Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 1, 1993 TAG: 9303030343
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
CALENDAR
March 1: A sea of bassMaybe a 30-mile boat trip offshore, with the icy March wind nipping at your ears, doesn't sound all that appealing, but if you are willing to go then Claude Bain is willing to honor you when you catch a trophy fish.
As director of the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament, Bain is opening the state-sponsored event today, a month earlier than last year. That will afford anglers an opportunity to earn a few more citations for early starting species like sea bass and tautog.
Tautog became active in February, spurred by above average water temperatures. As for sea bass, many fishermen envision them as a summertime party boat catch - and they are - but the really big ones are found 30 to 60 miles off shore this time of the year. Getting there can be the hard part. Only a few charter boats operate in early March. Bain's office can help you locate one and provide information on the 36-year old tournament: 804-491-5160.
\ March 5: Let the snow games begin.
Remember those Commonwealth Games of Virginia held in Roanoke during the heat of late June? Well, for the first time, there will be a winter side to the competition. It is called the Mid-Atlantic Winter Sports Festival and will be held at Wintergreen Friday through Sunday.
More than 500 amateurs are expected to show up for the Olympic-style festival which will include Alpine skiing (slalom and giant slalom), snowboarding and even golf. Participants and volunteers should contact the Virginia Amateur Sports office in Roanoke: 343-0987 or 800-333-8274.
Don't worry about their being an ample snow base. Wintergreen, off the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Waynesboro, is reporting nearly 80 inches on some slopes.
\ March 6: Catawba a biker's delight
No matter which direction you head your 10-speed from the Catawba Post Office, the pedaling and the scenery are a delight over the Oregon-to-Virginia Bikecentennial Trail. You have two choices, go west toward Blacksburg on Virginia 785; go east to Daleville on 779. Either way, you'll find black cows standing on meadows dressed in winter colors, weathered gray barns leaning into the wind, mountains rising sharply from the creek bed.
Little wonder this is one of the favorite riding areas of the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club. Club members plan to meet at the post office 1 p.m. Saturday for a casual ride. The club sponsors rides throughout the year, as long as there is no rain one hour before the starting time. ANSI helmets are required. The contact for the Catawba ride is Mark Deardorff, 562-2740.
\ March 20: Opening day for trout
"The trucks are running!" That's the word from Gary Martel, the biologist who heads the trout program for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Since Feb. 16, trucks bearing a wiggly cargo of trout have been rolling from state hatcheries to streams and lakes in 30 counties. The trout season opens at 9 a.m., March 20.
Many of the streams have been fed fat by snow water, and the trout are in good supply and in good shape, said Martel. Now is the time to wind some new line onto your reels and sharpen your hooks. The Roanoke Times & World-News will have the full stocking schedule in its annual Trout Pages scheduled March 14.
\ March 20: Time for bass, partner
It may not speak as elegantly of spring as the arrival of the first robin, but you can be certain that tournament fishing time has begun when the Smith Mountain Ruritan Club holds its annual Spring Partners' contest. Always the first major tournament of the season, the headquarters will be Smith Mountain Lake State Park on March 20. First-place prize is worth $2,000; second, $1,000. The entry fee is $60 per two-person team.
What kind of catches can you expect? Last year the bass averaged 2.71 pounds apiece. The lunker was 7.07 pounds, the winning team had 10 fish that totaled 36.39 pounds.
If you want an entry form or additional information, contact Elmer Mitchell, 703-297-6040; Smith Mountain Ruritan Club Route 1, Box 148A, Huddleston 24104.
March 21: Mountains for biking
For mountain bikers, the Rowdy Dawg race has been around for six years, and the Thunderr in Holy Land got its start last year. So what happens when you combine those two events then add a new one, called the Dragon's Back? You get the inaugural Virginia State Championship Mountain Bike Series.
It is a three-event affair that begins with the Rowdy Dawg in Blacksburg March 21. Then comes the Dragon's Back at Catawba on April 4. Following that is the Thunderr in Holy Land in Bedford on April 18. When the points from each event are tallied, the state champ will be crowned.
For information, contact John Corliss, 774-7933, or Kyle Inman, 703-981-1034.