Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, August 17, 1995                   TAG: 9508170051
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By BILL COCHRAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

STORMY WEATHER MAY SHOWER OUTER BANKS WITH FISH

He was in his Nags Head, N.C., tackle shop Wednesday, a cement-block building at the foot of a huge sand dune called Jockey Ridge, where the wind was picking up as Hurricane Felix approached.

Tatem has seen scores of storms sweep across the Outer Banks, a slim finger of sand poking into the belly of the Atlantic. Storms generally don't alarm him, even in an area where the weather history is written with the bones of shipwrecks, but he admitted that Felix was looking especially threatening.

``If it stalls, it could tear these beaches to pieces,'' he said. But, ``yes,'' he answered the question of the guy on the phone, calling safely from inland. A good blow has a way of stimulating catches on its back side, and the timing of Felix should be right to enhance late-summer fishing for species ranging from croakers to marlin.

``This will pick the white marlin fishing up,'' Tatem said. ``It was already about as good as it can be the other day.''

A tournament Sunday registered about 60 marlin releases.

Fishing for spot also should benefit, he said. These panfish often move on the weather fronts of late August and early September, so Felix should send good numbers of them to the piers and surf.

``We were catching two at a time Tuesday until they ran us off the piers,'' Tatem said.

The marlin and spot fishing improved followed last week's lashing of the coast by 20- to 25-mph northeast winds. That blow is going to pale in comparison to Felix, so the trade off of good fishing could come at a high cost.

Before the storm, anglers in Virginia were enjoying a brisk run of flounder along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. A number of citation catches were recorded.

Croaker fishing was very good in several spots of the lower bay. Some fish weighed better than 3 pounds. Felix could push even more of them into the area.

Red drum had begun their fall run off Cape Charles and yellowfin tuna fishing was improving off Wachapreague.

BIG FISH: Most fishermen consider August one of the poorest months to catch trout, but Eddie Pritchard of Vinton proved that isn't always the case during a trip to Big Stoney Creek in Giles County. Pritchard caught a 7 pound rainbow and brook trout that weighed 3 pounds and 2 pounds, 11 ounces.

Catfish dominate the catches at Claytor Lake, where Ellen Bradford and Dallas Jewell of Pulaski landed 10 that weighed 621/2 pounds. David Byrd of Radford caught a 24-pound muskie from the New River.

Lewis Ratliff of Campers Paradise on Smith Mountain Lake reports he has been taking daily limits of striped bass. Most of the fish weigh 8 to 12 pounds, but some will go as large as 20 pounds. Stripers that large have been landed by Charles Cox, Robert Roe and Wayne Burris.

BIG BUCKS: Some outdoorsmen believe that getting the chance to deer hunt at Radford Army Ammunition Plant is a bit like being handed the keys to heaven. The Pulaski County property has the reputation of producing huge bucks.

But other hunters think the hunts, which are managed by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, are too structured.

This season, the department is easing up just a bit, expanding the antlered-deer days from two to three. That will make two buck days for shotgun hunters and one for bowhunters.

``Basically, we felt like we had enough of those older-age-class bucks that we could put additional hunting pressure on them to create public hunting opportunities,'' said Betsy Stinson, a game department biologist. ``There are some beautiful bucks in there.''

Now is the time to get your name into a computer drawing that determines who gets to hunt. Ask for an application from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Radford Hunt, 2206 South Main Street, Suite C, Blacksburg, 24060.

BENEFITING A FRIEND: Friends of Barry Arrington say he can move his little finger. That's progress. Arrington, who lives in Bedford County, broke his neck last October when he fell while putting up a tree stand.

His friends have scheduled a benefit 3-D archery shoot Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Big Otter 3-D Archery Club in Bedford County. The entry fee is $10. Additional information is available from the range, (540) 586-5665.

All the money collected will go to Arrington, but maybe, best of all, it will cause participants to reflect on the dangers of tree stands. Arrington would like that.