The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Sports

November 12, 2010

Wildlife Commission Stocking Cape Fear River with Striped Bass

Rick Goines Fishing Columnist

TARBORO — Good news from NCWRC for those people that enjoy angling on the Cape Fear River (CFR).  Let me share with you a recent official communication about NCWRC stocking the CFR with Striped Bass (Rockfish).

The first stocking will consist of approximately 10,000 striped bass, ranging in length from 4 to 6 inches. A second stocking of more than 100,000 fish will occur in early December. The fish were produced at the Commission’s Watha State Fish Hatchery in Pender County.

The Commission has stocked striped bass of various sizes in the Cape Fear River on an annual basis since 1998; however, this is the first stocking of fish that were produced using brood fish collected exclusively from the CFR. All previous stockings were from brood fish collected from the Roanoke River.

“The hope is that by stocking fish raised from parents collected from the Cape Fear, the fish will imprint to the system and return years later as adults to spawn,” said Keith Ashley, a fisheries biologist with the Commission.   

Striped bass migrate into the Cape Fear River from the Atlantic Ocean each spring. Beginning in 2003, the Commission initiated an annual survey of the CFR striped bass stock.The objective was to obtain up-to-date information on the abundance, distribution, length, age, and sex composition of striped bass collected from the CFR.

Survey results continue to document low numbers of spawning adults and poor recruitment. In an attempt to promote recovery of the fishery, the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) and the Commission implemented a moratorium on recreational and commercial striped bass harvest in the Cape Fear River system in 2008.

“We hope that the harvest moratorium, in conjunction with this new stocking program, will ultimately result in the restoration of this important fishery on the Cape Fear River,” Ashley said.” (NCWRC press release, 10.27.10)

For more information on fishing in public, inland waters, visit www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.

Hotspot of the Week –  George Baker and Wayne Harrell ventured out on the Pungo River last week and caught 50+ Speckled Trout on plastic grubs.  Of course Murphy’s Law kicked in, and many of the trout were 13.75-inches, missing that 14-inch requirement by a mere fraction.

Bill Nunnally and friends enjoyed some better trout success at Pecan Grove and took a mess of keepers home for a date with the grill. Like somebody in a room had turned off a light, the bite stopped in the early afternoon. In this case, the early (rubber) worm got the fish.

Some big trout were reported coming out of Campbell’s Creek, but the fishing pressure is intense. Some days the boats are stacked up pretty strong in there, and tempers tend to flare. Getting plunked in the head is never worth it to me. I certainly don’t condone it, but I know of a few guys that carry a loaded pistol in their tackle box. I can’t imagine any fishing situation justifying gunplay of any sorts.  No fish is worth killing and/or dying over folks, and the fishing at Central Prison in Raleigh is a little iffy these days.

Rick’s Soapbox: Our usual Sunday afternoon ritual is to partake of the delicious buffet at Cotton’s Restaurant in Tarboro. Owned and operated by the friendly, salt-of-the-earth Guill family, it is a Sunday tradition for many locals.  I highly recommend it. Some weeks they serve a chicken tetrazzini casserole that knocks my socks off. I eat so much of it, that I embarrass wifey, Linda, and that ain’t no easy task. After slamming groceries down our necks, we usually go down to the shad hole on the Tar River and check out the bridge construction progress.  In the middle of the river, under what’s left of the old bridge is a rather significant logjam of flotsam/jetsam debris. It needs to be removed ASAP. This is more than a task for two guys in a Jon boat. Winter weather will only add to the problem. Any idea who should be contacted for help to alleviate this problem? NCWRC? Town of Tarboro? Army Corps of Engineers? A little help, please!

Wayne Harrell said he wants to give the NCWRC guys an attaboy for the nice job they did renovating the boat ramp and facilities at the Tar River at Bells Bridge in beautiful historic Tarboro. We checked it out, and sure ‘nuff, they did a nice job. It warms the cockles of my fat heart to see those license fees and tax dollars going to good use.  Give it a look-see for yourself.

