Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 30, 1993 TAG: 9309300051
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The power company traditionally draws down the 4,500-acre lake in Pulaski County by 5 feet each fall to allow for repairs along the shoreline. An additional 3 feet is being tacked on this time to let the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries add a launching ramp and courtesy dock to the Hidden Vally Cove public landing near Claytor Lake State Park.
Marinas and boat launching facilities on the upper end of the lake and in the Peak Creek arm are expected to be unusable during the drawdown period.
Plans call for gradually reducing the lake level Nov. 1. By the evening of Nov. 5, the elevation should reach 1,838 feet, some 8 feet below normal pool. The power company will begin the refilling process Nov. 21, unless weather conditions alter the schedule, said R.B. Kilgore, Apco's Pulaski Division manager.
"It is going to put everything we have on the bottom," said Earnest Rash, an owner of the Rock House, a marina on Peak Creek.
When floating docks hit the bottom, they pull apart and the plastic foam used to keep them afloat is damaged, Rash said.
"We are going to have to go to a lot of expense to move the docks out farther into the water," he said.
Rash said it costs his business anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 annually following the 5-foot drawdown. There's no telling what the cost will be this time, he said.
"We don't like it," said Ruth Ratcliff of Conrad Brothers, another marina on Peak Creek. "We would like to see them put it off until later in the year."
Early November, Ratcliff said, is the time many boaters take their craft out of the water for winterizing.
It also is a grand time for cruising and fishing.
"That's the most beautiful time to ride up the lake," said Kenneth Alderman, a Claytor regular.
For a number of years, the annual drawdown was done in the spring. That was changed when fish biologists felt it was having an adverse impact on spawning.
A rumor going around Claytor was that the new ramp was being constructed for a fishing tournament.
"It's not for a fishing tournament," said Phil Lownes, assistant chief of the game and fish department's lands and engineering division. "It is to put in a handicap-accessible launching ramp and courtesy dock."
The project will be carried out as quickly as possible, he said.
"Our contractor has two weeks to do it, and then the lake will come back up," Lownes said.
During that period, shoreland owners will have an opportunity to make repairs to their property, he said.
Apco is warning boaters to exercise caution during the drawdown.
"The lower water level may bring submerged items near the surface, and a proper lookout should be maintained," Kilgore said.
\ FRITTS BLITZ: Little-known bass pro Jay Yelas of Jasper, Texas, won the recent BASSMASTER BP Top 100 tournament on the Potomac River, with a four-day total of 20 bass that weighed 54 pounds, 11 ounces.
Second was Gary Klein, of Weatherford, Texas, the 1992 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year. Klein was 8 ounces out of the lead.
But the big excitement was the third-place finish for David Fritts (53 pounds, 14 ounces). That put Fritts, of Lexington, N.C., less than a pound away from winning his third consecutive B.A.S.S. tournament.
Virginia's Woo Daves was 41st, with 37 pounds, 15 ounces. Joseph Welk of Forest was second in the amateur division, with a 33-pound catch.
\ BACKWOODS BOWMEN: Archers may have to look to the deep woods Saturday, when the bowhunting season opens. Last year, deer often were spotted in farm fields, because of the scarcity of mast in the woodlands. This year's improved acorn crop likely will change that.
Be aware that bear won't be a legal target for archers until Oct. 9. We had that date listed incorrectly on the Outdoor Page.
\ BIG CATS: Anglers have been reeling in excellent catfish catches at Claytor Lake. Howard Lockhart and Bobby Cook of Dublin caught five that weighed 36 1/4 pounds. Earl Lawrence of Radford had a flathead that weighed 19 pounds, 10 ounces.
For a more complete fishing report, call Info Line at 981-0100 (382-0200 in the New River Valley) and enter 3016.
by CNB