THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 15, 1995 TAG: 9508150422
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
Sandy Griffin of Nags Head on Sunday caught one of the largest billfish ever landed off the coast of North Carolina, a 965 1/2-pound blue marlin.
She was with her husband, Charlie Griffin Jr., on the charter boat Sea Witch, sailing from the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center.
The fish was boated after a battle of only 30 minutes, according to her father-in-law, Charlie Griffin Sr., who said the fish was probably nine times as big as the angler.
``She can't weigh more than 110 pounds soaking wet,'' he said.
Elsewhere, billfish have been staging an electrifying showing off the Virginia and North Caolina coasts since the middle part of last week, following the season's first cold front and three days of strong northeast winds.
The hottest action has been just south of Norfolk Canyon and just southeast of the Cigar seamount. Catches of four to seven white marlin a day have not been unusual.
Elsewhere, cobia and croaker continued to stage strong showings throughout the lower Chesapeake Bay, while freshwater anglers continued to be hampered by low water conditions on most area lakes and water-supply reservoirs.
A rundown of recent catches: MEMO: [For a copy of the recent catches, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB