Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 21, 1991 TAG: 9103210087
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Cochran
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Trout big enough to break your heart and your fishing line with a single swipe of their broad tail tend to gobble up too much food and space in hatcheries. That makes them costly to raise, said Gary Martel, assistant chief of the fish division for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
The number of citation-size trout - the hatchery people call them brood fish - has been declining the past five years, said Martel. They are down to about one-half of one percent of the state's total hatchery production.
But a big one can make a tremendous impact when hooked. Like the 4-pound, 14-ounce brown that Jason Beach of Roanoke socked his Rooster Tail Spinner into on the Roanoke River in Salem.
The river's condition, big and boisterous from recent rains, wasn't ideal for spinner work. About all Beach could do was let the 1/24th-ounce yellow coachdog pattern go with the current, giving it a twitch now and then.
When the 22 1/2-inch brown trout hit, there was no question it was well above the average 11-incher Beach had been catching. The fish charged downstream, and Beach had to battle it in the swift current for nearly 20 minutes, nursing it from brush piles with a six-pound line.
The trout was one of an impressive number of citation catches that have been weighed at tackle shops, particularly along the Roanoke and Smith rivers, since Saturday's opening day. Fish officials appear to be getting their money's worth from that one-half of one percent brood fish production.
\ BASS COMPETITION: Smith Mountain Lake had its first major bass tournament Saturday, and if the turnout was an accurate barometer of how well contests are going to be attended, look for for a sharp decline in 1991.
Twenty-five fewer boats showed up for the annual Spring Partners' Bass Tournament, which was won by Kirk Fleming of Hardy and his son, Scott, from Richmond. Their 10-fish total weighed 26 pounds, 7 ounces.
The fact that only 69 two-man teams fished can be blamed on the poor economy, said Bob Carter, who was tournament director for the Smith Mountain Ruritan Club event. He said people are having a tougher time coming up with the entry fees, which was $60 in this case, one of the least expensive of the season.
Most tournaments base their purses on the number of entries received, which means that declining participation can have a sharp impact on the payback.
Second was Ed Smith and J.R. Bates of Forest, who entered eight fish that weighed 23 pounds, 4 ounces.
Jim Hix of Vinton and Dennis Morgan of Hardy were third with six bass that weighed 19 pounds, 5 ounces. Boosting their weight was a 6-pound, 4-ounce largemouth, the tournament's lunker, landed by Morgan.
Farther afield, Jim Noland of Bull Shoals, Ark., won the final BASSMASTER BP Top 100 Tournament of the season with a four-day catch from Texas' Sam Rayburn Reservoir that weighed 86 pounds. Virginia pro Woo Daves had his best outing of the season, placing 16th with 54 pounds, 11 ounces.
\ SPORT SHOOTING: Ben Amonette of Radford is one of three Virginia shooters participating in the 1991 World Cup USA this week. The California event has drawn nearly 500 shooters from 47 countries.
Amonette is in the pistol competition, and fellow Virginians Gary Hardy of Fairfax and David Johnson of Hampton are rifle shooters.
\ GOOD CATCHES: Harold Bradford of Eggleston landed a 34 1/2-pound striped bass from Smith Mountain Lake, where striper action has been good in the upper ends of the impoundment.
Crappie and largemouth bass have been producing action at Carvins Cove. Bob Driscall of Farmville landed a 7-pound largemouth from Briery Creek Lake on a spinnerbait. Twenty- to 24-pound stripers have been delighting fishermen at Gaston Lake.
by CNB