THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 30, 1996 TAG: 9609300154
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR
LENGTH: 79 lines
On a weekend when many fishing plans had to be scrubbed because of windy, rainy weather, a few braved the elements to make some impressive hauls.
Recent catches have been highlighted by excellent numbers of yellowfin tuna along the edge of the Continental Shelf off Virginia and North Carolina.
Hauls of 10 to 20 or more per boat have not been unusual, with many fish between 40 and 70 pounds and a few even larger.
Inshore, the weekend was marked by what may have been the final appearance of big croaker for the season, plus fair numbers of big flounder along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
A 3.54-pound speckled trout caught by Robert Huffman of Hampton won a tournament staged by the Tidewater Anglers Club of Norfolk, while the winning fish in the annual Wachapreague Fall Flounder Tournament was boated by Robert Baker of Seaford, Del., and weighed 5 pounds, 5 1/2 ounces.
Among the outstanding fresh-water catches was an 8 1/2-pound largemouth bass pulled from Back Bay by Charles Spearman of Virginia Beach.
Here's a rundown of recent catches by anglers from southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina:
VIRGINIA BEACH INSHORE: Croaker: Craig Paige, Chesapeake, 3 pounds, 4 ounces, caught from the boat Jo Jo II.
VIRGINIA BEACH OFFSHORE: Wahoo: Emile Khalaf, Virginia Beach, 61-0, Mary M; and Brent Meadows, Newport News, 50-0, Breike.
LOWER CHESAPEAKE BAY: Speckled trout: Matthew W. Lee, Virginia Beach, 5-14, Pura Vida. Croaker: Joseph Palmer Jr., Virginia Beach, 3-8, no name on boat. Spot: Hal Roberts Ellis IV, Virginia Beach, 1-1, Southern Blues. Flounder: Mike Meredith, Chesapeake, 7-15, no name; Clifton Dunn, Norfolk, 7-14, no name; Cornell Smith, Portsmouth, 7-4, Ashley Renee; and Frank L. Creasy, Virginia Beach, 6-12, Cardinal.
EASTERN SHORE: Red drum release: J.T. Bolding, Modestown, Va., caught from the surf. Speckled trout: Charles Hendershot, Onancock, 5-9, no name. Flounder: Andrew J. Gattuso, Cherrystone, 7-2, no name; and Clay P. Melton, Chesapeake, 6-7, Too Nuts.
OUTER BANKS INSHORE: Kingfish: Charlie Griffin, Kill Devil Hills, 2-3, surf. Speckled trout: James Gerhart, Frisco, N.C., 4-2, surf. Pompano: William Fisher, Kill Devil Hills, 2-12, surf. Flounder: Charlie Evanosky, Nags Head, 5-8, surf.
OUTER BANKS OFFSHORE: White marlin release: Bo Russell, Suffolk, Pelican; and Ronald Kubesh, Yorktown, Sportsman. Sailfish release: William Roper, Poquoson, Sportsman. Wahoo: Charles R. Hofheimer, Virginia Beach, 46-0, Hatteras Fever II.
FRESH WATER: Largemouth bass: Jack Catt, Virginia Beach, 22 1/2 inches, caught at Lake Smith; David Brooks, Portsmouth, 22 1/2, Western Branch Reservoir; Jim Napier, Chesapeake, 22 1/4 inches, Lake Whitehurst; Doug Roberts, Portsmouth, 22 inches, Lake Burnt Mills; William Driscoll, Hampton, 22 inches, Lake Prince; Kenny Boulier, Virginia Beach, 22 inches, Smith; and Marvin Giddins, Virginia Beach, 7-0, Smith.
Channel catfish: Angel Grimes, Virginia Beach, 13-0, Back Bay. Striped bass: Steve Campbell, Isle of Wight, 16-8, Western Branch; and Brant Sraver Sr., Norfolk, 12-4, Lake Meade. Chain pickerel: Allan Rockwell, Suffolk, 25 1/4 inches, Prince; and J.R. Doxey Jr., Suffolk, 4-6, Prince. Crappie: James Worrell, Suffolk, 15 1/2 inches, Prince. White perch: George Rowe, Windsor, 1-6, Prince. Yellow perch: Ted Steen, Portsmouth, 1-0, 1-0, Prince; and George Rowe, Windsor, 1-4, Prince. Shellcracker: Marcelle McWhorter, Virginia Beach, 1-0, Prince.
TOURNAMENTS:
Results of the Bass-N-Babes largemouth bass tournament on the Perquimans River: 1. Cathy Williams, Virginia Beach, 10 pounds, 7 ounces; 2. Joyce Miller, Chesapeake, 9-7; 3. Susan Owens, Chesapeake, 5-3. Lunker: Miller, 3-12.
Results of the Tidewater Anglers Club speckled trout tournament: 1. Robert Huffman, Hampton, 3.54 pounds; 2. Gary Seay, Wilsonia Neck, Va., 3.41; 3. Carl Herring, Suffolk, 2.91; 4. James Santti, Virginia Beach, 2.81; 5. Eric Carlson, Virginia Beach, 2.54. Junior: Thomas Myers, Virginia Beach, 1.89.
Results of the Wachapreague Fall Flounder tournament: 1. Robert Baker, Seaford, Del., 5 pounds, 5 1/2 ounces; 2. Larry Smeltzer, Dallastown, Pa., 5-0; 3. Richard Rieley, Pungoteague, Va., 4-3; 4. Howard Goigler, Pasadena, Md., 4-0, 5. Ron Reid, Richmond, 3-14 1/2.
Results of the Virginia Beach Anglers king mackerel tournament: 1. Bryan Trax, Virginia Beach, 20.5 pounds, Aquatrax; 2. Steve Walton, Kinston, N.C., 15.7, Greenville Marine; 3. Brian Bracey, Kill Devil Hills, N.C., 9.10, The Energizer. by CNB