Friday, April 17, 2009
Angler wins tournament before leaving the dock
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
Recent columns
Frank Skillman isn't quite ready to sell his boat, but based on his performances in a couple of recent fishing tournaments, he might want to spend more time fishing off his dock.
Skillman was the big winner in Saturday's Smith Mountain Striper-Fest, thanks to 21-pound, 8-ounce striper he hooked before his day's fishing trip had even started.
The big fish not only put $2,200 in prize money in Skillman's pocket, it provided some nice redemption for the retiree, who is the tournament director for the Smith Mountain Striper Club and had a tougher time in his club's tournament the previous weekend.
"I got skunked," he said with a laugh.
Organized by guide Dewayne Lamb, Jody Hall and former Smith Mountain Striper Club president Angie Behan, the Striper-Fest event drew 31 teams and a total of 83 anglers.
Fishing was pretty good, though fish outside the lake's protected 26- to 36-inch slot limit were fairly scare. Skillman's fish was the only fish over the slot, while 18 fish under the slot were registered. The 19 registered fish weighed a total of 113.14 pounds.
Skillman, who lives on a quiet cove near Indian Point, was getting ready to head out alone for the day about 7:30 a.m. when he saw a fish swirl in the cove.
"I put an alewife out and just hung it off the boat while I got my stuff ready," he said.
That's all it took. The fish hit and blasted off across the cove.
Skillman managed to work the fish back to his dock and keep it from getting tangled in submerged trees. When he netted the fish, his boat was in the water but still cradled by the boat lift's straps.
Skillman put the fish in a striper tube -- an aerated, water-filled tube to keep fish alive -- and went fishing for a few more hours. He caught two slot fish that had to be released and then boated to Captain's Quarters Marina to weigh his fish, which was released alive after the weigh-in.
The striper was the second award-winning fish Skillman has caught off his dock.
Last spring he hooked a 24-pound flathead catfish that took fourth place in its category at the Optimist Club of Cave Spring's annual tournament.
Other winners in the tournament were Trenton Hott in the youth angler division with a weight of 7.7 pounds, lady angler Jennifer Fitzgerald with 10.12 pounds, Chris Justice with the smallest registered fish at 3.26 pounds and Travis Fitzgerald with a 5.6-pound fish that won the mystery weight prize.
Trailbuilders sought for Pathfinders event
As a cool breeze blew across Poor Mountain on Wednesday afternoon, a small crew of volunteers worked diligently as they cut a new foot path along the mountainside at the Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve.
The group of retirees works most Wednesdays, but they plan to add a Saturday and are looking for help.
In honor of Earth Day, the Pathfinders for Greenways-affiliated group will host a public workday at the site on April 25 from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
According to Bill Gordge, the group's coordinator, Pathfinders tries to host three such public workdays annually.
The events not only help the crew make important progress with their projects but also provide new volunteers with a chance to contribute to the community and also learn about trail-building and the environment.
For example, volunteers for the April 25 event will learn about how the Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve contains the largest known concentration of the piratebush, a globally rare shrub.
Lunch and T-shirts will be provided for all registered participants.
To volunteer or for more information on the event, send an e-mail with your name and phone number to poormt@vast-network.org.
--Mark Taylor
