Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 19, 1990 TAG: 9007190039
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Cochran
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Now is a good time to revive the simpler, more contemplative roots of angling, and a good place to do it is Gatewood Reservoir.
Gatewood is a clear-water, 162-acre impoundment nestled in a wild, mountainous setting owned and preserved by the town of Pulaski. On the headwaters of Peak Creek, the lake is well above the pollution problems that wait downstream and out of earshot of the nearby buzz of boats on Claytor Lake.
The only buzz on Gatewood is the modest hum of electric motors - no boats powered by petroleum are permitted - and the hiss of Coleman lanterns in the nearby campground.
Gatewood is a hefty producer of largemouth bass and bluegills because of the clarity of its water and the fact that little can be done to enrich the habitat since it is a water-supply impoundment. One study revealed that roughly twice as many bluegills are caught at Gatewood as at other sites in the region.
Sometimes those bluegills are big ones.
Fishermen have caught several bluegills weighing a pound or more, said Nathan Thomas, the lake concessionaire. Jumbo bluegills usually are a product of the spring, but "all of a sudden they started showing up," Thomas said.
Bluegill fishing is a summertime tradition at Gatewood, where schools of hand-size panfish often can be seen finning along just under the surface. To get the big ones, though, Thomas recommends fishing toward the dam and finding cover where the jumbo 'gills enjoy shade and security.
An example of the trophies being caught was a 1-pound, 4-ounce bluegill for James Braxton of Wytheville.
For information on camping, boat rentals and fishing at Gatewood, call Thomas at 980-2561.
The Atlantic Ocean along the coast of Virginia has been the scene of an upsurge of marlin catches as it is heated by the searing July sun. The blue marlin season in North Carolina already is being ballyhooed as one of the best of all time.
This is a fast start for a sport that usually doesn't shift into high gear until late August and early September.
Virginia's first marlin catches this season were made by fishermen trolling for big bluefin tuna. The bluefin fishing is just about done in North Carolina and is waning in Virginia, so the blue-water boats are looking for white and blue marlin.
In North Carolina, the action has been best at Cape Point, southeast of Oregon Inlet. In Virginia, marlin have been landed as far north as off Wachapreague.
Inshore, species such as amberjack and Spanish mackerel have been keeping fishermen busy. The amberjack fishing isn't as brisk as last year, but the mackerel results are improved.
Jack Old of Roanoke earned a citation in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament with an amberjack catch-and-release at the Chesapeake Light Tower.
Fishing for spot has been consistent from the lower Chesapeake Bay to the Maryland line. Most of the fish are of modest size, a half-pound or less, but their abundance holds promise for brisk action later in the summer. The fishing peaks just before the cold fronts of September drive the spot out of the bay.
The Roanoke Rifle and Revolver Club not only is expanding its membership, it also is increasing the number of matches on the club property on the Franklin County side of Windy Gap Mountain.
Members say a good way to see what the club has to offer is to attend a match. There will be two Sunday: a hunter benchrest and an end of the trail match. For information, call 343-9046.
by CNB