Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 21, 1995 TAG: 9504210124
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: QUINCY, ILL. LENGTH: Medium
Make that tied for 11th place with 38 other fishermen who did not catch a fish during the first day of the three-day event.
Of the 49 anglers who qualified for the tournament, only 10 caught fish. And only one of them - leader Jerry Jooste of Zimbabwe, caught more than one.
A cold front and water that is four-to-five feet above normal have all but shut down the fishing.
``It's the toughest day I've ever fished in my life,'' said Dudley, 53, who is Virginia's representative in the tournament. ``I got two bites today. That's it. I had two pecks or thumps on a jig, and I jerked as soon as I felt them.''
Jooste, who qualified for the BASS Masters Classic last year, caught two fish that weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces. He also has the big bass, which weighed 4 pounds, 4 ounces.
``[The fish] are real scattered, and to pinpoint where they are is real hard,'' he said. ``Everybody is fishing backwater areas. [The high water has] eliminated almost all the areas we fished in pre-practice.''
Jett Thacker of Upper Marlboro, Md., is in second place with 3 pounds, 14 ounces. Thacker leads the Central Division, which consists of anglers from 12 states including Virginia. The division winners advance to the BASS Masters Classic. Forty-six state champions and three international champions are competing in the tournament.
With the low totals, Dudley said he's confident he still can win his division. He likely will change his strategy today after locking through two dams and spending four hours traveling on Wednesday.
``I'll probably stay close [today] and keep it wet for 71/2 hours,'' he said. ``I only got to fish for four hours today. It's really anybody's tournament if you can get that magic bite. There were a bunch of sad faces today.''
Even if Dudley had caught a limit of bass, though, he wouldn't have been able to weigh it in.
``I was eight minutes late coming back,'' Dudley said. ``I got caught by a barge [on the way back to the ramp]. But I didn't have anything anyway. It's a good thing I didn't have anything, because I wouldn't have got to weigh in.''
While the tournament was tough on the competitors, it was equally tough on B.A.S.S. president Ray Scott, who emcees the weigh-in ceremonies at B.A.S.S.' championship tournaments.
``Ray Scott had a hard time on stage trying to entertain the crowd with a bunch of zeroes,'' Dudley said. ``He said this was like trying to make chicken salad out of chicken feathers.''
by CNB