When saltwater anglers look back on Virginia's 2006 season, a bright spot is going to be the speckled trout fishing.

Claude Bain, director of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament calls the outstanding speckled trout fishery “the real story for 2006."

And it isn't over. Anglers continue to reel in these colorful and highly popular fish well into November.

The season won't be remembered for the number of citation trout entered in the tournament; rather, for the abundance of fish weighing 2- to 4-pounds.

I talked to one guide who told me he'd accounted for more than 1,000 trout this season. Another accomplished angler said he'd had two trips when more than 50 trout were hooked and released.

As for citations, the tournament has registered 161, the largest a 12-pounds, 1-ounces trophy taken from the Elizabeth River by Barclay Shepard of Poquoson. read more

The striped bass was as imposing as I remembered. It had given me fits several weeks ago, testing my nerves, luck and skill. But I had eventually triumphed. Now the reward was at hand.

It’s broad, heavy head and thick, powerful body were still impressive, but instead of trying to smash my lightweight tackle, this striped devil was now crisply browned and stretched across a bed of lettuce and delicately sliced vegetables on a large silver platter.

We were celebrating the past fishing season, and our guest of honor, that delectable rockfish, had been the most memorable fish I had caught while plugging the shallows this past fall. I had kept the fish whole when I cleaned it, envisioning just such a feast.

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