DATE: Sunday, April 20, 1997                TAG: 9704200212

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C15  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE:    -Bob Hutchinson

                                            LENGTH:   35 lines

ANGLER OF THE WEEK

446-2342 and leave your name and number, the nominee's name and number

and some details of the catch. The nominee must reside in The

Virginian-Pilot's circulation area. A clear head shot is required. ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC

BILLY WYATT

SUFFOLK

``I've been fishing those (Suffolk) Lakes since I was just a

little boy. And this is the fish I've been trying to catch. I knew

it as soon as I hooked it.''

What: Wyatt landed a 25-pound, 1-ounce striped bass last Sunday.

It was the sixth species from the lakes for which he has earned

citation awards from the Virginia Freshwater Fishing Program.

Where: He was fishing in 12 feet of water at a ``secret spot'' on

Western Branch Reservoir, one of the Norfolk water-supply lakes in

Suffolk. The fish took 15 minutes to land.

How: Wyatt was using a live, 2-inch minnow skewered to a 2/0 hook

and cast from his boat. The 10-pound-test line was tied directly to

the hook, with an 1/8-ounce slip sinker tied into the line about

four feet from the hook.

Personal: Wyatt, 56, and his wife Nita live in the Lakeside

section. They have six children and eight grandchildren. He is a

supervisor in the blanching department at Planters Peanuts in

Suffolk.

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