Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 24, 1995 TAG: 9504250011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BRUCE STANTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But unlike many, his harvest will not be from the soil; he's hoping for a bumper crop of bass from Kerr Lake in the final qualifying event of the BASSMASTER Eastern Invitational circuit.
Rain or not, Dudley, 19, knows a good showing at Kerr likely will make him the youngest angler to qualify for a BASS Masters Classic. He leads the Eastern Invitational point standings in a field that includes BASS veterans David Fritts, Guy Eaker, Peter Thliveros, Woo Daves and Bernie Schultz. Even his dad, James Dudley, will be a competitor.
With nearly two months of dry weather, Kerr has receded far below its normal spring level, Dudley said.
``I'd like for it to pour - rain and get [the water] up in the bushes,'' he said. ``But the way the weather is now, I don't think that will happen."
Because of the low water, Dudley said several of the 306 competitors will rely heavily on a tactic called ``sight fishing.'' Using a pair of sunglasses, Dudley said he will scan the water for spawning bass. Then, he will use lures such as spinnerbaits, flipping jigs, crawdads and lizards to catch his fish.
``There's an art to sight fishing,'' he said. ``There's a lot of stubborn fish, and you have to know what to do. It's anybody's ballgame when you sight fish.''
Dudley believes high water would have given him a home-field advantage. It would have concealed many of the prime fishing areas, forcing competitors less familiar with the 50,000-acre lake to work harder to find fish. Now everyone will have the same view of the bass, he said.
The weather isn't the only thing heavy on Dudley's mind. The big pressure is the realization that the Virginia Invitational is the last opportunity for Dudley to qualify for the 1995 Classic, which could be the door to endorsements and a long and profitable career. The top five fishermen from the Eastern division will qualify for the Classic, which is scheduled for Aug. 3-5 in Greensboro, N.C.
``It's always been my goal to be the youngest to ever fish the Classic,'' Dudley said. "That puts pressure on me to do it this year. Gary Klein did it when he was 20, and I'm 19. That's where most of the pressure is from.''
While he'd like to win the Kerr tournament, finishing high enough to qualify for the Classic is the main objective, he said.
``The pressure is building up a bit as [the tournament] gets closer and closer,'' he said. ``But I don't feel too much pressure because I'm going to my home lake. But you can fall on your face at your home lake very easily.''
If he can overcome the mental games, Dudley knows he can perform well at Kerr. He finished third out of 388 anglers during a Red Man tournament in March. He believes it will take 55 to 60 pounds to win next week's tournament.
``This is going to be a big point in my career,'' he said. ``It won't break me if I don't do it, but it would look good if I did it this year.''
by CNB