Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 20, 1994 TAG: 9410200060
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Duckwall doesn't covet floods, but as the trout cultural supervisor for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, he would like to see the level of streams in Virginia rise a few inches. That's going to be necessary before the state can carry out its planned fall trout stockings.
Not only are streams low, but so is the water in some of the state's hatcheries. Officials would like to stock the fall trout to make room for fish being held for next spring and beyond, Duckwall said.
Some of the crowding that takes place in hatcheries should be eliminated under the year-round season concept, scheduled to begin after next spring's opening day. Hatcheries will be able to turn out more and bigger trout, Duckwall said.
Meetings have been scheduled next month to begin planning hatchery strategies for the year-round season, he said.
``We want to make sure we are as ready for this as the sportsmen are who want it to work,'' Duckwall said.
West Virginia began its fall stocking last week, surprising anglers with some bragging-size fish. Twenty percent of the trout going out between Oct.10-17 were brood fish that weighed two pounds apiece, said Don Phares, assistant chief of the Division of Natural Resources.
``Normally, the trout stocked during the fall do not bite as readily as spring-stocked fish,'' Phares said. ``Because of this, anglers can expect trout to be available for several weeks after the stocking is completed.''
BIG BEAR: Shane Palmer was hoping to stir up a little action with his deer bleat call during a recent Craig County bowhunt in the Jefferson National Forest.
Just after sounding the call, ``I heard something coming through the woods,'' said Palmer, who lives in Roanoke County.
Bleat calls are designed to attract does and bucks, but what Palmer saw was bigger and darker than your average deer. It was a male bear.
Palmer isn't certain if the bear was responding to the call or just coming through the woods at the time. Either way, it offered him a shot of a lifetime.
The trophy weighed 215 pounds at Custer's Store in Mason Cove.
TOUGH FISHING: It took a scant 11.22 pounds to win the annual Customer Appreciation Invitational Bass Classic on Smith Mountain Lake, which is another way of saying that fishing has been tough across much of the state.
The contest winners were Michael Davenport of Goodview and Chuck Overstreet of Roanoke, who won $1,200. Jerry Rice entered the tournament's biggest bass, a 5.34-pounder.
Bass fishing remains slow at Kerr Lake, although some anglers say the fish have been running larger in size. Crappie are being caught at 12-to 15-foot depths, and white bass up to two pounds are hitting in the upper end of Kerr.
Bass fishing is picking up, and crappie fishing is good at Philpott Lake. Claytor Lake has turned out some bragging-size catches, including a 23/4-pound white bass for Scott Harris and a 4-pound, 11-ounce walleye for Charles Dalton. Fishing is poor at Lake Moomaw.
A HORSE RACE: Kevin Writh was just happy to be in a bass tournament with his boyhood hero Rick Clunn. While he was there, Writh, a 32-year old former Kentucky Derby jockey, galloped away with the win by reeling in a three-day catch that weighed 39-pounds, 15 ounces.
Clunn, the only four-time Bass Masters Classic winner, made a charge from the pack, coming from 194th the first day to finish eighth.
Behind Wirth were Jim Nolan, Jay Yelas and Randy Blaukat.
The top Virginian was David Dudley of Lynchburg, who finished 22nd in a field of 323 fishermen.
by CNB