Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 26, 1992 TAG: 9203260018
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
You have to go back to the early '70s to see Smith Mountain catches like that. In 1973, it took 79 pounds, 11 ounces for James Dudley of Bedford and John Sheffey of Lynchburg to win the Roanoke Valley Bassmasters tournament.
To make a comparison, remember that the '70s event was a two-day affair, the daily limit was eight per angler, and more than 100 two-man teams participated.
The Ruritan tournament lasted one day, attracted 86 teams and followed the state's five bass per angler limit.
While there are flaws in attempts to compare the two, most any way you look at it you'd have to say that Smith Mountain's black bass fishing is on a welcomed rebound.
Lemons, from Vinton, and Hodge, from Salem, didn't just stumble onto a pod of bass. They found so many fish during practice it was a hard choice to decide where to go.
The day before the tournament, Lemons had fished the Blackwater River arm and caught 13 bass. Hodge had located an impressive number of bass on the Roanoke River side.
"Jerry had better quality fish," said Lemons, so they pointed the bow of their boat up the Roanoke River, even though it has a reputation of coming alive later than the Blackwater.
"I would never believed, until we caught that stringer, that fish like that would come out of the Roanoke River side," said Lemons.
The two anglers fished what Lemons called "garbage guts," those tangles of logs and debris that get trapped in creek coves. Using jig-and-pigs, Shad Raps and Rat-L-Trap lures, they landed three largemouths that weighed more than 5 pounds, and a smallmouth better than 3 pounds.
Elmer Mitchell, the tournament director, was delighted with the size of the bass that were weighed. The tournament accounted for five largemouths better than 6 pounds apiece, along with smallmouths up to 4 pounds.
The contest lunker was a 7.07-pound largemouth landed by Jim Stephenson of Bedford. The average bass was 2.71 pounds.
In comparison, that 1973 Roanoke Valley Bassmasters tournament had a 2.5-pound average, and the top fish was an 8-pound, 10-ounce largemouth by Jerry Elder of Lynchburg.
Jerry Hodge believes the bass are coming back because of catch-and-release, a theory that gets no argument from state fish biologists. Also making a comeback is the baitfish population, which crashed in the late 1970s, taking peak bass and striper fishing with it.
While the black bass has rebounded, fishermen say the same can't be said of stripers. The Smith Mountain Lake Striper Club has been campaigning for additional stocking, but the Virginia B.A.S.S. Federation has told state fish officials to use caution.
"We believe balance has been restored," said Louis "Peewee" Powers, the federation president. "Overstocking of striped bass caused a top-heavy predator class, which damaged black bass, walleye and other game species."
In Mid-March, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries began a creel survey designed to help understand what is happening at the lake.
Trout have been less than cooperative for many fishermen on the Roanoke River, Tinker Creek and Jennings Creek. That didn't keep 14-year old Kip Good of Vinton from catching a 5-pound, 1-ounce rainbow at Tinker Creek on Monday. Ronnie Howell of Roanoke caught a 5-pound, 1-ounce rainbow on the Jackson River.
Who needs a boat? Winky Rice of Altavista landed a 32-pound striped bass while fishing from the shore at Leesville Lake.
Other outstanding catches include a 30-pound, 14-ounce striper at Smith Mountain for Randy Arly of Waynesboro. Chris Dalton of Radford caught a 16-pound, 10-ounce muskie at Smith Mountain. Wayne Burchett of Radford landed a 5 pound, 1 ounce smallmouth at Claytor Lake.
The restocking of trout streams began this week. The stocking list will be published on the Scoreboard page each Friday and will be available on the Sportsline at 981-3385.
Hunters who attend the National Wild Turkey Federation banquet at 6 p.m. at the LancerLot tonight will be asked if they have any problems with the proposed lengthening of the raccoon chase season and the establishment of a bear chase season. Tickets are available at the door.
by CNB