THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410210347
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 28 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: Lee Tolliver
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Loved ones beware - at midnight Wednesday, strange things will begin to happen to your fisher-mate.
When the clock strikes 12, the 1994 Virginia striped bass season officially begins. At that second, anglers can begin to keep two fish each day that meet the 18-inch size minimum.
The big news this year is that, of their two fish, anglers can keep one that is over 36 inches.
Anglers can also earn citation awards from the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament for fish meeting a 40-pound minimum for keepers and for release of a 44-incher.
The season this year runs from midnight Wednesdays through midnight Sundays through Dec. 18 in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, and through Dec. 31 in Virginia's ocean waters.
So during that time, expect weird behavior.
Stuff like heading out to the bay as soon as work is finished and coming home late and tired, getting up for work and then doing it all over again.
Hey, there are even people who schedule their vacations around striper season.
Lures aren't cheap, so guard the credit card or check book.
And preliminary indications are that this will be a fantastic season for catching rockfish - as they are also known.
Anglers are reporting a plentiful population while fishing for flounder or speckled and grey trout. They are sometimes having trouble offering their baits to the desired fish, because stripers are tearing up anything tossed in the water.
Of course, when the season starts, every boater in town will be out at any of the area bridge-tunnels.
Still, anglers should be able to take home their limits with little trouble.
And beware, Virginia Marine Resource Commission officials have vowed to ticket regulation violators this season.
SPEAKING OF FISHING.
Are you one of those unfortunate anglers who gets a little green if the water is anything rougher than ``flat as a pancake?''
If you are, there's another new product on the market that is designed to take away that little queasy feeling some boaters get.
It's ``Smooth Sailing,'' a sparkling fruit drink that is billed to beat that queasy feeling.
For years, many sailors have used ginger or a byproduct to help their stomachs.
This new drink - which is actually quite tasty - combines ginger with tranquil tropical juices and botanical extracts - whatever they are.
For now, the drink is only available by calling 1-800-570-1188 and it is an expensive $29.95 for 24 cans.
But if you shy from taking that special fishing trip because of that pitted stomach feeling, maybe it's worth it. MEMO: Got an interesting sports-related story to tell. If so, call The Beacon
at 490-7228 or write to The Beacon, Sports Department, 4565 Virginia
Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, Va., 23462. The fax number is 490-7235.
by CNB