Incredible Shad Bite at Mouth of Fishing Creek

Tight Lines

March 23, 2012

Incredible Shad Bite at Mouth of Fishing Creek

FOR THE DAILY SOUTHERNER Rick Goings The Daily Southerner Fri Mar 23, 2012, 04:55 PM EDT

TARBORO — I have been fishing for shad for 11 years in Tarboro. I have heard about the extraordinary shad bite at the mouth of Fishing Creek since I tied on my first Tar River shad rig. I have been bugging my boating friends to take me there. As luck would have it, I get two invitations on the same day.

Wayne Harrell promised me that when he invited me to go it would be spur-of-the-

moment, and it was. I had one hour to get myself ready, and meet him at the boat landing on River Road in Tarboro. We motored 5 miles upriver to the mouth of Fishing Creek.

Wayne anchored us in his favorite place, and the fun began, by putting out six rods

with different rigs, and let the current do the work. A rod quickly doubled over with

an anxious shad on the other end. We had steady action all afternoon with White Shad numbers far out-weighing their smaller cousins, the Hickory Shad.

Wayne “called ‘em up” several times by intentionally banging something on the boat and/or rustling the water. Much to my surprise, it worked more times than not! I thought he was joking the first time he did it.

I prefer to cast and retrieve, and did so pretty much the whole time we were out there. I was slinging my green-on-green-on-green Jimmy D Custom Shad Rig. Those shad were knocking the green paint off that jig and spoon. I was in love with life! The later in the day it got, the hotter the bite became. We left biting fish in the early evening to return home.

Wayne guesstimated we caught more than 50 fish. I had 3 doubles, and we counted 4 or 5 "Whites" in the 4-pound + range. Just a fantastic, incredible, shad fishing experience is the only way I know to describe it. Thanks for the wonderful, exciting outing Wayne-O!

Hotspot of the Week – White Shad!

Rick’s Soapbox – Fisherman or not, I encourage you to get out to Marrow-Pitt Ace

Home Center this Saturday for the final weigh-in and awards ceremony at the festivities for the TASS 11th Annual Hickory Shad Tournament.

Mid-week Biggest Fish Award - As of 5:30 pm Tuesday 3/20/12, the angler who had weighed in the largest Hickory Shad, qualified for a $100 prize. The winner of that green piece of paper with Bennie Franklin’s picture on it is Jim Dupree, III, one of the famous Edgecombe County “fishing Duprees.”

Shad Hole Shout Out - Yuck, yuck, yuck! If the shad hole has a resident comedian, it is Robbie Webb. Fellow shadsters start smiling and grinning when he pulls up in his truck. Fifty-nine year old Robert Webb was raised in Tarboro, and had been an educator in Edgecombe and Wilson County Public Schools. He has fished the Tar River for 55 years. He favors a tandem rig consisting of an orange jig and gold Hildebrandt spoon.

Don't be fooled by his happy-go-lucky, clowning-around attitude. Robbie is a skilled

fisherman that knows what he is doing, and always catches fish.

If you look in the back of Robbie's truck, be prepared to see any variety of expired

critters. Robbie is a licensed trapper, and sometimes has a demised furry animal as a truck bed passenger.

Tight Lines Special Edition - Look for a Tight Lines special column in Monday's March 26th edition of The Daily Southerner with results of the 11th Annual Hickory Shad Tournament 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!

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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.

May 17, 2013
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.

May 10, 2013
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!

April 19, 2013
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.

April 12, 2013
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.

April 5, 2013
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.

March 29, 2013
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!

March 22, 2013
Time to sign-up for the 12th Annual Hickory Shad Tournament
The TASS Twelfth Annual Hickory Shad Tournament week is one of my favorite weeks of the year. This year’s tournament dates are Saturday, March 16th through Noon, Saturday, March 23.
Entry fee is only $10, but you must sign-up before 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 15, if you wish to be involved. You do not need to be a member of TASS to participate, but you must be a member of TASS to receive TASS bonus-money. Registration is at Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store, 418 Main Street, in downtown historic Tarboro.

March 8, 2013
Anglers kindness and generosity never fail to amaze me
The “Shad Hole” on River Road in Tarboro functions not only as a great place to fish, but also a good place to meet and greet like-minded fishing enthusiasts. An informal group usually congregates at the “Shad Hole” nightly during shad season to wet a hook, or simply to exchange pleasantries. These “Shad Hole” friends come in different ages, and walks of life. These are salt-of-the-earth type guys. If it ever comes down to “Us” versus ‘Them,’ I want these guys in my foxhole watching my back.

March 1, 2013
Martin Marietta Materials plans to dump into Blounts Creek
Martin Marietta Materials has applied for a discharge permit to dump groundwater and stormwater directly into Blounts Creek. One person close to the situation tells me we are talking about 12 million gallons of discharge a day. I don’t profess to be an expert on the matter, but that doesn’t sound really healthy, or harmless, for the environment, and specifically Blounts Creek. (Filed documents say the average discharge would be about 9 million gallons a day, but could increase to 11 million on some days.)

February 22, 2013
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