A 73-pound striped bass caught off the Virginia coast last month is now officially the saltwater state record.

The Virginia Beach Saltwater Fishing Tournament recently approved Fred Barnes' Jan. 23 catch, boated while Barnes was trolling with friends near the 4A bouy near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

The fish easily eclipsed the 68 pound, 1 ounce striper caught by Clay Armstrong in 2006 south of Rudee Inlet.

Lewis Gillingham, director of the state-run state fishing tournament, said Barnes' striper ranks as one of the heaviest caught by rod and reel along the Atlantic seaboard. Fewer than a half-dozen stripers over 70 pounds have ever been caught by anglers along the East coast.

And Barnes' striper, which was 52 inches long with a girth of 31¹₂ inches, had potential to be even heavier. The taxidermist working on the fish noted that the fish's stomach was completely empty. Had the fish recently been on a feeding binge it could have been close to the all-tackle world record of 78 pounds, 8 ounces, a fish pulled from the Atlantic City surf in 1982.

Fly-fishing tourney set for Davidson River

Why should bass fishermen get to have all the tournament fun?

Fly anglers are invited to do battle with trout and each other at the 2008 Pisgah Master fly-fishing tournament March 29-30 on North Carolina's Davidson River.

Limited to the first 125 entrants, the tournament is fundraiser for Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, a learning facility operated by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and located south of Asheville. Cold water conservation and aquatic ecosystems are heavily featured in the center's displays and exhibits.

For more information about the tournament or to request and entry form, contact the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education by phone at (828) 877-4423 or e-mail at emilie.johnson@ncwildlife.org.

James River NWTF to hold banquet

The James River chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will hold its annual banquet March 1 at the Lynchburg College dining hall.

Tickets are $50 for individuals; $75 for couples. Doors open at 5:45 p.m.

For more information contact chapter president Barry Arrington at blarrington@verizon.net.

Auction planned for Hooked for Life

Hooked for Life, a Roanoke-based Christian ministry based on the sport of fishing, will hold a silent auction March 8 at the Colonial Avenue Baptist Church in Roanoke.

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with lots of outdoors-related items up for auction. All proceeds will benefit Hooked for Life programs, such as its "Fishin' with a Mission" project at the Roanoke Rescue Mission.

For more information contact Trevor Ruble at 819-0266 or visit hookedforlife.org.

--Mark Taylor