The Shad Are on the Way, so be ready

Tight Lines

January 12, 2012

The Shad Are on the Way, so be ready

FOR THE DAILY SOUTHERNER Rick Goines The Daily Southerner Thu Jan 12, 2012, 04:36 PM EST

TARBORO — The fishing community in Tarboro starts to think “shad” this time of year. As you read this, the shad are hovering off the Atlantic coast making plans to chug up the freshwater coastal rivers to spawn. How they remember which river to traverse beats the stuffing out of me, but they do an exact repeat performance every year, same river, same location for all of their existence on God’s green earth. And to think, I can’t remember where I left my car keys an hour ago.

I imagine they are doing a lot of flirting, trash-talking, and date setting. Sammy Shad takes his biological responsibilities seriously, and Sally Shad knows her role well. Their ancestors have been performing this ritual since the beginning of time, so they have had plenty of time to get it right. A conversation between them might go something like this:

Sammy Shad - “Hey pretty girl, what’s happening?”

Sally Shad - “Got to be you, handsome.”

Sammy Shad - “Meet me in the Tar River in Tarboro under the Highway 33 bridge, if you’re feeling frisky.”

Sally Shad - “You’ve got a date stud-muffin. Oh yeah, watch out for that guy named Henry Knight fishing a double dart-rig standing on a drainage pipe on the north bank.

Sammy Shad - “Got it, Sugar! Watch out for Henry Knight, the Tar River shad slayer.”

Even the shad know that Henry Knight is a top notch Tar River Hickory Shad fisherman. As Robbie Webb once astutely observed, “Henry Knight has a Ph.D. in Hickory Shad.”

We are putting together our 2012 First Shad Contest. We are going to reward the fisherperson that catches the first 2012 Tar River Hickory Shad. A nice prize package is currently being developed. Have a prize you would like to donate for a little advertising and promotional exposure? Let us know asap! Details about the 2012 First Shad Contest next week in Tight Lines.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has a great early Valentine’s Day gift idea for the ladies in you life. Enroll them in the “Becoming an Outdoors-Woman” program. (Wifey says she would like this, too.)

Give a V-Day gift card that covers registration for the weekend workshop on April 13-15, 2012, at the Eastern 4-H Conference Center in Columbia, N.C. The workshop includes expert instruction in activities ranging from fishing and target shooting to outdoor cooking and bird watching.

Cost is $225 per person and will cover her choice of four outdoor skill sessions, all program materials and use of equipment, plus meals and lodging. Amenities at the Eastern 4-H Conference Center include climate-controlled living quarters, private showers and dining hall. The 250-acre facility boasts a spectacular view of Albemarle Sound and access to nearby woodlands, meadows, pocosin forests, wetlands and tributaries.

“It’s a beautiful setting — perfect for learning these outdoor skills,” said BB Gillen, the Wildlife Commission’s outdoor skills coordinator. “The boardwalks, nature trails and boat docks provide easy access to the surrounding natural areas.”

For more information, contact Gillen at 919-218-3638, or online at bb.gillen@ncwildlife.org.”

It doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to figure this one out, boys. If the little lady becomes more outdoor oriented (read that FISHING CRAZY), you might have a new fishing buddy on your hands raring to go.

Rick’s Soapbox - Have you checked out this new leader in North Korea? I don’t speak Korean, but I think Kim Jung-un must mean bad haircut in that language. All his family money and influence, and he can’t find or afford a decent barber?

The guy must be a military genius though, because at 27-years old, he is already a 4-star General, and with NO previous military experience. Wow! What a guy! Instead of his costly military parades and official ceremonies, his people would probably prefer a loaf of Wonder Bread and a few cans of Vienna sausages. Those people are starving, but the Supreme Leader doesn’t look like he has missed many meals lately. Any leader that can’t figure out a way to feed his own people is not much of a leader in my book. I guess my rant has ruined any “vacation plans” I had for N.K.

Care to share? Send us your fishing success stories and pictures at CarolinaAngler@Gmail.com.

See you on the water, my friend!

Text Only

Tight Lines

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.

May 24, 2013
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
More Tight Lines Headlines

Tight Lines

Search Results

The Shad Are on the Way, so be ready

Site Map