Wayne-O recalls a March trip, back in the 60’s when he put in at Bells Bridge heading to Fishing Creek looking shad. He turned his boat over, and had to slog his way back to the ramp.  He shows up at home late, wet, and cold, and wife Peggy asks him where he had been and scolded him for being late for supper.  Ladies!  Before you send your men out to spar with nature, make sure that his life insurance policy is current and paid up-to-date. Your next husband can have the boat AND the boat payments.

Catching fish?  Tell us about it. Better yet, send us a picture with all the details.  We love to hear from you at CarolinaAngler@Gmail.com.

See you on the water, my friend!

 

Text Only
Sports
  • Julie Hayes.jpg Hayes, Harris Co-Players of the Year

    When you have two dream players on your team at the same time, a coach can usually build a strong program through those two players. That is what first year Tarboro Lady Vikings head coach Leshaun Jenkins has done with the soccer team with the help of dream players Julie Hayes and Chandler Harris.

    May 23, 2012 2 Photos

  • Tim Cunningham.jpg KARATE

    The students of Cunnningham Isshinryu Karate represented Tarboro and Edgecombe County well on Saturday, April 28th at the 14th Annual ECU Open Martial Arts Tournament. The tournament was held at the ECU Student Recreation Center and is one of the area’s largest martial arts events. It is open to all martial arts styles and systems. This year, more than 75 martial artists competed for medals.

    May 18, 2012 1 Photo

  • Kailyn Abrams.jpg Abrams to play at Peace

    Tarboro Vikings senior softball slugger Kailyn Abrams had decided to take her talents to the next level and play college softball at NCAA Division III William Peace University in Raleigh.

    May 17, 2012 1 Photo

  • Athletes of the Year.jpg Cougars Athletes of the Year

    SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars athletes from left, Damien Bryant, Kelsey Page and Alexander Derby were selected as athletes of the year for the school on Monday during the awards banquet..

    May 16, 2012 1 Photo

  • HOF.jpg Three inducted into SouthWest Hall of Fame

    PINETOPS – The SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars honored three distinguished women Monday night during the annual athletics banquet. One inductee was an athlete and the other two spent more than 20 plus years coaching for SouthWest.
    All three inductees were very dedicated to the Cougars athletic program and felt very honored to be inducted into the SouthWest Hall of Fame.

    May 16, 2012 1 Photo

  • Tyler Wooten.jpg Tarboro eliminated after 4-1 loss

    DEEP RUN – Coming off their final regular season game where they didn't get a hit, the Tarboro Vikings were looking to rebound going into the first round of the NCHSAA 2-A state baseball playoffs. Things didn't work out the way Tarboro and first year head coach Justin Smith had planned. They continued to struggle at the plate and ended their season on a 12 inning streak without a hit.

    May 14, 2012 1 Photo

  • Tarboro Parks and Recreation softball and baseball scores

    The following are scores and results from the Tarboro Parks and Recreation softball and Cal Ripken baseball leagues from this past week.

    May 14, 2012

  • Chadler Harris 2.jpg Young Vikings struggle; lose 4-1

    Coming into the first round of the NCHSAA 2-A state playoffs the Tarboro Lady Vikings were given a No. 2 seed in the East bracket and were looking to make a run in the playoffs. The Franklinton Lady Rams had something to say about that Thursday when the two teams faced off at Indian Lake Sports Complex. The Rams defeated Tarboro 4-1, which puts an end to the Vikings remarkable season under first year head coach Leshaun Jenkins.

    May 11, 2012 1 Photo

  • TWC.jpeg Tarboro Women's Club

    Amy Wood Pasquini, marketing director at Our State Magazine, spoke to the Tarboro Women's Club last Thursday about North Carolina travel, history and culture as seen through the pages of the magazine.

    April 23, 2012 1 Photo

  • Lane Long.jpg Long is dedicated to tennis

    Tarboro Vikings junior, Lane Long has been a dominating force on the tennis courts this season. He has risen as one of the top players in the state in high school tennis. Long finished in fourth place at the Eastern Regionals last week, which earned him a spot in the NCHSAA 2-A individual state championships this weekend in Cary at the Cary Tennis Center. He is carrying a 23-5 record into the championships.

    May 10, 2012 1 Photo