Thursday, February 25, 2010
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: Virginia ninth in Bassmaster Classic
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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Jeff Freeman had a Herculean “to-do list” last week during the Bassmaster Classic:
- Support his wife, Katrina, in the birth of their first daughter, Ivy Rose.
- Feed the cattle on his family farm.
- Spend a little time with his two sons, ages 6 and 9.
- Drive from Lay Lake in Alabama to his home in Max Meadows, Va. for the birth of his daughter.
- Compete with some of the best names in bass fishing in the prestigious Bassmaster Classic with the confidence he could win.
Freeman, 38, checked them all off. Fishing as an “amateur” in his second Classic, he finished a very respectable ninth spot, doing his home state proud.
Wow! You have to wonder what he might have done without all the side attractions.
Freeman entered a limit of five bass each day of the three-day tournament on Lay Lake outside Birmingham, Ala. His best catch came the final day when he weighed 14-pounds, 6-ounces of bass, vaulting him form 16 place and giving him a 32-12 tournament total. He took home $20,500.
Like nearly all the top-ten finishers, including the winner, legendary Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., Freeman found good numbers of bass in the lake’s Beeswax Creek. VanDam entered a total of 51-06 and earned $500,000.
You might think that Freeman would add another item to his “to do list” this week -- become a fulltime bass pro. He certainly has proven he can hang in there with the best of bass fishing.
While his $20,500 purse may sound hefty, it is only about one-quarter of what would be needed to enter the Bassmaster Elite Series, the top-level circuit where most of the Classic pros originate.
Freeman told Mark Taylor, Outdoor Editor of The Roanoke Times, he would need sponsors to make the plunge. Right now, he is going to continue being what he is, a family man, a farmer, a businessman (he is co-owner of Wytheville’s Old Fort Western Store) and a part time angler. He will fish some of the Bassmaster Opens, FLW and BFL events along with BASS Federation Nation tournaments, the ones that earned him a spot in the Classic.
As for sponsors, well Freeman is the kind of hard working guy you’d want to have representing your product and company.
More details on the 2010 Classic from www.Bassmaster.com.
BILL
NO ADDITIONAL CWD FOUND IN VIRGINIA DEER
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has received results from all the deer it has tested for Chronic Wasting Disease and no additional cases have been detected.
Earlier a doe killed by a hunter on Nov. 14 in Frederick County tested positive, the only case found thus far in Virginia.
DGIF officials are expected to announce new guidelines for the agency’s CWD Response Plan in April. They will be directed at western Frederick County and could include a called-for a reduction in the deer population.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
- Greg.Funkhouser, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Conservation Officer assigned to the Roanoke area, was named the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Wildlife Conservation Police Officer of the Year during the federation’s national convention in Nashville Saturday.
- The rush to buy ammunition last year that resulted in scarcities is going to continue into 2010, according to Chris Hargrave, who represents Winchester. “Orders for Winchester ammo again have gone through the roof, almost five times last year,” he said. Hargrave, who lives in Disputanta, said hunters/sport shooters should inform their dealer what they this year, and this will need will help in the production and sales process.
- Mike Smith, who operates a fish guide service out of Willis is revising the late Bob Gooch’s classic “Virginia Fishing Guide” which was first published by the University Press in 1998. Smith is the author of several guide books for the publisher.
- Sam Hamilton, head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and know as a bright light in the world of wildlife conservation, died of a heart attack while skiing in Colorado Saturday. He was 54.
- Bass has announced that its 2012 Bassmaster Classic will be Feb. 24-26 on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Western Virginia Sporting Show, Augusta Expoland, Fishersville, Feb. 26-28
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Virginia Hunters Bonanza, Feb. 27, Roanoke, information from Brandy Vassar.
Rabbit season closes, Feb. 27
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. March 2 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, March 5, 7 p.m., Moneta Community Center, swap meet.
Franklin County Longbeards Chapter banquet, March 6, 6 p.m., Pigg River Community Center in Rocky Mount, tickets from Tom Brown, 540-489-1315, or Bill Kidwell, 540-489-4210.
Orange County Fishing and Sportsman’s Expo, March 6 and 7, Orange County High School, 80 exhibitors, $5 entry fee.
Appalachian Highlands Chapter Ruffed Grouse Society Sportsmen’s Banquet, March 13, 5 p.m., Holiday Inn, 101 W. Springbrook Drive, Johnson City, Tenn.; information from Spencer Young.
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Virginia Big Game Banquet, March 13, Richmond, contact Wayne Martin.
Virginia Trappers Association annual fur sale, March 13, 8 a.m., Augusta Expoland, Fisherville.
Smith River Trout Unlimited meeting, March 18, 6:30 p.m., Rania’s Restaurant, Martinsville, update on Smith River fishery by Scott Smith, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist, information from Shane Pinkston.
March 27 end of urban archery season.
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, April 2, 7 p.m. Moneta Community Center.
Youth spring turkey hunt day, April 3, 2010.
Trout Heritage Day, April 3
Spring gobbler season, April 10-May 15, 2010.
BASS Elite Blue Ridge Brawl, April 15-18, Smith Mountain Lake.
Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, April 17-18, Waynesboro.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. April 20 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Botetourt Longbeards National Wild Turkey Federation banquet, May 1, Lord Botetourt High School, Daleville.
NRA annual meeting, May 14-16, Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, N.C.
Virginia Hunter Skills Weekend, May 14-16, Holiday Lake, detailed classes on a number of outdoor pursuits, ages 11 and up, $85 includes meals, lodging and instruction, information and registration.
North Carolina State University Sport Fishing School, May 30-June 3, 2010, Hatteras, N.C.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. June 8 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. July 13 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. August 17 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Hunters for the Hungry banquet, Sept.25, Moose Lodge on Virginia 311 at foot of Catawba Mountain in Roanoke County.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. October 5 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
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