TARBORO —
This Saturday, January 19th is the first official day of the 2013 Tar River First Hickory Shad Contest. We’ve got all of the i’s dotted and t’s crossed for this third annual contest.
All that’s left is to reiterate some fair and equitable Tar River fishing boundaries. Since this is basically an Edgecombe County Tar River contest, the eligibility boundaries begin at the NC Wildlife ramp at Old Sparta, at Highway 42 Bridge, up river to the falls of the Tar River at Battle Park in Rocky Mount. Wifey is the directions, map-reader, and mileage expert at our house, and her guesstimate is that we will be working with around 35 miles of the beautiful, fishable Tar River. That last stretch of the Tar River in Battle Park is actually in Nash County, but who really cares. Hopefully and certainly not the hickory shad.
Somewhere out in the Pamlico Sound is a hickory shad named Horatio, whose internal instincts are telling him to chug up the Pamlico River past the US-17 Bridge in Little Washington, where the water immediately becomes the Tar River. Horatio, or “H” to his friends and swim mates, will meander past Tranters Creek, Grimesland, and the Town Commons in Greenville on his very important trek upriver. “H” isn’t really aware of his importance, or why he is biologically driven to seek these familiar waters for the time-honored tradition of natural spawning, but his cute little 1-pound scaly body could be worth a $1000 plus prize package to some lucky Tar River angler all the same.
The contest is simple, easy, open to everyone, and free. Be the first to present a freshly caught, on hook & line please, hickory shad at Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store, 418 Main Street, in downtown, historic Tarboro between 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and you win.
That’s a prize package worth over a thousand George Washingtons, and all you have to do is pony-up the first hickory shad caught on/after Saturday,' January 19th. Wow! That’s easy-peasy, and not too sleazy!
The prize package consists of various prizes and gift certificates from our generous sponsors. A complete list is available on the 2013 Tar River First Hickory Shad Contest event Facebook. The grand prize is a 6 to 7-hour guided fishing trip with Captain Richard Andrews of Tar-Pam Guide Service. Yours truly will accompany the winner on this exciting outing to comprise a Tight Lines article about this fun and interesting experience. I might even wet a hook out there with you. Hey, it’s my job, and somebody has to do it! What a guy, huh?
Rick’s Soapbox – I am right proud to tell you that I will be writing some future fishing articles for Coastal Angler Magazine. My “John R. Bass, Fly Fisherman Extraordinaire” article is currently featured in several of the Coastal Angler Magazine franchise publications. Conceivably, Coastal Angler readers could be reading about the amazing John Bass all over the good old US of A. Thank you, John Bass for your cooperation, and for being such an interesting subject.
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!
Tight Lines
Related Photos
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Former Tarboro resident, Will Nunnally, holds a 35-inch muskellunge (musky) caught recently in the New River near Radford, Va. For The Daily Southerner
Boundaries set for 2013 Tar River first hickory shad contest
- Tight Lines
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Battle Park is a cornucopia of nature
Fifty-seven acre Battle Park, in the heart of Rocky Mount, is named after the Battle
family of Tarboro, founders of Rocky Mount Mills. Water-powered, the mill dam was hewn of the rocks of the Great Falls, past the westernmost point of Edgecombe County. -
Take a kid fishing this summer
As you put the final touches on your summer vacation plans, consider a fishing outing for the youngsters. They might not remember or appreciate that expensive beach cottage rental, or that high-dollar meal at that trendy waterfront restaurant, but I would bet a pretty penny they will recall every detail of a fun-filled family fishing experience.
Just about anywhere you chose to go this summer will offer fishing -
Shad Season in Review
All things considered, 2013 was a good shad season, thoroughly enjoyed the fishing activity and usual camaraderie among shad fishing friends. Shad fishing to me is about so much more than just catching fish. It’s a total package of enjoyment as it captivates and dominates my life February through May.
Wayne Harrell kicked off the season winning the first shad contest catching his hickory shad on a cold 19-degree Saturday morning, February 2.
