Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 1, 1990 TAG: 9006020451
SECTION: SMITH MOUNTAIN TIMES PAGE: SM-5 EDITION: BEDFORD/FRANKLIN
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Wrangler/B.A.S.S. National Championship fishing tournament that comes to the lake later this month is expected to spawn articles in sportsman's publications and generate a cable television special on the Nashville Network.
Still, some lake merchants are disappointed that the June 28-30 tournament will not have a more direct economic impact on the local economy.
The tournament has booked 90 rooms at the Airport Marriott in Roanoke. The official weigh station - expected to draw several thousand fans - will be at the Lancerlot in Vinton.
"In a way, the whole thing kind of got by-passed from the lake," said John Miller, business manager at Bay-Roc Marina.
Tournament officials scouted the lake earlier this year in an attempt to find lodging and a site for the awards ceremony.
"I would prefer to have everything on the lower end of the lake," said Lyn Wheatley, a Bass Anglers Sportsmen's Society official who scouted the lake earlier this year. "I tried everything I could to find a place place at the lower end."
With no hotel to chose from, Wheatley looked into short-term condominium rentals. But no development had enough rooms for the entourage of contestants, tournament officials and sponsors, and banquet facilities for six formal dinners.
"We just don't have the accommodations for that many people," said Jenna Carr, conference sales manager for Bernard's Landing, a condominium project in Franklin County. "I'm sure that everyone would love to have them, but they're probably in the same boat we are here."
The only choice was a hotel in Roanoke, Wheatley said.
Finding a suitable site for daily weigh-ins and the awards ceremony presented similar problems, he said.
Smith Mountain Lake State Park was one possibility, but it did not have a building large enough to handle the fishing enthusiasts that are expected to turn out. Last year's world B.A.S.S. tournament in Richmond drew some 12,000 people, he said.
The Lancerlot was the nearest site available, he said.
In effect, the B.A.S.S. tournament will commute to Smith Mountain Lake each day from Roanoke. The contestants will put in each day at Bay Roc Marina and return each night.
Ron Pasmore, executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Partnership, a marketing group, predicted the tournament will have a negligible impact on the lake's development.
"Any publicity helps us I suppose," Pasmore said. "But I don't think the fishing portion of the lake does much for the lake to tell you the truth."
by CNB