Thursday, April 19, 2007
Optimist tournament spotlights kids
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
For 39 years, the Cave Spring Optimist Club has sponsored a fishing tournament on Smith Mountain Lake to raise money for its many youth activities. Kids who never fish benefit from fishing.
But the tournament also offers a fishing opportunity for youngsters through a youth tournament that I am proud to say bears my name. The event is sponsored by Atlas Cold Storage.
It works this way: From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, youngsters age 12 and younger are invited to go fishing and to weigh their catch at Foxport Marina. The next day, contestants who have registered the largest fish in two categories will receive U.S. Saving Bonds.
The two categories are carp and sunfish (bluegill). First place in each category is worth a $100 bond; second, a $75 bond and third, a $50 bond. I’m generally there at Foxport around 1 p.m. to give out the awards.
There is no entry fee for participants of the youth tournament; however, kids must be accompanied by an adult who has entered the main tournament. The adult entry fee is $35 and this competition runs May 4 through noon on May 6.
The main tournament features fishing for the biggest largemouth bass, smallmoth bass, crappie, striped bass, catfish and muskie.
Brochures containing details on the tournament along with an entry blank can be found at most businesses around the lake and in nearby towns and cities or can be requested from KLbirk@aol.com
BILL
ELITE HEADQUARTERED AT SAUNDERS
Saunders Parkway Marina has been chosen as host and weigh-in site for the lucrative June 7-10 ESPN Bassmaster Elite series tournament, called the “Blue Ridge Brawl.”
The contest, which offers a purse of $673,000 -- $100,000 to the winner -- is being ballyhooed by ESPN/BASS as the “first major national fishing tournament to be held at Smith Mountain Lake.” It will be nationally televised, a first for the lake.
Many expected the tournament to be headquartered at Bridgewater Point, site of the 2004 and 2006 Citgo Northern Open, a series which is a level below the Elite circuit. But tournament officials said the Elite series requires more room for a staging area, a 1000,000-square-foot outdoor sports expo and ESPN2 TV coverage.
The options were considered and Saunders was selected during what was called a final pre-tournament visit last week by the ESPN/BASS staff.
Saunders is located on the lower, Bedford County side of the lake near Moneta while Bridgewater Point is on the Franklin County side of Hales Ford Bridge in the Roanoke River arm of the 20,000-acre lake.
Bedford and Franklin counties collaborated to win the bid by providing seed money, enthusiasm and staff cooperation.
The event is expected to draw 150 professional anglers and 20,000 spectators.
For Elite standings and other tournament information check its Web site.
As for this being the “first major national fishing tournament” for Smith Mountain, a number of years ago the National BASS Federation Championship was held on the lake with a weigh-in at the Roanoke Civic Center.
BILL
GROUSE REINVENTS BANQUET PROGRAM
The National Ruffed Grouse Society is changing its fund-raising banquet program. The society has been in competition for the sportsman’s dollar with Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Federation Friends of NRA and a growing number of other organizations.
This has resulted in low or negative revenue from some banquets and has put the society in a pinch, according to Mike Zagata, executive director/CEO. It is time to reinvent the banquet program or be left behind, he told members in a special report.
Here are some changes and goals that are in progress:
>Tickets will be available online. Often would-be banquet attendees must search for a member or go to a designated business to buy a ticket, and this is seen as a deterrent to sales.
>Members can buy a ticket for a meal only and won’t be required to pay for a membership fee. This will keep the price of banquet tickets down.
>Chapters that hold successful banquets will be encouraged to host other events and keep more of the money they make for local projects. A common complaint on the banquet circuit is how little money stays with the local chapter whose members work hard to stage events.
>There will be efforts to get a response from the 60-percent of the members who do not attend banquets.
>There will be more advertisement among non-members and more media coverage of banquets.
>Free banquet tickets will go to youngsters and women who have completed a hunter education program within 12 months of a banquet provided they are accompanied by a paying adult.
>The society has received tax-exempt status in all states, which will add to the bottom line of banquet receipts.
>Banquet committees are being challenged to be creative and try new things.
>The number of society chapters and banquets will be increased to spread the administrative cost (there are 128 banquets now scheduled for 2007).
>An effort will be made to see what makes some banquets more successful than others. The successful ones will receive more underpinning from the society.
>A manual explaining the fundamentals of running a successful banquet will be provided committee members.
The Ruffed Grouse Society recently won a “Best in America” award from the Independent Charities of America for meeting the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness and cost effectiveness.
BILL
COW FOILS TURKEY TRAPPING EFFORT
If you are like me, in your lifetime you’ve had a bunch of spring gobbler hunts messed up by all kinds of intrusions: dogs running wild, logging trucks, chain saws, four-wheel drives in places they aren’t supposed to be and other hunters vying for the same tom.
Department of Game and Fisheries officials experienced an unusual intrusion while carrying out turkey trapping operations as part of a study to see what makes toms tick.
