Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 10, 1995 TAG: 9504110091
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BRUCE STANTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Lynchburg fisherman James Dudley will keep that in mind April 20-22 when he competes in the Wrangler-B.A.S.S. National Championship in Quincy, Ill.
After practice-fishing the tournament waters last weekend, Dudley determined he will have to lock through at least one dam, and maybe two, to fish what he considers to be prime areas.
Typically, traveling through a lock takes about 20 minutes, he said. That is, if a barge isn't in line first.
``If a barge is sitting there, it takes 1 hour, 20 minutes to lock through,'' he said. ``If two barges are sitting there ... Not only do you have to figure out what the fish will do, you have to figure out what the barges will do. You can spend only 31/2 to four hours fishing in an eight-hour day if you lock through twice and go 50 miles to where you have to go.''
Another reason Dudley said he will travel through the locks is to avoid bumping boats with the other 48 competitors at the prestigious fishing tournament. Most anglers likely will not take a chance on missing a weigh-in because they were locked out by a barge and will restrict their fishing to one pool of the river, but Dudley knows his strategy.
``I'm going to gamble,'' he said. ``I've got a feeling there won't be a lot of people who are going to gamble. But if I get beat, I want the bass to beat me. I don't want a lockmaster to beat me.''
Besides barges and locks, Dudley will have to contend with winners from 11 other states in the East Division. If he has the best total weight after three days from this group, he will qualify for the 1995 BASS Masters Classic scheduled Aug. 3-5 on High Rock Lake in North Carolina. Dudley, a 53-year-old lineman for Bell Atlantic Telephone Co., competed in the Classic in 1982.
The overall winner of the federation national championship will receive the Bryan V. Kerchal Memorial Trophy. Last August, Kerchal became the first Federation champion to win the BASS Masters Classic. Tragically, five months later, he died in a plane crash near Greensboro, N.C.
For Dudley to win a trip to the Classic, he first must find the fish, which was about as easy as lassoing a barge with fishing line during his practice days. Temperatures dipped below 20 during his first two days there, and an inch of snow fell on the third day.
``Fishing was tough,'' he said. ``The water is high, but it's clear for this time of year. It's the type of fishing I like to do - flipping and jigging and throwing spinnerbaits.''
On his best practice day, Dudley said he caught 13 largemouth bass. But the other days were not as productive.
Two weeks earlier, Dudley said another competitor took advantage of warmer temperatures and landed 35 bass one day.
Regardless of the weather, Dudley said the fish typically will be small: A 4-pounder will be considered a big catch.
``It was a rough trip, but it was well worth it,'' he said.
Dudley's trip was financed in part by a $1,000 gift from the Virginia B.A.S.S. Federation. It gave him the opportunity to pre-fish that some anglers did not get.
There is added incentive for Dudley to qualify for the Classic. His son, David, is in second place in the Eastern Invitational standings of B.A.S.S., with one tournament left April 27-29 at Kerr Lake.
If they both qualify, they would become one of the few father-son teams to fish in the same Classic.
``We're still talking about meeting down in Greensboro [site of the weigh-ins],'' James Dudley said.
by CNB