Stripers yet to increase entries

[Sam]

Members of the Optimists Club of Cave Spring were hoping a shift of rules would increase participation in the club's annual fishing tournament at Smith Mountain Lake. But just a few days before the 39th annual version of the fundraising event gets under way it appears that adding striped bass to the list of eligible species hasn't created quite the entry rush tournament officials had hoped for.At least not yet.


"I haven't seen a difference that's noticeable," said Mike Snead at the Virginia Outdoorsman in Moneta. Snead, who is active in the Smith Mountain Striper Club, said few fellow club members had stopped by the shop to buy tickets. "We've got a striper club meeting Friday night," Snead said. "It will be interesting to see how many people aren't there because they're fishing in the tournament."The tournament gets started at 7:30 a.m. Friday and runs through noon Sunday.


Entry tickets are $35 and must be purchased by 7:30 p.m. Thursday at participating sellers such as the Virginia Outdoorsman, Franklin Rod and Gun in Rocky Mount and the Minnow Pond 2 in Southeast Roanoke. Tickets will be available until 7:30 a.m. Friday at Foxport Marina, the tournament headquarters. At the Minnow Pond 2, ticket sales have been slow, said shop owner Melvin Crewson. The store is annually one of the top sellers. Crewson blamed the slowdown on the lackluster economy. Snead said he expected ticket sales to pick up this week. "Now that the weather reports are out and they're going to have good weather, I think a lot of people will buy their tickets," Snead said. "Oftentimes 40 to 50 percent of the tickets get sold in the last 48 hours." Current forecasts are calling for pleasant weather Friday through Sunday, with daytime highs in the 70s, nighttime lows in the 50s, and little chance for rain.


Ike Harris, one of the club's stalwarts, said he doesn't even bother trying to get a handle on entries until the last couple of days before the event.
"If I call early in the week they may have sold 12 tickets," Harris said. "Then, I'll show up Friday and they will have sold 150." Harris said he hoped the tournament would attract 600 entrants this year, about 100 more than last year.Hoping to capitalize on the popularity of striped bass at the lake, the club decided earlier this year to replace walleyes with stripers on the list of six eligible species.


Walleyes haven't been stocked in the lake for a decade and no one has registered one of the fish in several years. Adding stripers required a slight tweaking of the club's normal rules. Like with other species, stripers must be alive when anglers bring them to tournament headquarters to be weighed. However, while other fish will be kept in tanks through the weekend, anglers may take their stripers home after weighing them because it is believed few would survive much time in a tank.The minimum size for stripers is 37 inches, which ensures fish will be above the 26- to 36-inch slot limit in effect through May.


The prize structure remains unchanged this year. The top award for each category is $1,000, with second through fourth places worth $500, $300 and $150, respectively. Any catch that breaks the tournament record will net the angler a $500 bonus. As always, the club will offer a youth tournament Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Named in honor of veteran outdoor writer Bill Cochran, the tournament is open to kids age 12 and younger. It's free for the kids, but they must be accompanied by a paying adult.


Categories are offered for sunfish and carp, with free fishing tackle and U.S. Savings Bond prizes in each category. For more information about the tournament, or to find out other locations where tickets may be purchased, call Ike Harris at 989-8488.

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