Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 20, 1993 TAG: 9305200078
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Somebody rushed him to the hospital where the emergency room staff quickly sniffed out the problem.
That's not likely to occur at Briery Creek Lake. Bluegills are being landed there with considerable enthusiasm, but they are too large to fit into a shirt pocket. A recent example is the catch of a couple fishermen who landed 39 that weighed 28 pounds. Included were five above the 1-pound citation size minimum.
The fish were taken on fly-rod poppers and flies, which is the most exciting method of all to deal with these bantam battlers.
Briery Creek, remember, is the 845-acre state-owned lake near Farmville that was supposed to build its reputation on big, Florida-strain largemouth bass. But when the bluegills spawn, the bass can get second billing.
"I would say that 50 percent of the fishermen we see would rather fish for bluegills than for bass," said Sandra Fore, who operates Worsham Grocery, a popular stopping-off spot for anglers.
So when a couple of fishermen docked with trophy bass recently, neither grabbed the attention they might have elsewhere. One bass weighed 10-pounds, 3-ounces and was caught by a Hopewell fishermen who was casting a top-water lure. The other weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces and was taken by a New Jersey fishermen who was using a nightcrawler.
\ HOT FISHING: This week's fishing report is about as enticing as any we've seen all season. Smallmouth bass action is excellent on the New River, where two fishermen landed and released 40 bass before noon in the McCoy area.
Claytor Lake has thrilled a couple of fishermen with trophy smallmouth bass. Don Surface of Dublin got one that weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce. Dave Farley of Abbs Valley landed a 4-pound, 6-ounce bass.
Largemouths are hitting top-water lures at Lake Anna and Kerr Lake. The surface at Kerr is 303 feet, which means the water is in the edge of the shoreline cover. That's where the bass are before mid-day sends them deep.
Crappie fishing remains good at Smith Mountain Lake and Moomaw Lake. Joe Rice caught 23 nice ones at Moomaw. Rice, who drives over from West Virginia, says the crappie are beginning to move into the shallows.
Moomaw also is giving up some trout in the 3- to 4-pound class. Trophy trout also have been taken below Philpott Dam in the Smith River, including a 5-pound, 3-ounce rainbow. But the big excitement at Philpott is the 11-pound, 5-ounce largemouth weighed at Rakes Sports Center in Bassett by an angler who said he hooked it on a top-water lure.
Gatewood Lake has turned out several citation-size sunfish, and Rural Retreat Lake is giving up big stringers of crappie and bluegills.
The Roanoke River in the Brookneal area continues to hold spawning striped bass, but muddy water at mid-week had slowed fishing results.
\ TOUGH TROUT: Last Saturday, 150 fishermen showed up at Hungry Mother Lake near Marion to cast for 300 tagged trout, including one worth $10,000. When the water had settled, only four tagged fish had been landed, and the $10,000 fish was no where to be seen.
What to do with the prizes? The sponsors, WMEV FM-94 and Smith County Adult Literacy Enrichment, raffled them off at the end of the day.
"There still are a lot of fish out there," said Mark Warren of the Smith County Education Center. The $10,000 fish won't be worth any money, but any angler should be happy to catch it, Warren said. "It must have been 2-feet long."
\ BIG BROOKS: Cleve Venable or Roanoke has landed four citation brook trout this season, ranging from 2 pounds, 2 ounces to 2 pounds, 7 ounces. Two came from Barbours Creek, another from Jennings Creek and the fourth from Big Stoney Creek.
\ BUCKETS OF BASS: Most fishermen would be delighted to catch 87 pounds, 9 ounces of bass during an entire season. That was David Wharton's take in four days during the final qualifying B.A.S.S. tournament of the season at Lake Murray, S.C.
It took 47 pounds, 12 ounces just to make 38th spot, which was where Woo Daves of Virginia finished.
Gary Klein won the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year title.
by CNB