THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503260387
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
Several local tackle shops have received their first 1995 shipment of balao, a popular offshore bait, with a warning that supplies again will be limited. The small fish, pronounced ``ballyhoo,'' is widely used for everything from king mackerel to blue marlin.
Jim Henley, who operate Princess Anne Distributors, a tackle shop in Virginia Beach, said suppliers have warned that they probably will not be able to meet the demand, the case for the past three years.
``If anyone wants balao,'' said Henley, ``they better get them early, regardless of their source. The news from Florida, where most come from, isn't good.''
PERFECTLY CLEAR: The Virginia Marine Resources Commission will act Tuesday to clarify bag limits involving several regulated species, just as it did with flounder this past Tuesday. The species will include striped bass, bluefish, black drum, Spanish mackerel and king mackerel.
The rewritten flounder law says that when you're fishing from a vessel in which the entire catch is ``kept in a common hold or container,'' the total possession limit will be for each legal fishermen aboard, multiplied by the bag limit.
In other words, if the bag limit is eight fish and there are 20 people aboard, the group will be allowed 160 fish. But if any person keeps his or her fish separate, all anglers will be required to abide by individual bag limits.
``We did it primarily for the headboats,'' said Jack Travelstead, head of fishery management for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. ``If the fish are kept individually, the angler is responsible. But if all the catch is together, the skipper is responsible.''
BIGGEST BILLFISH: A recent column said that a 1,741-pound blue marlin, caught off the coast of Portugal, was the largest billfish ever boated on recreational tackle.
Not!
So says Sam Brown of Norfolk, quite correctly.
The all-time heavyweight sporting-tackle billfish weighed 1,805 pounds and was boated off Hawaii about 20 years ago. However, the catch was disqualified from record consideration because several people took turns on the rod.
The Portugal catch is being considered by the International Game Fish Association, the official world-record keeper.
RING, RING: School bells soon will be ringing for fishermen at Nags Head, N.C., and Mountain Lake, Va.
The Nags Head school, set for April 22, will be for women. It will be presented by TW's Tackle in Nags Head and will be taught by Joe Malat, outdoor writer and former surf-fishing guide. It will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Holiday Inn at Mile Post 9 1/2. The class will be limited to 40 students and will cost $30. To register, contact Malat at 1-919-441-4767.
The Mountain Lake school is for fly-fishing only and is offered by The Wilderness Conservancy and Mountain Lake Hotel. The first of three sessions is set for May 16. The courses will be taught by Harry Sloane of Roanoke, author of a guide to fishing the Blue Ridge watershed. Registration will range from $65 to $425. For details, call Michael Hite 1-800-346-3334.
N.C. DATES: Deer hunting will become legal in North Carolina on Sept. 11, the state's Wildlife Resources Commission has announced. That's when the statewide archery season opens, with closing dates varying from area to area.
In Eastern North Carolina, it will run through Oct. 7. The Eastern muzzle-loading season will be Oct. 9-14 and the gun season Oct. 16-Jan. 1.
In central North Carolina, deer seasons are: archery, Sept. 11-Nov. 4; muzzle-loading, Nov. 6-11; and gun, Nov. 13-Jan. 1.
For the northwest: archery, Sept. 11-Nov. 11; muzzle-loading, Nov. 13-18; gun, Nov. 20-Dec. 9.
In the west: archery, Sept. 11-Oct. 7 and Oct. 16-Nov. 18; gun, Nov. 20-Dec. 9.
A complete set of regulations, to be published later this year, will be available from the commission as well as from license agents.
SHORT CASTS: Kim Merriweather and Eloise Fretwell of Virginia Beach took top honors Saturday night as the Virginia Beach Sand Witches held their annual awards banquet. . . . The fifth annual Wachapreague Spring Flounder Tournament will be held May 5-14, sponsored by the Hotel Wachapreague and Island House Restaurant. First place will be worth $1,000. Details: 1-804-787-2105. . . . Citations from the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament for big tautog have been earned by Charles Ray of Chesapeake (13 pounds, 8 ounces), Kenneth Heywood of Portsmouth (13-8), Ronald Bennett of Norfolk (13-1) and Jennifer Hollenzer of Virginia Beach (10-3). . . . The Make-A-Wish Corporate Shoot, a sporting-clays event, will be held today at Sussex Shooting Sports in Waverly, Va., starting at 9 a.m. . . . Gov. George Allen has designated April 1-23 for ``Operation Spruce Up,'' encouraging residents to volunteer for cleanup operations at local outdoor, historic and cultural sites. You can get details from the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Program, 1-800-243-7229. . . . The 56th annual Virginia Big Game Contest will hold its Eastern Regional and State Championship Sept. 23-24 at James Blair Middle School in Williamsburg. The Western Regional will be Sept. 9-10 in Harrisonburg. by CNB