Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 5, 1990 TAG: 9007050056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Cochran
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Bluefin tuna have been attacking cedar plugs trolled in the bubbly wake of diesel-driven sport fishing boats working out of Rudee Inlet and other ports.
Spanish mackerel, some the largest many Virginia fishermen ever have seen, are scattered from the west shore of the lower Chesapeake Bay to the North Carolina line.
Hefty amberjack have taken up residence along many of the inshore wrecks. When they grab a bait, a fisherman can wonder if his arms are going to fall off before the fight ends.
It's the good old summertime for fishermen breathing salt air.
Several bluefin tuna have weighed more than 100 pounds, which is huge for Virginia. The best concentration of fish is northeast of Virginia Beach's Rudee Inlet, says Lewis Gillingham of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
"The catch per boat is going down, but we still have some big fish," he said.
Warm water appears to be hurrying the fast-moving tuna northward, which means many have left North Carolina and the Virginia border water.
North Carolina fishermen spend no time weeping over that. Yellowfin tuna and dolphin are keeping them busy, not to mention an occasional marlin.
Virginia's inshore water holds some of the state's best-ever schools of feisty and tasty Spanish mackerel. The size and the concentrations of these fish have improved significantly the past four years. Some fish are topping four pounds.
The amberjack season is beginning in earnest, and, if it is anything like last year, hundreds of fishermen are going to earn citations for trophy catches.
Here is a species that offers anglers a chance to land a big, hard-fighting fish without a costly and laborious offshore run. In fact, look for marlin and tuna skippers to quit early some days so they can fish for amberjack on the way in.
Along with amberjack, inshore water holds cobia. A 66 1/2-pounder was caught off Buckroe Beach by Tony Levinson of Poquoson. Some fishermen say they have been spotting tons of cobia, but they won't hit.
Schools of big bluefish remain offshore, but most fishermen try to avoid them, preferring tuna. Large concentrations of small blues are in the Chesapeake Bay.
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission imposed a daily limit of 10 fish per person on bluefish that became effective Sunday. It matches the limit in federal offshore water.
In North Carolina, a two-per-day limit on shark became law this week for rod-and-reel fishermen. It doesn't cover spiney dogfish - called "dog sharks" - that often are caught by surf casters along the Outer Banks.
The seaside of Eastern Shore has some decent schools of flounder, but most are below the 13-inch minimum size. There is an occasional exception, like the 9 1/4 -pounder caught at Chincoteague the other day.
Flounder fishermen in the Quinby area say thick patches of sea lettuce have hampered their fishing. As soon as a hook is dropped, it is loaded with lettuce, and there hasn't been much meat to go with the salad. One boat did dock with 31 keepers.
There's plenty of freshwater action, too.
Although heavy boat traffic has hampered catches in lakes, it didn't keep Dough Kivett of Greensboro, N.C., from catching one of the best striped bass of the year at Smith Mountain. Kivett used a shad to land a 34-pound, 6-ounce striper in the upper Blackwater River arm of the lake.
At Claytor Lake, fishermen are using alewives to catch stripers, white bass and catfish. James Roman of Wytheville got seven stripers in the 6- to 8-pound range.
by CNB