ForPreston, who had served as Pierce's assistant since 1995, thetransition …