Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 20, 1995 TAG: 9505030006
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For Eddie Crawford of Fairfield, the prize was a 28-pound, 12-ounce muskie that measured 46 3/4 inches.
Crawford was casting a small Shad Rap lure on 10-pound line about two-miles downstream from Bay Roc Marina and Yacht Club when the toothy muskie clamped down on it.
The line felt like it had saw teeth on it and the rear end of the Shad Rap was mangled, said George Welch, who weighed the fish at Bay Roc.
James Gray of Roanoke was casting shad bait for striped bass when he landed a bowfin - rare for Smith Mountain - that measured 26 inches.
Other catches from the lake include trophy-size smallmouth bass and striped bass. Sam Creasy of Roanoke caught a 5-pound smallmouth on a Rapala lure.
Jackson Wells of Newton, N.C., landed a striper that weighed 35 pounds, 10 ounces and Edward Dillinger of Mount Jackson got one that weighed 35 pounds, 2 ounces.
The quality of the black bass fishing at Smith Mountain Lake can be measured in the in the excellent 31.70-pound catch by Nathan Reeves and Ray Armes of Lynchburg. That was the winning entry in a tournament sponsored by the Staunton River High School Baseball Boosters.
Outstanding fishing continues in the upper reaches of Kerr Lake, where both striped bass and white bass are moving upstream to spawn. The stripers are being hooked on Red Fin and Rebel plugs. The white bass are hitting Sassy Shads, Rooster Tails and Shad Raps. The lake level is 299 feet, which is about one-foot below full pool.
Some stripers are already on the spawning grounds of the Dan and Roanoke (Staunton) Rivers.
``We have a fair number of fish in the [Roanoke] river,'' said Steve Arthur, manager of the the state hatchery in Brookneal. ``I am expecting more fish to move in every day.''
Striped bass up to 17 pounds have been captured from the river for hatchery use, Arthur said.
Briery Creek Lake, which has been delighting fishermen with giant largemouth bass, now is beginning to turn out large sunfish.
Fishermen have been complaining that the lack of rain has the New River low and clear, making bass fishing difficult. But that didn't keep Clifford Worrell of Roanoke from landing a 5-pound, 7-ounce smallmouth on a minnow in a Montgomery County stretch of the stream.
Dick Akers of Pulaski County caught a 4-pound, 3-ounce smallmouth bass at Claytor Lake. White bass up to 3 pounds, 1 ounce have been weighed at Claytor's Lakeside Marine Supply.
TURKEY TALK: The spring woods are alive with the color of redbuds and dogwoods along with the sounds of turkeys gobbling on the ridges. Big game checking stations have seen a steady stream of hunters toting home toms. Northside Supply in Bedford County has checked 18 gobblers. In Botetourt County, Old Mill Grocery has checked 13 and Sunset Market 8.
One of the biggest gobblers is a 21-pound, 12-ounce bird killed by Douglas Karnes of Bedford County. A contest at Trebark Outfitters in Roanoke County is being led by a 19-pound, 6-ounce gobbler killed by Tommy Oyler of Roanoke.
UNFAIR FEE: That $15 fee the Blue Ridge Parkway has been charging hunters to park their vehicles in order to hike into nearby national forest property is under attack by Congressman Bob Goodlatte of Roanoke.
``Hunters are being singled out for this unfair treatment since other visitors are not being asked to pay the fee,'' said Goodlatte. That is the argument hunters have been making since the fee was installed last fall.
Goodlatte said he was supporting efforts by Rep. Charles Taylor of North Carolina who plans to insert language in the Department of Interior's 1996 budget that will eliminate the fee.
WINDY START: The practice days of the Wrangler/ B.A.S.S. National Championship on the Mississippi River at Quincy, Ill. have been hampered by wind and cold weather. Wind gusts have been as high as 54 mph.
The 46 contenders, including James Dudley of Lynchburg, begin their competition today.
by CNB