Chance to win $1k prize package in hickory shad contest

Tight Lines

December 27, 2012

Chance to win $1k prize package in hickory shad contest

Tight Lines Rick Goines The Daily Southerner Thu Dec 27, 2012, 07:01 PM EST

TARBORO — Ever met a hickory shad worth a thousand dollar prize package? You will, if you win the 2013 Tar River First Hickory Shad Contest. Rules? The unique and interesting thing about this contest is that there are few rules and regulations. It’s open to everybody, no entry fee or registration needed.

Just be the first person to present a freshly caught, by hook & line, please, Tar River hickory shad on or after Saturday, Jan. 19 at Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store, 418 Main Street, in downtown historic Tarboro during normal business hours, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and you walk away with a prize package worth over $1000 in goods and services. Hard to believe, I know, but true!

Unofficial boundaries, for sake of argument, will be the Tar River from Highway 17 Bridge in little Washington to the falls dam at Rocky Mount.

Only one prize package is being offered, so if you catch an early season hickory shad out there on the Tar River, hot-foot it over to Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store to claim your super-cool prize package pronto. I suggest you run, don’t walk. In the unlikely scenario that more than one person shows up at the shoe store at the same time, to avoid violence and fisticuffs, the heaviest fish will be declared the winner.

It’s hard to explain to someone outside of Eastern North Carolina how important and exciting it is to Tar River basin area people when word gets out that the first hickory shad of the season has been caught. Even non-fishing people get enthusiastic about the hickory shad making their first seasonal appearance in the Tar River. I guess you could call it an ongoing tradition, or a rite of passage. Believe me, with cell phones buzzing, the fishing community will know about that first fish, who caught it and where, in about 12-minutes flat.

Sponsor response has been fantastic for our 3rd annual Tar River First Hickory Shad Contest. It just keeps getting bigger and better every year. The jewel in the crown this year is a six to seven hour fishing outing, donated by Richard Andrews of Tar-Pam Guide Service. Wow! Richard, with Tarboro roots, grew up catching shad on the Tar River, so he understands and appreciates the local enthusiasm for the first Tar River hickory shad caught.

Prizes for the winner of the contest include the following from these sponsors.

Tar-Pam Guide Service – 6-7 hour fishing trip, County Surise Grill & BBQ – gift certificate, Harrell's Custom Rod & Reel – 30-inch trophy, Harrell's Custom Rod & Reel, gift certificate, TASS – annual membership, TASS – shad tournament fee, TASS – goody bag, The Daily Southerner – 12-month subscription, Roberson & Dupree Shoe Store – gift certificate, Jimmy-D Custom Shad Rigs – card of six rigs, Thorne Drugs – gift certificate, Marrow-Pitt Ace Home Center – gift certificate, Greenville Marine Tackle Shop – gift certificate, Capri Pizza & Subs – dinner for two, Classic Diner – steak dinner for two, Pet Tenders – in-home pet sitting, Everlean's Cafe' – gift certificate

Rick’s Soapbox: Kirk Goines and his bride, Nannie, didn’t raise a fool. I will accompany the contest winner on the 6-7 hour guided fishing outing with Richard Andrews of Tar-Pam Guide Service. Tight Lines will do a feature article on the outing, participants, and Pam-Tar Guide Service. Hey! It’s my job. I’m large and in charge, and it’s my responsibility as a fishing writer to go and studiously, observe, cover, and actively participate in this newsworthy event. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. As our Marine friends would say, “UH RAH!”

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!

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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.

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NCWRC enforcement officers doing a great job
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May 10, 2013
Tight Lines declares Ginger Perry of Nashville the shad queen
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April 19, 2013
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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.

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Sign-up this Saturday for John Cherry Rockfish Rodeo
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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.

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Anglers kindness and generosity never fail to amaze me
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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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