ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, October 28, 1996 TAG: 9610290010
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
2 - Bass playing hardball
Forget the outdoor-magazine hype about bass going on an autumn feeding frenzy and becoming an easy catch. That hasn't been the case at Smith Mountain Lake, where a 7- to 10-pound take has been enough to get your name on the tournament leader board while you watch the masses go home with goose eggs.
Will it get better? Danny Washburn of the Vinton Bassmasters believes livewells will begin to fill faster, and in time for the club's Fall Team Classic on Saturday.
``The lake is turning over,'' he said. By tournament time, the bass ``should be all the way back in the creeks. They are following the shad there.''
The annual tournament will have its headquarters at Smith Mountain Lake State Park. It has a $50-per-team entry fee and a 100 percent payback. Registration is 5:30 to 6:30 a.m., and the fishing will be 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Washburn can be reached during the day at 344-3162.
2 - Birding without fear
Maybe you've wanted to go on a bird club field trip, but have been a bit timid. Those bird club members know so much. And aren't they a bit aloof?
Here's your chance to participate without fear. The Roanoke Valley Bird Club has scheduled a beginner's field trip Saturday. Meet at 8 a.m. in the Kroger's parking lot at Peters Creek and Williamson roads for a morning of birding designed to teach fundamentals in the field. The club's field trip coordinator is Tad Finnell, 473-1271.
Finnell can't guarantee participants won't get the feeling they are being snubbed when around experienced birders.
``It isn't that they don't want to be with beginners,'' he said. ``They are trying to concentrate on what is around them.''
But when you tag along with the pros, it can be a learning experience, and on this outing the objective is to pass on birding interest to new blood.
3 - Getting beginners into biking
If you follow the trip schedule of the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, you'll see announcements for 50-mile-plus rides at a 12- to 14-mph pace. What about something for beginners?
The club has been accommodating that request this season with rides designed for newcomers, or for people who lack the stamina for the long, hilly rides. Jeanne Duddy (989-4818) will lead a beginners-plus ride Sunday. You can meet her at 1:30 p.m. at the Garden City Food Lion. The trip is eight miles at an 8- to 10-mph pace. Don't unload your bike at the store. The starting point is about a 30-minute drive from the store.
The same day, the club will have an intermediate ride in the Paint Bank area. It is along a flat stretch that follows Potts Creek through buffalo country, where you can ride as far as you like, even tandem. Meet 10 a.m. at the Paint Bank Fire Department. The leader is Vince Seneker, 387-2354.
6 - Let the ski season begin
It already has snowed a couple of times this fall on Cheat Mountain, W.Va., home of Snowshoe Resort. So can skiing season be far behind? No, says the Roanoke Ski Club, which has scheduled its annual Ski Show from 7 to 10 p.m. Nov.6 at the Tanglewood Holiday Inn. The event has become the annual kickoff for the ski season in this region. The free show gives skiers an opportunity to talk with area ski slope operators and to view new equipment. It's also a fine time to sign up for club membership.
18 - The biggest hunt of them all
This time of the year we frequently get the question: ``When does the hunting season open? Or when does the deer season start?'' There are scores of hunting seasons, of course, and a half-dozen deer seasons. But if the questioner is inquiring about the general firearms season for deer, the answer is Nov.18. That is the granddaddy of the hunting seasons, the biggest hunting day of the year, even through its impact has been eroded by a multitude of other seasons.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 linesby CNB