First 2012 hickory shad caught

Tight Lines

February 3, 2012

First 2012 hickory shad caught

FOR THE DAILY SOUTHERNER Rick Goines The Daily Southerner Fri Feb 03, 2012, 04:40 PM EST

TARBORO — Henry C. Knight, III, caught the winner in the 2nd Annual Tar River First Shad Contest, in Tarboro this past Sunday morning about 9 a.m. Henry Knight? Are you kidding me?

Henry winning this season’s Tar River First Shad Contest is about like Albert Einstein being a contestant on Jeopardy, and asking Alex Trebeck, in his best old-world German accent, “Alex, I vood like you should give me da physics category for $2000.” It’s a done deal, my friend. Take the money to the bank.

“Will Henry catch the season’s first Hickory Shad?” is right up there with some of those obvious rhetorical questions like, “Is the Pope Catholic?” and “Does a bear do his business in the woods?”

Of course Henry caught the first Hickory Shad. Knowing Henry, he will probably catch the last one this season, too. Simply put, catching Hickory Shad is what Henry does, andprobably does it better than anyone else on the Tar River.

Born and raised in Edgecombe County, Henry is in his early thirties, and is a graduate of North Edgecombe High School, and N.C. State University. Shad fishing doesn’t pay real well, so Henry makes his living as a mechanical engineer.

Jimmy Braswell and Wayne Harrell were fishing alongside Henry on Sunday. In case you are counting, those three dudes possess over a hundred years of Tar River shad fishing experience and expertise. Hardly seems fair to the shad, does it?

Henry was using 1/16 oz. orange shad dart when that winning first 2012 Hickory Shad decided to commit suicide. His total creel for the day was 2 Hickory Shad, and one

White Shad. A good start to what looks like is shaping up to be a great 2012 shad season on the Tar River.

Henry is easy to spot and watch. His usual perch is the protruding storm-water outfall pipe on River Road just upstream of the new Main Street Bridge. Ask anybody out there, and they will point out Henry’s Pipe at the Shad Hole for you.

It’s worth a visit just to watch Henry work his magic. Henry’s smooth, well-coordinated, fluid casts and s-l-o-w methodical retrieve are poetry in motion. That attention-to-detail mechanical engineer attitude translates nicely in to his shad fishing, too.

Henry is enjoying this year’s prize package, valued a bit more than $300, for being the first to catch and take a Hickory Shad to Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store. He was really surprised to learn that no one else had turned one in, when he went there after working all day on Monday.

Thank you, sponsors: Jimmy D Custom Shad Rigs, Harrell’s Custom Rods & Repairs,

The Daily Southerner, Greenville Marine & Sport Center Tackle Shop, 33 Grill & Oyster

Bar, Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store, Marrow-Pitt Ace Home Center, and Tarboro Association of Saltwater Sportsman (TASS). Sponsors make it happen, always. Give them your support. They deserve it.

Congratulations, Henry! In the spirit of fairness, next year we are going to ask Henry to wear a blindfold when shad season begins. Even blindfolded, I wouldn’t bet against

Henry. The man is one fine, pure-T Hickory Shad angler. Robbie Webb says it best: “Henry Knight has a PhD in Hickory Shad.” Indeed he does!

I respect and admire Henry Knight, the man, and Henry Knight the expert Hickory Shad fisherman. I’ve decided that when I grow up, I want to be just like him.

Hotspot of the Week – This Carolina Angler has been enjoying some early season success catching a few White Shad on the Tar River in Rocky Mount. My Jimmy D Custom Shad Rigs are doing the trick for me, as always. I like what I call a green-on-green on green rig. It’s a green jig head, green jig, and green trailing spoon. It always catches fish for me. Jimmy D Custom Shad Rigs are available in Tarboro at Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store, and Marrow-Pitt Ace Home Center. For my money, you can’t buy a better shad rig.

Rick’s Soapbox – Save the dates! Tuesday, February 21, is the annual TASS membership meeting at 33 Grill & Oyster Bar, Highway 33 in Tarboro. It’s a good night to join TASS, pay your dues, which covers the whole family, and sign-up for the 2012 11th Annual TASS Shad Tournament. The shad tournament will run Saturday March 17 to Saturday March 24. Did I mention that the Parrisher family feeds us good, too? Good friends, good fishing folks, and good food. What a winning combo!

Care to share? Tell us about your fishing success. 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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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
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