Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 18, 1991 TAG: 9104180071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The weather at Smith Mountain Lake has been better suited for blue birds than black bass, Ohio angler Eddie Frye said. Others agreed.
"Basically, I believe the fish are skittish because of the bright skies," said Bimmy Boyles. "I think if we can get some cloud cover, that will change. As a matter of fact, a drizzle or rain would suit me fine."
Boyles, a fireman from Texas, is one of 42 contestants who will roar down the lake today for the first of three days of competition. The angler who catches the most pounds of bass will be crowned the B.A.S.S. amateur champion Saturday during ceremonies that begin at 2:30 p.m. in the Roanoke Civic Center. The prize is $15,000 plus a berth in the BASS Masters Classic.
"I wanted to find six spots that consistently are holding fish," Boyles said of his practice efforts. "I found four."
With the shoreline clothed in the chalky color of dogwoods and the pastel shades of new foliage, Boyles said he had to remind himself he wasn't on a sight-seeing tour.
"It is hard to fish for watching the scenery," he said.
It was the shoreline development that caught John Bulpitt's attention.
"The law prohibits building anything around our lakes," said the B.A.S.S. champion from South Africa. "You see all those built-up areas here, you tend to think the fish aren't going to hang around. But I suppose they get used to it."
Kansas angler Kevin Sherfey knows there are plenty of bass lurking in the shadows.
"I was down here over Easter weekend and just caught the heck out of them."
Wednesday, the bass weren't as cooperative for the 27-year-old fisherman. "They are burried under docks and brush," he said, predicting it will take a weather change to pry them loose.
Along with bright skies, the fish appear to be impacted by rising water temperatures and pre-spawn conditions.
Terry Fleming, from Greenwich, N.Y., said it doesn't pay for a bass competitor to fret about the weather.
"You worry about the weather and you hurt yourself right away," he said. "You can't change the weather. You have to change yourself."
The fickleness of the fish was welcomed by Gene Schmitz. From the state of Washington, he hadn't seen Smith Mountain Lake before this week, and he figured difficult conditions would help overcome that handicap.
"I'm a finesse fishermen," he said. "I usually do better when conditions are tough. I don't catch many fish when everybody else does."
by CNB