THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 15, 1995 TAG: 9512140152
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 139 lines
ON ANY GIVEN DAY in South Hampton Roads, hordes of cars and trucks can be seen - with boats in tow - heading to or from any number of boat launching facilities.
You'd think it was summer by all the commotion.
But - as you hopefully know - it is not.
It is, however, a time of year that causes area anglers to forget the threat of freezing to death on area waters - a time arguably unequaled by such unbridled enthusiasm for angling.
Almost every place fishermen get together, it's a safe bet that the chatter will eventually get around to one subject.
``Been striper fishing lately?''
For some, the craze is more controlling than it is for others.
But for many, the urge simply cannot be fought.
Some anglers seemingly disappear this time of year, opting to take leave from work and fish day and night. Others who don't have that luxury can be seen at work in zombie-like states caused from working all day and fishing all night.
Few other fish cause such changes in otherwise level-headed folks.
But it only takes one good trip to transform doubters.
The striped bass story is one of unequaled wildlife management success. Once almost extinct after centuries of abundance, the stripper, or rockfish, has made a remarkable comeback.
It is a story well documented in the seasons since a ban on fishing was lifted several years ago.
But little has been noted about the effect the fish's comeback has had on anglers who pursue this delicious and hearty fighter.
Understanding its comeback might help.
Striped bass schools were slaughtered over the years by commercial and recreational fishermen alike who thought that the fish would always be able to replenish its numbers.
Catches slowly declined to the point where fishermen rarely bothered. When fisheries management organizations banned fishing in an effort to help a comeback, few batted an eye.
Now, with a short open season and near-record numbers of fish habitating the lower reaches of the Chesapeake Bay during the later months of the year, anglers have to fish when they can.
Thusly, it appears to those who don't partake that the fish's arrival in area waters during the season, which ends the end of this month, has some sort of mystic effect on fishermen.
It does!
``It's the talk of the town,'' said Dr. Jim Wright, as avid a striper fisherman as you'll ever find. ``Especially among anglers. This is a local phenomenon, but it's all up and down the Chesapeake Bay.
``It's all you hear about.''
And the talk has spread. On any given weekend, license plates and city stickers on trucks at area marinas give witness to how far.
North Carolina, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania - Richmond, Charlottesville, Northern Virginia . . . you name it.
``I'd say about 10 or 15 percent of our business is from out of town,'' said Adam Weinstein, an employee at Bubba's Marina, a Lynnhaven Inlet favorite launching site for area fishermen. ``People from all over know about striper fishing around here.''
And striper fishing is big business this time of year.
Charter boat skippers who normally head out to the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream for tuna and billfish turn their boats inland to take people rockfishing. Tackle shops experience a boom in sales like at no other time - even the summer.
``Oh, yes. Without a doubt,'' said Tom Michaels of Oceans East Tackle Shop, a Virginia Beach shop that specializes in rockfish lures. ``This is our Christmas, man.''
Charter boat owners use the fishery to supplement yearly income. But some - like the High Hopes' David Wright - are finding the fishing more fun than they ever expected.
``I lost a lot of weekends this summer because of the weather and I started doing this so I could make it,'' said Wright, who put a recent charter crew onto 44 fish in three hours and added a 55-pounder on Wednesday. ``But everybody has a blast out here and it's a good way to keep business going.''
Fishing with relative ease, Michaels thinks, is a big reason for the craze.
``If you can't catch a rockfish this time of year . . . ,'' he laughed.
Simply put, stripers are gullible as they pass through our waters on their way south - feeding all the way in preparation for their wintry journey.
So what besides the relative ease of catching these fish makes them so appealing to even the most avid angler?
Stripers are beautiful creatures - growing long and silvery with distinctive black lines along their sides. They also grow fat, with some catches of late topping off in the mid-40-pound range. Average fish this late in the season are anywhere from 15 to 25 pounds.
And they fight. Light tackle is the best way to catch stripers, but because of striper habitat, it is recommended for only the more experienced anglers. Even on heavy tackle, the bass puts up one heck of a tussle.
Anglers are allowed to keep two fish a day over 18 inches and catching a boat's limit of fish on each trip is a priority. Striped bass - with firm, white meat - make excellent table fare no matter how they are cooked and they can be found on the menu of nearly every restaurant in the area this time of year.
But even with their cooperation, there are some simple basics to catching stripers that a surprising number of anglers don't seem to understand.
Wright, as each charter is heading toward the bridge-tunnel, has mate Johnny Savage give a quick rundown on how the fish will be caught.
Most of his charters are run during the day, so wire-line trolling on the bottom is the unequaled best way to score.
And few on the water are better than Wright and his crew at wire-line trolling.
A recent trip saw anglers aboard the High Hopes catching stripers on every pass of one of the tunnel's artificial islands while three other boats in the same area had limited success.
At night, fish rise through the water column and can be caught by casters and trollers alike.
And if you put your baits in the right spot - close to pilings and over the rocks of the tunnels - the catching can be a cinch.
``Part of the appeal is that this is a time of year when even the weekend angler stands a chance of catching a big fish,'' Michaels said. ``It's almost too easy.''
Easy or not, you, too, may just get hooked. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos, including color cover, by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
The sun rises over the Chesapeake Bay as Savage, left, and Wes Laine
get their gear ready to fish for stripers.
High Hopes owner David Wright steers the boat toward the Chesapeake
Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
Stripers are lined up on the dock after a fishing trip. Once almost
extinct, the striper, or rockfish, has made a remarkable comeback.
This time of year, many anglers just can't resist the urge to get
out on the water and hook stripers. Here, Bill Cook clearly enjoys
his time spent fishing.
Charter boat first mate Johnny Savage lands a silvery striper.
Anglers are allowed to keep two fish a day over 18 inches long.
Striper season will close at the end of December.
by CNB