Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 26, 1993 TAG: 9304260379
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The cash purse will be a record $35,700, including one prize worth $25,000. That one goes to the contest angler catching a fish that has a green tag bearing the words "Cave Spring Optimist $25,000" attached to its dorsal fin.
The tournament, headquartered at Foxsport XIV Marina, opens Friday and ends Sunday at noon.
The tagged fish will be released this week, but tournament director Ronnie Thompson isn't saying where, nor is he saying what species will be tagged. And just in case someone happened to be watching, Thompson and his helpers also will release some decoy fish.
"Nobody has come up with any odds" on the likelihood of the tagged fish being caught in a lake that is 20,000-acres big, Thompson said.
It is the first time the contest has ballyhooed a tagged fish, and that's not the only new twist for the silver anniversary celebration. Also being offered is a $500 prize for beating any of the tournament-weight records in categories for largemouth bass, muskie, crappie, smallmouth bass, catfish and walleye.
Other than this, the contest is following its format of recent years, offering cash prizes for the top four fish in six categories.
The tournament began the first weekend of May, 1969, at a time when fishing contests were little more than a prize offered for the heaviest bass weighed at the local hardware store or tackle shop.
Smith Mountain was new and beginning to produce big bass. Jim Monroe, an Optimist Club member who owned a sports store in Roanoke, saw the contest as an opportunity to reel in funds for the club's youth projects. It would beat selling Christmas trees, he convinced members.
Monroe, who now lives on the Rapphannock River, heard about a contest in Alabama and wrote for information. The idea received wide support from Ozzie Worley, the late outdoor writer for the Roanoke World News.
The first contest attracted about 850 contestants, earning it the reputation of being the biggest freshwater tournament in the state. The top prize, a boat, motor and trailer valued at $2,500, went to John Wayne, who entered a 9-pound, 4.5-ounce largemouth bass.
That left Wayne with the perplexing problem of what to do with his new boat rig. A policeman from Canton, Ohio, he had stopped at Smith Mountain Lake when traveling home from a fishing trip to Florida. He already was trailering a boat.
Big bass were common during the early years of the contest - 10 pounds, 5.3 ounces in 1971; 9 pounds, 10 ounces in 1972; 9 pounds, 10.5 ounces in 1973; 8 pounds, 9.25 ounces in 1974. Those kinds of catches grabbed the attention of fishermen, and by 1973 the contest had attracted 1,950 participants from 15 states.
Participation dwindled when the size of the bass fell to the 6-pound class, competition from other contests grew and the energy crunch hit. Members never have been able to regain the numbers of the early years.
"We were the only show in town for a long time," Thompson said.
Last year there were about 650 contestants; even so, Thompson believes the tournament has maintained its "biggest in the state" distinction.
"We have put out more tickets this time," Thompson said. "I think they are doing well. We are looking for between 800 and 1,000 contestants."
Contest tickets cost $25 and will be available at tackle shops and marinas in the region until 7:30 p.m. Thursday or until 7:30 a.m. Friday at Foxsport Marina.
Through the years, the tournament has netted an estimated $75,000 to $100,000 for the club's youth projects, which have included hockey teams, baseball teams, hearing aids for children and schlarships for students, Thompson said.
When emphasis on catch-and-release came, the contest had to drop its fish-killing ways. Fish tanks were installed at contest headquarters, striped bass were dropped as a category because they were hard to keep alive, and catch-and-release was preached.
"Last year, we didn't have a single fish die," said Thompson.
by CNB