TARBORO —
As you read this, thousands of Hickory shad and American shad, which we call white shad locally, are leaving the Atlantic Ocean entering the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, and heading up freshwater rivers to spawn. Fish that live in saltwater, but travel to and reproduce in freshwater are classified as anadromous. Striped bass, better known as rockfish, also follow this process several months after the shad.
This migration of spawning fish provides about 4-5 months of outstanding local fishing action in the Tar, Roanoke, and Neuse Rivers. We will probably hit about 2-3 weeks in March when I would put up our excellent local shad fishing against angling anywhere. It’s that good! If you like to catch fish, an eastern North Carolina coastal river is the place to be during hickory shad, white shad, and rockfish season.
Henry Knight caught the first shad last year on the last Sunday in January 2012. I expect a similar timetable this year.
The good news is that shad fishing is not complicated or expensive. You do not have to have a boat. A ton of shad are caught from the bank.
Equipment can be as simple as a not-to-pricey spinning rod and reel combo, and a tandem shad rig. My very biased opinion is that you need to see Tackle Joe at Greenville Marine. Joe Varnell can fix you up with everything you need, equipment-wise. My next stop would be either Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store or Marrow-Pitt Ace Home Center in Tarboro to purchase a card of six Custom Jimmy D Shad Rigs. I’ve tried everything out there, and Jimmy D’s work best for me. I highly recommend them to anyone serious about catching shad.
Personally, I think most people use too much hardware on their line to shad fish. I prefer a simple small snap swivel on the end of the line. I see people throw lines with more bling-bling on it than a rap singer. I find that very unnecessary, and sometimes more of a distraction and hindrance than a help. In fishing, as in most things in life, simple usually works out better. I believe in KISS, as in ‘Keep It Simple Stupid.’
Shad anglers tend to be kind of bunched up on the river bank. Give the person next to you a little room, and always be cognizant of where you are casting. Tangled lines are never any fun for anyone. It’s a simple cast and slow retrieve process. When I say slow, I mean painfully s-l-o-w. Retrieve all the way to the bank or boat. I could feed a room full of hungry people on the shad I have caught right in front of me on my final reel-turn revolution. In addition, it’s right darn exciting to see that fish nail that bait before your very own beady little eyes.
Shad fishing is not about strength, but more about finesse and technique. I think that may be why the ladies excel so much at shad fishing. Also, it’s a fishing outing the whole family can enjoy. Fishing skill and expertise is always good, but not absolutely necessary when the river is teeming with fish. Shad is a great fish to target for novices and youngsters. Many a lifetime of fishing pleasure was launched catching a few feisty river shad during spawning season.
Rick’s Soapbox: Congrats shout-out to Robert Cherry who caught a 10-pound striper in the Tar River last week. Rocky was either an early member of the advance party, or he forgot to leave last spring. When I asked Robert what he did with him, he just smiled and rubbed his stomach. Rocky did not die in vain. He fed a good man.
I prepare this article in mid-week, and as I write this, no one has claimed the 2013 Tar River First Hickory Shad Contest prize package yet. Why not you? Go get ‘em!
Care to share? Tight Lines welcomes your fish snaps, tall tales, and outrageous lies at CarolinaAngler@Gmail.com.
See you on the water, my friend!
Sports
Let me take you to school with ‘Shad 101’
- Sports
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Chatt wins NC East District tourney
SouthWest Edgecombe Cougar Ryan Chatt recently won the North Carolina East District golf tournament through the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships. The match was held at Scotch Meadows Country Club in Laurinburg.
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Diver with Tarboro ties named academic all-America
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Ryan Hawkins, a rising senior at Virginia Tech University and grandson of Archie R. Hawkins of Tarboro, has been named to the Capital One Academic All-America At-Large team.
Hawkins, a diver, earned a spot on the third team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. -
Tarboro beats SouthWest 16-11
Tarboro and SouthWest battled it out Friday night in the 15-under Nash County Babe Ruth League at Municipal Stadium. It was a game that included 30 walks, 13 errors and 27 runs scored. Tarboro was able to hold on and win 16-11.
SouthWest, who is winless this year, fought back time and time again and took advantage of 18 walks and the six errors Tarboro committed. SouthWest has a team filled with 13 and 14-year olds playing against older players. They were able to hold their own though and take advantage of different situations. -
Jones, Pittman starting new semi-pro team in Tarboro
If you had a dream of playing professional football, but were never given the chance out of high school or college, now is the time for you to become a professional.
Three citizens in the community came up with the idea to organize a semi-pro football team and came up with the team name, East Carolina Buccaneers.
Mike Jones and Marty Pittman are co-owners of the organization. -
LITTLE TARHEEL CHAMPIONS
Pizza Inn won the Little Tarheel League baseball championship through the Tarboro Parks and Recreation Department. They had a 10-1 record this season and in the last six seasons, Pizza Inn has won six straight titles and have a record of 66-13. Members of the championship team are from left to right, kneeling, Deshawn Moss, Clark Dupree, Ricardo Hernandez, Seth Paramore, Landon Riley, Eric Moss and Tobais Joyner. Middle row, Hunter Gardner, Mason Riley, Justin Rameriz, Mike Wiggins, Eli Williamson, Eric Jones and CJ Joyner. Back row, coaches Ken Oliver, Mike Riley, Bo Dupree, Nick Oliver and Bill Howerin.
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Tars drop season opener 8-7 to Nash County
Fielding errors and throwing errors played a big part in the Tarboro Tars season opener loss Tuesday night at Municipal Stadium. Nash County defeated the Tars 8-7 in the Coastal Plains Senior Babe Ruth league opener.
Tarboro trailed three times in the game and twice they made comebacks. After the second comeback, they took the lead, but that didn't last long after the Tars defense fell apart. -
New punishments need to be added in MLB
The main question remains about Major League Baseball. Why do the same players names continue to appear when it comes to using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs)?
Last year, Commissioner Bud Selig said that they were going to crack down on drug testing, but the fact is how many players have been tested so far through this season? -
10 Under Champs
The Riptide won the 10-under girl's softball league through the Tarboro Parks and Recreation Department. They finished the season with a 7-2-1 record. Pictured from left to right, kneeling, Hannah Scott, Autumn Partain, Rena Harris, Kaliyah Lynch, Hailee Whitehurst, Hailey Boyette, second row, Sarah Harrell, Carly Webb, Taylor Williams, Alysia Braswell, Ziniya Tillery, Yasmine Shannon. Back row, Coaches Van Webb, Ken Williams and Ross Whitehurst.
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Tarboro Parks and Recreation scores
The following scores are from the baseball and softball leagues played at Indian Lake Sports Complex through the Tarboro Parks and Recreation Department.
Baseball
Little Tarheel League
Pizza Inn 14 WRL Farms 4
Leading hitters – Pizza Inn – Justin Rameriz 4-4, Hunter Gardner 3-3, Mike WIggins 2-3, Eli Williamson 2-3, Tobias Joyner 1-1 WRL Farms – Ryan Scott 2-2, Layton Dupree 2-2, Tanner Wittig 1-2, Dillon Johnson 1-2 -
Thorne chosen to play in Powerade game
Tarboro Lady Vikings soccer phenom Shayla Thorne has added another accolade to her credentials. She was one of 19 players selected to play in the Powerade State Games on the 2013 East women's team.
She won't be the only one from Tarboro participating in the state games, because Tarboro coach Leshaun Jenkins was also named the head coach of the women's East team. - More Sports Headlines
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