ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 15, 1996 TAG: 9602150066
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: OUTDOORS
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
When the temperature warmed Saturday, Campbell Eddington knew there would be a line of anxious anglers arriving at his Sturgeon Creek Marina on Lake Anna. They would be motivated by a combination of cabin fever and the knowledge that Anna, near Charlottesville, is an excellent spot to catch big bass in February.
Trouble was, the warmer temperatures that had sent the sap running in anglers had done little to break up the 3 to 4 inches of ice that blocked the ramps at Anna. It was the same at most impoundments across the state.
So, Friday morning Eddington went to work, gnawing at the ice that encased his ramp.
``I would run my pontoon boat up on it, reverse the motor and throw water on the ice to break it up,'' he said.
The task lasted from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Friday.
``Then, I went back down at 9:30 [p.m.] and loosened ice that had broken up so it wouldn't freeze again.''
Saturday morning Eddington returned to the task at 6:30. By 9 a.m., the ramp was free of ice and a dozen boatloads of fishermen hit the water. They could find water temperatures up to 47 degrees on the lower end of the lake, but the temperature remained in the 30s near the ramp. Eddington grew concerned the ramp water would freeze over and fishermen wouldn't be able to get back to shore..
``I had to work at the ice off and on all day Saturday,'' he said.
That night, Campbell kept punching at the ice with his pontoon, from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m., so the ramp would be ready for Sunday fishermen.
Several anglers who reached open water, thanks to the generosity of Eddington, caught fish. Stacy Hollinger of Harrisonburg landed a pair of stripers weighing a total of more than 20 pounds while fishing in 6 feet of water. The larger fish was 13 pounds, 2 ounces. Hollinger said his partner had a line broken by a fish.
Another Harrisonburg angler, Larry Pence, caught four small largemouth bass.
Elsewhere, fishermen at Philpott Lake have landed smallmouth bass and an occasional largemouth, but winds have been discouraging.
A few striped bass have been hooked at Smith Mountain Lake, where ice-covered coves have been a problem.
Heavy numbers of fishermen showed up at Briery Creek Lake the past weekend, but success was poor.
The ice finally broke up at Claytor Lake on Sunday. Then came high winds that drove most fishermen home.
Fortney Ramp at Lake Moomaw has been socked in with ice, but Coles Point has been open since Saturday.
VOTE NO: The Virginia BASS Federation believes the game wardens, biologists and others staff members at the regional offices of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries have more than enough work without getting into the voter-registration business.
The federation opposes legislation before the General Assembly that would make the department offices a place where voters can register.
``We are concerned that boating, fishing and hunting money would be spent on the effort and the game department staff would be burdened with extra work,'' said Ed Rhodes, a BASS spokesman.
A GOOD TALE: Master storyteller and cowboy poet Mike Logan is certain to delight the crowd Feb.24 at the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation banquet at the Holiday Inn-Tanglewood.
If you want to be there, you'd better hurry. By Wednesday, all but about 10 of the 300 available tickets had been sold. Ticket information is available from John Rokisky, 772-1414.
LENGTH: Medium: 70 linesby CNB