THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 4, 1996 TAG: 9608040227
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: 119 lines
For the 11th consecutive year, a Virginian will be in the field when the BASS Masters Classic fishing tournament begins Thursday on Lay Lake near Birmingham, Ala.
But it will be a new face, that of 24-year-old Woo Daves of Spring Grove. If the name sounds a bit familiar, it's because Chris is the son of Classic veteran Woo Daves.
The event, which runs through Saturday, is considered the World Series of bass fishing. In its 26th year, it is staged by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society.
While the top prize is $100,000, previous winners have said that a victory can be worth as much as $1 million in sponsorships, endorsements and public-appearance fees.
This will be the first Classic for young Daves, who earned one of the 41 spots by finishing fifth on BASS' Eastern Invitational Tournament Trail. A professional angler, he has won $23,500 since he turned pro in 1992.
The field includes most of the top names in professional bass fishing, including Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., the defending champion.
It also includes Larry Nixon of Arkansas and Rick Clunn of Texas, the only men with career winnings of more than $1 million.
Nixon leads the field with $1,169,133, while Clunn, a four-time Classic winner, has pocketed $1,040,875.
The 41 slots go to the top finishers on the BASS circuit, plus five ``grass-roots'' amateurs who won their divisions, plus the defending champ.
The elder Davis is not in the field for the first time in 11 years. He missed the cut but said it was a bigger thrill to see his son in the event than to be in it himself.
``Maybe he'll win it,'' Woo said. ``I've never been able to.'' His top finish came in 1988, when he was second to Guide Hibdon of Missouri. That event was on the James River in Richmond.
BASS says more than 110,000 fishing fans from as far as Japan, South Africa and Zimbabwe are expected for the event, which will feature weigh-ins each day at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Arena.
Contestants will be limited to five 12-inch-minimum bass each day and will be penalized for dead fish.
DOVE FORECAST: Unless a late-August hurricane chases the birds inland, Virginia dove hunters should expect a good season.
But it may not be as good as it was a year ago and could be well below normal if weather chases birds inland.
So says Patty Moore, a dove specialist with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Virginia's three-part season opens Sept. 2.
Early surveys indicate a decline in dove populations in states east of the Mississippi River, Moore said, a trend over the past decade.
For the moment, at least, things still look pretty good. Just not great.
``On the plus said, most corn was planted on time this year,'' she said, ``and timely rains have kept this year's crop ahead of most prior years.
``This means the harvest could start a couple of weeks earlier than usual, unless the rain keeps coming. Then we could be in trouble. If the fields are too wet, farmers can't cut their corn.'' The bottom line? There's an ample supply of birds around, if we don't get a hurricane and if the corn harvest is normal.
NO CITATIONS: At least 31 and perhaps as many as 35 anglers either have had or will have their applications for big-fish citations rejected by the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament.
Included was the angler with the year's heaviest croaker at the time, a 3-pound, 10-ounce fish caught by David E. Harris of Mechanicsville.
Claude Bain, director of the state-sponsored contest, said the rejections were because the anglers' saltwater-fishing-license numbers were either not included or incorrect.
``We don't have any choice but to reject them,'' Bain said. ``The decision to require the license was made by our board of commissioners.'' The contest is a function of the Marine Resources Commission.
Including the license number on the citation application was one of the caveats the board mandated when it agreed to fund the tournament from the license fund.
Bain said the matter was confusing because an angler's license included other numbers, including a boat-registration number and social security number.
``I suspect most of these anglers have their licenses and, consequently, the proper number,'' he said.
``I also suspect that if they do, and if they file an appeal, which several already have done, the tournament's advisory board will be very lenient, especially since this is the first year. ``Besides, we've processed almost 1,500 applications this year, so I guess 30 or 35 mistakes isn't bad.
``Still, I want to remind all anglers that to get a citation, the number of the license, and no other number, should be on the application.''
OPEN PALMS: A lot of folks still are making questionable requests for a part of the state's $1.3 million recreational fishing license fund.
Among 10 requests to be considered by the fund's advisory board when it meets Aug. 12 are:
$325,000 for a boat ramp at Kiptopeke State Park near Cape Charles.
$144,200 for a county fishing pier at Windmill Point in Lancaster County.
$29,655 for the Rappahannock Preservation Society's oyster repletion program.
Almost $200,000 for shad projects.
The oyster project has some merit, since the bivalve is a known filterer which helps clean the Chesapeake Bay.
But the boat ramp and fishing pier are other matters. There are too many scientific questions needing answers to spend almost $475,000 on these.
As for the shad work, while it's a worthwhile project, should the money come from a recreational saltwater license?
The last time I looked, shad were caught almost exclusively by commercial and freshwater anglers.
FLY SCHOOL: Kitty Hawk Kites has announced its first series of fly-fishing schools on the North Carolina Outer Banks.
The classes will be taught by professional casting instructor and fishing guide Charles Jordan. They will be held Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-8 p.m.
Classes will cost $75, including transportation and meal, and will be limited to eight students. Details: 1-919-441-4124.
SHORT CASTS: Neal Klar of Virginia Beach released a blue marlin on a recent trip to Kona, Hawaii. He and his father, Larry Klar, continued to Christmas Island in the Pacific, where they released more than 100 bonefish while fly-rod fishing. . . . Early results of a survey by the North Carolina Coastal Conservation Association shows that 74 percent of the anglers questioned favor a saltwater fishing license. Eventually, the survey will include more than 10,000 Tar Heel residents. . . . Norman Bradford of Nags Head has been named to the 17-person North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission, replacing Curtis Donaldson of Weldon, who resigned. . . . Here's a reminder that it's now illegal for anglers to keep any bluefin tuna south of the New Jersey/Delaware border, more technically, south of 38 degrees, 47 seconds north latitude. The fishery was closed at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. by CNB