ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 11, 1996 TAG: 9604110014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Outdoors
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
Forget the snow, the freezing temperatures, the arctic wind, at least the crappie know it's spring.
These popular panfish are moving shallow to claim brush piles, stumps and other structures where they will spawn when water temperatures rise. Now is a prime time to hook an egg-laden, trophy-size fish. Here are some spots to watch:
KERR LAKE: Good-sized crappie, many of them 1-to 11/2-pounds apiece, are hitting in the bushes of this 50,000-acre lake. Kerr is Virginia's biggest producer of citation-size catches. Last year it accounted for 49 citations, nearly twice the number of the previous season. The best months, in order, were May and April.
LAKE MOOMAW: Even with water temperatures in the mid-40s, this winter-locked lake is turning out crappie in the 1-pound range. ``If we get a few days of 70-degree temperatures like they are calling for, it should warm the water up fast,'' said Larry Andrews of the Bait Place.
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE: Find a warm day and you can catch lots of crappie, said David Webb of the Fishing Hole in Roanoke.
``The crappie have been turning on and off with the weather patterns we have been having,'' he said. ``Once we get two or three warm days, like this weekend, they are ready to go.''
Crappie fishing has been on the rebound at Smith Mountain. This spring could produce some of the finest fishing in years. The lake ranked second to Kerr last season, when 42 citations were registered. April was the top month.
LAKE ANNA: Small minnows are hooking big crappie. An Anna Point Marina crappie tournament was won by a 10-fish catch that weighed 9 pounds, 7 ounces. ``Not too bad for 10 fish,'' said David Fauntleroy, Anna's fishing pro.
Water temperatures range from 51 to 54 degrees. Last year, Anna ranked third in the state for trophy crappie catches. April was the leading month.
PHILPOTT LAKE: Some limits have been reported here, where early season catches traditionally come from the upper end of the lake. A pair of anglers told Judy Helms, of Rakes Sports Center in Bassett, that they landed 61 crappie, releasing the smaller ones.
LAKE GASTON: A sunken road bed produced a half-dozen big crappie for one Gaston fisherman.
BRIERY CREEK LAKE: When Albert Finchum, who operates PC Pullover, said he has been weighing big fish, he wasn't referring to the 10-pound plus largemouth bass that have been been flopping on the scales at his store. What had Finchum excited were a couple of slab-sized crappie - one 2 pounds, 4 ounces, the other 2 pounds, 1 ounce. The size of the grin on Finchum's face revealed the fact he caught them both.
CLAYTOR LAKE: Crappie fishing has been slow to start here. Catches have been scattered, but that should change quickly with warmer weather.
PRIVATE PONDS: Many fishermen envision crappie as a species of major impoundments, and they are that. But the largest registered last year, a 4-pound, 5-ounce giant, came from a private pond. So did the 4-pound, 10-ounce state record, landed in 1994. Both were April catches.
FISHING ELSEWHERE: Kevin Long and five friends squeezed a few hours of fishing between windy fronts off Nags Head, N.C., and landed one of the season's first catches of yellowfin tuna. ``The seas were rough, but we managed to catch 31 tuna averaging 25 to 30 pounds,'' said Long, of the Cellar Restaurant in Blacksburg. Mickey Boyd got the largest, a 70-pounder.
Jerry Elder of Lynchburg out-fished a field of 433 in the Red Man Piedmont Division qualifier on Lake Gaston, winning with a 20-pound, 4-ounce catch.
TURKEY BANQUET: Hunters will be talking to turkeys Saturday when the spring gobbler season opens, but tonight they will be talking about them. The occasion is a banquet sponsored by the Franklin County Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Tickets will be sold at the door for the 6 p.m. event at Crossroads Ruritan Club. Information is available from 540-365-2093.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 linesby CNB