THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 13, 1994 TAG: 9407120134
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JODY R. SNIDER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines
WHEW! IT'S hot.
But not too hot for the mile-long strand of bodies on the James River Fishing Pier, where if you're lucky, the fish are hungry and dinner is but a drop of a fishing line away.
From April to mid-December, anglers visit the pier to fish for rockfish, flounder, gray and speckled trout, red drum, croaker, spot, catfish and winter flounder.
The pier is also a good spot for crabbers because the depths off the pier range from 8 to 18 feet, said pier manager Joe V. Tolly.
The one-mile by 35-foot stretch of concrete is dubbed one of the longest fishing piers on the East Coast, and it's all that's left of the old James River Bridge, built in 1928.
When the current James River Bridge, adjacent to the old bridge, was built in 1980, the state was petitioned to leave the one-mile stretch so it could be used as a fishing pier.
The bridge links Isle of Wight County and Newport News along U.S. Route 17.
Most anglers don't care about the history of the pier, though, they're just there to fish.
On this particular morning, people are beginning to stroll onto the pier, pulling wagons with bait boxes, coolers, umbrellas and lawn chairs.
Many of them are trying to catch's tonight's dinner.
``I caught about a dozen crabs from 7 to 8:30 a.m.,'' said Virginia Branch, 70, of Newport News. ``That's not bad. It's the first I've caught all summer. But I was hoping to take home a cooler full,'' she said.
A few feet from Branch, Howard Eley, 64, a Surry County resident, said he wasn't having any luck.
``I ain't done nothing,'' he said. ``It's really slow with me. But then, I've only been out here an hour.''
Eley said he was hoping to catch some croaker or spot for that night's dinner.
For Newport News housewife Charlene Osborne, 44, dinner was as good as on the table.
Osborne had started at 6 a.m. that day, during high tide, when fish are known to hit on a line.
And the results had been good. Osborne had about a dozen keepers in a cooler - all caught in less than two hours.
``It's been too stormy to come at night,'' she said. ``So, I come whenever I can. My husband's a tugboat captain, so he's on the water all the time, and he doesn't want to spend time out here,'' she said.
``And he wouldn't take me during the holidays,'' she said, ``because he said it would be too crowded.''
And it was crowded. Tolly said it was the busiest he had seen in a long time.
``About 400 to 500 people daily, for four days lined the pier,'' he said. ``And the fishing was good.''
Tolly, who's been managing the pier for 12 years, said holidays are always busy. And during the summer months, when many family reunions are being held in nearby areas, the pier is packed.
``One of the things that I've seen change recently is that more families are coming to fish now because it's cheap family entertainment. It costs a lot to entertain a family these days, and this is not expensive,'' he said.
Tolly said the charge is $4 per adult and $2.50 for children under 12 for 24 hours of fishing.
In fact, some people prefer to fish at night.
``We do better at night, volume-wise, especially during the hot spells,'' Tolly said. A lot of people come at the end of the day and just spend the night out here fishing. And then they leave in the morning,'' he said.
For James W. Stepp, 70, of Newport News, any time of day, winter or summer is good fishing.
``I've been out here when it's been below 30 degrees, the wind's blowing at 40 mph and you had to tie yourself to the rail,'' he said with a wink of his eye.
``It doesn't get too hot or cold for me,'' said. ``But, when I pull one up, it does have to be 10 inches or better, because I have to clean them,'' he said with a smile as he threw a small one back.
A few feet down, Bernard Roberts of Newport News sat holding his pole - waiting.
No fish. No bites. No luck.
``I took the day off for this,'' he said shaking his head. ``This is not good.''
The weekend of the Fourth of July, however, Roberts wasn't complaining. He hooked 25 croaker and spot.
He had quite a feed, he said.
The old bridge had made another customer happy. MEMO: [For a related story, see page 5 of The Citizen for this date.]
ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
PIER FISHING HAS ITS OWN LURE
[Color] Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Three members of the Carr family from Courtland try their luck. They
are, from left: Thomas, John and father John.
Photos by ERIC THINGSTAD
Bernard Roberts relaxes, waiting for a fish to bite. At the time,
he had had no luck. ``I took the day off for this,'' he said shaking
his head. ``This is not good.''
Photos by ERIC THINGSTAD
Newport News housewife Charlene Osborne started fishing on the pier
at 6 a.m. during high tide. She had a dozen fish in the cooler.
William Carthen of Suffolk sets out for the pier with his tackle in
tow.
by CNB