June 5, 2007
Another look at the pending state record muskie

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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