Hurricane Frances might be nasty - hurricanes often are - but certain folks say there is a nice side to the unpredictable mood of nature.

Mean storms can make big messes, but magical moments can be gleaned from them, say experts, surfers, fishers, shell collectors and others.

"There have been lots of nice waves, especially this week," said Kenneth Ensley, 72, a retiree from Brewster, Ohio, while taking a break from riding his boogie board near Lake Arrowhead Road. "When hurricanes are coming in, they give me that nice, white surge that I ride. Hurricane Frances is stirring them up."

Hurricanes, no matter what the name, also can help improve policies and plans relating to natural disasters, says Doug Marcy, a physical scientist at the Coastal Services Center of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration in Charleston.

Evacuation routes, flood maps and building codes are just some of the things states improve after hurricanes hit, Marcy says.

Joyce Moore, a shell collector from Murrells Inlet, says that after hurricanes pass, she finds nautical treasures.

"After Hurricane Fran came in 1996, there were some surprises laying there on the beach," said Moore, 58, who makes sun mosaics from her shells.

Hurricane Charley, however, left her nothing uniquely beautiful.

But Hurricane Frances is giving Scott Jones what he wants.

Friday at Apache Pier, the longest pier on the East Coast at one-quarter of a mile, Jones caught croakers.

"I've been here for 45 minutes and caught two fish," says Jones, a 33-year-old field service technician from Asheville, N.C. "That's way better than I did before. In June, I stayed out here for five hours and didn't catch one fish."

Ed Harris says he knows the hurricane spiced up his fishing life.

The electrician from Gaffney caught 9 pounds of fish on Wednesday alone, including flounder.

"The barometric pressure gets right, and it puts them on a feeding frenzy," says Harris, 41. "The hurricane brings the bait in."

Well, some say it isn't so.

"I haven't seen a flounder in a week," says Janet Price, 63, an Apache Family Campground resident.

Bill Price, 63, her husband of 42 years, say the fish are sporadic at best.

"Some days, we come out here and see people catching lots of fish," Price says. "Other days, we just stay out here for hours and never get a fish."

Phil Moyer of Flowertown, Pa., brought his boys, 13-year-old Phil Jr. and 10-year-old Tom, to Apache Pier.

The fish stayed away from them.

At least one smart fish stole their shrimp bait before swimming away.

"We're golfers," Moyer says. "We just came out to relax because the weather is beautiful."

As Moyer watches his sons fish, Harris pulls up a red drum measuring 26½ inches. But it's too big, and Harris has to throw it back.

"I haven't even had a rumble or anything yet," Phil Jr. says.

Tom tires of holding the rod borrowed from family friends and pulls up his line.

"You're not going to get anything if you don't keep it in the water, bud," Moyer says to him.

Still, the fishers at Apache Pier agreed with this simple creed: A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work anytime.