Thursday, April 30, 2009
Bill Cochran's Outdoors: Pros bug-eyed over big bass in Smith Mountain Lake
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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Bass aren’t easy to catch at Smith Mountain Lake. Blame it on the clear, deep water, the abundance of boat traffic, the maze of cover, the high IQ of the bass, or whatever.
But don’t blame it on the scarcity of big bass. Not after the weekend Bassmaster Elite Series Blue Ridge Brawl.
“The anglers were shocked with the amount and size of fish they could see in the water,” said Scott Martin, director of Franklin County Commerce and Leisure Service.
“To a man, they said that they had no idea that Smith Mountain Lake had this many large bass.”
But seeing a bedding or pre-spawn bass and catching one are two entirely different things, the tournament anglers discovered. Big fish often turned up their nose at some of the top bass pros in the country. One angler reported spending 90 minutes trying unsuccessfully to entice a single bass to bite. He gave up on it and spent an hour on another.
Kevin VanDam is credited with winning the tournament by going after smallmouth bass rather than largemouths. The smallmouths appeared to be a tad less reluctant to strike, said VanDam, who grew up chasing smallmouths in his native Michigan. His four-day total of 61 pounds, 13 ounces earned him $100,000. He is closing in on $3.5 million in BASS winnings and is the hottest pro on the tour at the moment.
VanDam said he was keying in on areas where shad, an important forage fish at Smith Mountain, were spawning and attracting aggressive smallmouths. His best lure was a 1/8-ounce Strike King Shaky Head with a 4-inch finesse worm in dirt color.
“It was just one of those magical weeks where everything fell into place, said VanDam. “I’m just really proud of the decisions and adjustments I made.”
“I have a hunch that VanDam’s strategy of going after bedding smallmouth will be a new tournament model on the lake,” said Martin. “I think he opened up a lot of local eyes with that strategy.”
Chances are good that the technique will be employed by participants in the Optimist Club of Cave Spring Tournament set for Friday through Sunday. This is the final day to get tickets for that event at most locations on Smith Mountain.
Sixty-one-plus pounds sounds like a whole lot of bass, but Martin, a kingpin behind luring the BASS tournament to Smith Mountain, was a bit disappointed with the total weight, thinking the winning daily catch would be around 20 pounds.
“The anglers think the sharp cold front on Monday and Tuesday pushed the fish down. I’m not sure,” he said.
What wasn’t disappointing was the size of the weigh-in crowds and the positive impact the tournament had on local businesses.
“Crowds were very solid,” Martin said. “And we thank the weather for a lot of that. ESPN estimated over 6,000 for the final weigh-in. Businesses around the weigh-in were pleased with summer-like business a month early.”
Bass will bring its Elite series back to Smith Mountain in August 2010.
“They will crown their angler of the year at Smith Mountain Lake,” said Martin.
For a long while, BASS avoided Smith Mountain, now it will be the lake that showcases the organization’s final event of the season, said Martin.
Obviously BASS liked what it saw, which included all those big bass finning about in the shallows.
Luring a major tournament to the region is just one way to boost the local economy through angling, Martin believes. He and other stakeholders are working on a new marketing initiative to promote Virginia’s streams and lakes through a fishing trail in the southwest and southern regions of the state. The trail links fishing opportunities and provides information on lodging, meals and non-angling attractions. Check fishvirginiafirst.com.
Martin is pleased that a growing number of communities and organizations have signed onto the idea.
“I’m fired up that this many communities have realized that our fishing potential is unmatched,” he said.
The area's congressman, Tom Perriello, and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling promoted the idea Sunday during the Blue Ridge Brawl weigh-in.
The Smith Mountain Brawl will be shown on ESPN2 at 9 a.m. May 9.
