Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 26, 1993 TAG: 9304260381
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Cochran
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
1970: Richard Reed of Roanoke entered the tournament's all-time trout record, a 7.55-pound catch. Yes, Smith Mountain once had a viable population of trout, and even some coho salmon.
1971: Less than 5 minutes remained in the contest when Oscar West of Clear Fork, W.Va. rushed to the scales with the winning trout, a fish that weighed 6.4 ounces - that's right, ounces.
1972: Vic Hamblett, a 24-year old Roanoke policeman, entered the top largemouth, a 9-pound, 10-ounce catch. In 1970, his father won the smallmouth category. The first year, his uncle had the best muskie.
1973: Harry Anderson borrowed a $9 rod and reel and outfished 1,950 contestants from 15 states by catching a 9-pound, 10-ounce largemouth.
1974: A.C. Orrell reeled in the winning 5-pound smallmouth while fishing one of the state's experimental reefs made of discarded Christmas trees.
1975: The contest went to all cash prizes, after seven years of awarding boats, motors and tackle.
1976: Barry Keatts, a 16-year old Pittsylvania County dairy farm youth, entered a 1-pound, 14 3/4-ounce crappie to capture the $2,000 top prize.
1977: Sixteen-year-old Barry Cundiff was taking a nap in a boat at 11:15 p.m. when his uncle, Steve Bowyer, told him something was on the end of his line. It was the winning 2-pound, 1-ounce crappie.
1978: James Holt didn't have a net when he hooked the winning 26.45-pound striped bass, so his brother, Wayne, had to help him land it by ramming his hand into its mouth.
1979: Doug Dellinger's lure sailed farther than he intended and appeared to be in danger of entangling in shoreline cover. That's when the tournament's all-time record muskie - 29.29 pounds - suddenly grabbed it.
1980: Merle Boitnott of Roanoke landed the tournament's all-time striped bass - 30.99 pounds - on a hand-sized bluegill that he caught while trying to hook a crappie.
1981: When asked what he was going to do with his $600 winnings, Charles Treadway of Clear Creek, W.Va. said he would buy new tackle. The 25.81-pound muskie he landed pretty well ripped apart what he had.
1982: Terry Marr of Hurt brought a 39-pound, 10-ounce muskie to the scales, but it didn't count. He had failed to invest $8 for a contest ticket.
1983: John Fitzgerald of Roanoke became the first angler to place first in two categories the same year. He caught a 7.06-pound largemouth and a 25.07-pound muskie.
1984: The 1,328 contestants failed to land a single largemouth that met the 5-pound minimum size requirement.
1985: Ruby Murphy of Roanoke started fishing at noon Saturday and was still on the water at 2 a.m. Sunday when she caught the winning 9.44-pound catfish. "I was going to fish until I caught something," she said.
1986: James Dudley of Lynchburg won the largemouth category with a 6.84-pound bass, proving the contest isn't just for casual anglers. Dudley once qualified for the prestigious BASS Masters Classic.
1987: Never mind that Buster McRoy of Vinton has the reputation of being a serious bass tournament fisherman. He figured his best opportunity to win this contest was to catch a crappie, which he did: the 1.94-pound winner.
1988: Vicki Finney appeared to have the contest won. After all, the final day was Mother's Day and her 24th birthday. And she was going into it with the 13.68-pound leading catfish. Guess who spoiled it for her? Her husband, Barry, bumped her with a 14.84 pound catch.
1989: Forget the idea you need an $18,000 boat to win this contest. Anthony Hackney, age 15, did it from a dock when he caught a 10.86-pound catfish.
1990: Buster McRoy won the crappie category, again.
1991: Tournament officials disqualified three of the leaders for arriving late at contest headquarters and a fourth for failing a polygraph test.
1992: Before the contest, Barry and Richie Turman located a concentration of slab-size crappie. But when the tournament began, rains had turned the water beet red with mud. The two Franklin County brothers stuck to their hole and Barry caught the all-time, 3-pound crappie.
by CNB