THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 13, 1996 TAG: 9606130504
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Fishing Forecast
SOURCE: Bob Hutchinson
LENGTH: 32 lines
Could this be the weekend bluefin tuna appear off Virginia Beach? A deninite yes. They've shown up this early before.
Will this be the weekend? A definite maybe.
How's that for sidestepping the question?
There a couple of things you should know if you're planning an offshore excursion in search of what many folks consider the ocean's greatest game fish:
Unless the weather is really terrible, you will not be alone. Lots of other anglers are planning a look-see. And it's always easier to find the first tuna if you're not in the ocean sans company.
Springtime bluefins are almost always encountered by the Oregon Inlet, N.C., charter fleet a few days before the fish appear off Virginia Beach. We have heard of but a single bluefin there, and that was a couple of weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the National Marine Fisheries Service has not announced whether there will be an increase in the bluefin bag limit of one fish between 27 and 47 inches per boat per day.
The guess here is that some liberalization will be announced before Saturday. Exactly what it will offer remains a deep, dark secret.
Regardless, you don't have to stop fishing for bluefins when you've caught your limit. The limit is on the keeping, not the catching. ILLUSTRATION: Map by CNB