DATE: Sunday, June 22, 1997                 TAG: 9706220085

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C13  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: Bob Hutchinson

LENGTH: 30 lines

ANGLER OF THE WEEK

JIZEL PALMER

VIRGINIA BEACH

``It was so big! I didn't know rockfish even got that huge. I didn't think I'd ever get it into the boat. Releasing it and watching it swim off was a wonderful feeling.''

WHAT: Palmer recently earned a special release-citation award from the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament for releasing a 49-inch striped bass. It was estimated at between 45 and 50 pounds.

Where: She was in 15 feet of water on the Inner Middlegrounds, near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel with husband Joe Palmer on their boat, One for Fun.

How: Palmer was bottom fishing with a whole peeler crab. A fish-finder rig was attached to the sinker, while a 4-foot leader of 50-pound-test line ran to her 7/0 hook. She was using a conventional reel and 40-pound-test line.

Personal: Palmer, 37, is a native of Istanbul, Turkey, and a "military brat.'' She has lived in the U.S. since 1968, in Virginia Beach for six years. A paralegal for a Norfolk law firm, she is married to Joe Palmer, who was Angler of the Week recently. They live in Lynnhaven Colony. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

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