Boat dealer puts record 73-pound rockfish on display at show

David Akridge is a smart businessman.

Akridge, owner of Virginia Beach Contender, a boat dealership located at Little Creek Inlet, jumped at the chance to display the pending state record rockfish that was caught Wednesday.

Akridge has a booth at the 55th annual Mid-Atlantic Sports & Boat Show that runs through Sunday at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.

The record fish - a 73 -pounder caught by Fred Barnes of Chesapeake - was displayed in a cooler Wednesday night.

Max King came up with the idea. King, a Chesapeake guide, is the captain of the Chesapeake Angler magazine tournament boat - a Contender.

"I thought it was a great idea," Akridge said. "It's a great opportunity for people to see Virginia's most sought-after fish, and a new state record. Few people ever see something like that.

"And I wanted to generate more traffic for the last few days of the show."

The plan worked. By 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Akridge said as many as 200 people had seen his display.

"Traffic is usually pretty slow during the weeknights at the boat show," Akridge said. "That fish is going to bring people to the show, and it's going to get people to my booth."

Akridge is renting the fish from Barnes. Neither would disclose a dollar figure.

"I even offered to sell him a boat at cost," Akridge said.

Barnes is interested only in letting people see his giant striper.

"Offering me a deal on a boat is like offering me a $10 million moon for $1 million," said Barnes, a telephone contractor "I've got a 21 -year-old at William and Mary. I ain't in the market."

Barnes originally was going to fillet the fish. Instead, he is going to let Kenny Finck - the owner of the boat he was fishing on - get it mounted.

"Some taxidermist said it would be about $1,000 to have it done," Barnes said. "He offered it to me for half -price. Kind of like the million-dollar moon thing for me.

"But Kenny wants to do something with it, so I'm glad to let him have it."

Lee Tolliver, (757) 222-5844, lee.tolliver@pilotonline.com