THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 19, 1995 TAG: 9503190171
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C15 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Hutchinson
LENGTH: Long : 135 lines
It's understandable if Virginia's recreational flounder fishermen are caught wearing silly grins these days.
For once they have been given a fair deal by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, which regulates flounder fishing along the East Coast.
The council has done away with opening and closing dates for recreational flounder fishing while maintaining the 14-inch minimum size and the eight-fish daily bag limit.
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission has called an emergency meeting for 10 a.m. Tuesday to make the new regulations effective in Virginia. That the agency will approve the season seems almost certain, because state officials successfully argued for it.
The rod-and-reel season has been closed since last fall.
The only remaining question seems to be when fishing will be allowed. Usually, emergency regulations become effective immediately. However, the commission could vote to delay the start for a couple of days, although that seems unlikely.
Earlier, the council had considered plans that would have delayed the season until May 15 or would have reduced the bag limit from eight fish to six. There was even some talk of both constraints.
Elimination of the season and maintaining the eight-fish limit come as good news to thousands of recreational fishermen, charter skippers and related businesses on Virginia's Eastern Shore, where most early-season fishing takes place.
``Finally, we're getting some good news on flounder and some fair treatment from the (Mid-Atlantic) council,'' said Randy Lewis Jr., whose family operates Wachapreague Hotel and Marina.
``If they had gone to the May 15 opening and the six-fish limit, it would have killed us. But this is something we can live with. Of course, I won't be completely at ease until it's approved by the Virginia commission.''
Because of long-term overfishing, both recreational and commercial flounder catches have been limited for several years.
MORE STRIPERS, TOO: There's more good news for Virginia's recreational fishermen, this time for those who stalk striped bass, popularly known as rockfish.
Virginia's recreational fishery will be expanded this year from 32 days to between 107 and 120 days, depending on what minimum size the Virginia Marine Resources Commission selects. That probably will be done at the commission's April meeting.
Once decimated by excessive fishing, the East Coast striper population has made a tremendous turnabout in the past decade. During that time, severe restraints have been in place for both netters and rod-and-reelers.
In Virginia, all saltwater striper fishing was banned for almost two years, until the fall of 1990.
A new, relaxed coastal management plan for striped bass will see Virginia's commercial-catch quota increase from 211,000 pounds to more than 850,000 pounds this season.
In addition, Virginia has been given permission to open a spring ``trophy-fish'' recreational season for big stripers. Parameters for this, too, are expected to be finalized in April.
The new plan is ``very fair to Virginia fishermen,'' says Jack Travelstead of the Marine Resources Commission. ``If stock projections continue to grow, increases should be expanded in the next couple of years.''
By prior agreement, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission regulates East Coast striped bass fishing, while the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council controls flounder fishing.
DANDY FOR DUCKS: If you thought you saw more ducks in Virginia this fall and winter, you were right.
Increased numbers of ducks were counted during the state's annual midwinter waterfowl survey than for the past five years, according to Gary Costanzo of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Some 121,532 ducks were spotted this year, compared to 86,856 a year ago. The Canada goose count increased from 39,306 in 1994 to 42,180 this year.
Counters said the duck tally for the entire Atlantic Flyway was 4,052,712, compared with 3,849,939 a year ago. The goose count dropped from 687,607 to 652,683.
They warned, however, that weather conditions can have an impact on the number of waterfowl tallied in any year.
FRESHWATER CITATIONS: Virginia anglers earned 7,605 awards in 1994 from the citation program conducted by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Sunfish were the easiest touch for citation-seeking anglers, accounting for 1,916 awards. Brook trout followed with 1,226, with largemouth bass a distant third at 648.
The state's hottest fishing hole was Western Branch Reservoir in Suffolk, producer of 928 citation-winning catches. Cripple Creek in western Virginia was second with 731, followed by the James River with 504 and Lake Prince, another Suffolk impoundment, with 339.
Lake Gaston, on the Virginia-North Carolina border, was the top largemouth bass hole, producing 24 fish weighing at least 8 pounds. The heaviest bass weighed 13 pounds, 13 ounces, and was caught at Briery Creek Lake, west of Petersburg, by Wallace Bunker of Chester.
There were no Hampton Roads winners in the 20 species and no winning catches pulled from local waters.
MEGABUCKS ANGLERS: Rick Morris and Jim Sumrell of Virginia Beach are among the professional bass fishermen who will compete in the $474,000 Bassmaster Megabucks tournament, to be held Monday through Saturday on Lake Murray, near Columbia, S.C., .
Woo Daves of Spring Grove, Va., also will compete, as will Larry Cunningham of Elizabeth City.
Top prize will be $70,000.
Daves finished 11th and won $6,000 in the recent Bassmaster Top 100 tournament on Wheeler Lake near Huntsville, Ala. Morris finished out of the money in 56th place.
Bud Pruitt of Houston took the $45,000 top prize.
TAGGING TIME: The Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament is looking for a few good taggers.
More explicitly, the state-sponsored contest wants to enlist 100 anglers to volunteer to catch, tag and release four species of fish: tautog, speckled trout, black drum and red drum.
``We only want about people 25 from each of the state's four geographical areas,'' said tournament director Claude Bain. ``Mainly, we want to run a focused program and to develop information about fish movements, both short- and long-term, and gain some information on growth rates.''
Participants will be required to attend workshops and will be provided with tagging equipment.
You can get additional information by contacting Bain at 491-5160.
SHORT CASTS: Bryan Peele of Virginia Beach has taken a strong early lead in the tautog division of the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament with a 19-pound, 6-ounce catch. ... Ronnie Harris of Virginia Beach has earned a freshwater citation with a largemouth weighing 8-5, caught at Speight's Run in Suffolk. ... Bluefin tuna citations have been earned from the North Carolina Salt Water Fishing Tournament for releases by David Arris, Wayne Brooks, John Dember, Mac Thrasher and Tim Costen, all from Virginia Beach. They were off Hatteras with skipper Don White on the charter boat Grass Man. ... The annual cleanup program for lakes Cohoon, Meade, Kilby and Speight's Run, all in Suffolk, will be launched Friday. Anglers may pick up litter bags from the Lake Cohoon fishing station. Raffle tickets are given for each bag of returned litter, with a drawing for prizes April 15. For further details contact the Lake Cohoon fishing station at 539-6216. ... Joe Lovas of Virginia Beach caught and released a 22-pound permit and three bonefish ranging up to 28 inches while fly-casting in the Florida Keys. He missed a ``grand slam'' when he hooked but lost two tarpon. by CNB