THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 22, 1995 TAG: 9510220172
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission will be asked Tuesday to consider the most aggressive expenditure yet proposed from the saltwater fishing license fund.
The major part of Krouse's Wharf, a combination marina, boat ramp and bait-and-tackle shop in Deltaville, Va., is for sale for $530,000. The Virginia Anglers Club of Richmond is pushing to use license money for the purchase.
The citizens advisory board that recommends expenditures from the fund to the board of the Marine Resources Commission has given its OK to spend up to $2,500 to assess the idea.
Ironically, the request was brought to a recent meeting of the advisory board by Phil Lownes of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, which heads up the state's public boat ramp program.
Lownes said he told the club that his agency did not have the funds for such a project but that he would be willing to present it to the marine agency's advisory board.
``I'm merely trying to act as an intermediary in this thing,'' Lownes said. ``Certainly there's a need for the facility. It's a great location, right on the center of the Chesapeake Bay. It would get a lot of use, especially from people from the Richmond area.
``Additionally, a lot of folks are concerned that if the state doesn't buy the property, someone else will, and that they'll close the ramp and put up a bunch of condominimums.''
Jack Travelstead of the Marine Resources Commission said he was not certain that his agency could even approve the $2,500 funding.
``When the state buys property,'' Travelstead said, ``there are certain steps which must be taken by the folks in Richmond in the approval process.''
The feeling here is that this is not the type of funding that should come from the saltwater license. There are too many unanswered questions about the quality of the Chesapeake Bay, which the license money was supposed to help.
On the flip side, the legislation that created the license spelled out ``access'' as a possible use of the money. And as long as public access is being improved, or saved, those of us who buy licenses can at least see that we're getting something tangible for our investment.
But the boat-ramp program was supposed to have been funded by money from boat registrations, not saltwater licenses. That law has been around since 1958.
If the income from registrations isn't enough to do the job, let's increase the fee.
But let's not buy or build ramps for sailors, scuba divers, jetski operators, water skiiers, family runabouts and commercial fishermen by using money from the saltwater fishing license. That's preposterous.
MAJOR CONTRACT: The folks who stage the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament at Morehead City, N.C., have signed a four-year sponsor's contract with Outer Banks Outfitters, a major marine retailer.
This year's Big Rock awarded a record purse of $595,180 and reported a release rate of 94 percent of the billfish that were caught.
Additionally, the contest donated $33,000 to various charities, including $4,000 to a ``Skipper's Memorial,'' honoring past and present North Carolina charter skippers.
THE WINNERS: Les Ore and Ivan Morris of Virginia Beach were among the money winners in the recent Maryland Eastern Invitational bass tournament on the Potomac River.
Ore won $1,500 with a 41st-place finish, and Morris $1,000 for finishing 51st. Anthony Black of Manassas was the top Virginian, finishing 10th and collecting $3,450, while Chris Daves of Spring Grove won $1,700 by finishing 34th.
The winner, Rick Lillegard of Atkinson, N.H., earned $36,000 in the contest, staged by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society.
GREAT VIDEO: If you've ever had a dog that was hard to handle, whether the family pet or a high-priced hunter, here's something that could help the situation.
Two outstanding books by the late, great dog trainer Richard A. Wolters have been turned into equally outstanding how-to videos by Joe Middleton of Mid-Carolina Media Inc.
The are ``Gun Dog'' and ``Game Dog,'' books that established this Virginia resident as one of the nation's finest dog trainers. Wolters died in 1993 in the crash of his ultralight plane near his home in Hanover County. He founded the North American Hunting Retriever Association and traveled the world, lecturing and demonstrating his training techniques.
The videos cost $39.95 each, plus $4.65 shipping and handling. They can be ordered by calling 1-800-310-4418.
SHORT CASTS: The 1995 Sporting Clays Challenge and Remington Shooting Clinic will be staged next Saturday and Sunday at Sussex Shooting Sports, near Waverly. A shotgun clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, with a fee of $15. The challenge, expected to attract shooters from throughout the Middle Atlantic region, will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.The registration fee is $85; $50 for those age 17 or less. For details, call 1-407-858-0441. . . . A reminder that the fall turkey season opens Oct. 30, as do the grouse season east of Interstate 95 and first segment of the woodcock season. . . . Finding a place to upland hunt has never been easier, thanks to a new ``Directory of Hunting Resorts,'' available for $1 from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, 11 Mile Hill Road, Newtown, Conn. 06470-2359. . . . Jimmy Kolb continues to widen his lead over Mark Campbell in the race to become angler of the year in the 1995 Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament. Kolb recently boated a 5-pound, 10-ounce sea bass for a citation award in his 11th category. Campbell has awards in eight classes. Both reside in Virginia Beach. . . . Thomas E. Grasso has done something few other anglers have ever done. The Hampton resident earned citations for spot and croaker the same day. His croaker weighed 3-8, the spot 1-0. Both were boated at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. by CNB