TARBORO —
Buying Christmas gifts for the angler on your shopping list should be easy peasy. The nice thing is that you have so many good choices. You can make us happy with a $3 pack of hooks or a $3,000 Canadian fly-in fish camp trip. Just in case the lottery gods or some fabulously rich relative I didn’t know I had are reading this, that Canadian fly-in fish camp is on my bucket list.
Fishing family and friends can give you good advice on shopping for your angler, or you can sneak a peak in the tackle box. Anything you see in there can be easily duplicated, and most fishing fools I know like to have plenty of backup equipment. If you discover a favorite lure, it’s a safe bet they would welcome a spare or two.
Earlier this week, TASS President David Mears hosted an enjoyable TASS Christmas party at Mobley Atrium at Edgecombe Community College. Good folks and good eats are always a winning combo. As I looked around the room, it occurred to me that under that roof was a tremendous amount of fishing skill, knowledge and talent. It seems almost unfair to the fish.
TASS presented a plaque to Jimmy Dupree, Jr. It read: “For his years of service in organizing and coordinating the largest fishing tournament for the TASS fishing club: John Cherry Rockfish Rodeo On The Tar.”
That is a well deserved award for Jimmy D. TASS is lucky to have Jimmy and his brother John, who always give tirelessly to TASS tournaments and events. It would be appropriate to also thank their families for their support, because it takes an understanding spouse and children, too. Of course, let’s not forget all the friendly employees at Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store who are always happy to support TASS activities. Tight Lines refers to the shoe store as TASS Central.
Talking about TASS? What a great gift idea! A TASS membership is only $25, and that includes the entire family. I call it the best entertainment bargain in town. Check out that TASS website at www.tassclub.com for more info.
The TASS 2011 Fall Speckled Trout Tournament and Toys For Tots Drive will end this Saturday.
On a recent check of the leader board, Jimmy Braswell was on top with a 4.94-lb. fish. The big fish in this tournament carries a $760 prize, including the TASS member bonus, so that might make a trip to your favorite trout “honey hole” quite worthwhile. Final weigh-in is 3 p.m. Saturday, at the shoe store. The public is invited.
Pizza Inn of Tarboro generously keeps everyone well fed. It’s also your last chance to bring by an unwrapped new toy to place under the Toys For Tots Christmas tree. The toys we donate here stay in Edgecombe County, so please bring a toy by the shoe store before Saturday afternoon.
Hotspot of the Week: Weather permitting, it’s all about Speckled Trout out there.
Rick’s Soapbox: As you are rounding third and heading for home on this Christmas shopping season, please read the labels and always buy USA goods every chance you get. Buying local makes good dollars and cents, too. Local business owners are your neighbors and friends. They need and deserve your business.
Care to share? Your fishing success stories and pictures are welcome at CarolinaAngler@Gmail.com.
See you on the water, my friend!
Tight Lines
Hooks and fishing camp trip are good gifts for anglers
- 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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