THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 16, 1994 TAG: 9409150194
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 21 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
IT WAS A TALE of adventure on the high seas.
For two days, it was stories about fishing trips logged in memory, told sitting at the dock.
The high seas were too high.
The Virginia Beach Marlin Tournament - the area's most prestigious big-game fishing tournament - was docked for two of its four days by blustery northeast winds and treacherous swells at sea.
The tournament featured a four-day format with each team allowed to fish two of the four days.
Only one boat - the No Problem skippered by Paul Trumphour - ventured out on Saturday. And while the crew captured the first wahoo caught registered in the event in several years, it caught no billfish.
It did, however, encounter swells estimated by one member at 20-25 feet high.
He said that despite such high waves, it wasn't all that bad 70 miles off the coast - adding that the waves were spaced out far enough that the boat simply ``roller coastered'' up and down them.
As winds of 25-or-more miles per hour continued to kick things up Sunday, all of the fleet's 27 boats stayed in port.
Sitting on a one-fish lead, Ray Temple of the Pursuer waited at the northernmost end of Croatan Beach early Monday morning to see if any boats ventured into seas that were dying down, but still rough.
``We were only going to go if anyone else did,'' said Temple, the 52-year-old owner of Temple Trucking and one of the hottest billfish anglers in the area this summer.
``It was still rough and there was no sense in going if nobody else did.''
Temple could only laugh when he watched the No Problem cruise past the jetties at Rudee Inlet.
So off he and his ``Social Security Crew'' of Ronnie Neighbors, Joe Costner, John Oatman, Dave Bozeman, Mark Neumann and John Nemier went - in search of white marlin, blue marlin or sailfish in an effort to protect their lead.
The crew landed and released two more white marlin to hold onto their lead and take the victory - Temple's third in the 23-year history of the event.
Despite the small number of boats in this year's tournament, Temple and many other local gamefish anglers feel the event can be a springboard to better promoting the area's outstanding fishing.
Areas like Morehead City, N.C., the Outer Banks of North Carolina and other East Coast ports have done a considerably better job of beefing up interest in their fisheries.
And the troubling part is, the fishing out of South Hampton Roads this time of year is extremely hard to beat.
So events like this weekend's king mackerel tournament, a flounder tournament that will run out of Cobb's Marina from Sept. 17-25 and a tuna tournament on Sept. 24, are all being run in an effort to boost interest.
Dr. Jim Wright of the ``Fishing with Dr. Jim'' regional fishing show, Leslie Creech and George Roper are spearheading the Hampton Roads Sportfishing Council's effort.
``From June to November, fishing is better around here than almost anywhere,'' Temple said. ``This time of year, I'd rather go marlin fishing from here than anywhere else.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by LEE TOLLIVER
Pursuer Captain Ray Temple and his crew of Ronnie Neighbors, Joe
Costner, John Oatman, Dave Bozeman, Mark Neumann and John Nemier won
Temple his third title in the 23-year history of the Virginia Beach
Marlin Tournament.
by CNB