Tuesday, January 28, 2003

Trio on the hook for mistake

By MARK TAYLOR
OUTDOORS EDITOR

   Admit it: If you've fished or hunted long enough, you've probably done something illegal.

    It may not have been intentional or malicious, but who among us can say we've never broken, or at least tweaked, hunting or fishing regulations?

    A few years ago I did, and I got caught.

    Friend Noel Boeke and I had spent a summer afternoon bottom fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. Our catch included the typical grab bag of gray trout, flounder and croakers.

    Arriving at the boat ramp, we were greeted by a Virginia Marine Resources Commission law enforcement officer.

    Looking in our cooler, he pulled out a small gray trout and asked, "Who caught this?"

    I had.

    "How long is it?" he asked.

    "Just over 12 inches," I said.

    I was embarrassed. The fish was pretty small, but we'd kept it because it had swallowed the hook.

    "Do you know what the minimum size for trout is?" the officer asked me.

    "Twelve inches," I answered, seriously.

    He shook his head.

    "It was 12 inches," he said. "It went up to 14 inches two weeks ago."

    I could have been ticketed, but the officer let me slide. He threw the dead fish in the water, warned us to keep up with the rules, and walked away.

    That's my closest call and I hope it stays that way. These days I'm fanatical about knowing and following fish and game laws. I know that if I ever did get a ticket, word certainly would get out.

    That wouldn't look too good, would it?

    Three high-profile members of the Virginia coastal fishing community are enduring such an embarrassment.

    Well-known charter captain and TV fishing show host Herb Gordon recently was ticketed for fishing for striped bass in unauthorized waters. Among those aboard Gordon's boat were Richard Welton and Claude Bain.

    Welton is the director of the Virginia chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association. Bain is the director of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, a program of the Marine Resources Commission.

    When VMRC patrollers checked Gordon, he was 3.9 miles off Virginia Beach, nine-tenths of a mile outside the legal boundary. Gordon, who says he simply was misreading his radar, has taken full responsibility for the incident.

    "I've done so many seminars where I tell guys they have to be careful about that [3-mile] line," said Gordon, who said he was surrounded by other boats that went unticketed the day he was checked. "Now I'm the one who gets burned.

    "I'm embarrassed. I'm mortified. I'm guilty. I'm going to pay the fine and move on."

    The mistake will cost Gordon a $150 fine. It's hard to predict what the long-term costs will be.

    Gordon said he's not sure if the incident will cause advertisers to shy away from his "Weekend Fisherman" show, which was called "Mid-Atlantic Bite" the past two years.

    Gordon doubts it will hurt his charter business and he's probably right. Having fished with him several times, I know he deserves his reputation as one of Virginia's best charter captains.

    Gordon said his future isn't a concern.

    "My pain is coming from the crap Richard and Claude are having to endure," said Gordon.

    Welton and Bain are among the most influential men in Virginia's recreational saltwater fishing community. They are so well-known that editors at The Virginian-Pilot newspaper deemed the story worthy of a spot on the front page.

    Talk on Internet message boards makes it clear some folks are getting lots of pleasure from seeing the two in a tough spot. That's too bad, because both men have done much to protect and promote sportfishing in Virginia's coastal waters.

    Welton, whom I've known since the mid-1990s, is a big man with a booming voice and strong opinions. In a state where commercial fishing interests have always wielded the heaviest influence on coastal fisheries management, Welton is just the kind of guy sportfishermen need to standing up for their rights.

    Having caught boatloads of huge stripers over the years, why would Welton deliberately risk his job and his reputation to catch a couple of fish?

    I've known Bain for about 10 years. He not only keeps the saltwater tournament running like a well-oiled machine, he's also a great ambassador for Virginia's coastal fishing resources.

    I have been fortunate enough to fish with Bain quite a few times. Never during our fishing trips have I seen him do anything unethical, let alone illegal. Again, why would he risk it?

    Gordon was careless. He deserved a ticket and got one.

    It's time to move on.

    YOUTH WRITING CONTESTS: The deadline is near for the Virginia Outdoor Writers Association's annual youth writing contest.

    The contest is open to kids in grades nine through 12. This year's theme is "My Most Memorable Outdoor Experience." Entries should be 500 to 750 words long, typed and double-spaced. Each must have a title other than the theme.

    Submissions should be mailed to Sally Mills, VOWA Youth Writing Competition, Route 1, Box 59, Walkerton, Va., 23177. For more information, contact Mills at (804)684-7167 or mills@vims.edu. The deadline is Saturday.

    The Virginia chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation also continues to seek entries for its "The Hunt" writing competition. That contest is open to kids 17 and under. The deadline is March31. For more information on that contest, contact Billy Hall at william@cfw.com or 463-5410.

    NWTF CORRECTION: The Rockbridge Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will hold its annual fund-raising banquet April5. I got the date wrong in my Jan.21 column. For more information on the event, contact Ken Coleman at 885-1214.

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