Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 6, 1994                   TAG: 9410060018
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BOWHUNTER DOESN'T LET OBSTACLE STAND IN WAY OF PRIZE BID

When he released his arrow, its shaft hit the limb and went whizzing off in erratic flight, like an inept golf shot.

The buck was troubled by the noise, but not to the point of taking off in wild flight. He simply moved out of easy bow range, and remained there for about 20 minutes as Nichols, from Roanoke, watched from his perch.

``He wasn't all that spooked, so I left him alone,'' Nichols said. ``I'd been watching this deer since early September.''

This week, Nichols was back in the same stand, but this time one thing was missing.

``I had cut that branch out,'' he said.

The buck showed up about 8:30 a.m. Nichols said he had positioned his stand in a white oak tree, which was dropping plenty of acorns for deer to eat. Nearby were a cornfield and alfalfa patch. There also were clumps of pines, and Nichols figured the buck was heading for one of them to bed down for the day.

This time, Nichols scored with an easy shot. The Botetourt County buck he brought down is the leader of the contest at Trebark Outfitters in Roanoke and a contender in next year's major trophy shows.

A rough measurement of the antlers, which had a 22-inch outside spread, revealed a score of about 225 under Virginia's system and 176 under national Boone and Crockett standards, Nichols said. The top buck in the recent Virginia Big Game Trophy Show in Harrisonburg was a 10-pointer that scored 190 8/16ths under Virginia's system.

Nichols killed a nine-pointer during the last bow season that scored 206, but he didn't enter it in the state big game show.

TOP-LEVEL FISHING: Few things in angling are more exciting than having a fish smash a surface lure. You don't just feel the strike, you see and hear it.

Bass are providing that kind of heart-pounding action at several impoundments across the state.

At Kerr Lake, top-water fishing has been productive early and late in the day. The largemouths are of modest size, possibly because the water is exceptionally clear. The lake level is 298 feet. When the bass aren't on the surface, they often are holding at 7- to 9-foot depths.

Lake Gaston anglers have been doing well with surface lures during low-light periods. At midday, many of the fish are being caught along the edge of grass at 4- to 5-foot depths. One 7-pounder was taken in 2 feet of water on a Heddon Crazy Crawler.

Bass are being landed in good numbers at Briery Creek Lake, but they are small in size.

Smith Mountain fishermen are seeing large numbers of baitfish on the surface, where they are luring bass and stripers out of the depths. Guide Bob King has been catching bass on top-water lures around Hales Ford Bridge early and late in the day.

Bass fishing is rated fair to good at Philpott Lake, but poor at Lake Moomaw, where the water level is down 11 feet.

HOOKED ON CLAYTOR: Maybe Claytor Lake's name should be changed, perhaps to Lake Variety or Grab Bag Lake.

While the Pulaski County lake may not be a hot spot for any particular species, few other impoundments can match its variety of outstanding catches. Among the most recent: a 21-pound, 6-ounce muskie for Jim Whitaker of Christiansburg; a 24-pound, 14-ounce flathead catfish for Roger Montgomery of Radford; and a 5-pound smallmouth bass for Rodney Gaskin of Radford.