THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 31, 1995 TAG: 9512310227
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
New Year's resolutions are not for me. But here are a few I'd like to see made by some others:
The Virginia General Assembly resolves to extend the saltwater fishing license statewide and to dedicate the funds to shortening the time between bites.
Jimmy D. Flowers of Cofield, N.C., resolves to spend the first six weeks of the bear season in Dover-Foxcroft, Me.
Sen. Mark Basnight of Manteo, N.C., resolves to fish for speckled trout with a MirrOlure at least four times in 1996.
Fred Jones of Cheriton resolves to keep me well-stocked with big squid for flounder bait.
Skip Margiotta of Chesapeake resolves to have a long, happy and productive retirement.
Congress and the President resolve to never again get into such a disgustingly political battle over the budget.
The National Park Service resolves to develop a more user-friendly attitude, like the U.S. Forest Service.
The Forest Service resolves to improve the road No. 1918 through Dunns Gap in Bath County.
Jim White Jr. of Virginia Beach resolves to open a corner of the Kempsville McDonald's to smoking.
Dick Brahme of the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina and Jerry Schill of the North Carolina Fisheries Association resolve to settle their differences.
Fishery managers at all levels resolve to show more respect for the publicly-owned resources they regulate.
The Virginia Game Department resolves to stop whining about not having enough money.
Dean Smith, the UNC basketball coach, resolves to sign a 4-year Jerry Stackhouse.
A certain Eastern Shore tarpon resolves to bite my streamer fly and stay on the hook.
Bill Pruitt resolves to name Steve Bowman chief of law enforcement for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
Pete Nixon of Norfolk resolves to become a full-time boat builder.
Virginia and North Carolina anglers and charter skippers resolve to not kill a single billfish in 1996 (They came close in 1995.).
Susan West resolves to continue being a steadying voice for the Hatteras Auxiliary of the North Carolina Fisheries Association.
Parks Rountrey of Richmond and Bob Pride of Virginia Beach resolve to do the same for the Coastal Conservation Association of Virginia.
Gene Crumb of Oyster, Va., resolves to cut the entire Crumb-family hedge during July and August.
A 10-point Bath County buck resolves to stand still long enough for me to shoot it.
Everyone resolves to better understand, appreciate and tolerate the rest of the world.
TAGGING TIME: Claude Bain is looking for a few good men . . . or women.
Bain, director of the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament, is in charge of the Virginia Marine Resources' gamefish tagging program. Last year the program trained 64 volunteers.
For 1996, Bain would like 140 volunteers to attend January workshops and participate in the program, which targets six species: speckled trout, black drum, red drum, tautog, spadefish and cobia.
``We'd like to have 35 taggers in each of the state's four geographic regions,'' Bain said. ``It's a way for sportsmen to participate in the conservation and management of saltwater fish.''
Volunteers may sign up by contacting Bain at 491-5160.
LOST DOGS: James Ward Flowers of Sims, N.C., is looking for three good dogs.
Flowers lost three of his finest hounds while hunting bear near Gatesville, N.C., just across the Virginia line, shortly before the holidays. All wore radio-tracking collars. A reward is offered.
If you know anything of their whereabouts, you can contact Flowers, collect, at 1-919-291-9541.
DEER DOINGS: Ron Sybers of Virginia Beach bagged a 7-point buck with a 17-inch spread and his son Dwight killed a 9-pointer with a 16-inch spread the same morning.
They were in Southampton County. Dwight also killed a 10-pointer with a 17-inch spread in Floyd County. That one had a live weight of 228 pounds.
Paul Patterson, age 16, of Portsmouth killed an 8-pointer with a massive 21-inch spread in Lunenburg County. He was with the Trackers Hunt Club. It was his fourth buck of the season.
HUNTING MAPS: The state's wildlife management areas offer some of Virginia's finest hunting, provided you know the lay of the land.
The game department, which administers the 30 sites, spread across the state, has just made that easier to do.
Free, updated maps of 10 of the most popular areas are now available from the agency's Richmond headquarters. They'll be available from regional and district offices by the middle of January.
The maps cover department lands in the counties of Amelia, Charles City, Fauquier, Madison, Powhatan, Fluvanna,, Smyth, Russell, Tazewell, Washington, Rockbridge, Augusta, Prince Edward and Buckingham.
Agency spokesman Jerry Sims said maps of the remaining 20 areas will be available by spring, with a complete guide to all 30 facilities by June.
SHORT CASTS: Louisiana is tough on fish-law violators. An unidentified angler convicted of selling red drum was fined $456, handed over his fishing license and was barred from ever purchasing another. He sold the fish to an undercover fishery lawman. . . . If you're a charter skipper who releases 25 or more billfish in 1996, you will qualify for a free ``25-Plus Release Team'' hat. The program is funded by the Billfish Foundation and Penn Fishing Tackle. Leach of Edgemont, Pa., caught Pacific sailfish and striped marlin on a recent trip to Mazatlan, Mexico. . . . The Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament, which begins its 39th year Monday, will not offer citation awards to anglers who boat tarpon, recognizing only releases. The contest earlier announced the same for anglers with white marlin, blue marlin, sailfish, spearfish and swordfish. . . . A public hearing involving proposals for regulating catches of Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and cobia will be conducted Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. It'll be at the Quality Inn Lake Wright, 5280 Northampton Boulevard, Norfolk. by CNB