THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 22, 1996 TAG: 9608211195
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: 29 lines
As a lot of anglers and most charter skippers know, dolphin action can go from almost nil to rip-roaring hot virtually overnight.
Just a few days ago, anglers and guides in Virginia and North Carolina were lamenting the scarcity of the beautiful, yellow-hued battlers, found over the outer edge of the Continental Shelf.
``We haven't seen any dolphin to speak of since (Hurricane/Tropical Storm) Bertha passed,'' said Arch Bracher, a veteran guide from Nags Head.
Of late, there has been a welcome turnaround in some areas. That's the way of the dolphin.
Perhaps quicker than any other saltwater fish, dolphin can stage a turnaround - from scarcity to abundance or from abundance to scarcity - practically overnight. Scientists say it is perhaps the fastest growing of any fish in its size range.
Just a few days ago, Mike Megge of Virginia Beach took the dolphin lead in the annual Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament with a giant weighing 51 1/2 pounds. It was caught from the boat Aquatrax.
That was just one of perhaps a dozen big fish registered in the past week for citation awards from the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament.
In addition, boats sailing from Eastern Shore ports have been getting fair numbers of small fish, known as ``bailers,'' between 2 and 6 pounds. by CNB