DATE: Monday, April 14, 1997                TAG: 9704140175

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C11  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR 

                                            LENGTH:   65 lines

AS THE TEMPERATURE WARMS, SO DOES ANGLING ACTION

The cold, blustery weather that dominated much of the past week kept angling efforts down along the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina. However, some anglers took advantage of better weekend conditions to record some impressive hauls.

Billy Wyatt of Suffolk earned a citation award from the Virginia Fresh Water Fishing Tournament with a 25-pound, 1-ounce striper, landed at Western Branch Reservoir in Suffolk.

Jeff Martin of Norfolk bested 136 other anglers to win Saturday's Big Bass tournament staged by the Virginia Beach Anglers Club. His fish, caught at Lake Whitehurst, weighed 6.48 pounds. It was 23 1/2 inches long - enough for a citation from the state-sponsored tournament. Second went to Bob Violand of Virginia Beach at 5.10 pounds and third to Ed Hesse of Virginia Beach at 4.66. Ray Sherman of Virginia Beach had the top largemouth by a club member at 1.50.

Once again, red drum made a decent showing in the surf at Cape Point on Hatteras, where Dewey ``Fleetwood'' Pierce of Colerain, N.C., earned a citation from the North Carolina Salt Water Fishing Tournament with a 48-pounder.

Elsewhere, both bluefin and yellowfin tuna were encountered off the North Carolina Outer Banks. And while a few decent hauls of flounder were made along the Eastern Shore, many anglers encountered only mediocre action.

The continued shoaling of Rudee Inlet at Virginia Beach forced many anglers to scrub their planned excursions out of the opening at the south end of the resort strip.

Here's a rundown of recent catches:

Virginia Beach inshore: No outstanding catches reported.

Virginia Beach offshore: No outstanding catches reported.

Lower Chesapeake Bay: Tautog: Gregory Edinger, Virginia Beach, 10 pounds, 2 ounces, caught from the boat Linda Lee, caught at Cape Henry Wreck.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel: Tautog: Kevin McLaughlin, Virginia Beach, 13-8, no name.

Eastern Shore seaside: No outstanding catches reported.

Eastern Shore bayside: No outstanding catches reported.

Outer Banks inshore: Striped bass: Charlie Rocknak, Nags Head, 34 inches, caught at Oregon Inlet Bridge. Red drum releases: Lori Mangan, Chesapeake, caught in the surf; Steve Magliano, Buxton, N.C., surf; Shane Smith, Deer Run, N.C., surf; and Timothy Smith, Raleigh, surf.

Outer Banks offshore: Bluefin tuna: Michael Cain, Raleigh, 150-0, Fin Fantasy. Yellowfin tuna: Shannon Garst, Richmond, 83-0, Marlin Mania. King mackerel: John Edmunds, Mechanicsville, Va., 42-4, Hatteras Fever II; and Albert Myers, Chesapeake, 40-0, no name. Wahoo: Tony McGowan, Hatteras, 48-0, Sea Creature; and Kent Lydil, Fairfax, 47-0, Chaser.

Fresh water: Crappie: Tom Dooley, Portsmouth, 15 inches, caught at Lake Smith. Walleye: Bob Taylor, Virginia Beach, 6-8, Smith. Largemouth bass: Robert Ramsey, Chesapeake, 7-4, Northwest River; Jim Roper, Portsmouth, 24 inches, Lake Prince; Scott Barfield, Virginia Beach, 23 1/2 inches, Prince; and Steve Jones, Portsmouth, 23 inches, Lake Cohoon. Pickerel: Jerry Zakowski, Portsmouth, 4-0, Cohoon; and Greg Bryan, Chesapeake, 24 inches, Smith. Yellow perch: Wayne Simmons, Portsmouth, 1-5, Prince; Woody Wiggins, Chesapeake 13 3/4 inches, Prince; Scott Barfield, Virginia Beach, 13 1/2 inches, Prince; Nikki Senn, Chesapeake, 13 inches, Prince; and Fred Willis, Virginia Beach, 12 1/4 inches, Prince. Shellcracker: Mike Springer, Suffolk, 11 1/2 inches, Prince.

Tournament: The team of Mike Pacheco of Norfolk and Steve Lyon of Virginia Beach won a largemouth tournament Sunday out of Bob's Fishing Hole on the Northwest River. Their combined catch weighed 15.07 pounds. Lyon had the lkunker at 7.33.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu