Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 14, 1995 TAG: 9509140050
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Then, a long-jawed muskie wrapped its snoutful of teeth around the tiger-striped lure and the summer-morning outing suddenly turned from tranquil fishing finesse to an aquatic back-alley brawl.
``When I cast my plug at a rock ledge, I saw what looked like a bass hit my plug, and no sooner did the bass hit till another fish hit it, too,'' said Akers, who lives in Christiansburg. ``When the second one hit, I knew I had a big one.''
Really big! Huge! Awesome!
Akers' fishing companions were his father-in-law, Robert Osborne, and a close friend, Tony Lovern. The trio had brought along a modest-size landing net, just in case they came across a trophy bass, but nothing designed to handle a 4-foot fish.
``For 25 or 30 minutes, while my father-in-law controlled the motor and Tony gave directions, I carefully played the fish, giving her all the room she needed,'' said Akers, who was using a Mitchell 410 ultra-light reel and a Garcia lightweight rod.
It was a bit like going after an elephant with a fly swatter. Usually, everything about muskie fishing is big - the lures, the rods, the reels, the lines, the nets. Especially the nets.
``We finally wore her down and Tony managed to jerk the fish in our boat with that little net,'' said Akers.
But that didn't end the war. A muskie is a menacing creature in a small boat. It is a fish with a crocodile mouth, bulging eyes, needle-sharp teeth and a thrashing body capable of whacking your leg like a piece of two-by-eight studding.
``You should have seen us scatter,'' said Akers. ``Tony threw a couple of rain suits on her and tried to sit on her till Robert got the boat to shore.''
The fish measured 49 inches. Akers and his companions couldn't find certified scales large enough to weigh the catch, but estimated it to be 36 to 40 pounds.
STRIPERS STOCKINGS: Striped bass stockings in Smith Mountain Lake fell about 60,000 short of what Department of Game and Inland Fisheries officials had been shooting for this summer. The final count was 237,500 fingerlings, including 8,000 Phase II fish, which average about twice the size of the typical 11/2-inch fingerlings.
Department officials had hoped to stock 300,000 fish, but spring floods swept away the crop at the state's Brookneal Hatchery. That left officials scrambling to find fingerlings in other states.
QUAIL CALL: The decline of the quail population in Virginia has weighed heavily on Dr. Bill Clarkston, an outdoorsman who believes it is time for hunters to address the issue. Clarkston wants to establish a Roanoke chapter of Quail Unlimited, an organization founded to assist quail as Ducks Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation have helped other species.
An organizational meeting has been set for 7 p.m. Sept.26 at the Vinton Branch Library, 800 East Washington St.
``I think what we need to do first is to educate ourselves in what needs to be done to bring quail back,'' said Clarkston, who would like to see the chapter work directly with landowners.
PARKWAY PERMITS: There will be no charge this season for the permits needed to leave a vehicle along the Blue Ridge Parkway in order to hunt adjacent national forest land.
Last year, hunters were steamed when the parkway began charging for parking permits. The agency backed off when it heard from several congressmen, including Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke. The permits, now called stamps, are available from ranger offices, including one in Vinton at Milepost 112.
BIG BUCKS: Where's a good spot to catch up with a trophy buck? You won't go wrong with Bedford, Augusta, Rockingham, Rockbridge, Botetourt and Amherst counties. These are the counties that had double-figure entries in the Western regional division of the Virginia Big Game Trophy Show in Harrisonburg.
Bedford not only produced the most trophy heads (27), but also the biggest buck of the contest, a 16-pointer killed by Mark Collins of Lynchburg. It scored 242 6/16.
The Western winners will move to state competition Sept.23-24 in Williamsburg.
by CNB