THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 15, 1995 TAG: 9501150209
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: Long : 133 lines
The uncertain future of the tremendously successful Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament rests with the 1995 General Assembly.
Gov. George Allen has proposed the elimination of general-fund financing for the $145,000 annual program, inaugurated in 1957 to promote fishing in the state.
One of the many aspects of the program is to present handsome plaques, popularly known as ``citations,'' to anglers weighing in or releasing exceptional fish.
On the surface, this would seem like a logical place to spend some of that $2 million which anglers contribute annually to state coffers through the Chesapeake Bay saltwater fishing license.
But there's a glitch. State law stipulates that license expenditures are to be limited to Chesapeake Bay programs, and 70 percent to 80 percent of the tournament's citations are earned for ocean fish.
One way to save the program would be to expand the license to cover all Virginia salt waters, thereby making the funds available.
But wait. There's another glitch.
A great deal of the overall program is aimed at promoting saltwater fishing in the state. As a result of fishing trips with tournament director Claude Bain of Virginia Beach, scores of out-of-state newspaper and magazine articles and even several national television shows have featured saltwater fishing in Virginia. It's been a real boost to the tourism business.
So the question becomes: Should money from the license be used to promote fishing, thereby putting more people on the water?
Some anglers think not.
Anyway, as matters stand now, the tournament is to open its 38th year March 1, running through Dec. 31. But if funding is eliminated, no money will be available after June 30.
Bill Pruitt, head of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, under which the program operates, said he hopes the contest will continue ``in some fashion'' if the current funding is eliminated.
The feeling here is that some type of compromise might be forthcoming from the General Assembly.
Certainly, spending general-fund money to promote Virginia tourism is worthwhile. And, certainly, the program has done that in spades. ``Citation'' is a familiar word to thousands of tourists.
Let's extend the saltwater fishing license to cover all state waters and allocate some of that money to help operate the tournament.
But let's also get the General Assembly to earmark some tourism dollars for the program.
That way, just about everyone comes home happy. Or, at least, not unhappy.
FIRST HURDLE: The proposal to withdraw from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has been approved overwhelmingly by the Virginia House of Delegates.
The commission is a coalition of 15 East Coast states. Its regulations are binding on all member states.
It is the commission, for example, which tells the states when they can open their flounder seasons, how many striped bass their anglers may catch and what the constraints must be on the gray trout catch.
If any state refuses to comply with these and other ASFMC pacts, the federal government can ban all fishing for the affected species.
The withdrawal proposal was sponsored by Del. W. Tayloe Murphy, D-Westmoreland, with rumors strong that he plans it as a steppingstone to challenging the constitutionality of ASMFC pacts. According to law, those pacts would be binding on Virginia regardless of its membership.
The legal point is whether this might be unconstitutional. Could this be another form of ``taxation without representation?''
If Virginia withdraws, it would not be the first state to do so. Florida pulled out several years ago but later changed it mind and returned.
It looks as though taxes, prisons, education and abortion aren't the only big issues to come before this year's General Assembly.
NO REPRESENTATION? For the moment, at least, Virginia Beach does not have a representative on the citizens' board involved with allotting money from the state's saltwater fishing license.
Alice Ferguson of Virginia Beach was one of four on the nine-person board who wasn't reappointed by Bill Pruitt, head of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
Nor did Pruitt reappoint H. Wayne Perry of Chesapeake, chairman for the two years the committee has existed. Others not reappointed included Jay Matthews of Williamsburg and Anna L. Lawson of Troutville.
Perry has been replaced by Bill Bonds of Reedville, creator and longtime director of the Reedville Bluefish Derby, while Lawson has been replaced by James Carroll Jr. of Smithfield, a farmer.
Bonds' role with the bluefish tournament speaks for itself, said Pruitt, adding that Carroll was a lifelong recreational fisherman who came highly recommended.
Dr. Charles ``Chuck'' Lovell of Chesapeake was reappointed. But Pruitt apparently has not made a decision on Bill Hall Jr. of Bloxom, the only other member with an expired term.
Other board members, all with a year remaining on their original three-year terms, include George W. Roper II of Norfolk, Jean Bass of Petersburg and John Jones of Chesterfield, who is expected to become the new chairman.
The changes were made, Pruitt said, to ``include a broader section of Virginia's recreational fishing community.''
SHOW TIME: Stan Fagerstrom, known as the world's greatest trick caster, will headline an all-star cast appearing at Bass Expo Feb. 3-5 at the Hampton Coliseum.
Fagerstrom, who lives in Oregon, will be joined by bass professionals Guy Eaker, Claude ``Fish'' Fishbourne and Tommy Biffle, runner-up in the 1994 Bassmaster Classic. The show will also feature exhibits of rods, reels, lures, boats, motors, trailers and electronics, as well as tow vehicles.
Seminars on striped bass fishing will be presented by Dr. Jim Wright of Virginia Beach and Tom Richards of Boone Lake, Tenn. And then there will be 4 1/2-year-old Justin Elliot of Clarksville, displaying his all-tackle record 4-pound, 10-ounce crappie.
The show will feature a Casting Kids competition conducted by Region 7 of the Virginia Bass Federation and an indoor pond for kids to catch fish, conducted by the Peanut City Bassmasters of Suffolk.
Other attractions will include a 10x50-foot ``bass tub,'' which the pros will use to show how they catch fish.
Hours will be noon to 9 p.m. Feb. 3; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 4; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 5. Admission will be $5 for adults, $2 for youths ages 10-16, and free for children under age 10. The show will be staged by TJ Enterprises Inc. of Suffolk.
SHORT CASTS: Rick Falls, the freshwater striper guru from Zuni, has struck again. Twice. He has caught and released Western Branch Reservoir stripers weighing 32 pounds, 6 ounces and 41 pounds, 4 ounces. Both were tricked by slow-trolled broken-back Rebel lures. . . . Early registrations are being received for the 12th annual Reedville Bluefish Derby, according to contest director Roger Wilkins. Special awards will be available to those who register before Jan. 31. The tournament is set for June 8-10 out of Buzzard's Bay Marina. The fee will be $150 per boat until June 1, and $175 afterward. Details are available from Wilkins at 1-804-453-5325. . . . The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will hold a series of hearings on proposals for 1995-96 hunting seasons. One will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 in Swain Auditorium at Edenton. . . . Michael Widen, age 14, of Virginia Beach bagged a deer near Drewryville, Va., just before the season ended. . . . More than 1,000 rainbow and brown trout were stocked at Northwest River Park in Chesapeake during December. It's part of the urban trout program of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. by CNB