Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 8, 1994 TAG: 9501120036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``He just took right off with it,`` said Jones, who was using a large gizzard shad for bait during an outing on Smith Mountain Lake.
Catching a jumbo-size striper was just what Jones needed to announce he is hanging out his shingle as a fishing guide on the lake.
``He just peeled the line,'' Jones said. ``I set the hook - big-time. I believe in really setting the hook. I like to jerk their lips off. If I am going to lose one, I would rather do it then than at the boat.''
Jones and two buddies were fishing within sight of Bay Roc Marina.
``When we first saw the fish roll to the surface, we looked at each other like Three Stooges, like, `Oh, Lord, what we got here?''' he said. ``I had one guy with the net ready. He is kind of a small guy. I told him, `Don't you dare lose him. Don't miss this fish!' I had another guy grab hold of the net guy and hold him by the belt.''
The bait Jones was using was as big as some of the fish anglers often proudly tote home.
``It was about a 3-pound shad,'' Jones said. ``It was huge. Everybody said, `You won't catch nothing on that.' I said, 'Big bait, big fish.' I like to go after big fish. I don't mind catching the little ones, but I like a 20-pounder, and I want a 50-pounder. I know he is in there. I have lost too many of them on big rods and reels; just couldn't turn them.''
Jones had placed his shad bait under a float and let it drift 150 to 200 feet behind his boat. It was about 4 p.m. when the striper struck. Jones and his buddies had been there for about an hour. They had experienced a couple of runs, but no hookups.
``I was probably in 22 feet of water,'' Jones said. ``I had the bait under a float with weight, probably 3 feet deep.''
The fishing spot was an area where stripers have been rolling to the surface, usually as individuals, but sometimes a half-dozen or so in a school. Most of the school fish are small, Jones said.
The rolls have been taking place from Moorman's Marina up the Roanoke River arm of the lake, he said. ``The run is a month behind schedule, because of warm weather,'' Jones noted.
The upstream action should remain productive until extreme cold weather turns the fish.
``After they get through feeding up here heavily, they will go back down and spend the cold weather in deeper water,'' Jones said.
He was counting on a fish hitting his shad as it came out of deep water to feed on baitfish in the shallows. When that happened, the striper he hooked took off as if someone had set its tail on fire.
``When I finally got him turned, he started surfacing. He surfaced three times,'' Jones said. ``We thought he was 40 pounds when we first saw the fish. They always look bigger when you have a fish on the end of a rod.''
The striper weighed 30 pounds, making it one of the largest of the fall fishery. Jones plans to have it mounted for display at Bay Roc, the headquarters for his guide service.
A PARK HUNT: The opportunity to get a shot at a deer with a black-powder gun or bow should be good Jan.5-7 during a controlled deer hunt at Claytor Lake State Park.
The objective is to bring the swelling deer herd into balance with its habitat. ``They have just outstripped their food supply,'' said Richard Johnson, the park's manager.
Sportsmen must register for the primitive weapons hunt by 4 p.m. Monday. You can do that at the park headquarters, or you can ask for a registration from by calling 703-674-5492. There is a $5 registration fee. Hunters will be selected through a computer drawing.
SURF STRIPERS: Anglers along the Outer Banks of North Carolina aren't just standing around waiting for the bluefish to show up. They are going after stripers in the surf.
``They are being caught every day on cut bait,'' said Damon Taten, a Nags Head tackle shop operator.
Many of the fish in the surf weigh more than 25 pounds, but they are scattered. As for bluefish, they remain scarce.
by CNB