Escape the weather and check out some boats at the 56th annual Mid-Atlantic Sports and Boat S how this coming weekend at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. The show is owned by the Norfolk chapter of the Izaak Walton League. This year's event has been whittled to three days, Friday through Sunday.

It was cold that early January morning when Robert Locklear headed down to his dock for a cup of coffee and a smoke. Locklear wasn't expecting anything special to happen. Didn't even think he'd see any life on Lake Cohoon. It was just too cold. He got both. "Something I'd never seen before, that's for sure," the 33-year-old drywall hanger said.

For the 10th consecutive year since the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament began in 1958, anglers registered at least 5,000 trophy fish for awards. Anglers registered 5,191 fish in the 52nd tournament, which runs annually from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. There were several highlights last year.

Curt Lytle and members of the Walters Hunt Club have reached an out-of-court settlement on Lytle's suit against the club. The sides agreed that it was in the best interest of all hunters. Lytle, of Zuni, had sued the club, alleging that dogs it uses to hunt deer had been coming onto his property.

Hunters and wildlife biologists knew the day would come. Still, last week's announcement that Virginia's first case of Chronic Wasting Disease had been confirmed brought shock. "This is kind of scary," said Rob Phillips, a Virginia Beach hunter who owns and hunts on land in Patrick County, just west of Martinsville.

John Bowman wasn't too happy about the way his deer-hunting season was turning out. On the very last day, he had yet to kill a deer. But the First Colonial High School senior didn't panic. Besides, the hunt for him is about much more than the kill. Still, it would be nice to harvest at least one animal.

When a fishing tournament comes around, Mike Romeo usually can count on seeing a bunch of familiar faces. No matter what species the tournament is targeting, his team consists of just about the same anglers every time.

Federal legislators have seen the numbers. Recreational anglers in this country annually pour billions of dollars into the economy. Jim Hutchinson Jr. thinks it's time for the legislators to see the faces of those who spend the money.

A new law requiring all saltwater anglers to register with NOAA Fisheries is in effect. Anglers are required to sign up for the National Saltwater Angler Registry. The registry is free this year but will cost between $15 and $25 in 2011. The reason for the registry, according to NOAA officials, is to improve information gathering for catches of many species.

The nearly 78-year-old largemouth bass world record caught in 1932 by George Perry in Georgia has been tied by a Japanese angler, the International Game Fish Association announced today.

Perry's 22-pound, 4-ounce record was one of the oldest world records and the most coveted of any species -- freshwater or saltwater.