Prior to the spring season, workers positioned cannon-fired nets and used grain to attract turkeys to them. Watching from a distance, technicians could activate the nets and trap the turkeys. Once done, the gobblers were equipped with radio transmitting devices so their activities could be monitored.
One morning technicians had five adult turkeys coming to the net, according to Gary Norman, DGIF turkey biologist. It looked like a sure catch, but a cow stepped on the remote antennae used to activate the net so, as Norman reveals, the technicians “were left to watch those birds feed around for most of the day.”
BILL
OUTDOOR NOTES
>Wildlife biologists are wondering how much damage has been done to the mast crop, following several days of sub-freezing weather in late March and early April. The acorn crop, especially is an important food for deer, turkey, squirrels, bears and other species. For certain, soft mast species such as apples and cherries have been damaged in many areas. “I've been concerned that this weather will influence acorn crops. We've had too many good years: we're due for a failure,” said Gary Norman, a state wildlife biologist.
>The first couple days of the 2007 spring turkey season were nothing to gobble about, no matter if you were a turkey or turkey hunter. Opening day on Saturday was greeted by a cold rain. It was a time when toms were mostly mute and hunters miserable. Then Monday the wind was roaring like a freight train on the ridges and in some areas snow fell horizontally. Even for the most passionate of turkeys, it was no day for romance, nor was it a decent one for hunters. Still, some hunters returned home with gobblers.
>State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, has been named Legislator of the Year for 2007 by the Virginia Association for Parks. He was recognized for his support of the Virginia State Park system.
BILL
VIRGINIA SALTWATER TOURNAMENT
Here are the standings in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament:
BLUEFISH: 16 pounds, caught by Peter Carey of Fredericksburg in the lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.
BLUELINE TILEFISH: 19-pound, 14-ounce state record, Rick Wineman, Yorktown, ocean off Virginia Beach.
CROAKER: 3 pounds, 3 ounces, Cecil Smith, Shacklefords, lower York River.
FLOUNDER: 10 pounds, 9 ounces, Josh Garrison, Virginia Beach, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.
GRAY TRIGGERFISH: 4 pounds, 3 ounces, Julie Ball, Virginia Beach, ocean off Virginia Beach.
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 7 ounces, David Howard, Leesburg, ocean off Virginia Beach.
SPECKLED TOURT: 11 pounds, 5 ounces, Daniel Peters, Chesapeake, Elizabeth River.
SPOT: 1 pound, 1 ounce, Joe Few, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
STRIPED BASS: 62 pounds, 1 ounce, Wayne Rickman, Mechanicsville, off Virginia Beach.
TAUTOG: 15 pounds, 13 ounces, Todd Ralph, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Roanoke Valley Bear Awareness Seminar presented by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries at Glenvar Middle School auditorium 7 p.m. April 19.
Hooked For Life banquet, April 20, Roanoke, will feature bass fishing pro Jay Yelas, information from www.hookedforlife.org.
Seventh Annual Virginia Fly Fishing Festival and Wine Tasting, April 21-22, Waynesboro, vaflyfishingfestival.org.
Botetourt Longbeards Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, April 28, 6 p.m., Lord Botetourt High School, $45 for single; $60 for couple, includes meal and membership, tickets from Richard Pauley, 540-992-1883 and Ed McCoy, 540-473-2741.
James River Chapter of National Wild Turkey Federation hunt open to disabled sportsmen, April 28, details from Barry Arrington.
Cave Spring Optimist Fishing Tournament, Smith Mountain Lake, May 4-6, brochure at tackle shops, marinas and from KLbirk@aol.com.
Spring gobbler season ends, May 19.
Inaugural Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival, May 11-13, guided walks, bus trips and family activities, all free. For information and registration call 757-986-3705.
“Learn to Fly Fish” workshop, 8:30 a.m., May 12, River Rock Park, Harrisonburg, $49, lunch and equipment provided, sponsored by the Massanutten Chapter Trout Unlimited, information from anthonydy@erols.com.
BASS Elite Series, June 7-10, 2007, Smith Mountain Lake, information from bassmaster.com.
Reedville Bluefish Derby, Buzzard’s Point Marine, June 8-9, Reedville reedvillebluefishderby.com
Outdoor Writers Association of America conference, June 16-19, Hotel Roanoke.
The Western Regional Championship of the Virginia Big Game Show, Sept. 8-9, Rockingham County Fairgrounds near Harrisonburg, information from vpsa.org.
Hunters for the Hungry banquet, Sept. 8, Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi dealership, Salem, inquire about tickets at Hunt4hungry@cs.com.
The Eastern Region and State Championship of the Virginia Big Game Show, Sept. 22 & 23, Southampton County Fairgrounds in Franklin, information from from vpsa.org.
DGIF meetings
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, June 5, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, July 17, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Aug. 21, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, Oct. 16, 9 a.m. at agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St.
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