THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996 TAG: 9605300510
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bob Hutchinson
LENGTH: 32 lines
If the weather ever settles, pretty decent action should be available to anglers along coastal sections of Virginia and North Carolina.
While late May weather is never a constant, things usually are better than they have been this spring. It's been one frontal system after another for the past month.
Still, the fishing season looks to be an improvement over the past couple of years, at least in some respects. Let's hope it gets even better as we enter June.
Tremendous numbers of small gray trout have invaded inshore waters, especially those of the Chesapeake Bay. While some are under the state's 12-inch minimum, there have been fair numbers of 16 inches or more.
Black drum are making a good showing off the lower Eastern Shore and lots of spadefish are starting to hang around structures in the Chesapeake.
Of course, striped bass are almost everywhere in the Chesapeake system and in most North Carolina sounds. We've even heard of rockfish in the surf of the Eastern Shore Barrier Islands in the past few days.
Lots of big yellowfin tuna are available off the North Carolina Outer Banks. But action is not consistent. One boat may have 15, another none. They're being caught trolling, chumming, spooning, plugging and live-bait fishing. Some Tar Heel charter craft have even resorted to using ``Green Sticks'' to tow 5-foot ``bird'' teasers and a daisey-chain of lures.
Anyway, the biggest concern right now is not the fishing. It's the weather. Let's all hope for 85-degree days and balmy winds. by CNB