ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 12, 1996 TAG: 9609130016
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Outdoors
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
Kerr Reservoir has a reputation for producing bass when the water level is up 3 or 4 feet, which puts the shoreline into the willows, buck bushes and sweet gum trees.
With food and cover abundant, the largemouth bass feel confident - even cocky - in their maze of wiry brush. They go on a feeding binge, and a top-water lure or spinnerbait tossed to the right spot can bring a vicious strike.
This week Kerr is up, all right. Way up. Its level has pushed beyond the shoreline brush. It has covered the boat ramps, flooded the campgrounds and picnic areas and blocked some of the roads. As for the bass, they can be anywhere they want to be, maybe even where cows were grazing a week ago.
The lake was reaching for the 319-foot level Wednesday, which is about 19 feet above full pool. And it was raining - again.
When someone mentioned to Mike Dodd, the acting reservoir manager, that the Bassmaster Virginia Eastern Invitational was scheduled Sept.19-21 at Kerr, he said: ``There's no way anybody can have a tournament here then. The boat ramps will be under water.''
The lake level is projected to fall only a foot by Sept.17. And that's if there is no more significant rain. Ramps are under water at elevation 310.
B.A.S.S. officials took a look at the lake Tuesday afternoon, noting the usual weigh-in site at North Bend Park near South Hill was under water. Wednesday morning, B.A.S.S. announced it would move the tournament downstream to Gaston Lake, about 28 miles from South Hill. The headquarters will be Eaton Ferry Marina in Littleton, which means the Virginia Invitational will be in North Carolina.
B.A.S.S. officials said they couldn't remember a time when a tournament had to be moved. They were lucky in this instance that 20,000-acre Gaston is just down the road from 50,000-acre Kerr.
``Logistically, this was the simplest thing to do, especially since the anglers already have reservations in South Hill next week,'' said Trip Welden, the B.A.S.S. assistant tournament director. ``We thought about switching dates, but there just wasn't another date to move it.''
Many of the 330 contestants - from 33 states, Japan and Mexico - had taken time off from jobs to compete.
The 13 contestants from the commonwealth include previous Virginia Invitational winners Woo Daves (Spring Grove) and David Dudley (Lynchburg). Also scheduled to compete are top pros Larry Nixon, Kevin VanDam and David Fritts. Dudley placed 33rd in the recent Bassmaster Minnesota Top 100, which was won by Fritts.
Only the launching/weigh-in site and fishing grounds have been changed, Weldon said. Everything else, from the 3 p.m. weigh-in time to the $35,000 first-place prize, remains the same.
While Gaston is seen as a safe haven from waterlogged Kerr, it isn't in the best condition. Bobby Colston, who operates a tackle shop on the lake, said Gaston is high and muddy with water over boat docks. He estimated it would be several weeks before the water clears.
``Gaston, by law, is not supposed to fluctuate over 3 feet because of the shoreline homes,'' Welden said.
Smith Mountain rose about 11/2 feet last week. That may not sound like much, but it was enough to cause lake-shore property owners some problems, said T.J. Underwood, who owns property on the lake.
High water tends to attract boatloads of sightseers who leave behind wakes that can damage docked boats, boathouses and other shoreline property when the water is high, Underwood said. He would like to see the lake closed during high water.
Many lakes and streams across Virginia are too high for safe fishing or boating. Even some popular trout streams have been hit hard by high water. Those streams include North Creek, Jennings Creek and Middle Creek in Botetourt County, where roads have been eroded and creek beds have been disrupted.
BRAGGING SIZE: Claytor Lake and the New River have been blessing anglers with muskie catches. Dennis McNew of Wise landed muskie weighing 28 pounds and 10 pounds during one outing on Claytor. He returned the next day and got a 32-pounder. Denny Altizer of Christiansburg landed a 20-pound muskie on a Gitzit while fishing the New River.
Gordon Burris and Clyde Allison of Roanoke and Riley Conner of Cloverdale registered three citations in the Saltwater Fishing Tournament following a Chesapeake Bay trip with Capt. Jim Jenrette. Burris got a 54-pound cobia, Conner a 49-pound cobia and Allison a 42-pound channel bass.
LENGTH: Medium: 83 linesby CNB