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Another look at the pending state record muskie

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Here's another shot of Shannon Hill with his 45-pound, 8-ounce muskie, which will likely become the state record.
I think the expression on Hill's face is classic, like, "What have I done?"
I don't normally lobby for position with my stories but I pushed to get this one on the front page. My argument is that everyone, even non-fishermen, likes a big fish story and a fish like this doesn't come along very often.
I think I've had a "big fish" story on the front page twice before. When James Davis pulled a 53-pound, 7-ounce striper from Leesville Lake, it was the lead story, with a huge picture. I wasn't surprised when newspaper box and retail sales were high that day, especially around Smith Mountain Lake.
The other story was about a group of guys from Roanoke and Salem who almost won a prestigious billfish tournament. That was a really big fish but it was hard to tell because the story was played small on the bottom of the front page and the picture was about the size of a postage stamp. That was one of the few times I got ticked off about one of my stories not getting the play I felt it deserved.
Anyway, for those who haven't seen it, CLICK HERE to read the story about Hill's pending record.

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About this blog

Mark Taylor holding a fish.

While growing up in rural Southern Oregon, Mark Taylor developed a passion for the outdoors while he and his younger brother tagged along with their father on fishing, hunting and camping adventures.

Graduating from Northwestern University in 1988, Taylor spent four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy based in Norfolk before moving into journalism.

After five years writing about the military for a Norfolk-based publishing company, he became the outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times in 1998. He lives in Roanoke with his wife and twin daughters.

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