THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 14, 1996 TAG: 9604140206
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
When future generations talk about the ``good old days'' of cobia fishing in Virginia, 1995 is probably going to be the year most often mentioned.
That's because 1995 produced the greatest cobia fishing recorded in the state.
Records of the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament, now in its 39th year, show that anglers registered 603 big cobia with the state-sponsored contest. To qualify, fish had to weigh at least 45 pounds or measure at least 48 inches if released.
The previous record was 300 entries, established in 1962 and matched in 1963.
And so the obvious question: How good will cobia fishing be in 1996? Which leads to the next question: How good will fishing in general be in 1996?
To come up with at least an educated guess, we've asked some of the area's top fishermen. Their answers were mixed with this reporter's 32 years of keenly observing the Virginia fishing scene.
Here's what we think you'll find: Fresh water
Don't expect any significant changes. After all, we're dealing with controlled waters, where fish never migrate, although they may move about quite a bit.
This means, for example, that the best overall action probably will be at Western Branch Reservoir in Suffolk, which for the past several years has produced a disproportionate share of entries in the Virginia Fresh Water Trophy Fish Program.
It also means that ``The Branch,'' as it is popularly known, should continue to produce outstanding action from largemouth bass and shellcracker, also known as redear, plus some big stripers. Salt water
COBIA: Action probably will be outstanding in the lower Chesapeake Bay. The citation total could exceed 300. That's not bad. Early reports from down south are encouraging. But don't expect a repeat of 1995. Remember, a lot of cobia were removed by the fishery a year ago. For some reason, many cobia apparently bypassed Hatteras, Ocracoke and Morehead City, all in North Carolina, to spend the summer in Virginia. That could be repeated.
BLUEFISH: This is one of the darkest spots on the angling picture. Bluefish numbers have been down for several years and there is no sign of a major turnaround. The bottom line is that too many fishermen, sport and commercial, caught too many bluefish for too many years. There hasn't been a major run in the surf of the North Carolina Outer Banks for two years.
FLOUNDER: You should find it no easier to catch flatfish this year than in 1995, when most anglers had trouble filling their 8-fish daily bag limits. That's the bad news. The good news is that some of those 12- and 13-inch throwbacks of a year ago should meet the legal minimum of 14 inches this time. East Coast anglers have not met their quota in the several years flatfish have been regulated. The angling shortfall then goes back into the pot, to once again be divided 60-40 with the commercials, who get the biggest share. Commercial fishermen meet their goals every year.
STRIPED BASS: Stripers should be abundant. This is one of the great success stories in fishery management. The species has been brought back from the brink of extinction by prudent management.
CROAKER: In 1995, Virginia had perhaps its best croaker fishing in more than 20 years. It should be good again. The fish probably will not be as abundant but should be even larger. However, this winter has been a disaster to baby croakers spawned last fall and if we get another harsh winter in 1996-97, the population should plummet. But for the moment, enjoy.
SPOT: This tasty panfish has been in decline for years and there is no reason to expect a turnaround. Scientists say they can't pinpoint the scarcity, adding that it could be the effect of long-term overfishing.
GRAY TROUT: This is perhaps the most bleak window on the fishing scene. Trout numbers are extremely low, documented to an extended period of excessive catches. Most anglers are going to find it difficult to reach the 4-fish bag limit of 14-inch trout.
SHARK: Here's another victim of excessive fishing pressure. Shark catches have been restricted for the past couple of years. But it's obvious that the restrictions have not been effective. Some people are calling for a nationwide ban on all coastal species.
RED DRUM: Drum numbers have been on the decline for several years. As the number has gone down, the prized fish has reduced its range. You'll still find some in a few spots and some great days and nights at Cape Point on Hatteras.
BLACK DRUM: This is another species apparently going through a bad period, although there is some disagreement as to why. Still, the bottom line is that the fish are not nearly as abundant as they were during the halcyon days of black drum fishing off Cape Charles 30 years ago. Now the best action is provided by a few schools hanging around the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
SPECKLED TROUT: While there was a decent supply of trout big and small a year ago, those in the middle range, say between 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 pounds, were scarce indeed. Some of those small fish should be big enough to keep this year. But big fish, five pounds and up, might not be as plentiful, either in the lower Chesapeake Bay or along the Outer Banks. Some trout were killed by the cold weather of December and January.
TARPON: This is another species which can be directly tied to weather conditions. If we have prolonged hot weather early in the year, numbers should be up in both Virginia and North Carolina. But Virginia, in particular, never produces outstanding action from silver kings.
SPANISH MACKEREL: Overall Spanish numbers are up, which means that if we have a hot summer, good numbers should be available in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Outer Banks. But if it's cool, many fish could remain farther south.
OFFSHORE SPECIES: The yellowfin tuna population remains moderately high, although the fish has been in a decline for the past couple of years. The guess here is that Virginia bluefin numbers will be up this year after a poor showing in 1995. Dolphin are unpredictable. The population can explode from one year to the next, just as it can deflate. Let's be an optimist and call for a good year. Look for some big wahoo. As for billfish, you can expect about the same as a year ago, especially for blue marlin and sailfish. The white marlin population is well below previous hot years, although the species is still more abundant off Virginia and North Carolina than blues and sails. by CNB