DATE: Thursday, August 28, 1997             TAG: 9708280754

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C6   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: Bob Hutchinson

                                            LENGTH:   36 lines

A WEEKLY GUIDE TO THE REGION'S HOT SPOTS

Serious speckled trout anglers are an odd lot. I know. I am one.

A speckled trout enthusiast will gladly tell you how many he caught on any given day. First, though, he or she probably will look around to see if anyone else might be listening.

Just don't ask us where we catch 'em. You'll probably get an answer like, ``In the water,'' or ``From a boat.'' Translation: ``I'm not about to tell you and if you try to pin me down, don't expect the truth.''

Specks, as they are popularly known, have been making a better-than-anticipated showing in shallow waters of Virginia and North Carolina for the past couple of weeks.

Success stories are filtering in from several areas, including the Poquoson Flats, Eastern Shore bayside creek entrances, Lynnhaven Inlet, Rudee Inlet and North Carolina's sounds.

In Virginia, a few 10-fish limits have been reported. But big specks, meeting the 5-pound minimum for citation awards, have been scarce. Ditto in North Carolina, where the citation minimum is 4 pounds.

The fishery should only get better as we move into autumn, with the hottest action at Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets usually in October and November.

Now, it'll probably be a mistake to expect a repeat of the tremendous action encountered in the late 1980s. These were the halcyon days of trout fishing.

But the Virginia season promises to be at least as good as a year ago, perhaps better, while small fish have been extremely abundant at some spots in North Carolina.

Could these small fish be an indication that the return of the glory days may be a year or two in advance? A lot of speckled trout enthusiasts certainly hope so. Just don't expect any renaissance to loosen lips.

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