The shad hole on East River Road in Tarboro was a little disappointing this year. Untimely flood waters might have limited our regular peak run. Fish were caught and we had some good days, but not the action we have experienced in past years. -
Banner Day at Battle Park
Sunday was Mother’s Day. I am not a mother, but I played one in a school play years ago, so I figured that entitled me to go fishing on Mother’s Day. Need an excuse or rationalization to go fishing? Check with me, I’ve got plenty!
After suffering through 2-3 days of a rain induced swollen, unfishable Tar River at Battle Park in Rocky Mount, it was jackpot time on Sunday. Without a doubt, I had my best white shad fishing day ever, fishing from sunrise to early evening. Action was good all day, with a little lull for about 2-hours in the heat of the afternoon.
I am proud to report to you that I enjoyed a 50-fish day. I caught a personal best 46 white shad, 3 hickory shad, and foul-hooked a very angry, upset 3-foot gar. I thought I had two large white shad, or maybe a big rockfish, so I was a little surprised to see Mr. Gar. It was like reeling in an uncooperative 2x4 piece of lumber. -
NCWRC enforcement officers doing a great job
North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission has two enforcement officers assigned to each county. That’s 200 dedicated, educated, and highly trained individuals protecting our North Carolina environment and natural resources. To become an enforcement officer applicant, one must participate in a highly competitive selection process. A typical candidate is required to pass extensive background and psychological screening. Also included is a vigorous 19-week training academy that is patterned after a military boot camp, with an emphasis on physical fitness.
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Tight Lines declares Ginger Perry of Nashville the shad queen
One of my favorite places to bank fish is the boat ramp at Battle Park in Rocky Mount. I have met a lot of interesting people there. Three or four times this season, I have watched this amazing lady, Ginger Perry, fishing with her friend, Big Kelly, for white shad. Simply put, she is one good angler! She casts and retrieves like a pro, and always catches her fair share of fish. Maybe a few more than her fair share! This lady can flat-out fish!
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Time for the John Cherry Rockfish Rodeo on the Tar river
Tarboro Association of Saltwater Sportsman (TASS) presents the annual John Cherry Rockfish Rodeo on the Tar on Saturday, April 27th. Entry fee is $100 per boat.
Registration and information is available daily at Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store, Main Street, Tarboro. The absolute registration deadline is Friday, April 26, by 8 p.m., at the boat landing on River Road, or when the maximum limit 40 boats have been signed-up. Attendance at the Captain’s meeting Friday night, 7 p.m. at the boat landing on River Road, is highly recommended. Rules will be read, questions answered, and you will receive your Captain’s Bag, tournament t-shirt, and other goodies. Each boat is allowed to weigh-in 2 of their largest rockfish, as chosen by the Captain. -
Sign-up this Saturday for John Cherry Rockfish Rodeo
One of the TASS premier events that local anglers always enjoy is the annual John Cherry Rockfish Rodeo. Registration is limited to the first 40 boats. Full grown men, me included, will be standing in line like giddy teeny-boppers looking concert tickets early Saturday morning waiting for Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store to open at 9 am to plunk down that registration fee.
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Bottoms Up! Greg Bottoms Wins TASS Shad Tournament
To my knowledge, Greg Bottoms does not smoke or drink, but he does have another habit, and an enviable one at that. Greg wins fishing tournaments. He won the Fall Speckled Trout Tournament, and last week claimed top honors in the shad tournament. Obviously, the man knows his way around a rod & reel. Greg is a skilled angler, and a nice guy, deserving of that success.
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Shad Tournament participants weighing-in some good fish
All indications are that this will be a banner year for the 12th Annual TASS Hickory
Shad Tournament. The timing is perfect because the shad “bite” has turned on
considerably everywhere. At the halfway point through the week-long tournament, the leader board is already showing some impressive fish weights. Charles Strickland leads the top tier adult category with a healthy 2.56 Hickory Shad. That will be a hard “Hick” to beat! - More Tight Lines Headlines
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Battle Park is a cornucopia of nature
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