Thursday, July 29, 2004
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: Outdoors Expo at Bass Classic
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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While the 53 contenders in the Bassmaster Classic scour Lake Wylie for bass and glory, an estimated 100,000 fishing fans are expected to be searching the aisles of the Classic ESPN Outdoors Expo Friday through Sunday at the Charlotte (N.C) Convention Center.
Some of the items on display will be the first look at what the Classic contenders have been testing, and will be available to the public during the upcoming season.
Note, the name of this event has been changed from the traditional Classic Outdoor Show.
The event will tie in outdoor sports beyond angling by including hunting and other outdoor adventures. The show is expected to feature more than 200 exhibitors on 280,000 square feet.
Show hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
BILL
RECORD TV COVERAGE FOR CLASSIC
ESPN and ESPN2 are dedicating a bunch of time to the coverage to the CITGO Bassmaster Classic from Friday, July 30 to Sunday, Aug. 1. This includes a breakfast show, live updates from Lake Wylie, the Classic ESPN Outdoors Show and live daily coverage of the weigh-ins. Here is the schedule:
ESPN2, July 30, first-day live weigh-in, 7-8 p.m.
ESPN2, July 31, 7-11:30 a.m. live tournament updates.
ESPN, July 31 noon to 1 p.m., live coverage
ESPN/ESPN2, July 31, 1-5 p.m., live tournament updates
ESPN, July 31, 5:30-7 p.m., second-day live weigh-in.
ESPN, Aug. 1, 7 a.m.-1 p.m., live coverage.
ESPN/ESPN2, Aug. 1, 1-5 p.m., live tournament updates.
ESPN, Aug. 1, 5:30-7 p.m., final-day live weigh-in.
VIRGINIA OUTDOOR SHOW
The 21st edition of the Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show is set for Richmond Aug. 13-15, a sure sign that hunting season isn’t far away.
A big draw will be the mounted display of the new Boone & Crockett World Record non-typical whitetail deer taken in Iowa by 15-year old Tony Lovstuen during the 2003 muzzleloading season. It scored 319 4/8.
What you won’t see is the traditional display of live trophy deer by Richard English. Concern over chronic wasting diseases makes it impossible for English to transports his deer into Virginia from Ohio. But English isn’t out of the game. He plans to show a live example of four different species of wild turkeys found in North America.
There will be piles of vendors displaying outdoor equipment, and a number of seminars featuring guests who are well known in the outdoor field. Included are Tony Knight, developer of Knight black-powder guns; Tom Stuckey, turkey calling champ; Daven Wood, who has taken 40 Pope & Young trophy bucks and Waverly Coleman, bird dog trainer.
The show, which is sponsored by the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, will be held at The Showplace on 3000 Mechanicsville Turnpike. Details can be found on www.sportsmanshow.com.
BILL
STRIPERS ON THE RUN
About mid-September the first cold spells of the year will barrel down from Canada and the water temperature in New England will drop. The annual fall saltwater striped bass run will be under way.
If you are a striper fishermen, this is the magical time of the year. The temperatures, the length of the days, the availability of food -- something, everything -- start a great fish on a southward migration that will penetrate Virginia in a big way and end in the milder, food-rich water off the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It is like the great southward waterfowl migration, only this one you don’t see, unless you do some probing with a rod and reel. Then you see in the most dramatic way possible.
The drama of this journey is beautifully written in a book I highly recommend. It is titled “On the Run, An Angler's Journey Down the Striper Coast,” by David DiBenedetto. It is a wonderful way to hone your interest in the upcoming run.
The book follows another classic on striped bass called “The Moon Pulled Up an Acre of Bass,” by Peter Kaminsky. These are the two best striper books since the mid-70s classic “Striper A Story of Fish and Man” by John Cole.
In 2001, DiBenedetto spent three months following the fall migration of stripers from Maine to North Carolina. He tells about this fish, and the anglers it attracts and the challenging environment it lives in. It is an amazing journey.
The only complaint will come from readers/anglers in the South, who wish DiBenedetto hadn’t skimped on details of Virginia, a state that plays a huge role in this underwater migration.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Bassmaster Classic, July 30-Aug. 1, Lake Wylie/Charlotte, N.C.
Mother-Daughter Outdoors Event, Aug. 20-22, Appomattox, opportunity for women 9 and up to learn outdoor skills. Information from www.dgif.state.va.us/events/index.html.
Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show, Aug. 13-15, The Showplace, Richmond, www.sportsmanshow.com.
The Triangle Bowhunters of the New River Valley has announced it schedule of three 3-D archery events on its property between Christiansburg and Blacksburg. Dates for the events are July 25, Aug. 22 and Sept. 19. Information is available from vfaa.ogr or from Jim Overfelt, jimo@vt.edu.
Ducks Unlimited Great Outdoors Festival, Sept. 17-19, Richmond/Petersburg, information from dugof.com.
Mother-Daughter Outdoors Event, Aug. 20-22, Appomattox, opportunity for women 9 and up to learn outdoor skills. Information from gif.state.va.us/events/
Virginia Outdoors Weekend, Sept. 17-19, for families, Westmoreland State Park, information from dgif.state.va.us/events/
Smith Mountain Striper Club fall tournament, Oct. 9., information from Rex Smith, smithrex@charter.net.
CITGO Bassmaster Open tournament, Oct. 14-16, Smith Mountain Lake.
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