The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Sports

March 12, 2010

Time for shad tourney

RICK GOINES

You have until 5:30 p.m. today to get your hindquarters over to Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store on Main Street in Tarboro to sign up to participate in the 9th Annual TASS Hickory Shad Tournament. You do not have to be a TASS member to fish in this event, but if you finish in the money, TASS members earn some bonus bucks.

It is a week-long tournament Saturday to Saturday with daily weigh-ins during normal business hours at the back door of the Roberson & Dupree shoe store. The adult division and the junior division each have financial rewards for the top four finishers. Final weigh-in and the awards ceremony will be at noon March 20 at Marrow-Pitt Ace Home Center on Main Street in Tarboro. Refreshments will be served, and Joe and Mears Pitt have generously provided eight Ace Home Center $25 gift certificates for drawings for tournament anglers that are present during the awards festivities. The public is invited to join in the fun. John Dupree has all the info at 823-2754, or better yet, stop by the Roberson & Dupree shoe store and chat-it-up with him. The man loves to talk fishing.

Last Saturday and Sunday was a white shad weekend for me. My reliable rumor mill told me that the “Whites” were active off Highway 97 at the Wastewater Treatment Plant on the Tar River. I got up at an ungodly early hour to insure that I could find some bank space to park my ample behind in my red chair. I got there 30 minutes before sunrise, and two guys were already there and fishing. How did they get there before me? It was still dark outside. Maybe they slept there the night before.

One of the early risers was fishing close to me, so I got to observe his attire and technique. This guy was duded-up like he was modeling for the cover of Field & Stream magazine. He had hip waders, fishing shirt and vest, hat, and good quality top-of-the-line equipment. He was also wearing gloves that had several strategic fingers cut out so he could still have a feel for casting, retrieving, and strikes. My experience is that someone that looks that good is either a very skilled fisherman, or a wannabee. I am happy to tell you that this guy was the real deal.

It was a pleasure to watch him fish. Standing in the water about eight feet from the bank, this guy smartly let the current work his spoon. He gets my respect just standing in that freezing, cold water. Insulated boots or not, it had to be a little “fresh.” It was so cold that every other cast you needed to clean the ice out of your eyelets, or your line froze, and your cast was going nowhere fast. He had the slowest retrieve I have ever seen. The only way I know to describe it is to say it was painfully s-l-o-w.

I watched him catch and release six or seven white shad in the 90 minutes I observed him. I was impressed that he strived to release the fish quickly and gently. If possible, he released the fish without jerking it out of the water.

Experts tell us that fish stress levels are reduced greatly when fish are returned to their habitat in this fashion. I saw this same guy back there Sunday morning doing it all over again. No doubt, he has it going on.

I spent more time watching than fishing Saturday morning, but did manage to catch one Hickory Shad. Back in Tarboro Saturday afternoon, I also caught a nice White Shad at the rock pile. Sunday morning I returned to the Tar River off Highway 97, got serious about the task at hand, and managed to catch five Whites, and one Hickory Shad. One of the “Whites” had some shoulders on him. If I catch him next week (during the shad tournament), he qualifies for a free ride to a weigh-in at TASS Shad Central at Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store. Six fish is a good morning’s catch for me. I’ll take that any day.

Several people ask what color darts, jigs, and spoons were working best. Easy question to answer! ANY color as long as it’s green.

I polled some of my experts for some shad fishing “tips,” and I will share some of that valuable knowledge with you next week.

Hotspot of the Week: Tar River shad are active, but our friends upriver in Rocky Mount seem to be enjoying a little more luck early this Shad season. My usual Rocky Mount hangout on Highway 97 was a bit crowded, so I headed over to the Tar River at Battle Park. The pier and boat ramp area had plenty of shad rig throwers, and some good fishing action to keep them busy and motivated. I didn’t fish long before I caught a nice White Shad. Until the shad start slamming rigs in Tarboro, Rocky Mount will be my home away from home this March. I hope next week I can report to you that the Tar River in Tarboro is teeming with shad. Ain’t nothing like fishing a few blocks from home. I just love it!

Chubby Birdsong of Roanoke River Trading Company in Weldon says Shad are a little slow starting so far this year, but a nice run of White Perch has been a pleasant surprise. Chubby does a good job of keeping me informed, and of course I will pass that valuable intel on to you. That Roanoke River fishery at Weldon and Roanoke Rapids is second to none during Shad and Rockfish season. You can forward my mail to Weldon in April.

Rick’s Soapbox: Sorry, no room this week.

Stories, pictures, tall tales, and little white lies are always welcome at gmailto:CarolinaAngler@Gmail.com”CarolinaAngler@Gmail.com

See you on the water, my friend!





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