Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 14, 1993 TAG: 9301140014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
11-POUND BASS HELPS PUT LAKE ANNA BACK ON MAP
Lake Anna's reputation as a trophy bass producer has slipped a bit during recent winters, so when Phillip Butler of Bumpass docked with an 11-pound, 1-ounce largemouth the other day it got a lot of attention.In fact, the pot-bellied bass was weighed and photographed at two marinas, and that kind of zeal meant it went into the state's weekly fishing report as two catches landed by two different anglers.
While a pair of 11-pounders on the same day was too much to expect, Butler's bass wasn't the only bragging-size catch of the week. Steve Snider, a Maryland angler, landed a 9.5-pound bass one day and followed that with an 8.4 the next. Snider weighed the 9.5 at High Point Marina, then released it.
Earlier in the month, bass weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 7 pounds, 9 ounces were weighed at Anna Point Marina.
Many of the big ones are being hooked on live herring fished with a bobber rig at 15- to 16-foot depths, said Steve Mudre, who operates Anna Point Marina.
"I'm looking for even better fishing in February," Mudre said.
Anna traditionally gives up its most impressive bounty of bass the last half of February and early March. Anglers still talk about that March day several season ago when guide Bill Mathias landed largemouths that weighed 10 pounds, 10 ounces; 8 pounds, 9 ounces; and 7 pounds, 7 ounces.
It was March 1985 when Lewis Owens Jr., a Virginia Tech student on spring break, caught a lake record 13-pound largemouth.
Anna Point Marina is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who can top that catch.
"You don't expect something like that to be caught, to be honest," said Mudre. "But it has created a lot of excitement. We had a 12.6 caught winter before last. So it is not out of the realm of possibility."
In fact, it has looked a tad more promising the past few days.
\ BILLFISH BOOSTED: It will be tougher to earn a citation for a billfish catch in the 1993 Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. The minimum weight for a blue marlin has been boosted from 350 to 500 pounds, white marlin from 60 to 75 pounds and sailfish 35 to 50 pounds. The minimum for a tarpon has increased from 40 to 70 pounds.
The emphasis for these species is catch and release, as it should be. Anglers can earn a release citation any time they catch and free one of them.
During last year's contest, all the sailfish and tarpon caught were released, while 99 percent of the white marlin and 98 percent of the blue marlin gained their freedom.
This season's higher catch-and-keep citation weights still give an angler the option of taking an exceptional fish home for mounting, but the emphasis is on doing that rarely.
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries would do well to consider a similar release system for its freshwater program. Anglers should be able to catch a trophy muskie, striper or black bass and earn a citation without having to kill the fish.
\ BASS SEMINAR: Paul Elias, who has reeled in more than a quarter of a million dollars in B.A.S.S. tournament winnings, will be featured in the Old Dominion Bass Anglers Show at the Salem Civic Center this weekend.
Elias qualified for his 10th BASS Masters Classic last year, an event he won on the Alabama River in 1982. He has won three other B.A.S.S. tournaments.
He is scheduled to be at the Salem show on Saturday when he will present a seminar around 5 p.m., promoter Walter Hopkins said. Dale Wilson, a veteran guide at Smith Mountain Lake, will be featured all three days.
Displays will give anglers one of the first opportunities to view the latest in fishing boats and tackle. Show hours: Friday, 3-9; Saturday, 9-9, Sunday, 10-6. Admission is $4; children under 12, $1.