Fishing and boating safety encouraged Labor Day weekend

Tight Lines

September 5, 2012

Fishing and boating safety encouraged Labor Day weekend

Tightlines

FOR THE DAILY SOUTHERNER Rick Goines The Daily Southerner Wed Sep 05, 2012, 12:43 PM EDT

TARBORO — Labor Day weekend signals the end of summer for some folks. Don’t try too hard out there on the water to have a good time. Does that statement make any sense?

The North CarolinaWildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is reminding recreational boaters to be safe while having fun this Labor Day weekend, especially if alcohol is involved.

“Labor Day weekend is always a busy time on the water,” said Sgt. Tim Lominac, a NCWRC Wildlife Officer. “We see more night boating, more congregating of boats, and more boats in general. We want boaters to enjoy their experience and that means staying safe. A boat operator must be attentive and cautious at all times.”

“Operating a vessel while impaired is against the law, subject to fines up to $1,000 and possible jail. It also puts you at greater risk for an accident, with 20 percent of boating fatalities being alcohol related.”

During Operation Dry Water, a national campaign to combat intoxicated and dangerous boaters held June 22-24, officers in North Carolina charged 32 people with operating while impaired.

Anyone younger than 26 operating a vessel powered by a motor of 10 horsepower or greater on a public waterway must have successfully completed an approved boating education course. HYPERLINK "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMiknSk_6uI&list=UUzXU6CHe_cGnQybRN6UxGEg&index=7&feature=plcp" \t "_blank"

Boats approaching within 100 feet of a law enforcement vessel displaying flashing blue lights must slow to a no-wake speed. In narrow channels, the distance is within 50 feet. HYPERLINK "http://www.youtube.com/watch

For more information on safe recreational boating, or to enroll in a free boating education course by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, go to www.ncwildlife.org/boating or call 919-707-0031

Hotspot of the Week - Tight Lines faithful reader Tom Hoard from Wilmington shared a recent interesting outing with us. He had his youngest son, Graham, out fishing on his 28th birthday. Tom tells the story better than I can:

“We picked up about four-dozen live shrimp, and headed down toward Bald Head Island where we've been doing really well with redfish. Trout fishing has been spotty at best this summer.

“On the ride down the river, we noticed birds working a submerged oyster reef off the end of a grass island close to the shipping channel. We've only been able to get in there on a high tide, so we decided to give it 30 minutes just for kicks and giggles!

“Almost right away we could see that the place was alive with good-sized ladyfish chasing bait everywhere. First cast yielded a 20-inch speck, and it was on!

“Over the next three hours we caught 18 trout, eight-underslot reds, one keeper flounder, and untold numbers of ladyfish, with a scattering of crevalle jacks. We kept four trout for the skillet, and everything else went back to fight another day. The key was high/falling tide and "Trout Cocaine"...AKA Live Shrimp!”

Good report, Tom! Thanks for sending!

Rick’s Soapbox -I thoroughly enjoy the act of fishing, whether catching fish or not. Why someone would want to falsify that situation with an over consumption of alcohol is beyond me. I’m not talking about a beer or two, but that angler that insists on drinking to excess while on the water. Why? What purpose does it serve? Why take a wonderful, exciting fishing adventure and cloud it over with alcohol overindulgence? Does it enhance the pleasure of the fishing experience? I find it hard to believe that it does. Need to booze-it? Do everyone a favor, and stay home and drink to your heart’s content. It’s safer for you and everyone else out there on the water.

Tight Lines welcomes your fishing success stories, snaps, tall tales, and outrageous lies at CarolinaAngler@Gmail.com

See you on the water, my friend!

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Tight Lines

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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