THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 18, 1996 TAG: 9607170549
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bob Hutchinson
LENGTH: 30 lines
When Hurricane Bertha showed her muscles while bypassing the region's coastal areas, she left at least one major change in her wake.
Cold water invaded the offshore scene. The water temperature at Norfolk Canyon, which had been up to 76 degrees, dipped to 63 a couple of days ago, with 66 degrees reported from the weather buoy 50 miles east of False Cape in Virginia Beach.
Inshore, however, changes have been few. If anything, even more croakers are showing up in the lower Chesapeake Bay, while freshwater action is getting back to normal now that lakes and streams have started to clear from the rain runoff.
Most hurricanes skirting the Virginia/North Carolina coast usually stir things up. But most hurricanes usually pass offshore. Bertha went inland. And most hurricanes usually occur in late August and September.
Anyway, the bottom line is that it's probably going to be at least the weekend before things really get back to normal for the offshore set.
That should make for some interesting developments for Saturday's Virginia Beach Anglers annual small-boat marlin tournament out of Rudee Inlet.
Past events have attracted more than 100 boats. But interest has waned in recent years and the sponsors probably will be happy with 50 this time. MEMO: [For a copy of the fishing forecast, see microfilm for this date.] by CNB